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Zoom Adds Features Like Document Editing in Bid to Compete With Microsoft

Zoom Adds Features Like Document Editing in Bid to Compete With Microsoft

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Zoom Video Communications, a key player in the communication and collaboration software market, is gearing up to take on Microsoft’s Teams with a slew of new features and tools.

Zoom Adds Features Like Document Editing in Bid to Compete With Microsoft
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As of the first quarter of this year, Zoom controlled only about 7% of the market, while Microsoft dominated with a 42% share, according to industry analyst IDC. In a move aimed at enhancing collaboration, Zoom announced on Tuesday that it will be adding word processing capabilities to its suite of tools. This includes collaborative document editing, a feature reminiscent of Alphabet’s Google Docs. However, what sets Zoom apart is its innovative integration of information and artificial intelligence-generated summaries from Zoom meetings directly into the document editing process, as revealed by Chief Product Officer Smita Hashim in an interview.

Zoom’s meteoric rise during the pandemic, with its fiscal-year revenue surging over fivefold to $4.1 billion from 2020 to 2022, has plateaued as offices reopened, and competition, especially from Microsoft, intensified. Analysts now anticipate a modest growth of less than 2% in the coming quarters. To counter this, Zoom aims to diversify its business tools beyond video meetings. This strategy includes incorporating features from Workvivo, an employee communication service it acquired in April.

Zoom has found success with its office phone service, generating approximately $500 million annually, and its customer-service center offering, which has attracted over 500 clients. Despite these positive developments, Microsoft’s Teams remains a formidable adversary. Zoom executives have met with regulators in both the U.S. and the European Union to voice concerns about Microsoft’s preferential treatment through design and price bundling.

To stay ahead, Zoom is experimenting with novel features, as revealed in recent patent filings. These include interactive virtual objects in meetings for purposes such as product advertisements or education. Another patent shows a feature that scans the “nonverbal cues” of meeting participants, providing prompts based on their expressions.

Also Read: Ex-Googler’s Struggling Search Startup Becomes Antitrust Cautionary Tale

In September, Zoom introduced AI features, such as call summarization and message drafting, included in paid plans at no additional cost. Hashim emphasized that these AI features are not promotional pricing and are committed to remaining free for users.

As Zoom seeks to expand its suite of tools, the company is confident that customer interest and adoption will continue to rise. “The focus right now is bringing more and more value to customers through these kinds of cross-product journeys,” Hashim said. Time will tell if these innovations will be enough for Zoom to bridge the gap with Microsoft and secure a more significant share of the competitive communication and collaboration software market.

Microsoft’s Nadella and Oracle’s Ellison Discuss the Future of Cloud and AI

Microsoft’s Nadella and Oracle’s Ellison Discuss the Future of Cloud and AI

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The most recent iteration of the cloud alliance between Microsoft and Oracle places a strong emphasis on efficiently integrating data and artificial intelligence. This is due to the fact that an artificial intelligence model’s effectiveness is directly correlated with the quantity, variety, and caliber of the training data.

Microsoft’s Nadella and Oracle’s Ellison Discuss the Future of Cloud and AI
Image Source: wsj.com

The firms have been working together in this sector for four years. Oracle, the world’s largest database company, will now physically place its Exadata technology in Microsoft’s data centers, accelerating customer-facing applications.

Customers will therefore have direct accessibility to Oracle database services that are installed in Microsoft Azure data centres and operate on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Instead of running an independent Oracle dashboard, users would be able to manage certain Oracle services from Microsoft’s Azure Cloud dashboard. The goal is to increase application performance while reducing expenses.

From Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Satya Nadella, the company’s chief executive officer, and Oracle Co-Founder and CTO Larry Ellison spoke with The Wall Street Journal about their collaboration. As stated by Oracle, it was Ellison’s first trip to Redmond.

The Oracle-Azure relationship is positioned to fundamentally alter how companies use AI, with an emphasis on bringing data closer to artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and opening up previously unimaginable possibilities.

Nadella emphasized the paramount importance of data accessibility in the age of AI. He stated, “In the age of AI, for us, we do need to bring data to where AI is. And that’s what Oracle-Azure really represents.”

