Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, your quick hit of the latest and most exciting developments in the digital world. Hosted by Adam Nagus and Carly Wilson, we bring you concise updates on groundbreaking AI innovations, major tech company moves, and significant policy shifts shaping the future of technology. From startup funding rounds like Perplexity AI's billion-dollar valuation and Apple's latest iOS updates, to Saudi Arabia’s bold push into AI infrastructure and pioneering projects like LegoGPT, we cover the stories that matter. Plus, get insights into recent policy controversies and leadership changes, like the sudden firing of the U.S. Copyright Office director. Tune in for sharp, insightful summaries designed to keep you informed and ahead of the curve.
Don't forget to checkout our larger sister podcast - The Digimasters Podcast here. Which has many expert guests discussing AI, Career Mentoring, Fractional Careers, Digital and much much more.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Adam N2 (00:05):
Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, we are your hosts Adam
Nagus
Carly W (00:09):
and Carly Wilson delivering the latest scoop from
the digital realm.
Perplexity AI is nearing a$500million funding round that would
value the startup at$14 billion,according to the Wall Street
Journal.
The Nvidia-backed companydevelops AI search tools that
provide users with summarizedinformation, similar to Open
A.I's Chat G.P.T and Google'sGemini.
(00:30):
Interest in AI chatbots hassurged recently, fueling
investor enthusiasm aroundstartups offering faster and
more detailed query responses.
Earlier reports indicatedPerplexity was seeking between
$500 million and$1 billion at an$18 billion valuation.
In addition, Apple plans tointegrate AI search providers
(00:51):
like Perplexity into its Safaribrowser.
This move could significantlyincrease the startup's
visibility among millions ofusers.
Perplexity's AI solutionsrepresent a growing trend in
enhancing search experiencesthrough artificial intelligence.
The startup is positioned tobenefit from heightened demand
for advanced AI tools.
Investor confidence remainsstrong despite slight
(01:12):
adjustments in valuationexpectations.
The integration with Apple'sSafari signals broader adoption
of AI-powered search technologyin mainstream platforms.
Adam N2 (01:22):
Apple has released iOS 18.5, a minor update ahead of
WWDC 2025, focusing on subtleimprovements rather than major
new features.
Among the enhancements is theaddition of a new Pride Harmony
wallpaper that dynamicallychanges and is part of Apple’s
2025 Pride Collectioncelebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
(01:43):
Parents will appreciate a newScreen Time notification when
children enter the correctpassword to bypass restrictions.
The Apple TV app now allowseasier content purchases by
using an iPhone to authenticateon third-party devices or smart
TVs.
iOS 18.5 also fixes a blackscreen bug in the Apple Vision
Pro app introduced with iOS18.4.
(02:03):
A significant update for iPhone13 users is the addition of
carrier-provided satellitesupport, allowing text messaging
via satellite in areas withoutcellular coverage.
This technology, initiallyavailable for iPhone 14 and
later, relies on satellitenetworks partnered with carriers
like T-Mobile and Verizon.
Satellite connectivity shows an“SAT” icon in the status bar
(02:26):
when active, but availabilitydepends on carrier support.
Additionally, the Mail app gainsusability tweaks, including
always-visible“All Mail”category and the option to hide
contact photos, addressing userfeedback.
These updates enhance userexperience without drastically
changing the iPhone interface.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman has launched
(02:48):
an artificial intelligencecompany named Humain to advance
the kingdom’s AI sector.
The company aims to develop AIinfrastructure across the
country, including building newdata centers.
This initiative coincides with ahigh-profile U.S.-Saudi
investment forum where techleaders Elon Musk, Sam Altman,
and Mark Zuckerberg are expectedto discuss AI developments.
(03:10):
President Trump is alsoscheduled to visit Saudi Arabia
this week as part of a regionaltour.
Humain is backed by the PublicInvestment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s
sovereign wealth fund withassets near$940 billion.
The fund supports the CrownPrince's vision to diversify the
nation's economy beyond oil.
Leading American tech companieslike Google and Salesforce have
(03:31):
also engaged with the PublicInvestment Fund on AI ventures.
