This Week's Most Read: Google's Most Realistic Text-to-Video Model Yet

Here are this week's most popular stories:

1. Google's Lumiere: New AI Model that Creates Realistic Videos

Google has unveiled a new text-to-video model capable of generating lifelike videos from short text inputs.

Lumiere creates videos that showcase realistic motion and can even use images and other videos as inputs to improve results.

The model is capable of generating videos comprised of 80 frames. For comparison, Stability’s Stable Video Diffusion clocks in at 14 and 25 frames. The more frames, the smoother the motion of the video.

Lumiere outperforms rival models from the likes of Pika, Meta and Runway across various tests, including zero-shot trials, according to Google's team.

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2. Apple Sold Over 200,000 Vision Pro Headsets in 10 Days

Apple reportedly has sold at least 200,000 of its Vision Pro AR headsets in the first 10 days of the tech giant taking pre-orders.

That is according to a knowledgeable source talking to MacRumors. Apple began taking pre-orders on Jan. 19; Vision Pro will officially go on sale Feb. 2.

At $3,500 for the cheapest model, it is the most expensive AR/VR headset for consumers in the market by far. Its nearest rival is Meta's top-of-the-line Quest Pro, which costs about $1,000. Meta is the market leader in AR/VR headsets with a 55.2% share, according to research firm IDC. Meta's Quest line of AR/VR headsets starts at $250.

Vision Pro's steep price tag has made several industry pundits wonder if many people would buy them. The 256 GB Vision Pro costs $3,500 but 512 GB will set buyers back $3,700 and the 1 TB version is $3,900.

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3. Meta's 6 Tips to Improve Your Prompts for Llama 2

When using a language model, the right prompt will get you the best results. Software engineers at Meta have compiled a handy guide on how to improve your prompts for Llama 2, its flagship open source model.

The guide provides a general overview of the various Llama 2 models and explains several basic elements related to large language models, such as what tokens are and relevant APIs.

The tips are published under Llama Recipes on the company’s GitHub page, Prompt Engineering with Llama 2.

Among the tips are employing tactics like Self-Consistency and implementing Retrieval Augmented Generation, or RAG.

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4. AI Startup Roundup: Elon Musk’s xAI Looking to Raise up to $6 Billion

Elon Musk's AI startup is looking to raise up to $6 billion to compete with OpenAI.

FT reports that xAI has held discussions with family offices in Hong Kong, investors in Japan and South Korea, as well as Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, according to four sources.

Musk did not respond to the paper’s emails asking for comment but posted this comment on X (Twitter) after publication of the story: “XAI is not raising capital and I have had no conversations with anyone in this regard.”

However, FT said documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last December showed that xAI is seeking $1 billion in funding – it has already raised $135 million.

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5. Test Drive: Microsoft Copilot Pro is Useful But has Flaws

Microsoft is keeping its popular AI tool, Copilot, free for users who want to avoid paying for OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus every month. But recently, they added a new paid version called Copilot Pro that has extra features, will work better with Microsoft 365, and offer custom GPT support.

I gave Copilot Pro a spin, and for the most part, I enjoyed the experience. Copilot Pro emerged as a promising candidate, yet a mix of impressive feats and notable limitations marks its journey from potential to performance.

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