Meta announces new AI models that understand 4,000 languages, produce speech in more than 1,000

Meta announces new AI models that understand 4,000 languages, produce speech in more than 1,000
Massively Multilingual Speech would 'help preserve the world’s languages,' says Meta. (AFP/File)
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Updated 24 May 2023

Meta announces new AI models that understand 4,000 languages, produce speech in more than 1,000

Meta announces new AI models that understand 4,000 languages, produce speech in more than 1,000
  • Developers use translations of the New Testament to collect data

LONDON: Meta announced on Monday that it has created new artificial intelligence models that can recognize more than 4,000 spoken languages and produce speech in more than 1,100.

The recent Massively Multilingual Speech, or MMS, project would “help preserve the world’s languages and bring the world closer together,” wrote the social networking giant.

To achieve this and to support researchers in the field by providing them with a foundation to build on, Meta announced open-sourcing MMS via the code-hosting service GitHub.

Meta’s developers turned to religious texts, such as translations of the New Testament in the Bible, that are available in multiple languages to overcome the challenge of collecting audio data for the languages.

The texts “have been widely studied for text-based language translation research,” wrote Meta, and “have publicly available audio recordings of people reading these texts in different languages.”

This unconventional approach provided about 32 hours of data per language.

And although this data is often read by male speakers, Meta’s models perform equally well for female voices.

Meta highlighted that it wants to increase MMS’s scale to cover more languages, in addition to handling dialects.


Emirates, AWS to create new immersive XR platform for airline staff

Emirates, AWS to create new immersive XR platform for airline staff
Updated 31 May 2023

Emirates, AWS to create new immersive XR platform for airline staff

Emirates, AWS to create new immersive XR platform for airline staff
  • Platform will feature 3-D virtual hubs, virtual training, gamified environments, simulated experiences
  • New partnership to take advantage of AI evolution to revolutionize aviation industry: Emirates COO

LONDON: Emirates Group and Amazon Web Services on Wednesday announced a new partnership to develop an immersive extended reality platform for the UAE airline’s employees.

Designed specifically for cabin crew, new joiners, and industry partners, the new iXR platform will feature 3-D virtual hubs, virtual training, gamified environments, and simulated experiences.

Adel Al-Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer, said: “Our vision is to build a meaningful, practical, and rewarding XR capability that takes advantage of artificial intelligence’s evolution.

“We are using XR capability that is scalable and spans across the breadth of our group’s brands and businesses.

“It reflects our commitment to spearhead and entrench innovation and cutting-edge technologies in aviation for the benefit of our customers, communities, and the industry.”

Powered by AWS spatial computing and AI, the first-of-its-kind platform will deliver technical capabilities with photorealistic experiences accessible across next-gen wearables, tablets, and mobile devices.

Initially, iXR will focus on a collaborative hub and social space, cabin crew training, and employee onboarding.

“In the first phase, iXR will help cabin crew interact and familiarise themselves with the platform in an interactive, high-fidelity 3-D environment which they can explore at their convenience, leading to greater knowledge transfer and employee satisfaction.

“During this phase, we will also develop our employee experience using iXR to seamlessly assimilate our people within the group’s business, community and culture,” Al-Redha added.

Emirates will also use the platform to transform the onboarding experience for new recruits, helping them “quickly and visually learn about the organization, its people, culture, and what it is like living in Dubai.”

AWS vice president of professional services, Al Opher, said the new partnership would have a profound impact on training, design, and innovative service propositions in the aviation industry, allowing staff to train in safe, immersive, performance-oriented, and efficient environments.

“Extended reality is a rapidly emerging technology that will propel the aviation industry into the future. Together, we are revolutionizing the travel industry and raising the bar for new, exemplary experiences,” Opher added.

Featuring advanced technologies such as Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, iXR is set to launch later this year, marking another milestone in Dubai and the UAE’s commitment to digital innovation and progress.