Ellison pointed out, “We can now design new drugs in a tiny fraction of the time. We used to be able to do it in a wet lab. We can do it on computers now with AI models, and we’ve seen some very exciting progress already.”

wsj.com

Despite the excitement around artificial intelligence, both leaders recognized that its implementation required caution. Ellison was aware of the worries about technological misuse, a typical worry with every ground-breaking breakthrough. The Oracle-Azure alliance, however, marks a big step towards using AI for the benefit of society and several businesses. This cooperation is positioned to usher in a period of exceptional technical developments that promise to enhance our lives and spur economic growth, with an emphasis on data accessibility, generative artificial intelligence, and ethical deployment.

Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Probed by Lawmakers on Use of AI ‘Ghost’ Staff

Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Probed by Lawmakers on Use of AI ‘Ghost’ Staff

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The chief executive officers of 9 companies, which include Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp., as well as International Business Machines Corp., were addressed in a letter by a team of lawmakers led by Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey with Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal on Wednesday. In spite of the fundamental importance of this work, a lot of IT employees around the world carry out these demanding duties under constant scrutiny, with inadequate compensation and no benefits, the letter sent to the chief executives stated.

Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Probed by Lawmakers on Use of AI ‘Ghost’ Staff
Image Source: freetimelearning.com

“Workers are expected to screen out dangerous chatbot answers, but they may have little time to assess an answer’s safety,” they added. “Data workers are often given scant training or supervision, which can result in the introduction of bias.”

news.yahoo.com

The legislators question the executives on a wide range of issues pertaining to their data employees, such as the workers’ capacity to request leave, contest suspensions, or seek out mental health services when exposed to upsetting material.

The recipients of the letter include the more recent companies focused on Artificial Intelligence such as OpenAI Inc., Scale AI, Inflection AI, Inc., and Anthropic in addition to the well-known tech giants.

US corporations depend heavily on subcontracted workers to develop artificial intelligence (AI) products, whether they are based domestically or abroad. These workers are employed through external staffing services and frequently lack the perks offered to direct employees of the company. Companies also depend on similar services for other taxing duties like product quality assurance as well as content monitoring.

When confronted with disturbing pictures, some employees describe experiencing trauma as a way to block them out. According to a January Time article, OpenAI pays Kenyan employees less than $2 per hour to prevent that kind of information from appearing on ChatGPT.

Also Read: Binance US CEO quits as embattled crypto platform slashes one-third of staff

Senators are scheduled to meet with executives from companies like Tesla Inc., Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet at a closed-door AI summit on Wednesday afternoon organized by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was not one of the politicians who signed the letter.

“These tech moguls are under-paying workers, failing to provide them basic protections and benefits, and subjecting them to an extensive web of surveillance in order to prop up their business,” Markey said in an emailed statement. “When they come to the Capitol to tout their innovation and excellence, I’d like to hear them answer for these disgusting labour practices.”

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Microsoft Says It Will Protect Customers from AI Copyright Lawsuits

Microsoft Says It Will Protect Customers from AI Copyright Lawsuits

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In response to growing concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in generating harmful content, Microsoft has pledged to take significant steps to protect its customers from potential legal repercussions. 

Microsoft Says It Will Protect Customers from AI Copyright Lawsuits
Image Source: seattletimes.com

This commitment comes as Australia is set to implement a new code that mandates search engines like Google and Bing to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material created by AI.

The new code, drafted at the Australian government’s request, seeks to ensure that search engines do not return results that include AI-generated child sexual abuse material. It also prohibits AI functions integrated into these search engines from producing synthetic versions of such harmful content, commonly referred to as deepfakes.

According to e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the rapid proliferation of generative AI has taken the world by surprise. She emphasized that the code signifies a crucial development in the regulatory and legal landscape surrounding internet platforms. This landscape is evolving in response to the explosion of products that automatically generate lifelike content, presenting new challenges and responsibilities for tech giants like Google and Microsoft.

Inman Grant highlighted that an earlier code proposed by Google and Microsoft did not address AI-generated content adequately. Consequently, she called upon these industry giants to reevaluate and improve the code to align with the emerging AI landscape.

