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

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🤖 OpenAI’s next big AI model

• 🐣 Teenagers and AI

• ⛑️ OpenAI safety team disbands again

• 🗣️ Custom voice based on prompt AI

Let’s get right into it!

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STARTUPS

OpenAI’s next big AI model

OpenAI is preparing to launch its latest model, Orion, by December, initially granting access to select partner companies instead of a wide release through ChatGPT, according to sources. Microsoft, OpenAI’s primary partner, is set to host Orion on Azure as early as November.

Orion, touted to be up to 100 times more powerful than GPT-4, is expected to represent a significant advancement and may eventually contribute toward creating an artificial general intelligence (AGI).

TECH

Teenagers and AI

A new poll by the Center for Youth and AI and YouGov reveals that American teens view AI risks as a top priority for lawmakers, on par with healthcare and surpassing issues like social inequality and climate change. Among 1,017 teens aged 13 to 18, 80% feel it’s important to address AI risks, especially AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes.

Although many teens use AI tools like ChatGPT frequently, they remain cautious about AI’s societal impacts, with mixed views on AI companionship and romantic relationships but general support for AI-created art and media. This survey provides a unique perspective on youth attitudes, highlighting their desire for policies that prepare and protect society from AI risks.

STARTUPS

OpenAI safety team disbands again

OpenAI recently disbanded its "AGI Readiness" team, responsible for assessing the company’s and society's preparedness for advanced artificial intelligence. The team's senior advisor, Miles Brundage, announced his departure, citing the need for more impactful, unbiased research outside of OpenAI.

This decision follows OpenAI's May disbandment of its Superalignment team, which aimed to control superintelligent AI. These changes are part of a broader shakeup at OpenAI, with recent executive departures and a restructured board, as the company navigates rapid AI development amid safety, security, and ethical concerns. Brundage plans to continue AI policy research through nonprofit work, emphasizing that AI safety demands a concerted, independent effort.

STARTUPS

Custom voice based on prompt AI

ElevenLabs has launched Voice Design, an innovative AI tool that generates completely unique synthetic voices based on user-defined characteristics like gender, age, and accent. This tool complements ElevenLabs' extensive voice library by enabling custom voice creation for specific needs, such as audiobook characters, news narration, game NPCs, and voiceovers for content creators.

Currently supporting American, British, African, Australian, and Indian accents, the tool’s results are best with American and British voices, though users report mixed experiences regarding emotional range and voice consistency.