These partnerships highlightSaudi Arabia’s commitment to
becoming a significant player inglobal technology.
The country is leveraging itsfinancial capabilities to build
an AI ecosystem from the groundup.
As AI innovation gathersmomentum globally, Saudi Arabia
is positioning itself as anotable contender in the field.
Carly W (03:54):
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have
introduced LegoG.P.T, an AImodel that creates Lego
structures from text prompts.
This innovative system wastrained on a large dataset of
over 47,000 Lego builds withcorresponding captions.
Unlike typical language models,LegoG.P.T predicts the next Lego
brick instead of the next word.
(04:14):
The AI generates step-by-stepblueprints aimed at ensuring
structural stability.
According to the team,LegoG.P.T's designs were
physically stable 98 percent ofthe time.
The model integrates physicslaws and assembly constraints
into its construction process.
Most designs generated arepractical items like couches,
chairs, and tables.
(04:35):
This marks an advancement inautonomous Lego building by
focusing on realistic andbuildable creations.
The research and code have beenmade publicly available for
further exploration.
LegoG.P.T represents a uniqueblend of creativity, technology,
and engineering principles inAI.
The Trump administration hasabruptly fired Shira Perlmutter,
the Register of Copyrights andDirector of the U.S.
(04:57):
Copyright Office.
This move follows the recentdismissal of Carla Hayden, the
first woman and African AmericanLibrarian of Congress.
Perlmutter was informed viaemail that her position was
terminated effectiveimmediately.
Her office had just released adetailed report on the use of
copyrighted materials byartificial intelligence
companies.
The report examined whether AIsystems could train on
(05:19):
copyrighted works and thencompete in the same market.
Perlmutter emphasized theimportance of human creativity
as central to copyrightprotection.
She stated that material createdsolely by machines should not
receive the same protections.
The Washington firing has drawnsharp criticism from Democrats,
including Rep.
Joe Morelle, who called it anunprecedented power grab.
(05:42):
Perlmutter, a lawyer withextensive experience in
intellectual property,previously worked at the Patent
and Trademark Office and theCopyright Office.
As of now, she has not respondedto requests for comment.
Don (05:54):
Thank you for listening to today's AI and Tech News podcast
summary...
Please do leave us a comment andfor additional feedback, please
email us atpodcast@digimasters.co.uk You
can now follow us on Instagramand Threads by searching for
@DigimastersShorts or Search forDigimasters on Linkedin.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow anddon't forget to follow or
subscribe!
Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, we are your hosts Adam
Nagus
Carly W (00:09):
and Carly Wilson delivering the latest scoop from
the digital realm.
Perplexity AI is nearing a$500million funding round that would
value the startup at$14 billion,according to the Wall Street
Journal.
The Nvidia-backed companydevelops AI search tools that
provide users with summarizedinformation, similar to Open
A.I's Chat G.P.T and Google'sGemini.
(00:30):
Interest in AI chatbots hassurged recently, fueling
investor enthusiasm aroundstartups offering faster and
more detailed query responses.
Earlier reports indicatedPerplexity was seeking between
$500 million and$1 billion at an$18 billion valuation.
In addition, Apple plans tointegrate AI search providers
(00:51):
like Perplexity into its Safaribrowser.
This move could significantlyincrease the startup's
visibility among millions ofusers.
Perplexity's AI solutionsrepresent a growing trend in
enhancing search experiencesthrough artificial intelligence.
The startup is positioned tobenefit from heightened demand
for advanced AI tools.
Investor confidence remainsstrong despite slight
(01:12):
adjustments in valuationexpectations.
The integration with Apple'sSafari signals broader adoption
of AI-powered search technologyin mainstream platforms.
Adam N2 (01:22):
Apple has released iOS 18.5, a minor update ahead of
WWDC 2025, focusing on subtleimprovements rather than major
new features.
Among the enhancements is theaddition of a new Pride Harmony
wallpaper that dynamicallychanges and is part of Apple’s
2025 Pride Collectioncelebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
(01:43):
Parents will appreciate a newScreen Time notification when
children enter the correctpassword to bypass restrictions.
