Latest news with #AuroraAI
Hans India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Elon Musk Announces Beta Access for Grok's AI Tools ‘Imagine' and ‘Valentine' for Premium Users
Elon Musk has confirmed that Grok AI's premium users will soon be the first to experience two of the platform's most anticipated features – Imagine and Valentine. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, 'Imagine and Valentine beta access will roll out to Grok Heavy users shortly.' This announcement is part of a broader push by xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence firm, to reward its most dedicated subscribers with early access to its cutting-edge innovations. The beta versions of these tools will initially be available exclusively to Grok Heavy users—a subscription tier that sits above the more widely known Super Grok plan. Introducing Imagine: AI for Image and Video Creation Imagine is Grok's powerful new creative tool, developed on the Aurora AI model. It allows users to turn simple text prompts into rich digital visuals. Previously limited to image generation, the latest update takes a major leap forward—users will soon be able to produce short videos complete with audio, all generated from a single prompt. The feature's initial release is set for October, starting with Super Grok users, who pay $30 per month. Broader access is expected to follow in subsequent updates. According to xAI, the tool is capable of transforming static images into motion graphics, opening exciting possibilities for content creators, educators, marketers, and storytellers. Meet Valentine: A Dark, Digital Companion Launching alongside Imagine is Valentine, a conversational AI companion with a distinct personality. According to Grok, Valentine is a moody, dark-haired male character 'inspired by Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey.' The persona is designed to interact with users in a way that feels emotionally rich and immersive. Unlike typical chatbots, Valentine comes with his own quirks, tone, and charm. Early testers describe interactions with Valentine as surprisingly natural, sometimes intense, and often more engaging than standard AI conversations. He's more than just a digital friend—he's a character-driven experience designed for deep, even dramatic, exchanges. A New Approach to AI This move highlights Grok's unique direction in the AI space. While companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind are focused on productivity and general-purpose intelligence, Grok is leaning into entertainment, creativity, and emotional engagement. Valentine joins the likes of Ani, a goth anime-style avatar, and Rudy, a sarcastic red panda, forming Grok's growing cast of AI personalities. With the rollout of Imagine and Valentine, Grok is establishing itself as a bold, experimental player in the competitive AI landscape. For Grok Heavy users, this means they're about to step into a world where imagination meets digital companionship, blurring the lines between art, interaction, and artificial intelligence. As the beta launch approaches, all eyes are on how users respond to these new, boundary-pushing tools. One thing's clear: Elon Musk's AI vision is as ambitious—and dramatic—as ever.
India Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Elon Musk confirms Imagine and Valentine access will roll out to these Grok users soon
Elon Musk recently confirmed that Grok Heavy subscribers will soon get early access to two of the AI platform's most talkedabout features – Imagine' and Valentine – as part of its ongoing rollout of premium tools. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Musk wrote, 'Imagine and Valentine beta access will roll out to Grok Heavy users shortly'. This comes just a few days after xAI, Musk's AI firm, unveiled a new Imagine feature that allows users to create both images and videos based on text prompts and turn static images into video. advertisementThe beta versions will be exclusive to Grok Heavy subscribers, one of the platform's highertier plans that sits above the standard Super Grok offering. It's a clear move to reward the platform's most committed users with first access to Grok's most experimental tools.A little about Imagine and ValentineImagine is Grok's creative engine, built on the Aurora AI model, that allows users to generate digital media from text prompts. Until now, it has been known mainly for image generation, but Musk has already announced that the feature will soon be able to create short videos, complete with audio, directly from a user's description. It will debut for Super Grok subscribers, priced at $30 a month, and the first update is to appear in October, with broader availability planned after the initial rollout, according to xAI. Alongside Imagine, Grok is also rolling out Valentine, its much-hyped interactive digital persona. Valentine is designed as a moody, dark-haired male character 'inspired by Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey,' according to Grok. The idea is to provide users with a conversational AI companion who is deliberately broody, charming and, occasionally, a bit isn't just for small talk. Early testers report that the character comes with its own tone and personality quirks, allowing for more natural and engaging conversations. AI competition heats upWith this latest beta, Grok is cementing itself as one of the most experimental AI platforms on the market, competing headtohead with services from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Unlike its rivals, Grok has leaned into entertainment and character-driven features, with Valentine, Ani (a goth-style anime avatar) and Rudy (a wisecracking red panda) making up its trio of AI now, Musk's latest update means it's time for Grok Heavy subscribers to prepare: the creative and slightly dramatic world of Imagine and Valentine is about to land on their screens.- EndsTune In
Coin Geek
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Coin Geek
AI records advanced proficiency in forecasting storms
