Research & Development news

• Meet Pocket TTS: Real-Time Voice AI That Runs on a Laptop

  15-01-2026 21:28 via eweek.com
  Most AI voice models demand expensive GPUs and cloud APIs to generate speech. Not ideal if you’re building a voice assistant or just want to clone your voice without burning through compute credits. Kyutai just released Pocket TTS, a text-to-speech model so small (100 million parameters) it runs faster than real-time on your CPU — no fancy GPU needed.The model delivers high-quality voice cloning using just 5 seconds of audio. Give it 5 seconds of someone’s voice, and it&rs
  
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• Matthew McConaughey Trademarks “Alright, Alright, Alright” to Shut Down AI Imitations

  15-01-2026 21:02 via eweek.com
  Matthew McConaughey’s voice is instantly recognizable. Say three words, and most people can already hear him. That’s exactly why the actor is drawing a firm legal line in the sand.According to recent reports, McConaughey was granted at least eight trademarks covering some of his most iconic scenes and spoken lines. Some of the covered works include a brief clip of him sitting in front of a Christmas tree, another clip of him standing on a porch, and even the line “Alright, alri
  
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• This $14B Startup Is Building a ‘Brain’ for All Robots

  15-01-2026 16:55 via eweek.com
  What if every robot could run on the same brain? SoftBank wants to find out.On Jan. 14, robotics startup Skild AI raised a $1.4 billion in a SoftBank-led funding round, tripling its valuation to $14 billion and cementing its place as one of the most valuable robotics AI companies in the world. Just two years after launch, Skild has now attracted 22 investors and more than $1.83 billion in total funding, signaling surging confidence in “physical AI” as the next major tech frontier.Bui
  
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• Google’s Veo 3.1 Can Turn Your Photos Into Viral-Ready Videos

  15-01-2026 15:20 via eweek.com
  Google is giving its Veo AI video tool a noticeable glow-up. The company announced on Jan. 13 that Veo can now create more expressive videos from images, handle vertical formats natively, and deliver sharper output up to 4K, all aimed at creators who live on their phones and timelines.At the center of the update is an improved version of Veo 3.1 Ingredients to Video, a feature that lets users generate short video clips using reference images and simple text prompts.Google says the tool now
  
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• Did ChatGPT Help Write the Stranger Things Finale? Fans Think They Spotted Proof

  15-01-2026 14:40 via eweek.com
  A brief scene in Netflix’s “Stranger Things: One Last Adventure” has triggered fresh debate about artificial intelligence and creative work. Viewers watching the behind-the-scenes documentary believed they spotted ChatGPT tabs open on a laptop in the show’s writers’ room as the team worked on the final episode. The image quickly spread online, fueling claims that generative AI influenced the series finale and prompting renewed discussion about how generati
  
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• China’s Z.ai Debuts First Major Model Trained Fully on Huawei’s AI Chip Stack

  15-01-2026 10:50 via eweek.com
  Chinese AI startup Z.ai has unveiled GLM-Image, an advanced multimodal AI model that represents a shift in the ongoing tech war between superpowers.
  Z.ai (formerly known as Zhipu AI outside China until its rebranding in 2025) disclosed that GLM-Image is reportedly the first top-tier multimodal model trained entirely on Ascend chips developed by Huawei Technologies.
  The announcement says it was built using Huawei’s Ascend Atlas 800T A2 servers and the MindSpore framework, with servers equip
  
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• OpenAI’s $10B Cerebras Deal Promises 15x Faster AI Speed

  15-01-2026 09:13 via eweek.com
  I feel the need… the need for speed.
  ChatGPT creator OpenAI has dropped news of a massive partnership that promises to deliver the fastest AI responses ever seen.
  OpenAI announced on Jan. 14 an alliance with AI chip specialist Cerebras Systems to integrate 750 megawatts of ultra-low-latency computing power into its platform. Industry insiders familiar with the arrangement confirmed the deal carries a price tag exceeding $10 billion, according to CNBC sources. The computing capacity will r
  
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