Tech Digest daily roundup: iPhone users will soon be able to clone their voice
Thanks to a new iPhone feature that lets anyone clone their voice with no technical chops and little time required, meeting anxiety may become a thing of the past. Announced back in May and now available as part of the public beta for iOS 17, the “personal voice” tool lets my voice read aloud any text whatsoever without needing to speak for myself. The feature lives in the accessibility section of the iPhone’s settings app, under the speech heading. To make your own on-demand digital voice, your handset tasks you with reading aloud 150 pretty random phrases, which takes about 15 or 20 minutes. Sky News
Tesla unveiled record revenues but profits remained under pressure as Elon Musk’s company fights a bruising price war with rivals. The Model Y maker reported revenues just shy of $25bn, beating its previous record that it set over Christmas. Despite delivering record numbers of vehicles, Tesla has been forced to sharply discount its electric cars as rivals, such as China’s BYD, gain ground. Earlier this month, Tesla reported that it had delivered more than 466,000 cars during the three months ending in June. Telegraph
A global group of AI experts and data scientists has released a new voluntary framework for developing artificial intelligence products safely. The World Ethical Data Foundation has 25,000 members including staff working at various tech giants such as Meta, Google and Samsung. The framework contains a checklist of 84 questions for developers to consider at the start of an AI project. The Foundation is also inviting the public to submit their own questions. It says they will all be considered at its next annual conference. The framework has been released in the form of an open letter. BBC
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has this week released an open-source version of an artificial intelligence model, Llama 2, for public use. The large language model (LLM), which can be used to create a ChatGPT-like chatbot, is available to startups, established businesses and lone operators. Llama 2 is being released in three versions, including one that can be built into an AI chatbot. The idea is that startups or established businesses can access Llama 2 models and tinker with them to create their own products. The Guardian
Tesla revealed new measurements for its long-delayed Cybertruck in its Q2 earnings report. The polarizing truck will be less than 19 feet long and will have a bed that’s longer than six feet, which is shorter than Ford’s best-selling F-150 Lighting, which is 19.25 feet long with a 5.5-foot bed. “We continue to build release candidates of the Cybertruck on our final production line in Austin,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on an earnings call today. The Verge
Next week, Samsung will hold its Galaxy Unpacked event, where it will reportedly launch its new foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5. If rumors and leaks are to be believed, the firm could also launch new wearables, tablets, and it could even introduce new audio products. Of course, the company has yet to confirm anything beyond the official date of the event, and its location, but excitement is running high to see the next chapter in Samsung’s product lineup. XDA Developers