The Apple TV app now allowseasier content purchases by
using an iPhone to authenticateon third-party devices or smart
TVs.
iOS 18.5 also fixes a blackscreen bug in the Apple Vision
Pro app introduced with iOS18.4.
(02:03):
A significant update for iPhone13 users is the addition of
carrier-provided satellitesupport, allowing text messaging
via satellite in areas withoutcellular coverage.
This technology, initiallyavailable for iPhone 14 and
later, relies on satellitenetworks partnered with carriers
like T-Mobile and Verizon.
Satellite connectivity shows an“SAT” icon in the status bar
(02:26):
when active, but availabilitydepends on carrier support.
Additionally, the Mail app gainsusability tweaks, including
always-visible“All Mail”category and the option to hide
contact photos, addressing userfeedback.
These updates enhance userexperience without drastically
changing the iPhone interface.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman has launched
(02:48):
an artificial intelligencecompany named Humain to advance
the kingdom’s AI sector.
The company aims to develop AIinfrastructure across the
country, including building newdata centers.
This initiative coincides with ahigh-profile U.S.-Saudi
investment forum where techleaders Elon Musk, Sam Altman,
and Mark Zuckerberg are expectedto discuss AI developments.
(03:10):
President Trump is alsoscheduled to visit Saudi Arabia
this week as part of a regionaltour.
Humain is backed by the PublicInvestment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s
sovereign wealth fund withassets near$940 billion.
The fund supports the CrownPrince's vision to diversify the
nation's economy beyond oil.
Leading American tech companieslike Google and Salesforce have
(03:31):
also engaged with the PublicInvestment Fund on AI ventures.
These partnerships highlightSaudi Arabia’s commitment to
becoming a significant player inglobal technology.
The country is leveraging itsfinancial capabilities to build
an AI ecosystem from the groundup.
As AI innovation gathersmomentum globally, Saudi Arabia
is positioning itself as anotable contender in the field.
Carly W (03:54):
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have
introduced LegoG.P.T, an AImodel that creates Lego
structures from text prompts.
This innovative system wastrained on a large dataset of
over 47,000 Lego builds withcorresponding captions.
Unlike typical language models,LegoG.P.T predicts the next Lego
brick instead of the next word.
(04:14):
The AI generates step-by-stepblueprints aimed at ensuring
structural stability.
According to the team,LegoG.P.T's designs were
physically stable 98 percent ofthe time.
The model integrates physicslaws and assembly constraints
into its construction process.
Most designs generated arepractical items like couches,
chairs, and tables.
(04:35):
This marks an advancement inautonomous Lego building by
focusing on realistic andbuildable creations.
The research and code have beenmade publicly available for
further exploration.
LegoG.P.T represents a uniqueblend of creativity, technology,
and engineering principles inAI.
The Trump administration hasabruptly fired Shira Perlmutter,
the Register of Copyrights andDirector of the U.S.
(04:57):
Copyright Office.
This move follows the recentdismissal of Carla Hayden, the
first woman and African AmericanLibrarian of Congress.
Perlmutter was informed viaemail that her position was
terminated effectiveimmediately.
Her office had just released adetailed report on the use of
copyrighted materials byartificial intelligence
companies.
The report examined whether AIsystems could train on
(05:19):
copyrighted works and thencompete in the same market.
Perlmutter emphasized theimportance of human creativity
as central to copyrightprotection.
She stated that material createdsolely by machines should not
receive the same protections.
The Washington firing has drawnsharp criticism from Democrats,
including Rep.
Joe Morelle, who called it anunprecedented power grab.
(05:42):
Perlmutter, a lawyer withextensive experience in
intellectual property,previously worked at the Patent
and Trademark Office and theCopyright Office.
As of now, she has not respondedto requests for comment.
Don (05:54):
Thank you for listening to today's AI and Tech News podcast
summary...
Please do leave us a comment andfor additional feedback, please
email us atpodcast@digimasters.co.uk You
can now follow us on Instagramand Threads by searching for
@DigimastersShorts or Search forDigimasters on Linkedin.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow anddon't forget to follow or
subscribe!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.