MLCommons, a nonprofit AI safety working group, has teamed up with AI dev platform Hugging Face to release one of the world’s largest collections of public domain voice recordings for AI research.
The data set, called Unsupervised People’s Speech, contains more than a million hours of audio spanning at least 89 different languages. MLCommons says it was motivated to create it by a desire to support R&D in “various areas of speech technology.”
“Supporting broader natural language processing research for languages other than English helps bring communication technologies to more people globally,” the organization wrote in a blog post Thursday. “We anticipate several avenues for the research community to continue to build and develop, especially in the areas of improving low-resource language speech models, enhanced speech recognition across different accents and dialects, and novel applications in speech synthesis.”
It’s an admirable goal, to be sure. But AI data sets like Unsupervised People’s Speech can carry risks for the researchers who choose to use them.
Biased data is one of those risks. The recordings in Unsupervised People’s Speech came from Archive.org, the nonprofit perhaps best known for the Wayback Machine web archival tool. Because many of Archive.org’s contributors are English-speaking — and American — almost all of the recordings in Unsupervised People’s Speech are in American-accented English, per the readme on the official project page.
That means that, without careful filtering, AI systems like speech recognition and voice synthesizer models trained on Unsupervised People’s Speech could exhibit some of the same prejudices. They might, for example, struggle to transcribe English spoken by a non-native speaker, or have trouble generating synthetic voices in languages other than English.
Unsupervised People’s Speech might also contain recordings from people unaware that their voices are being used for AI research purposes — including commercial applications. While MLCommons says that all recordings in the data set are public domain or available under Creative Commons licenses, there’s the possibility mistakes were made.
According to an MIT analysis, hundreds of publicly available AI training data sets lack licensing information and contain errors. Creator advocates including Ed Newton-Rex, the CEO of AI ethics-focused nonprofit Fairly Trained, have made the case that creators shouldn’t be required to “opt out” of AI data sets because of the onerous burden opting out imposes on these creators.
“Many creators (e.g. Squarespace users) have no meaningful way of opting out,” Newton-Rex wrote in a post on X last June. “For creators who can opt out, there are multiple overlapping opt-out methods, which are (1) incredibly confusing and (2) woefully incomplete in their coverage. Even if a perfect universal opt-out existed, it would be hugely unfair to put the opt-out burden on creators, given that generative AI uses their work to compete with them — many would simply not realize they could opt out.”
MLCommons says that it’s committed to updating, maintaining, and improving the quality of Unsupervised People’s Speech. But given the potential flaws, it’d behoove developers to exercise serious caution.
The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC) hosted the prestigious 2024 USBC Power50 Women’s Luncheon at the Salamander Hotel, marking a significant celebration of National Women’s History Month. The annual, sold-out event honored the Power50 Class, bringing together luminaries and leaders in business, politics, and culture to highlight the achievements and contributions of Black women across various sectors.
This year, Arian Simone, the Co-Founder & CEO of Fearless Fund, was celebrated as the 2024 Woman of the Year, recognized for her remarkable leadership and significant contributions. In addition, Cathy Hughes, the visionary Founder and Chairperson of Urban One, Inc., was awarded the 2024 Global Trailblazer of the Year for her groundbreaking work and enduring influence on the media industry.
Arise was honored to serve as a sponsor and have in attendance an amazing Service Partner, Kadiann Pinnock, whose entrepreneurial spirit reflects our mission to cultivate economic opportunity and success for individuals from all walks of life.
Looking forward to celebrating next year’s class of inspirational leaders!
On the last day of OpenAI’s 12 days of ‘shipmas,’ the company unveiled its latest models, o3 and o3-mini, which excel at reasoning and even outperform o1 on a series of benchmarks, including math and science. At launch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said o3 was slated to drop at the end of January, and today, the company made good on its promise.
o3-mini
On Friday, OpenAI released its o3-mini model, the most cost-efficient model in OpenAI’s reasoning series, to the public. Until now, that series has been comprised of o1 and o1-mini. Like its predecessor, the model is particularly strong in science, math, and coding, according to the company.
OpenAI o3-mini is now available in ChatGPT and the API. Pro users will have unlimited access to o3-mini and Plus & Team users will have triple the rate limits (vs o1-mini). Free users can try o3-mini in ChatGPT by selecting the Reason button under the message composer.
