Welcome back to Daily Zaps, your regularly-scheduled dose of AI news ⚡️ 

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🎥 DeepMind announces next-gen video-generating AI

• 🤖 AI insiders love Claude

• 👀 ChatGPT Search update

• 🕶️ Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses update

Let’s get right into it!

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BIG TECH

DeepMind announces Veo2

Google DeepMind has unveiled Veo 2, its next-generation video-generating AI, capable of creating two-minute, 4K-resolution clips, significantly surpassing OpenAI's Sora in theoretical capabilities. While currently limited to 720p, 8-second clips in Google’s VideoFX tool, Veo 2 features improved physics, motion modeling, and camera controls, making videos sharper and more realistic. DeepMind aims to scale Veo 2 via its Vertex AI platform while addressing challenges like coherence, consistency, and realism.

STARTUPS

AI insiders love Claude

Claude, an AI chatbot developed by Anthropic, has become a favorite among tech insiders for its perceived emotional intelligence, creativity, and ability to provide thoughtful, human-like responses. Though less mainstream than ChatGPT, Claude is widely used for tasks like legal advice, therapy-like support, and health coaching, with many users praising its ability to challenge ideas and offer meaningful insights.

Anthropic has fine-tuned Claude’s personality through "character training," aiming for traits like open-mindedness and curiosity while avoiding sycophantic tendencies.

STARTUPS

ChatGPT Search update

OpenAI has made ChatGPT Search, its AI-powered web search feature, available to all users, expanding beyond premium subscribers. This tool, powered by a fine-tuned GPT-4o model, provides summarized answers, embedded rich media like photos and videos, and links to relevant sources. Users can access it through a “Search the web” icon or let ChatGPT decide when to use it.

Improvements include faster performance, enhanced mobile features like better-organized business info, and integration with Advanced Voice Mode for real-time, up-to-date searches. While publishers have raised concerns about AI search tools reducing website traffic, OpenAI has worked on refining relevance and summarization. ChatGPT Search positions OpenAI as a major player in AI-driven web search experiences.

BIG TECH

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses update

Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are getting significant AI upgrades with firmware v11, including the ability to have ongoing conversations with Meta AI and real-time translation. The new “live AI” feature allows wearers to interact seamlessly with the assistant without a wakeword, ask follow-up questions, or even get answers about their surroundings via the glasses’ front-facing camera.

The update also introduces live translation between English and Spanish, French, or Italian, providing audio translations through the glasses and text transcripts on a paired phone. Additional features include Shazam support for identifying songs. While the technology may not always be perfect, Meta continues refining the experience.