MENA video game revenues to hit $6bn by 2027

MENA video game revenues to hit $6bn by 2027
Updated 30 May 2023

MENA video game revenues to hit $6bn by 2027

MENA video game revenues to hit $6bn by 2027
  • E-sports enthusiasts worldwide to grow to 318m by 2025, with MENA constituting 15 percent of total
  • DMCC report also offers recommendations for businesses, governments to market growth

LONDON: The revenue for the gaming industry in the Middle East and North Africa region is set to reach $6 billion by 2027, almost doubling the figure from 2021, according to research by Dubai Multi Commodities Center.

The Future of Trade 2023 report highlights how the gaming industry in the MENA region is set to grow over the next few years, led by a young and digital-native population, high levels of connectivity and government support.

These factors are driving the region’s emergence as a consumer and creator hub.

“Gaming has come to the fore of entertainment globally, driving rapid growth especially in the MENA region, which now constitutes 15 percent of the global player base,” said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO at DMCC.

Both gaming and esports are thriving. Leading the pack in the region are the UAE and Saudi Arabia, fueled by high incomes, digital engagement and public investment.

Globally, Asia-Pacific is the largest market with China, the US and Japan being the top players.

According to the report the global gaming market is expected to reach about $340 billion by 2027, from $198.4 billion in 2021. By 2025, there will be more than 318 million esports enthusiasts worldwide, up from 215.2 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, around 322.7 million people are projected to be occasional viewers of esports by 2025.

Sulayem said that the boom was partly due to the rise of “gamification” of sectors including education and healthcare. 

“Ensuring the accelerated growth of the gaming sector will have a measurable impact on the future of markets around the world, as well as the future of trade,” he said.

“As DMCC seeks to solidify Dubai’s reputation as a global trade and economic hub, efficiently activating opportunities within the gaming sector will prove essential.”

The report gathers contributions from key industry leaders including Jad El-Mir, Partner at Strategy&, and Klaus Kajetski, CEO and Founder of YaLLa Esports, to establish the critical drivers of the industry’s accelerated growth.

It also examines the impact on gaming and esports from a technology, culture and business perspective. It explores global trends and challenges, and MENA’s rise as a gaming hub.

Seeking to tap into its economic potential, DMCC in December partnered with YaLLa Esports, the Dubai-based professional esports organization, to launch the DMCC Gaming Centre.

The centre supports the growth of the gaming industry in Dubai by providing businesses with access to global capital, leading industry talent, and an ecosystem that allows them to operate efficiently and with confidence.

Thanks to the UAE’s robust business environment and strategic location, international gaming developers like Ubisoft, Tencent, and Riot Games have set up offices in the region.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has invested over $1.7 billion in the gaming industry and integrated it into its Neom project.


Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini’s death

Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini’s death
Updated 30 May 2023

Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini’s death

Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini’s death
  • Hamedi, along with another female journalist, Elaheh Mohammadi, who went on trial on Monday, face several charges including "colluding with hostile powers"
  • Iran's intelligence ministry in October accused Mohammadi and Hamedi, both imprisoned for over eight months, of being CIA foreign agents

DUBAI: A Revolutionary Court in Iran on Tuesday began the trial of a female journalist behind closed doors on charges linked to her coverage of a Kurdish-Iranian woman whose death in custody last year sparked months of unrest, her husband said on Twitter.
Mahsa Amini’s death while held by the morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code unleashed a wave of mass anti-government protests for months, posing one of the boldest challenges to the country’s clerical leaders in decades.
A photo taken by Niloofar Hamedi for the pro-reform Sharq daily showing Amini’s parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital where their daughter was lying in a coma was the first sign to the world that all was not well with 22-year-old Amini.
Tuesday’s trial session “ended in less than two hours while her lawyers did not get a chance to defend her and her family members were not allowed to attend the court,” Hamedi’s husband, Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, said on Twitter.
“She denied all the charges against her and emphasized that she had performed her duty as a journalist based on the law.”
Hamedi, along with another female journalist, Elaheh Mohammadi, who went on trial on Monday, face several charges including “colluding with hostile powers” for their coverage of Amini’s death.
Iran’s intelligence ministry in October accused Mohammadi and Hamedi, both imprisoned for over eight months, of being CIA foreign agents.
Iran’s clerical rulers have blamed the protests on an array of enemies, including the United States, aimed at destabilising the Islamic Republic.


