🎵 Compression and Blue Ticks
Quantumics Weekly - Edition 17
Happy Sunday!
Welcome to the seventeenth edition of the Quantumics Weekly Roundup. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into Meta’s new AI-powered audio compression codec and exploring Twitter’s new blue tick subscription. We’ll also explore the latest news and information in data and AI, business and tech.
Let’s go! 👇
🎧 Greater compression then MP3?
Meta have announced an AI-powered audio compression method called "EnCodec" that can reportedly compress audio 10 times smaller than the MP3 format at 64kbps with no loss in quality.
Meta says this technique could dramatically improve the sound quality of speech on low-bandwidth connections, such as phone calls in areas with spotty service. The technique will also work for music, allowing high quality streaming with low data costs.
They describes the compression method as a three-part system trained to compress audio to a desired target size. First, the encoder transforms uncompressed data into a lower frame rate "latent space" representation. The "quantizer" then compresses the representation to the target size while keeping track of the most important information that will later be used to rebuild the original signal. (This compressed signal is what gets sent through a network or saved to disk.) Finally, the decoder turns the compressed data back into audio in real time using a neural network on a single CPU.
Of course, Meta being Meta, the researchers also mentioned EnCodec's metaverse implications, saying that the technology could eventually deliver "rich metaverse experiences without requiring major bandwidth improvements."
💵 Get your blue-ticks for just $8!
Earlier this week, Twitter confirmed plans to allow users to subscribe to blue-tick verified status.
In a recent update, the company said the feature would be open to users in certain countries who sign up to its Twitter Blue service for $7.99 (£7) per month.
The policy change was received with controversy and mixed opinions on Twitter, amid concerns that the platform could be swamped with fake accounts.
The sought-after blue tick was previously only available to high-profile or influential individuals and organisations - who were asked to prove their identity.
It has been used as a sign that a profile is authentic, and is a key tool to help users identify reliable information on the platform.
The policy change may fuel worries that government figures, celebrities, journalists and brands could be impersonated by any user willing to pay a monthly fee.
Twitter's update said the changes would apply only in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand at first.
News Bites 📰
OpenAI opens up AI text-to-image generation to businesses with launch of DALL-E API, with companies and developers now able to use the API to integrate DALL-E directly into their own products and software.
The Bank of England has warned the UK is facing its longest recession since records began, as it raised interest rates by the most in 33 years.
Dogecoin, the king of meme coins, has been one of the best performing crypto assets during the last 30 days and ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter, with the coin jumping 116% higher in 2 weeks.
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That’s everything for now, catch you next week!
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