Figma's AI: Too Smart for Its Own Good?

Plus: Please report deepfakes on YouTube!

Jul 04, 2024

ICYMI…

🪼 Figma has decided to withdraw its new AI-powered design tool, "Make Designs", after facing criticism that the tool was producing user interface designs that closely resembled Apple's iOS weather app.

🦭 Gen-3 Alpha, Runway’s latest text-to-video AI model, is now available to everyone with a paid account.

🦀 Meta, formerly Facebook, has been developing an AI tool called "3D Gen" that can create textured 3D models significantly faster than previous methods.

🐳 Google Search is facing criticism for continuing to rank AI-generated spam content above original reporting in its news results, even after implementing algorithm changes earlier this year aimed at reducing low-quality, unoriginal content.

🦑 The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement and unauthorized use of their journalistic content to train AI models.

🐠 OpenAI has developed CriticGPT, an AI model based on GPT-4, to assist human trainers in evaluating and refining the outputs of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.

🦞 Perplexity is under investigation by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for allegedly scraping content from websites that explicitly blocked such access through a robots.txt file.

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Figma's AI design tool was taken down after accusations of copying Apple's design.

Source: @asallen on X (Twitter)

Figma's Make Designs tool was supposed to help users quickly create app mockups using generative AI. However, it was pulled after users noticed the generated designs looked suspiciously similar to Apple's iOS weather app. Here's a breakdown of the situation:

The Allegation - The core issue was that Figma's AI tool seemed to be copying Apple's design. Users pointed out that the layouts generated by "Make Designs" were strikingly similar to Apple's weather app.
Figma's Response - Figma reacted quickly by taking down the feature. Their CEO admitted to rushing the release and assured users it wasn't intentional copying. They clarified that the AI model wasn't trained on their own data (including Apple's design) but relied on third-party components.
The Debate - This incident sparked a broader discussion about AI's role in design. Some fear AI might replace human designers, while others see it as a tool to automate repetitive tasks and boost creativity.

Figma's experience highlights the challenges of balancing innovation with ethical considerations in AI development. They're currently working on improving their AI design system and plan to introduce user controls over AI-generated content.

Meta's 3D Gen for creating textured 3D models in a flash

Source: arXiv.org

Meta unveiled their impressive AI tool, called 3D Gen, which boasts the ability to generate high-quality 3D models with textures in under a minute. This is a significant leap forward in 3D design, potentially making the process faster and more accessible.

Here's a deeper dive into 3D Gen's capabilities:

Text-to-3D Creation - 3D Gen gives users the capability to describe the desired 3D object through text prompts. The AI then interprets the description and constructs a corresponding 3D model.
High-Fidelity and Quality - One of the key strengths of 3D Gen is its ability to create models that closely resemble the user's description. Additionally, the generated textures add a layer of realism to the models, making them visually appealing.
Speed Advantage - A big advantage of 3D Gen is its speed. Compared to traditional methods that might take hours or even days, 3D Gen can churn out a textured model in under a minute. This can significantly improve design workflows.
Physically Based Rendering (PBR) Support - 3D Gen incorporates PBR, a technique that allows for realistic lighting effects within the generated models. This makes them suitable for use in real-world applications like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Overall, Meta's 3D Gen represents a significant advancement in AI-powered 3D design. Its speed, text-based control, and high-quality output hold the potential to revolutionize the way 3D models are created.

Something to chew on

YouTube now allows users to submit complaints about AI-generated deepfakes.

YouTube has taken a step towards tackling the growing problem of deepfakes on its platform. They've implemented a system that allows users to more easily report and request takedowns of videos that contain AI-generated likenesses or voices.

Fighting against misinformation and privacy concerns - Deepfakes, which are hyper-realistic videos manipulated with AI, can be used to spread misinformation and violate people's privacy. This new system empowers users to take action against content that impersonates them without their consent.
Reporting through privacy channels - Unlike reporting for other reasons, users won't use the general flagging system. Instead, they'll submit a request through YouTube's privacy complaint process.
Not a guarantee, but a step forward - It's important to note that YouTube won't automatically remove all flagged deepfakes. They'll consider factors like parody, satire, newsworthiness, and the identity of the person in the video (public figure vs. private individual). While not a foolproof solution, it's a significant step towards user control over their digital image.

This initiative comes amidst growing concerns about the potential misuse of deepfakes. YouTube's approach highlights the ongoing efforts by social media platforms to balance content moderation with freedom of expression in the age of AI-powered manipulation.

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