Hello everybody. Welcome to Daily Zaps.

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🌇 Best AI job markets outside of Silicon Valley

• 🇦🇪 UAE is on a mission to become an AI power

• 🥸 Deep fake video using one photo

• 🦙 Test drive Meta’s Llama 3

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AI CAREERS

Best AI job markets outside of Silicon Valley

Outside of Silicon Valley, several U.S. cities are emerging as vibrant hubs for AI job opportunities, reflecting a broader trend in the diversification of the AI sector across the nation. Washington, D.C., and Arlington are notable examples, where the intertwining of AI with government initiatives and policy making creates a robust market for AI professionals. The defense industry's focus on AI is driving substantial job creation in D.C., highlighting how specific industries can spur job markets in particular regions.

These areas offer a blend of public sector stability and private sector innovation, underpinned by competitive salaries and a growing tech community. Similarly, McLean and other parts of Virginia are seeing a surge in AI opportunities, especially linked to government contracts and private technology firms, benefiting from proximity to the nation’s capital.

Besides the D.C. metro area, cities like San Jose, Seattle, and San Francisco continue to lead in terms of AI job density, but places like Austin and Northwest Arkansas are also making strong showings. Austin, for instance, reported a significant number of AI-related job postings, illustrating its growing reputation as a tech hub not just for startups but for cutting-edge AI roles as well.

INTERNATIONAL

UAE is on a mission to become an AI power

The UAE is leveraging its significant wealth and autocratic governance to position itself as a major AI power, a move solidified by the success of their AI model, Falcon. Emirati officials highlight their abundant resources, such as large cash reserves for buying cutting-edge computing hardware and ample electricity from diversified sources to power and attract new data centers, as key advantages over European and Asian regions facing energy constraints.

The country's strategy also includes using its favorable tax policies and climate to attract the world's top AI researchers. The UAE's government system allows for swift decision-making, enabling the rapid deployment of these resources to achieve significant technological advancements without the hindrances of internal criticism or the rigorous checks and balances seen in more democratic nations. This approach underscores the UAE's intent to use its state-driven capabilities to gain a competitive edge in the global AI landscape.

The Biden administration is encouraging U.S. tech companies, like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI, to form AI-related partnerships with companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help compete with China in technology development. One key development is Microsoft's investment of $1.5 billion in G42, an AI firm in Abu Dhabi led by Emirati royal Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

BIG TECH

Deepfake video using one photo

Microsoft Research Asia introduced VASA-1, an AI model capable of producing synchronized animated videos from a single photo and an audio track. The technology, termed "Visual Affective Skills Animator" (VASA), combines a static image and speech audio to generate realistic animations with precise lip-syncing, facial expressions, and head movements.

While it significantly improves upon prior animation methods in realism and efficiency, concerns about misuse such as deepfakes are prominent. Microsoft has highlighted the model's educational and therapeutic potential, but also acknowledges the risks of misuse, emphasizing that it's meant for advancing forgery detection and is still in the research phase without plans for a public release.

OPEN SOURCE AI

Test drive Meta’s Llama 3

Meta Platforms recently unveiled Llama 3, an advanced open-source large language model (LLM), which has garnered significant praise from developers and independent reviewers.

You can test it directly on Meta AI without needing to log in or create an account, as an alternative to using ChatGPT.

This latest iteration includes versions with 8-billion and 70-billion parameters, both outperforming similar LLMs from Google, Mistral, and Anthropic, as highlighted by Meta's blog and the LMSYS leaderboard. The 70-billion parameter version is particularly noted as the top open-source LLM, only surpassed by leading closed-source models.

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