When o3-mini is selected, it will use medium reasoning effort, which balances speed and accuracy. While the original o1 model still has broader general knowledge than o3-mini, the new model’s major advantage is its faster speed and higher performance compared to o1-mini.
Benchmark performance
When comparing the performance of o3-mini to o1-mini, expert testers found that o3-mini delivered more accurate, reasoned-through, and clearer responses than o1-mini. According to the post, they preferred o3-mini responses 56% of the time and observed a 39% reduction in major errors.
Beyond human preference evaluations, in several STEM benchmarks, including the Competition Math (AIME 2024), PhD-level Science Questions (GPQA Diamond), and Competition Code (Codeforces), o3-mini with medium reasoning — which is what ChatGPT users will get by default — outperformed o1-mini.
OpenAI
Also notable is that o3-mini, with high reasoning effort in the benchmarks, came close to o1 performance, sometimes even surpassing it, as seen in the AIME 2024 above and Software Engineering (SWE-bench Verified) benchmarks. The o3-mini model with medium reasoning effort matched o1’s performance in the Codeforces benchmark.
Safety
OpenAI assessed o3-mini’s safety through public release through jailbreak and disallowed content evaluations. The company found that the model significantly surpasses GPT-4o on the evaluations. OpenAI posted the evaluation results below and also launched an o3-mini System Card, a 37-page PDF that includes the detailed results of the evaluations.
How to access
All subscribers to OpenAI’s paid tiers, including ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro, can access OpenAI o3-mini starting today. Plus and Team users now have three times the rate limit, going from 50 messages per day with o1-mini to 150 messages per day. ChatGPT Enterprise access is coming in a week.
The o3-mini model will replace o1-mini in the model picker, as it would be useful for the same tasks, except that experience will now be improved with lower latency and higher rate limits. As a paid user, at the time of writing, I did not yet have access to the o3-mini, and am instead still seeing the o1-mini option.
If you don’t have a subscription, no worries: You can see if o3-mini is worth the hype from your free account. All free ChatGPT users have to do is click on “Reason” in the message textbox or regenerate a response. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed free access in a post on X. Until now, all the reasoning models have been kept behind a paywall; OpenAI did not specify any limitations around the new model for Free users.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s upcoming deluge of new subclasses is practically as exciting as all the entirely new games we’re about to get in February, and we’re starting to get reports trickling in from loose-lipped Patch 8 stress testers about how those new subclasses work in action. One thing that really stands out to me among the r/BG3builds scuttlebut is the complete 180 Eldritch Knights have made.
The previously “just okay” Fighter multiclass is looking to be completely overpowered if Patch 8 goes live as currently structured, but there’s reason to believe the interaction making them go crazy will be nerfed before the patch’s full release. This new hotness mostly relies on pre-existing mechanics, with the specific implementation of a new spell being what throws things into disarray:
Booming Blade, a beloved cantrip from D&D 5E tabletop that adds a debuff and, eventually, flat damage to a melee attack, new in Patch 8.
Fighter’s Improved Extra Attack, granting three weapon attacks in one round at level 11.
Eldritch Knight’s War Magic, which lets you attack with a bonus action after casting a cantrip.
In tabletop, Booming Blade uses up your entire action for a round to cast, even if you have Extra Attack or its upgraded variation. In the BG3 Patch 8 stress test though, you can Extra Attack with Booming Blade, which will also trigger Eldritch Knight’s War Magic. At higher levels, Booming Blade’s BG3 incarnation does at least 1d8 thunder damage according to a screenshot from user _Veni_Vidi_Vigo—if tabletop progression holds, that should be up to 2d8 damage by the end of the game.
That means Eldritch Knights get the equivalent of Paladin’s first level Divine Smite without expending any resources, while also getting a crispy four attacks per round before adding in effects like Haste—that’s a level of attacks per round usually reserved for specific dual wielding builds.
This would certainly be a fun build to run, but it just seems way too good, like “homebrew cheat mod” good. As it stands currently, Eldritch Knight would be a tank and damage dealer that completely outclasses everything else in the game, with no sacrifice, drawbacks, planning, or equipment restrictions. Add in a one level dip of the new Hexblade subclass and you’re also an effective party face too. PCG staff writer Harvey Randall and I both agree this doesn’t seem to be working as intended, and a number of fellow traveler BG3 build sickos on the subreddit have made similar arguments.
