Welcome to Get The Gist, where every weekday we share an easy-to-read summary of the latest and greatest developments in AI—news, innovations, and trends—all delivered in under 5 minutes! ⏱

In today’s edition:

• Google DeepMind's Genie 2 Brings Playable 3D Worlds to Life

• Google Gemini Extends Reach to WhatsApp and Spotify

• Samsung May Let You Use Google Gemini via the Power Button

• ChatGPT Outperforms Doctors in Diagnosing Medical Conditions

• And more AI news….

Top Developments

Google DeepMind

Google DeepMind's Genie 2 Brings Playable 3D Worlds to Life

The Gist: DeepMind has unveiled Genie 2, an advanced AI tool that generates interactive 3D worlds from image prompts, enabling dynamic environments for AI training and testing.

Key Details:

• Genie 2 supports action-controllable environments, allowing users or AI agents to interact naturally using keyboard and mouse inputs.

• Features include long-horizon memory for continuous world rendering, physics-based animations, and real-time content updates.

• The model uses real-world photos as prompts, enabling simulations of natural environments like flowing water and swaying grass.

• While revolutionary, concerns persist over copyright issues and data scraping practices fueling its development.

Google Gemini

Google Gemini Extends Reach to WhatsApp and Spotify

The Gist: Google Gemini’s new extensions let users send messages, place calls on WhatsApp, and control Spotify and YouTube Music, all directly through the AI assistant, enhancing convenience across popular apps.

Key Details:

• Gemini can now send messages and place calls via the default messaging and phone apps, as well as WhatsApp, through simple voice prompts.

• Spotify and YouTube Music extensions enable users to search for and play songs, albums, artists, and playlists using Gemini commands.

• WhatsApp-specific tasks require explicit prompts, such as “Call [Contact Name] on WhatsApp” or “Send a WhatsApp message to [Contact Name].”

• The updates reflect Google’s efforts to integrate Gemini seamlessly into daily tasks for enhanced productivity and accessibility.

Samsung

Samsung May Let You Use Google Gemini via the Power Button

The Gist: Samsung is reportedly working on allowing Galaxy phone users to summon Google Gemini with the power button, offering an alternative to its own Bixby assistant.

Key Details:

• Code in the latest Google app hints at integration of Gemini with the power button on Samsung devices.

• The feature would display instructions like “Hold down the Side button to talk to Gemini.”

• Samsung may enable users to choose between Bixby and Gemini as their preferred assistant.

• Bixby is also getting a significant upgrade with better natural language understanding through large language models.

Quick Gist

Three key members of Google’s NotebookLM team have departed to establish a consumer-focused AI startup, aiming to develop user-centric products. Details and funding for the venture are yet to be disclosed (Read More).

Google unveiled GenCast, a weather prediction AI model capable of making faster, more accurate forecasts up to 15 days in advance (Read More).

The Browser Company is working on Dia, an AI-integrated web browser designed to enhance efficiency with personalized tools and task automation. Early access is expected in 2025 (Read More).

Vodafone has expanded its partnership with Google to roll out generative AI-powered devices, strengthening their strategic collaboration (Read More).

Recraft’s Red Panda, an AI image generator, leads the Text-to-Image Analysis Arena with a 72% win rate, outperforming competitors in generating high-quality images and embedding detailed texts within them (Read More).

Anduril Industries and OpenAI have joined forces to integrate advanced AI models into U.S. defense systems, focusing on counter-unmanned aircraft capabilities for national security (Read More).

OpenAI’s ChatGPT surpassed 300 million weekly active users just two years after its launch, driven by the release of GPT-4o (Read More).

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI plans to expand its Colossus supercomputer by over tenfold, aiming to challenge industry leaders like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic (Read More).

A recent study found ChatGPT outperformed doctors in diagnosing medical conditions (Read More).

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!