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Two research teams have recorded impressive levels of success with artificial intelligence (AI)-based weather forecasting systems. According to a report, the first research team from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) leveraged the company's Aurora AI model to create an advanced weather forecasting system. The research, published in the Nature Journal, disclosed that the Aurora AI-based model outperformed traditional computerized weather forecasts. The Microsoft researchers noted that the model can accurately predict a range of weather events, including narrowing down forecasts to specific ocean wave patterns and air quality. Furthermore, the researchers state that the model exceeded expectations in forecasting tropical cyclones with significantly lower computational costs. The team achieved the feat by training the AI weather prediction model on over 1 million hours of 'diverse geophysical data,' providing the system with a deep pool to accurately make forecasts. A U.S.-based team has also recorded significant strides in AI-based weather forecasts, leaning on Google DeepMind's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Graphcast tool. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers revealed that the new model is 10X faster than traditional systems in storm predictions. The model, trained on data from NOAA's Warn-on-Forecast-System (WOFS), reduces the forecast time for storms from nearly five minutes to seconds. Apart from spotting incoming storms, the Google-based model can predict the storm's pattern and movement for up to two hours with remarkable accuracy. 'The model yielded largely accurate predictions of how storms would evolve for up to two hours,' read the report. 'These predictions matched 70% to 80% of those generated by the Warn-on-Forecast system.' Big Tech is hurtling toward AI-based weather forecasting tools, with Google leading the charge. Microsoft and IBM (NASDAQ: IBM) have also unveiled their AI-based weather prediction models with varying degrees of success. Countries are turning to AI models to stay ahead of the curve Nations at risk of climate and weather disasters embrace AI models to predict incoming events and take proactive measures to mitigate damage. India has integrated AI to track flood patterns, while Chinese researchers are identifying the upsides to AI-based weather forecasting for the country. An Australian charity is leaning on AI to protect the Daintree rainforest from ecological challenges. However, an integration with blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technology is tipped to improve the accuracy of AI weather prediction models. DLT can tackle food fraud, but success remains a challenge The scourge of food fraud is on the rise, stealing nearly $50 billion annually from the global food industry while posing significant health risks. However, a report notes that blockchain offers a veritable solution to stifle the activities of bad actors in the food industry. According to a report, while food fraud siphons only a small slice of the food industry's $12 trillion valuation, the figure is equivalent to the GDP of Malta. Cases of food mislabeling and dilution are at an all-time high, with horse meat sold as beef and olive oil diluted with cheaper vegetable oils. The report notes that the absence of transparency in global supply chains is fueling the rise of food fraud. With industry processes built in silos and 'information islands,' participants in the supply chain do not have a bird's eye view of the processes. 'Many companies maintain their own internal tracking systems, but these often lack interoperability with their suppliers or customers,' said Naoris Protocol CEO David Carvalho. To increase transparency and reduce the footprint of bad actors in the space, industry experts are making a case for blockchain. There is a consensus that the transparency and immutability features of publicly distributed ledgers will hold food suppliers to a higher standard. Furthermore, the industry players highlight the perks of 'selective transparency,' which allows supply chain participants to share only relevant data while protecting sensitive commercial data from authorized participants. Experts are turning to the utility of smart contracts and automation functionalities as reasons for blockchain-based supply chains to fight food fraud. Early use cases have yielded a streak of positives with South Korea's KT using the technology to fight food fraud, laying the foundation for new entrants. Vietnamese companies are turning to blockchain to verify halal certifications, preventing unscrupulous suppliers from passing off non-halal food to unsuspecting consumers. Malaysia is also mulling the prospects of on-chain halal certifications, citing a wave of positives for the food industry. Not a walk in the park Incorporating blockchain in food supply chains is not easy, with the report noting steep integration costs and manpower training. Apart from high implementation costs, there is the additional 'garbage in, garbage out' challenge associated with a Web3-based system. The report recommends the integration of oracles and IoT technologies to feed external data into distributed ledgers. Other challenges include privacy and data concerns, as well as the absence of standardized protocols for blockchain adoption across several jurisdictions. In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek's coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI. Watch: Artificial intelligence needs blockchain title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
The Star
06-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
AI can make storm warnings faster and more accurate, researchers say
Microsoft researchers claimed that its Aurora AI model outperforms operational forecasts in predicting air quality, ocean waves and more. — Pixabay BERLIN: Artificial intelligence could soon be used to generate faster predictions and more timely warnings of imminent typhoons and downpours, according to scientists based in the US and the Netherlands. In a paper published by the journal Nature , Microsoft researchers claimed that the company's Aurora AI model "outperforms operational forecasts in predicting air quality, ocean waves, tropical cyclone tracks and high-resolution weather, all at orders of magnitude lower computational cost." Microsoft stated that the system was "trained on more than one million hours of diverse geophysical data" – enough information to enable it "more accurately predict not just the weather, but a wide range of environmental events in a series of retrospective analyses," including, hurricanes, typhoons and ocean waves Meanwhile, a team from the US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Oklahoma said that a prediction model they created using Google DeepMind's Graphcast tool could be 10 times faster at predicting storms than previous computer-based platforms. The researchers "trained" the Google platform on data from NOAA's Warn-on-Forecast-System (WOFS), creating an AI variant called WOFSCast that shortens forecast times from minutes to seconds. "The model yielded largely accurate predictions of how storms would evolve for up to two hours; these predictions matched 70% to 80% of those generated by the Warn-on-Forecast system," according to the American Geophysical Union, which published the NOAA/Oklahoma findings its Geophysical Researh Letters journal. – dpa/Tribune News Service