Ideally, Booming Blade would be a full-round, no Extra Attack action like most other spells in the game, cutting back the Eldritch Knight’s War Magic barrage to a more sensible two attacks. In tabletop, the new Bladesinging subclass is able to cast a single cantrip per round in place of an Extra Attack, and that’s a mechanic I wouldn’t mind seeing implemented alongside a general Booming Blade-Extra Attack nerf—the Bladesinger would similarly be limited to one Booming Blade and two attacks per round, and this could add some zest and synergies to an interesting, but not overwhelmingly powerful subclass.
In the base game, Eldritch Knight is a perfectly fine, replacement level subclass. There are better ways to build a spellsword, while the Fighter’s other subclasses largely outclass it. The notable exception is that Eldritch Knights can form the basis of good throwing weapon builds, thanks to their Weapon Bond ability making any thrown weapon return to them.
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Even in the “worst case scenario” though, an unbalanced uber build in a singleplayer game isn’t the end of the world—it’ll just require a little extra discipline for players not to optimize the fun and variety out of Baldur’s Gate 3. Whatever happens, I still can’t wait for BG3 Patch 8, and there’s a ton of other sicko builds I’m itching to try.
With the cost of quality public transportation and train station 3D renderings services getting more affordable these days, the perks and use cases of this powerful form and tool of communication have also increased. The following are some benefits of public transportation train station 3D renderings for companies and firms in different stages of the project.
Table of contents
Benefits of 3D renderings for the planning stage
1. Alternative analysis
From the earliest phases of a project, stakeholders must grasp and understand the available alternatives and concepts. 3D visualization services can help clearly and quickly explain various alternatives to those who have a vested interest in the project.
2. Communication with all stakeholders
Although design and similar technical documents are often made for construction or engineering personnel, 3D renderings are created for everyone regardless of background. They can clearly illustrate complex designs to make them understandable for anyone, including the legal, political, and financial team members, as well as the general public.
It is common to break down large projects into a few phases over several years. Various printouts of a quality 3D rendering or a phasing animation from 3D rendering firms can give a clear presentation of the process, even if the project lasts for decades.
4. Presentation for requests for funds
Transportation and other projects are often worth millions and even billions of dollars at times. With such figures, it won’t be too much to say that the stakes are high. Presenting alternatives or early concepts for funding requests with precise 3D renderings can quickly convey the idea while reducing the possibility of misunderstandings.
5. Public feedback
Different phases of the project usually involve public feedback. Opting for 3D renderings instead of simple ages can change the involvement of the public in the project, turning them from enemies into allies.
Stakeholders from various disciplines can give their feedback during the planning stages. Using 3D photorealistic rendering designers to draft renderings for meetings can make everyone involved quickly explain and point out their project vision without leaving anything to mere imagination.
Benefits of 3D renderings for the design stage
7. Integration of aesthetics with current conditions
Artistic detailing and aesthetic considerations from years ago can clash against newer and more contemporary designs. 3D renderings can provide a quick comparison of the appearance of the latest design among the existing aesthetic details.
8. Aesthetics
It’s not just desirable to ensure that a project looks good because it is often required, with a specific part of the budget allotted, particularly for aesthetics. It can affect most people who are part of the project’s design, from landscape architects to roadway designers. 3D rendering designers make it easier to envision and coordinate aesthetics.
Bridges are among the most critical categories of any public transportation project because they require a substantial chunk of the budget in both construction and design. Trying different designs, materials, and artistic details with 3D renderings can guarantee that the correct option will be selected for the budget and location of the project in question.
10. Line of sight
Another important aspect of public transportation design is line of sight, and 3D renderings can help transform the process from cutting 2D cross sections to instantly showing exactly what drivers will see from any part of the project.
11. Marquee location
Public transportation and train station projects usually include huge marquee signs to welcome visitors to places and key locations or destinations. Using 3D architectural visualization services to create accurate 3D renderings can ensure that the correct location will be chosen and stakeholders will give their approval before the start of the actual construction.
During public transportation projects, it is common to pay close attention to the driver experience. However, even the smallest redesign can affect pedestrians equally. Showing the projects with pedestrians around and on the location, as well as 3D renderings from the perspective of pedestrians, can boost the engagement and excitement of those who might not always be in a car while around the site. This also applies to bicycle riders, who are now starting to become a growing segment of the demographics of modern commuters.
