Tech Review: Translator by Meta, Artificial Intelligence in Paint, Advertising on TikTok, and More

Continuing to share with you the latest news from the world of technology in our weekly column. In this edition, we present the translator by Meta, new capabilities in Paint, the reasons why TikTok will prove beneficial for advertisers, and how data analysis in Excel will improve.

1. Meta has introduced the SeamlessM4T model, which is capable of recognizing and translating speech from text and audio in 100 languages

Audio translation is currently available in only 35 languages. The model is capable of processing data in multiple languages simultaneously. The open-source project is accessible on GitHub.

To utilize the demo version, it is necessary to dictate a sentence of up to 15 seconds in the chosen language within a quiet environment, and select up to three languages for translation. Following this, transcription and audio translation will be made available. Researchers caution about potential inaccuracies in translation owing to the experimental nature and kindly request error reporting.

2. Microsoft has introduced the Python programming language into Excel to enhance data analysis and visualization

Users will now have the capability to manage Excel data through Python graphs and libraries, subsequently utilize Excel's formulas, charts, and pivot tables for further processing.

Enhanced data analysis can be performed within the familiar Excel environment, directly accessing Python from the Excel ribbon.

Initially, this feature will be accessible in Excel for Windows, and hereinafter, on other platforms as well.

3. Tik Tok is incorporating promotional content into search results

This signifies that while searching for videos on the platform, users will also encounter promotional advertisements. The advertising materials themselves will be drawn from other videos that brands are placing on the platform.

The advertisements will be labeled as sponsored content. This innovation could prove beneficial for advertisers, as the younger demographic increasingly turns to TikTok for seeking recommendations on products, restaurants, and other matters, positioning it as an alternative to Google.

4. Microsoft will bring artificial intelligence capabilities to Paint

The tool enables the creation of images using text, following which the image can be edited.

Artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities will also be integrated into applications such as “Photos”, “Camera”, and “Scissors”. Within “Photos”, the AI functionality will be able to identify objects within images and extract them for insertion into other contexts.

“Scissors” and “Camera” are poised to receive optical character recognition (OCR) functionality, streamlining the process of copying and pasting information from these files.