Recent developments in artificial intelligence span across various sectors, from sales and marketing to military applications and creative arts. Threekit has launched an AI suite designed to enhance the audio-visual equipment sales process, providing tools for lead generation, visual configuration, and customer engagement. Microsoft is also leveraging AI to improve sales processes and customer experiences, utilizing tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales. In the realm of defense, Lockheed Martin is initiating an 'AI Fight Club' to evaluate AI technologies for military applications. Huawei claims its AI training chip technology surpasses DeepSeek's, thanks to a new method called MoGE. Nvidia's new chips are improving the efficiency of AI system training, reducing the number of chips needed. In education, AI is transforming university studies, offering both benefits and challenges to students. Meanwhile, Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA is using AI as a songwriting tool for his new musical. Meta is testing AI-generated 3D photos on Instagram for Meta Quest headsets to enhance virtual reality experiences. Experts are generally urging caution with the rapid advancement of AI, emphasizing responsible development and ethical considerations.
Key Takeaways
- Threekit's AI suite aims to streamline the buying process for AV equipment, leading to more qualified leads and higher conversion rates.
- Microsoft is using AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales to improve sales efficiency and customer relationships.
- Lockheed Martin's 'AI Fight Club' will test AI systems for military applications in a virtual environment.
- Huawei claims its Ascend chip-based AI training technology, using MoGE, outperforms DeepSeek's.
- Nvidia's Blackwell chips are improving the efficiency of AI training, reducing the number of chips needed for large AI systems.
- AI is changing university studies, offering benefits like idea generation but also posing risks if misused.
- Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA is using AI as a tool for songwriting, seeing it as helpful for generating ideas.
- Meta is testing AI-generated 3D photos on Instagram for Meta Quest headsets to enhance VR experiences.
- Experts are calling for responsible AI development, focusing on its potential benefits while addressing ethical concerns.
- AI advancements are impacting various sectors, including sales, defense, education, and entertainment.
Threekit's AI helps AV companies sell equipment faster
Threekit launched an AI Suite for AV equipment companies to improve the buying process. The AI helps customers find and configure the right audio-visual solutions. Companies using the suite have seen more qualified leads, higher conversion rates, and bigger orders. The suite includes AI Discovery, a Visual Configurator, and Lead Enrichment tools. Threekit will show this technology at InfoComm 2025 in Orlando.
Threekit launches AI sales platform for audio-visual industry
Threekit has released a new AI sales platform for companies that sell audio-visual equipment. The platform helps customers buy equipment more easily and helps sellers get more leads and sales. It uses AI to understand what customers need and shows them what different equipment setups would look like. This helps customers make decisions faster and reduces problems in the buying process.
Experts urge caution as AI advances rapidly
Artificial Intelligence is growing quickly, and experts are discussing its benefits and risks. Some leaders are calling for responsible AI development, focusing on its potential to help people while avoiding dangers. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, believes AI will create new jobs but also eliminate some. Others worry about AI making decisions without ethics. They emphasize the need for wisdom in managing AI's power.
Microsoft uses AI to boost sales and help customers
Microsoft is using AI to improve its sales process and help its sales teams work better. They are using tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales to summarize information and create personalized messages for customers. This helps sellers save time and focus on building relationships. Companies like Intralox are using these tools to improve customer experience. Microsoft has seen increased revenue and faster sales by using AI.
Lockheed Martin's AI Fight Club tests warfare algorithms
Lockheed Martin is starting an 'AI Fight Club' to test artificial intelligence for military uses. Companies can use this virtual space to test their AI systems for air, land, sea, and space operations. The goal is to help the Pentagon find new AI technologies from different companies. Participants will use government-approved tools to show how their AI works in real-world situations. The first competitions will begin later this year.
AI transforms university studies for better or worse
AI is changing how students learn in universities. Some students use AI to help with ideas and structure their essays, making them feel more confident. However, experts say AI has both good and bad effects on education. It can help students focus on important learning areas, but it can also be misused to cut corners. Universities are trying to teach students how to use AI responsibly.
Huawei's AI training chip beats DeepSeek, report says
Huawei's Pangu team claims its Ascend chip-based AI training technology is better than DeepSeek's. They developed a new method called MoGE, which improves the efficiency of AI models. MoGE balances the workload and performs better than the MoE technique used by DeepSeek. Tests show that Huawei's new Pangu model, powered by MoGE, performs better in language tasks. The new model may be available for commercial use in the future.
ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus uses AI for new musical
Bjorn Ulvaeus from ABBA is creating a musical with the help of AI. He uses AI as a songwriting tool to generate ideas, but not to write entire songs. Ulvaeus believes AI is good at giving suggestions but not at writing lyrics. While many musicians are worried about AI, Ulvaeus sees it as a helpful tool in the creative process.
Nvidia's AI chips improve training for big AI systems
Nvidia's new chips are helping to train large AI systems more efficiently. Data shows that the number of chips needed to train these systems has decreased. Nvidia's Blackwell chips are twice as fast as the previous Hopper chips. These improvements are important for training AI models like Llama 3.1 405B. CoreWeave says that using smaller groups of chips can speed up the training process.
Meta tests 3D Instagram photos on AR/VR headsets
Meta is testing AI-generated 3D photos on Instagram for its Meta Quest headsets. This feature turns regular 2D photos into 3D images, making them more immersive. Meta wants to bring social media into virtual environments. They are also rolling out a new virtual desktop called Navigator for Quest headsets. Navigator will allow users to multitask and access apps easily. Meta hopes these updates will make headsets more useful.
Sources
- Threekit Launches AI Guided Selling for AV Equipment to Drive High-Quality Leads and Accelerate Sales
- Ai-Powered Sales Platforms
- Be wise about AI
- Embracing an AI-first strategy to revolutionize sales
- Lockheed Martin launches 'AI Fight Club' to test algorithms for warfare
- Has AI 'transformed' university studies for the better?
- Huawei has better Ascend chip-based AI training tech than DeepSeek
- ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus Working on an AI-Assisted Musical
- Nvidia chips make gains in training largest AI systems, new data shows By Reuters
- Meta Tests 3D Instagram Photos, Virtual Desktop for AR/VR Headsets