Pro-Imran Khan Pakistani TV journalist returns home after being freed

Pro-Imran Khan Pakistani TV journalist returns home after being freed
Updated 30 May 2023

Pro-Imran Khan Pakistani TV journalist returns home after being freed

Pro-Imran Khan Pakistani TV journalist returns home after being freed
  • Sami Abrahim returned home early Tuesday after being released by his captors, his family and his employer said
  • Another pro-Khan TV journalist, Imran Riaz, went missing earlier this month and was yet to be freed

ISLAMABAD: A prominent Pakistani television journalist who went missing last week, apparently because of his public support to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, returned home early Tuesday after being released by his captors, his family and his employer said.
Sami Abrahim’s brother, Ali Raza, took to Twitter to confirm his release. BOL TV confirmed his release in a news announcement.
Abrahim went missing Thursday when eight people in four vehicles intercepted his car on his way back home from work in the capital, Islamabad, and took him away, according to his family and BOL TV where Abrahim works.
No one had claimed responsibility for Abrahim’s abduction, but it is widely believed that he was being held by the country’s security agencies, which are notorious for abducting, harassing and torturing journalists.
Abrahim has long publicly opposed the government of Khan’s successor, Premier Shahbaz Sharif. Khan, a former cricket star who became an Islamist politician, was in office in 2018-2022 and was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last year.
Another pro-Khan TV journalist, Imran Riaz, went missing earlier this month and was yet to be freed.


UAE-based creatives launch Cannes Lions prediction platform ‘The Loudest Roar’

UAE-based creatives launch Cannes Lions prediction platform ‘The Loudest Roar’
Updated 29 May 2023

UAE-based creatives launch Cannes Lions prediction platform ‘The Loudest Roar’

UAE-based creatives launch Cannes Lions prediction platform ‘The Loudest Roar’
  • “The Loudest Roar” is an independent project that is not affiliated with Cannes Lions

DUBAI: A team of UAE-based creatives has launched “The Loudest Roar,” an interactive prediction platform for the advertising industry’s premier awards program, Cannes Lions, which takes place next month.

Founded by Chirag Khushalani, Tobbi Vu, Teena Mathew, and Jack Rogers, “The Loudest Roar” aims to become the “fantasy league” for awards festivals, according to a company statement.

Khushalani said: “If the world can have a say on who can win the Superbowl or Premier League, why can’t they cast an eye on the Cannes Lions too?

“It’s a space where everyone has a say on what’s great, and can feel inspired to create more great work.”

The free, gamified platform is open to all. Participants compete for leaderboard positions and prizes, including cash rewards of up to $500 in Amazon gift cards and a portfolio revamp by Pimp My Portfolio. Each player will receive a personalized juror badge that can be shared on social media.

Industry experts and former Cannes Lions jury members such as Rob Schwartz, Tracey Follows and Akhilesh Bagri will also be present on the platform, sharing their advice on judging and creating award-winning work.  

Voting will begin when Cannes Lions releases its shortlists on June 2, and end a few hours before the winners are announced. Participants can view the shortlisted case studies and vote for Grand Prix winners in six categories: Titanium, Innovation, Film, Entertainment Lions for Gaming, Creative Effectiveness, and Creative Business Transformation. 

After the Cannes Lions awards are announced, “The Loudest Roar” will announce the winners chosen by the participants, as well as invite this year’s jury members to share insights into the work that won the Grand Prix trophies.

The company plans to roll out the concept across other award festivals and add interactive features like a simulated jury room.

It also plans to introduce private leagues for agencies and universities to gather insights into how their employees and students think, and how they can improve their entries to be more successful on the awards circuit.

“The Loudest Roar” is an independent project that is not affiliated with Cannes Lions.