August 29, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🤖 We can't let AI run away with itself, Microsoft president warns

📺 Dolby launches 'a new benchmark for TV sound'

📱 Apple's iPhone 15 unveil is just around the corner

UP FIRST

We can't let AI run away with itself, Microsoft president warns

Brad Smith's comments echo sentiments voiced by other tech leaders

Microsoft’s president and vice-chairman Brad Smith is the latest tech leader to express concerns about artificial intelligence (AI).

Smith told CNBC that “every technology ever invented [has] the potential to become both a tool and a weapon,” adding: “We have to ensure that AI remains subject to human control ... that we can slow things down or turn things off.”

He added: “It’s why we’ve advocated for not just companies to do the right thing, but new laws and regulations that would ensure that there are safety breaks."

While many have been singing the praises of new generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, others also believe that the technology that underpins it poses a serious risk to humanity if future, more advanced versions of it aren’t handled responsibly.

Smith's comments came on the same day that reports emerged of the U.S. Air Force’s apparent desire to build at least 1,000 of its in-development AI-powered Valkyrie drone that will give human pilots “a swarm of highly capable robot wingmen to deploy in battle,” the New York Times said.

HOME THEATER

Dolby's new Atmos FlexConnect could eliminate home theater soundbars and HDMI cables

The company is describing it as 'a new benchmark for TV sound'

Dolby Labs has unveiled an exciting new home theater technology called Dolby Atmos FlexConnect that will let people with a compatible TV place wireless speakers anywhere that’s convenient.

In addition, the TV’s built-in microphones will automatically calibrate them to work with the TV’s speakers while ensuring the whole setup produces optimal sound.

Because Dolby Atmos FlexConnect works wirelessly and uses a compatible TV’s built-in hardware and software, it’ll be possible to set up a Dolby Atmos audio system that doesn’t require a soundbar or AV receiver as its central unit and doesn’t need an HDMI cable to send an audio signal to an external device.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect will debut in a 2024 TCL TV, though Dolby anticipates that other companies will also add support for the technology.

ON THE HORIZON

Apple's iPhone 15 unveil is just around the corner

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to be the most popular model

We’re likely just two weeks from Apple unveiling the iPhone 15.

While the tech company has yet to announce a date for the event, there have been multiple reports in recent weeks that suggest Apple will unveil the latest iteration of its popular handset on Tuesday, September 12.

A few days after that, expect preorders to open, with the phones shipping at the end of the following week.

Reports on Monday suggested that Apple expects its most expensive model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, to be its most popular.

Oft-cited analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple has started delivering the new handset to distributors and that the iPhone 15 Pro Max accounts for between 35% and 40% of shipments among the series.

He said it showed that Apple is optimistic about the popularity of the expected periscope lens as the feature is likely to be exclusive to the Max model.

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