13. Scenic view study
Public transportation projects may include a particular area allotted as a scenic view now and then. 3D renderings from 3D architectural animators can help pick the best location for these scenic views and show how they will look upon completion. This comes in handy for places that might not yet be accessible, such as those located deep into a forest that will soon be cut for a part of the roadway or railway.
14. Sign Placement
Numerous factors affect the placement of signs, such as vegetation, structure locations, and clear zone distances. 3D renderings can help the process by visually checking the best spots for sign placement, specifically for major signs.
Public transportation projects not only change views or commutes because they can also shine where it doesn’t. Conducting a solar study can help show where the changes take place and how these might or might not affect those near or within the project’s boundaries.
16. Utility conflict
Conflicts between an existing utility, such as a water main or high-pressure gas line, and a public transportation project can make or break its budget. Coming to the meeting with a utility company prepared and armed with 3D renderings can help communicate the problem right away, paving the way for the discussion of alternatives without any misunderstanding or confusion.
Benefits for the construction stage
17. Advertisements
Sometimes, after the contractor has completed a job, it’s not easy to prove why they were suitable for the job. 3D renderings can showcase the unique methods they used. These tools can also be useful for ads on their website and trade publications.
Showcasing all or just some parts of a public transportation project in 3D renderings can sometimes convey even the most confusing concepts. For instance, using 3D renders from expert 3D construction rendering professionals to show the correct installation of soil nail walls will ensure that new members of the construction team will be familiar with the concept before the start of the project.
19. Construction phasing
3D renderings of construction phasing can help contractors snag more projects and help in their management. A meeting with 3D renderings that showcase the sequencing of the project will quickly demonstrate the whole process instead of a tedious meeting that goes on for hours using sketches and images.
20. Project coordination
Engineers, project managers, operators, workers, and hundreds of other members must be on the same page during a construction project. While meetings are the most popular approach to address this issue, 3D renderings can simplify the approach further.
One of the contractors’ obligations is to communicate the project’s progress to the general public. It is often done through websites, statements, or media personnel. Precise 3D renderings from 3D commercial rendering designers can make the whole process so much easier.
22. Safety videos
3D renderings can show why and how safety procedures are implemented, either for a specific project or in general. Depending on the specific use case, these can often be done faster and cheaper than simple videos.
23. Traffic control phasing
Many public transportation and train station projects require some kind of traffic control. It might be among the most frustrating aspects of a project, even more so from the public’s perspective. A traffic control 3D rendering can prepare commuters and address misconceptions regarding the project.
Billions are lost every year because of construction accidents. However, 3D renderings can help mitigate these losses with the help of CAD files, as-built drawing services, and below-ground scans. Many construction equipment today even use built-in 3D renderings.
25. Vendor-to-contractor communication
A specialty vendor implements most of the elements of a public transportation project. These vendors can demonstrate the benefits or usefulness of their products by developing 3D visualization visuals and diagrams. These could range from new traffic signal designs to clever MSE wall panels.
26. Winning work
Any contractor knows that the main difference between not winning and winning a job often calls for creative approaches in proposals. Today, it seems that an increasing number of contractors are using 3D renderings made specifically to win more projects, and this trend will most likely continue well into the future.
Public transportation and train station 3D renderings are revolutionizing the construction and design of public transportation hubs. These tools improve communication and visualization, save costs, and efficiently plan space. As urban areas continue to grow and with the increased demand for efficient public transportation and trains, rendering technologies and urban and design services will continue to play a more significant role in developing architecturally impressive stations that are also highly accessible, user-friendly, and functional.
How Cad Crowd can help
Cad Crowd is the best resource for reliable providers of public transportation and train station 3D renderings for companies and firms of all sizes.
MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.
Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 2 allows you to go “full tilt” as Tilted Towers makes its return to Fortnite.
Tilted Towers isn’t the only returning point of interest as Junk Junction, Shifty Shafts, and more are coming back. Additionally, you’ll find familiar items back in the loot pool like the small shield potion and boogie bomb.
With there being a new OG season, there is a new OG Pass for you to complete — full of new takes on classic outfits.
Below, we explain the map and loot pool changes for Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 2 and some of the new skins you can get in the OG Pass.
