Samsung made its own generative AI model

It's Thursday, November 09, 2023.

Developed by Samsung Research, Gauss (named after mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss) powers several on-device AI technologies across Samsung products. It will have a few different facets but will do a lot of the same stuff we’ve seen from other generative AI (GAI) models.

Gauss Language will handle tasks like translations and summarizing documents, while Gauss Code is a coding assistant. There’s also Samsung Gauss Image for all your image-generating needs. The latter can create images based on prompts and handle edits like style changes and additions. It will be able to upscale low-resolution images too.

Gauss, the human, in the 1800s, formed the normal distribution theory, a major component of what grew into machine learning and AI. Generating a picture of a cat writing at a desk is what he would have wanted, I’m sure.

It’s easy to be cynical about Samsung’s efforts here, as the company tends to forge its own path for innovation’s sake. It made its own voice assistant, Bixby. It hovered around its devices for a few years as a flagship feature, with the company even dedicating hardware buttons on some of its Galaxy S phones to launch the voice assistant. (There were only four buttons on the Galaxy S9, Samsung, and one was for Bixby?!)

But there’s some reasoning: Running generative AI features on-device could give Samsung an advantage over ChatGPT, which, for now, requires cloud connectivity. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset supports on-device GAI operations and will likely be part of next year’s Galaxy S24 phones. 

Samsung is already teasing Galaxy AI in its incoming translation feature, pictured here. 

— Mat Smith

You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

The biggest stories you might have missed

Humane’s Ai Pin wearable will reportedly cost $699

Google wants to help you create new smart home automation tricks with AI-generated scripts

NVIDIA’s Eos supercomputer just broke its own AI training benchmark record

Google and major mobile carriers want Europe to regulate Apple’s iMessage platform

A PS5 early Black Friday deal brings PlayStation DualSense controllers down to $50 each

Amazon Prime now comes with discounted access to One Medical health services

Amazon acquired One Medical last year for $3.9 billion.

Amazon Prime subscribers can now access a deeply discounted One Medical membership for primary care services. Prime members can sign up for just $99 a year (typically $199) or $9 per month. Prime members who sign up can add up to five other people for $6 each. It offers all the basic health services, from annual physicals and maintenance for chronic conditions to same-day sick visits. One Medical also offers round-the-clock virtual care, or telehealth visits, and drop-in lab services. The membership doesn’t cover the cost of visits, though.

Continue reading.

The Overwatch League appears to be over

Blizzard is ‘evolving competitive Overwatch in a new direction.’

The Overwatch League (OWL) appears to be no more after six seasons. A Blizzard spokesperson told Engadget “We are transitioning from the Overwatch League and evolving competitive Overwatch in a new direction.” That’s not to say the publisher is pulling out of Overwatch esports altogether. The future of the professional Overwatch scene is unclear, but reports suggest that a return to a more open format could be next.

The writing has been on the wall for OWL for some time. The first two seasons of OWL matches happened almost exclusively in a California studio. Weeks after Blizzard started on its grand plan to run matches in each team’s city every week, but COVID-19 lockdowns forced it to shift to an online-only format.

Continue reading.

HP Spectre Fold review

Cutting edge at all costs.

Engadget

Sometimes, a company creates a truly cutting-edge device, even if its books take a hit. The latest example: HP’s Spectre Fold. HP’s take on a flexible-screen laptop is thinner, lighter and more polished than before. The Spectre Fold represents a true leap forward for next-gen hybrid design to the point where you might even want to buy one — until you see that $5,000 price tag. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford breaks it down.

Continue reading.