“When the biggest players in the industry announced they would integrate generative AI into their search functions, we had a draft code that was clearly no longer fit for purpose. We asked the industry to have another go,” Inman Grant explained.

Microsoft’s commitment to protecting its customers from AI-generated content reflects its dedication to responsible AI development and its recognition of the evolving legal and ethical concerns associated with AI. As a responsible tech leader, Microsoft is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the industry’s response to these challenges.

This development comes on the heels of the Australian regulator registering safety codes for various other internet services, including social media, smartphone applications, and equipment providers. These codes are set to take effect in late 2023, marking a significant milestone in Australia’s efforts to ensure online safety and security.

Read More: Australia to Require AI-made Child Abuse Material to be Removed from Search Results

While this regulatory initiative is a positive step towards addressing the risks posed by AI-generated content, it also raises questions about privacy and the balance between security and personal freedoms. The regulator is still in the process of developing safety codes related to internet storage and private messaging services, an endeavor that has faced resistance from privacy advocates worldwide.

In conclusion, Microsoft’s commitment to protecting its users from AI-generated harmful content is a proactive response to evolving challenges in the digital landscape. As technology continues to advance, it is imperative for industry leaders to collaborate with regulators and stakeholders to establish responsible guidelines and practices for the responsible use of AI.

Microsoft to discontinue Azure Kinect DK; know how you can still get it?

Microsoft to discontinue Azure Kinect DK; know how you can still get it?

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In a move that has taken many in the tech community by surprise, Microsoft has announced the discontinuation of the Azure Kinect Developer Kit (DK). This decision marks the end of an era for a device that has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing AI vision solutions over the years. 

Microsoft to discontinue Azure Kinect DK; know how you can still get it?
Image Source: deviestore.com

The journey of the Kinect technology has been nothing short of remarkable. First introduced by Microsoft in 2010, it gained immense popularity as a motion-sensing input device for gaming. However, after halting its production in 2017, Microsoft surprised the industry by relaunching it in 2019 as the Azure Kinect DK. This reimagined version catered to the enterprise sector, offering a connected depth camera that served as the cornerstone for creating AI-powered visual solutions.

Equipped with a depth sensor, a high-definition 4K camera, and an array of seven highly sensitive microphones, the Azure Kinect DK empowered developers to create applications that harnessed the potential of AI and depth sensing technology. Despite its immense capabilities, Microsoft has now made the decision to discontinue the product, leaving users to explore alternative options.

While the discontinuation of the Azure Kinect DK is a disappointment for many, Microsoft has assured users that they can continue using their existing developer kits without any disruptions. For those who have yet to experience the power of the Azure Kinect DK and wish to do so, there is a limited window of opportunity. Microsoft has confirmed that the product will be available in the market until the end of October, or until stocks last. During this time, interested parties can still acquire the device and benefit from the standard limited hardware warranty provided by Microsoft.

Recognizing the importance of the technology behind the Azure Kinect DK, Microsoft has forged partnerships with several hardware manufacturers. These partners have been granted licenses for Microsoft’s indirect time-of-flight (iToF) depth sensing technology, ensuring that the capabilities of the Azure Kinect DK live on.

Also Read:  ‘ChatGPT Does 80% Of My Job’ — How AI Enables People To Work Second And Third Jobs

Analog Devices, a key partner, has been entrusted with the license for Microsoft’s pixel and sensor technology. This enables them to process raw sensor data and generate depth maps, carrying forward the legacy of the Azure Kinect DK’s depth sensing capabilities. Similarly, global sensor solutions manufacturer SICK A.G. and 3D depth camera specialist Orbbec have also secured licenses to incorporate iToF depth technology into their offerings.

In conclusion, while the discontinuation of the Azure Kinect DK might mark the end of one chapter, it certainly opens up new possibilities. Whether you’re an existing user looking to make the most of your device or an enthusiast seeking alternatives, the legacy of the Azure Kinect DK’s technology continues through licensed partners. The future of AI-powered vision solutions remains bright, with Microsoft’s commitment to innovation and collaboration at its core.