Fortnite OG Season 2 map changes
The OG Chapter 1 Season 2 map is reintroducing five points of interest from the original Chapter 1 Season 2 — Haunted Hills, Junk Junction, Shifty Shafts, Snobby Shores, and Tilted Towers. Check out the map with the returning locations below:
Fortnite OG Season 2 weapon loot pool
In OG Chapter 1 Season 2, the loot pool will grow as the season progresses. Here are all of the weapons that’ll be added:
Fortnite OG Season 2 pass skins
The OG Pass for OG Chapter 1 Season 2 features 45 tiers of rewards with the major rewards being revamped versions of fan favorite skins from the past. Cuddle Team Leader, Black Knight, and Sparkle Specialist are receiving a new look and coming back as Cuddle Team Specialist, Knight Conqueror, and Sparkle Diva. Alongside the new outfits, each outfit has an alternate style that is available to unlock in the OG Pass.
The Chapter 1 Season 2 OG Pass is available until March 25 at 3:30 a.m. EST, which will lead to the Chapter 1 Season 3 OG Pass shortly after.
Gemini 2.0 Flash is rolling out now for free users in the Gemini app.
It replaces Gemini 2.0 Flash experimental, which was once exclusively for subscribers, and will eventually replace Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Pro.
Google One AI Premium subscribers still get a larger context window and exclusive features.
Google is now making Gemini 2.0 Flash available for free users in the Gemini app, replacing the placeholder Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental model, and eventually older Gemini models. Gemini 1.5 Flash and 1.5 Pro will stick around for “the next few weeks” so users can continue their conversations. After that, Gemini 2.0 models — starting with Gemini 2.0 Flash will replace them.
Previously, the Gemini 2.0 Flash experimental model was exclusive to Gemini Advanced subscribers in the Gemini app. Google One AI Premium members still get exclusive perks, like a one-million token context window (good for up to 1,500 pages of file uploads), Deep Research, Gems, and more. Free users get access to Gemini 2.0 Flash conversations and image uploads.
Google describes the Gemini 2.0 Flash model as offering “fast responses and stronger performance across a number of key benchmarks, providing everyday help with tasks like brainstorming, learning or writing.” Comparatively, the Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental model it replaces was described as “an early preview and might not work as expected.”
Presumably, the future Gemini lineup will include Gemini 2.0 Flash, Gemini 1.5 Pro with Deep Research, and Gemini 2.0 Experimental Advanced — with the latter two models being paid offerings for Gemini Advanced users. All users now get improved Imagen 3 image generation, which “delivers richer details and textures” and “follows your instructions with greater accuracy,” according to Google.
Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental first became available for Gemini app beta testers last month. It’s unclear when we might see Gemini 2.0 Experimental Advanced, or other 2.0 models, become stable. The stable Gemini 2.0 Flash model is already available on the Gemini web client and is rolling out now in the Gemini app, with free access available for the first time.
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The company Axiom Space is gearing up for its fourth private mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Set to launch this spring, the Ax-4 mission will carry four crew members to the station, including an astronaut from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), marking the first time an ISRO member will travel there.
The crew is made up of former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who will act as commander, plus pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the ISRO, and two mission specialists from the European Space Agency: project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The crew has now been approved by NASA to spend up to 14 days at the ISS.
“I am excited to see continued interest and dedication for the private astronaut missions aboard the International Space Station,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “As NASA looks toward the future of low Earth orbit, private astronaut missions help pave the way and expand access to the unique microgravity environment.”
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The crew have been preparing for their mission since August last year, including learning the ins and outs of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that they will travel in and the Falcon 9 rocket which will launch it. They will spend their two weeks in orbit working on science experiments, outreach, and commercial activities, including contributing to research on the effects of spaceflight on the human body via the TRISH program which gathers data from commercial astronauts on health outcomes.
With its international crew, the mission includes the second national astronauts to go to space for India, Poland, and Hungary, and the first time that members from each nation are participating in a mission to the ISS. Axiom Space has emphasized its interest in collaborating with space agencies around the world, including forging a partnership with ESA for taking astronauts to the ISS.
“Working with the talented and diverse Ax-4 crew has been a deeply rewarding experience,” said Whitson. “Witnessing their selfless dedication and commitment to expanding horizons and creating opportunities for their nations in space exploration is truly remarkable. Each crew member brings unique strengths and perspectives, making our mission not just a scientific endeavor, but a testament to human ingenuity and teamwork. The importance of our mission is about pushing the limits of what we can achieve together and inspiring future generations to dream bigger and reach farther.”