Popular apps get AI upgrade on Qualcomm laptops

And a new AI model can learn to use your PC

Affinity Photo 2 (and more) bring AI features to Snapdragon-powered laptops

Blender, Affinity Photo 2, and Capture One, and several other productivity apps will tap into the neural processing unit (NPU) on Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops to add AI features.

Qualcomm announced a Blender plug-in that can simulate rendering using AI at lightning speeds, turning hours of work into mere seconds. Affinity Photo 2, meanwhile, will have an object selection feature powered by AI for quicker edits. Musicians and podcasters aren’t left out either. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) apps like Cubase and Nuendo are now optimized for Snapdragon. They include improved MIDI support and low-latency audio drivers.

Qualcomm says these performance gains don’t come at the expense of your device’s battery life or thermal performance. The company claims laptops powered by Snapdragon X Elite ran up to 20% quicker than competitors in demanding AI tasks.

I can’t comment on the specifics of those claims, but as subscribers know, I just published a long-term review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite inside.

Qualcomm’s announcements came as part of its Snapdragon Summit, which also revealed Snapdragon 8 Elite for smartphones. Android users should keep an eye out for these upcoming devices.

Anthropic reveals AI that can navigate your computer

Anthropic, an AI company that competes directly with OpenAI, has revealed ‘computer use,’ which is now in public beta. It lets an AI model interact directly with computer interface. It can move the cursor, click buttons, and scroll through web pages.

In theory, this could allow for serious automation. Imagine delegating tedious tasks like filling out online forms, navigating complex software menus, or even automating multi-step processes.

Except…well, it’s in beta. And it’s only available through the company’s developer API. It’s not something the average remote worker can install and use. Yet.

Though it’s limited, this is a notable release. AI stans have theorized about automated AI agents for several years now, but that hasn’t translated to a tangible piece of software you, personally, can use at home. We’re now a step closer, and I would not be surprised to see software with ‘computer use’ roll out next year.

Anthropic also announced an upgraded Claude 3.5 Sonnet and introduced Claude 3.5 Haiku.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with Claude as a piece of software. It does produce great text, but it can’t produce images, and that’s a bummer.

Still, I know some people swear by Claude. If that’s you, the new Claude models should make you happy; they generally perform better across a variety of benchmarks.

HeyGen’s newest AI avatar highlights deepfake threat to remote workers

I began last week’s newsletter with a sternly worded warning: remote workers can’t afford to believe what they see (or hear).

AI deepfakes are becoming very, very good. Cybercriminals have already used them to pose as a company’s CTO, which led to a remote employing transferring 25 million dollars to the criminals’ bank account.

HeyGen’s latest demo underscores that point. The company has new AI avatars that can attend Zoom calls and interact in real time with other people on the call.

They’re not flawless, but a little creative social engineering—like the cybercriminal sending an email apologizing for poor Wi-Fi, to excuse the delays in the avatar’s response—could gloss over their quirks, especially if a call is kept to a minute or two.

So, I’ll say it again: if you’re a team that works remote, talk with your colleagues about how AI-powered deepfakes might be used to infiltrate your business.

Quick Hits

The Mac rumor mill is in high gear: The rumors and leaks of new Macs are now official, as Apple plans to have a “week” of announcements…next week. What will be shown isn’t known exactly, but it will certainly focus on MacBook Pro laptops with the Apple M4 chip, as well as a new Mac mini. A new MacBook Air is not expected. It’s not clear if the Apple Studio or iMac will see updates, as well. Read more at The Verge.

Apple Intelligence Debuts with iOS 18.1: Apple is set to roll out Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1. This will be its first release outside of beta. Users can expect new AI-powered features like Writing Tools for proofreading, Smart Replies for quick messaging, Notification Summaries, and a redesigned Siri. Read more on TechRadar.

Glass Imaging’s AI Tech Boosts Smartphone Photography: At the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit, Glass Imaging showcased GlassAI, which dramatically improves image quality on smartphones with small sensors. By leveraging the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform, GlassAI processes RAW images with custom neural networks, delivering sharp, detailed results without the usual issues seen with generative AI. Read more at PetaPixel.

Is Adobe’s AI a game changer? CreativeBloq’s Ian Dean took a dive into Adobe’s Project Concept AI. Aimed at “next-generation artists,” this AI-first platform allows users to generate, mix, and remix art using AI, all within an infinite canvas. Unlike traditional tools bogged down by legacy features, Project Concept offers innovative interactions and more control over AI outputs. Read more at CreativeBloq.

AI ‘Video Scraping’ is a Double-Edged Sword: AI researcher Simon Willison showcased a technique called “video scraping,” where AI models extract data from screen recordings. This method can automate tedious tasks like compiling data scattered across multiple emails or documents. While this could be a boon for productivity, it also raises privacy concerns. Read more at Ars Technica.

Gigabyte’s Thunderbolt 5 is bonkers fast: Gigabyte introduced a Thunderbolt 5 PCIe 4.0 add-in card, allowing desktop users to upgrade to blazing speeds of up to 120 Gbps. Supporting up to 100W power delivery and daisy-chaining up to 10 devices, this card is a boon for those needing fast data transfer and connectivity options. Read more at Tom’s Hardware.

Copilot+ PCs Gain Exclusive Super Resolution Feature in Windows 11: Currently exclusive to Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon chips, this AI tool can enhance and enlarge images up to eight times their original resolution. Up until now, you generally had to pay for software like Topaz’s Gigapixel AI to handle this task. Read more at Windows Central.

Microsoft’s October optional update for Windows 11 version 24H2 is live: It adds features like customizable Copilot key settings, the ability to disable notification suggestions, and a new Xbox-style Gamepad keyboard. Narrator also gets a boost with a shortcut to copy spoken text (Narrator key + Ctrl + X) and automatic email reading in the new Outlook app. Read more at Thurrott.com.

Notion gets email…soon: Notion is (unofficially) nearing the launch of its email product, Notion Mail, following its acquisition of privacy-focused email service Skiff earlier this year. Users on Reddit have shared clues about the new email service, including a development URL and login page sightings. Read more on TechCrunch.

Zoom upgrades its AI sidekick: Zoom announced AI Companion 2.0, an AI assistant designed to boost productivity across Zoom Workplace, helping users stay organized with features like meeting summaries, unread message recaps, and content drafts from emails and documents. Read more at Zoom.