On April 18, Meta made the announcement that Llama 3, its most recent large language model (LLM), had launched. It was hailed as a “major leap over Llama 2.”

According to the company, it has already released the first two models of the current version, which have 8B and 70B parameters. 400B parameters will be featured in future models.

A “large, high-quality training dataset” with over 15 trillion tokens—7 times larger and 4 times more code than Llama 2—was used to train Llama 3, as highlighted by Meta. To maintain the quality of the data, Llama 3 also includes filtering methods, such as NSFW filters.

Over half of the 12 use cases show that LLama 3 performs better than Llama 2 and rival models like Claude Sonnet from Anthropic, Mistral Medium, and Chat GPT-3.5 from OpenAI.

Text-based models comprised the initial releases of Llama 3. But multilingual and multimodal releases are on the way. “Core LLM capabilities” as defined by Meta will be exhibited by them, along with a longer context and improved reasoning and coding performance.

All significant cloud providers, model API providers, and other services will host Llama 3, according to the company’s plans. The product will be released “everywhere,” as planned.

Greater user Accessibility

Developers are the target audience for Llama 3, but Meta has also introduced new channels for end users in the US and over 12 other countries to access AI services.

A recent inclusion is a specialized website called Meta AI, where users can get homework help, trivia games, simulated job interviews, and writing help powered by AI.

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and other products from Meta are all integrated with Meta AI. Additionally, the service is available in the US through Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and the company has plans to expand it to include its Meta Quest VR headset.

The announcement of Meta’s expanded AI product line follows the release of updates to rival services. The competition between consumer-focused AI services progressed when ChatGPT upgraded to GPT-4 Turbo on April 11 and Microsoft Copilot upgraded to GPT-4 Turbo beginning in March.

Reka Core, the company’s first multimodal language model, was released by AI startup Reka AI. According to the company’s statement, Core is “competitive” with top models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google when it comes to industry-accepted metrics and can work with images, audio, and video.

Reka AI is a San Francisco-based startup with two Southeast Asian founders, and it was started by researchers from DeepMind, Google, and Meta. The chief scientist of the company is Yi Tay, a Singaporean, and the CEO, Dani Yogatama, is an Indonesian.

Reka Core is a large language model with “powerful” contextualized image, video, and audio understanding. According to the company, there are only two developers whose commercially available models support comprehensive multimodal input, the other being Google.

Reasoning skills, such as language and math, can be used for tasks requiring complex reasoning thanks to Core’s 128,000-token context window. Moreover, it is a code generator that enhances agent-based workflows.

Reka AI asserted that Core performs better on video tasks than Google’s Gemini Ultra, another multimodal model, when compared to comparable models available in the market. According to some, Core is also similar to GPT-4V on MMMU, an AI benchmark that assesses a model’s ability to complete tasks requiring reasoning and knowledge appropriate for a university.

Reka AI released its Edge and Flash models a few months prior to the release of Core. Together with Radical Ventures and DST Global Partners, the company has raised US$58 million in funding as of June 2023. The last known valuation of Reka AI is $300 million, according to market research platform CB Insights.

Reka AI’s partners include Snowflake, Oracle, and AI Singapore. On the basis of valuation per employee, it was recently ranked fifth among all AI firms worldwide.

Samsung is the most recent company to introduce electronics and home appliances with AI capabilities to the Indian consumer market.

The South Korean tech giant unveiled its newest range of state-of-the-art smart TVs, including its flagship OLED 4K and Neo QLED 8K models, which come with the NQ8 AI Gen3 processor, which offers on-device AI capabilities for audio enhancement and image upscaling.

With these cutting-edge TVs, Samsung is taking a stab at on-device generative AI technology. They were first shown at the Unbox and Discover 2024 launch event in Bengaluru. AI-powered home entertainment gadgets are a new trend that begins with this.

Powered by TizenOS, the Neo QLED 8K series is a significant advancement from Samsung, featuring cloud gaming, an educational hub, and smart yoga features that can be accessed by connecting the TV to an AI-enabled yoga mat.

With two variants (QN900D and QN800D) and sizes (65 to 85 inches), the Neo QLED 8K series accommodates a wide range of consumer preferences. The entry-level 65-inch variant is priced at Rs 3,199,90.

For those who pre-order the Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, or glare-free OLED models before April 30, 2024, Samsung sweetens the pot for early adopters by providing free soundbars or substitute options like the Freestyle or Music Frame.

The company’s dedication to enhancing the home entertainment experience through AI integration was emphasized by JB Park, President and CEO of Samsung Southwest Asia. “We’ve incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) into home entertainment to provide our customers with outstanding viewing experiences.” He stated, “With the power of AI, our 2024 collection of Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, and OLED TVs redefines the home entertainment experience and offers innovations across accessibility, sustainability, and enhanced security.”

New AI technologies like AI Picture Technology, AI Upscaling Pro, and AI Sound Technology are introduced by the Neo QLED 48, which has the NQ8 AI Gen3 processor with 512 neural networks.

In the meantime, the Neo QLED 4K and OLED TVs, which are equipped with the NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor from the previous generation, provide a rich feature set designed to satisfy a variety of customer needs.

The Neo QLED 4K series has five sizes ranging from 55 to 98 inches and starts at Rs 1,39,990. It is available in models QN85D and QN90D.

Conversely, Samsung’s OLED TV, which starts at Rs 1,64,990, comes in sizes ranging from 55 to 83 inches and features glare-free technology. It is available in models S95D and S90D.