OpenAI unveils quicker, more efficient model

ALSO: How to generate sound effects for videos

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Welcome back, Superhuman

OpenAI had a busy week, to say the least. The SF-based company just hit us with two major announcements, including a new version of GPT-4o that’s faster and more efficient than its rivals.

Today’s Insights

  • A new and improved version of GPT-4o

  • Tutorial: Generating sound effects with AI

  • Everything else you should know today

  • Putting AI models in conversation with each other

  • 5 new AI tools to boost your productivity

  • AI-Generated Images: Shaved Ice Summer

NEXT IN AI

OpenAI’s busy week caps off with a faster, more efficient GPT-4o

Source: OpenAI

OpenAI’s week was packed with enough highs and lows to last an entire year. First, we learned about a project known as “Strawberry” that’s still in the testing phase but has reportedly shown glimmers of higher-level reasoning — even as some employees raise concerns about the company’s safety protocols.

But we were just hit with even bigger news: On Thursday, OpenAI launched GPT-4o mini, which packs a punch like its big brother but is much faster and more efficient than the standard 4o model released in May. 

More details:

  • The company claims it’s the “most capable and cost-efficient small model available today,” and is bringing receipts

  • A series of benchmark tests show it outperforming similar efficiency-oriented models, like Claude Haiku and Gemini Flash

  • It will soon replace GPT 3.5 Turbo as the model underpinning the free version of ChatGPT

  • One new safety feature ranks certain instructions over others; that’ll make it more difficult for users to override the model’s built-in commands

Why it’s important: As technologies get cheaper, they become more accessible to everyday users and can even unlock new use cases. Take the rideshare industry as one example. More affordable GPS technology and cloud computing paved the way for startups like Uber to build viable business models.

 A similar trend is taking place in the AI industry, thanks to smaller models like GPT-4o mini. “Way back in 2022, the best model in the world was text-davincini-003,” CEO Sam Altman wrote in one recent X post. “It was much, much worse than this new model.” But it wasn’t any cheaper. In fact, “it cost 100x more.” 

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THE AI ACADEMY

Add AI sound effects to videos using Eleven Labs

  • Go to Eleven Labs and sign up to get your credits.

  • Now select ‘Sound Effects’ from the panel on the left side.

  • Enter your prompt explaining the sound effect that you want to generate.

  • Click the ‘Generate Sound Effect’ button and wait a few seconds.

  • You will get 4 different sound effects to choose from.

  • You can download them and add them to your videos.

Want to master AI and future-proof your skills? Access 100+ courses and tutorials at our AI Academy

AI & TECH NEWS

Everything else you need to know today

Source: Getty Images

  • In Limbo: Meta announced it would hold off on releasing upcoming AI models in the EU “due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment.” It’s also pulling its AI models from Brazil for similar reasons.

  • Logistical Leap: French shipping company CMA CGM signed a deal with Alphabet that will use AI to shorten delivery times, optimize routes, and help with inventory management.

  • Blank Canvas: Android and iOS users can now try out Microsoft’s new Designer platform, a Canva rival that lets you edit images and graphics or generate them from scratch with AI.

  • Stealthy Scribe: The privacy-oriented email service Proton has added an AI writing assistant that runs directly on users’ devices for added security.

😄One Fun Thing: There are plenty of AI-powered wellness apps on the market, but one is trying to set itself apart by putting an unusual mascot front and center. As its name suggests, Capybara Affirmations lets you create positive affirmations for yourself or your friends — each featuring a capybara. According to the app’s founders, sending and receiving affirmations is a proven way to boost your mood.

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AI & SAFETY

A new technique helps uncover how LLMs ‘think’

OpenAI announced a new method of interrogating AI models in order to better understand how they make decisions. The technique involves putting two LLMs in conversation with each other.

Here’s how it works:

  • One LLM asks the other to solve a problem, then tries to verify whether its answer is accurate

  • But here’s the catch: The interviewer isn’t as smart as the interviewee; that forces the more sophisticated model to break things down so they’re easier to understand

  • The results can help humans figure out how LLMs come up with answers — a challenge that has perplexed computer scientists for years

  • It’s one way the company has tried to reassure employees it is taking safety seriously after facing some internal criticism earlier this week

PRODUCTIVITY

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PROMPT OF THE DAY

Friday Funday

Prompt: Pretend you are a world-renowned comedian, who also dabbles in advertising here and there. You've written jingles and sweet Holiday ads, you have written comics and joke specials. Now, please write a funny advertisement script for a [insert fictional product here] that solves a ridiculous problem.

Source: Inspired by Anakin AI

AI-GENERATED IMAGES

Shaved Ice Summer

Source: Inspired by @ductstore01 on Midjourney

Midjourney Prompt: An ice shaved [insert color here, ex: pink] bingsu with white whipped cream sauce, [insert fruit here, ex: strawberry], mint leaves on top, placed in an bowl on the table, front view, high detail,on plain background
--style raw --ar 2:3

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Until next time!

Zain & the Superhuman AI team

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