Enlarge OpenAI hopes to convince the White House to approve a sprawling plan that would place 5-gigawatt AI data centers in different US cities, Bloomberg reports. The AI company's CEO, Sam Altman, supposedly pitched the plan after a recent meeting with the Biden administration where stakeholders discussed AI infrastructure needs. Bloomberg reviewed an OpenAI document outlining the plan, reporting that 5 gigawatts "is roughly the equivalent of five nuclear reactors" and warning that each data center will likely require "more energy than is used to power an entire city or about 3 million homes." According to OpenAI, the US needs these massive data centers to expand AI capabilities domestically, protect national security, and effectively compete with China. If approved, the data centers would generate "thousands of new jobs," OpenAI's document promised, and help cement the US as an AI leader globally.

The onboard Meta AI agent can now set a reminder to buy whatever the camera is pointed at, among other enhancements.

Meta Connect announced new features for the smart glasses, but they're all still very basic.

They'll also receive live language translation abilities later this year.

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are already one of the best cracks at AI hardware to date. Now, Meta is pushing out a series of software updates, along with a new translucent Ray-Ban style, that bring the smart glasses closer to actually feeling smart. The company announced several updates to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at its Connect conference on Wednesday, introducing new features like “Reminders,” which has the glasses take a photo of what you’re looking at and remind you about it later through a notification on your phone. You’ll also be able to scan QR codes and call phone numbers you’re looking at directly from the glasses. The Meta Ray-Bans can already translate a handful of languages from still images. Now, the company says it’s...

Logitech has released a pen-shaped Meta Quest controller that makes it easier to draw, sculpt, and manipulate objects in mixed reality environments. After initially being announced back in June, the $129.99 Logitech MX Ink stylus is available to buy starting today and can be paired with the Meta Quest 3S, Quest 3, and Quest 2 headsets via the Meta Quest app. The MX Ink should feel more comfortable and natural to use across 2D and 3D creative software compared to much bulkier Quest controllers, especially for artists who are more accustomed to working on traditional drawing tablets. It’ll be down to developers to make their apps compatible with the stylus, with support already announced for Open Brush, Gravity Sketch, and Adobe Substance...

Meta is adding conversational voices by celebrities to its AI chatbot in Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. The company announced at its Connect event today that you can now talk to Meta AI and hear it respond in one of several voices, including celebrity soundalikes such as Awkwafina, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell, and the only one I truly care about: Dame Judi Dench. These celebrity voices will only be available to US users of Meta’s apps to start. And if you prefer a voice that is a little more mundane, you can also pick from non-celeb voices with names like “Aspen,” “Atlas,” or “Clover.” Google and OpenAI also now offer similar conversational...

If you think avoiding AI-generated images is difficult as it is, Facebook and Instagram are now going to put them directly into your feeds. At the Meta Connect event on Wednesday, the company announced that it’s testing a new feature that creates AI-generated content for you “based on your interests or current trends” — including some that incorporate your face. When you come across an “Imagined for You” image in your feed, you’ll see options to share the image or generate a new picture in real time. One example (embedded below) shows several AI-generated images of “an enchanted realm, where magic fills the air.” But others could contain your face... which I’d imagine will be a bit creepy to stumble upon as you scroll.

It works, but only if you're explicit about what you want.

Meta’s AI assistants can now talk and see the world. The company is also releasing the multimodal Llama 3.2, a free model with visual skills.