Snapchat launches AI-powered smart glasses

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1. Snapchat launches AI-powered smart glasses

Snap's fifth-generation Spectacles have a richer, more immersive display and longer battery life, but the market for AR glasses remains nascent. The company is distributing the new Spectacles to AR lens creators for Snapchat, but with an extra hurdle: developers must apply for access through Lens Studio and pay $99 a month to rent a pair for at least one year. The cost is $1,188 over a year.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel believes the interest will be there, as the company aims to empower and inspire the developer and AR enthusiast communities. The hardware has improved, but the software still feels basic for a standalone device. New apps like Snap's OpenAI-powered chatbot, My AI, and an AR lens use AI to generate 3D animations based on voice prompts.

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2. Amazon debuts Project Amelia, an AI assistant for sellers

Amazon has launched Project Amelia, an AI assistant designed to help sellers manage and grow their businesses. The assistant, built on AWS's Amazon Bedrock, is available in beta to US sellers starting Thursday. Amazon says select sellers will gain access immediately, followed by a broader rollout across the US later this year. The goal is to offer sellers tools to manage and grow their business.

At launch, sellers can retrieve sales data and customer traffic information, ask the assistant questions, and receive a summary of metrics. Later, the AI assistant will help resolve issues and aid with other tasks. Amazon plans to offer sellers additional help managing tasks or may even solve problems on their behalf in the future. The launch follows the launch of Rufus, an AI chatbot aimed at consumers. Amazon is also leveraging AI to help customers find clothes that fit and enhance product reviews.

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3. Lionsgate partners with AI firm to train generative model on film and TV library

Lionsgate has partnered with artificial intelligence research firm Runway to train a new generative model for film and TV. The model will be customized to Lionsgate's proprietary portfolio, including popular franchises like John Wick and The Hunger Games. The aim is to help film-makers and creatives enhance their work using AI. The deal is expected to save Lionsgate millions of dollars.

The technology will be used to help storyboard projects, use background scenery, and special effects. The deal comes after a disappointing summer, with underperformers like The Crow, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Borderlands. The announcement comes after California's governor signed bills to restrict the use of AI replicas of performers.

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4. Fal.ai, which hosts media-generating AI models, raises $23M from a16z and others

Fal, a dev-focused platform for AI-generated audio, video, and images, has raised $23 million in funding from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Black Forest Labs co-founder Robin Rombach, and Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. The funding comes from a two-round deal, with $14 million coming from a Series A tranche led by Kindred Ventures and the remaining $9 million from a previously unannounced, a16z-led seed round. Fal was co-launched in 2021 by Burkay Gur and Gorkem Yurtseven, who realized the growing demand for AI cloud infrastructure, particularly for running generative AI models.

The platform offers privately managed compute and workflows for running models and APIs for open source models that generate images, audio, and video. Fal has grown an impressive customer roster, including Perplexity, enterprise customers in the retail and e-commerce sector, and popular generative AI apps Photoroom, Freepik, and PlayHT. Fal's annual run rate has climbed to nearly $10 million, up around 10x from January.

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5. The Immersed Visor aims for spatial computing’s sweet spot

Austin-based startup Immersed has unveiled the Immersed Visor, a lightweight head-worn device that creates a high-resolution spatial computing environment on the cheap. The device, which weighs 186g, is designed for work and can be linked to a Windows, macOS, or Linux computer. It supports 6DoF tracking, hand and eye tracking, and supports over five screens in a virtual or mixed reality environment.

The device runs on the Qualcomm XR2+ Gen 2 chip, which supports up to 4.3K per-eye resolution and can handle content up to 90fps. The device is designed to be lightweight, making it a potential competitor to the iPhone 16 Pro, Meta Quest 3, and Apple Vision Pro.

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