Windows 11

Windows 11 is out with New Features and Better Interface.

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Exactly after six years of the launch of Windows 10 (July 2015), Microsoft has come up with another version of its Windows operating system, i.e. Windows 11. The company has made a few changes in terms of the look and feel of the OS and has also eliminated many old features that were no longer relevant. There have been a lot of talks about the new OS for the past year, and people have been successful in getting some information about it before the official release, but still, there is a lot that came with the actual launch of the product.

What’s New in Windows 11

Microsoft is the leading OS developer, and most people use Windows PCs because of its simplicity. This time too, the company has tried to simplify the interface even more for the users, such that to maintain its popularity amid the tough competition from rivals like macOS and Chrome OS. Though Microsoft has held its position quite strong, improvement is still important to stay relevant. The new Windows 11 has got a new UI, better windows management features as well as it will now offer support for Android apps as well.

Windows 11
Image Source: c.s-microsoft.com

The Updated Features

Talking about the redesign of the Windows 11 OS, the company has been making changes to the taskbar of the OS for past years, but the look has always been similar. This time, the company has shifted the windows icon and other app icons to the middle of the taskbar from the left but has kept the items in the right as it is. Microsoft has still kept the option to place the start button and other icons on the left open.

When we click on the windows icon, the start menu opens up in the center of the screen, having a search bar on the top of it. Below the search bar, the menu says Pinned Apps, under which a 6*6 grid of apps has been placed. Following the grid underneath, there is space for app recommendations. There is an option for putting up the user’s picture below the recommendation section in the menu on the left and the power off button on the right.

The next big change has been made to the startup tone of Windows along with the other notification tones as well as it has got new themes and wallpapers, too. Microsoft has also introduced a new feature Snap Layouts with Windows 11, which enhances the multitasking experience for the users as now the users can open multiple different screens on the desktop by hovering the mouse over the maximize button. The OS is capable of remembering the users’ choices as well, such that it will keep the previously selected windows and apps ready in the form of Snap Group for easy access in the future.

Microsoft has also added support for multiple monitors in Windows 11, so it becomes easier for the users to use the work on virtual desktops. This support for virtual desktops also includes the option to put different wallpapers for different screens. The company has also tried to improve the touch experience for the Windows tablets, which it had intended to do with its Windows 10X project, which never saw the daylight.

Side-by-side, Microsoft has also made some improvements to the touch keyboard and has included support for GIFs in partnership with Tenor. The keyboard allows the voice commands for making typing easier.

The new normal work and study from home culture have also inspired Microsoft to add some features for people. The company has incorporated the Teams app into Windows 11 and has also made it easier for the users to share their screens with each other during the meeting.

Microsoft has also kept the gamers in mind and has incorporated support for Auto HDR and DirectX 12 Ultimate as well as for xCloud in Windows 11. The users also get an Xbox Game Pass along with the OS, which lets them play popular games on their machines.

Microsoft has also revamped the design of its Microsoft Store for Windows 11 and has adopted the new zero-revenue share for the developers. According to the new policy, Microsoft has exempted the commission on uploading apps on Microsoft Store for the developers, so that it can attract more and more developers. Other than Microsoft Store, the company has also incorporated the Amazon AppStore into the new OS, so that to make Android App available for the users.

Also, the company claims that the new OS is faster in terms of installing updates as now the updates will be 40% smaller, and these will run in the background to provide a seamless experience for the users.

Availability, Free Upgrade, and Hardware Requirements

For now, Windows 11 has been made available to the insider members, and the Windows 10 users will receive the upgrade by the end of this year. Windows 11 is available in Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro versions.

According to the company, the new PCs will be empowered by Windows 11 only, whereas Windows 10 PC users will have the access to the PC Health Check app, which will define if their PCs are suitable for Windows 11 upgrade or not. For the Windows 7 and 8 PCs, the Windows 11 be available only after the users purchase a Windows 10 license.

Talking about the hardware requirements, the OS will run on a 64-bit x86 or ARM processor and need 4GB of RAM as well as 64GB of storage.