Weekly bulletin from AIport, issue #22

Canada launches a nationwide AI initiative, a British company unveils AI avatars, an AI-generated film is released in Vietnam, and much more.

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of our AI bulletin! We hope you enjoy this week’s selection of events and happenings, listed by region and in chronological order. Have fun and see you next week! 

North America

• Mark Zuckerberg gives a new interview, arguing that closed-source AI is fundamentally wrong: tech companies should be creating underlying AI technologies, not downstream solutions for end users.

• In Canada, the government launches a public consultation on AI infrastructure, engaging researchers and businesses nationwide. 

• San Francisco-based Figma, known for its collaborative interface design application, introduces Figma AI, empowering designers with AI-backed tools.

• A video-first remote collaboration platform, Multi, also based in San Francisco, becomes part of OpenAI and announces a switch in corporate strategy to machine learning solutions.

• The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) brings a landmark lawsuit against two AI music generation startups, Udio and Suno, for unlawfully using copyrighted materials to train their AI models. Meanwhile, YouTube is reportedly seeking licensed permission from major music labels to AI-clone their musicians in exchange for payment.

Europe

• Reporters from CNBC explore France’s burgeoning AI startup scene: listen to the short podcast here. 

• In Belgium’s capital, Brussels, the European Commission awards the Large AI Grand Challenge prizes to winners, including tech firms from France, Latvia, and Portugal.

• A British company becomes the first AI video communications platform on the planet with its newly released Synthesia 2.0, offering personalized AI avatars among other features. 

Asia

• In Japan, SoftBank establishes a new initiative with Tempus aimed at advancing healthcare through medical AI. 

• In China, TikTok’s owner ByteDance unveils Doubao MarsCode, a free AI tool for developers featuring a code completion function. 

• Israel announces a plan to build a new supercomputer to bolster the country’s AI infrastructure. 

• A filmmaker in Vietnam directs and releases a fully AI-generated sci-fi film produced on a smartphone.

Australia

• An innovative AI-backed real estate platform emerges in Sydney, sidelining the need for agents and high commission fees. Meanwhile, researchers from the University of New South Wales receive a grant to develop an AI tool for detecting injuries in the country’s emergency rooms.