🏆️AI Model Wins Nobel Prize!

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Happy Sunday! They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but if AI had been around back then, it might’ve taken just a few hours. Whether it’s solving the complex puzzles of human biology or sending a digital version of yourself to work, AI is reshaping life in ways that feel futuristic!

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AI Breakthroughs Earn Nobel Prize in Chemistry!

Scientist David Baker, together with Google DeepMind researchers Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for transforming protein structure design and prediction through their groundbreaking AlphaFold AI model. This powerful tool has mapped nearly all 200 million known proteins, a feat that has accelerated research in fields like vaccine development, drug discovery, and even environmental solutions, such as enzymes that can break down plastics. The impact is enormous—scientific tasks that once took years now take mere minutes, opening the door to vast new possibilities in health and materials science (see official announcement).

Zoom's AI Avatars: Send Your Digital Twin to Work

Zoom is enhancing its AI capabilities with the introduction of the 'Zoom Clips' feature, offering AI avatars that replicate your voice and likeness to deliver messages on your behalf. Record a short video, and the AI will create a lifelike avatar of you to convey messages using the transcript you provide. This upcoming tool, launching in early 2025 as part of Zoom's AI Companion add-on ($12/month), even comes with enhanced security measures like advanced authentication and watermarking to prevent deepfake concerns. Even without the add-on, paid subscribers can still access preset avatars and voices to automate brief communication tasks (see Zoom’s announcement).

AI Floods Job Market with Mass Applications—Are We Ready?

Journalist Jason Koebler used the AI tool AI Hawk to apply for 2,843 jobs, automating everything from résumé generation to personalized cover letters in remarkably little time. This raises concerns about the growing disconnect between humans and the job application process, as AI tools take over both ends—applying for jobs and screening candidates. With 42% of companies integrating AI into multiple areas, including tools for recruiting and reviewing applicants, the impact on manual applicants remains unclear. This shift could create a hiring process where human interaction becomes increasingly rare (read report).

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Numeric Raises $28M to Revolutionize Accounting with AI: Numeric, an AI-driven accounting startup, just secured $28 million in Series A funding. The platform, used by companies like Brex and OpenAI, helps accountants speed up month-end closings by automating data reconciliation and flux analysis, potentially saving them days of manual work (see Numeric’s announcement).

Tracking AI's Carbon Footprint with $25 Million: Scope3, a startup focused on the decarbonization of media and advertising, has expanded its mission to address the environmental impact of AI. Newly backed by $25 million in funding, the company is developing models to track the growing carbon costs of AI to "help companies balance their sustainability goals” (see Scope3’s announcement).

Amazon Unveils AI Shopping Guides for Smarter Shopping: Amazon’s new AI Shopping Guides are accessible through its U.S. app (iOS and Android) and mobile website, covering over 100 product categories—from TVs to dog food. These guides streamline the shopping experience by gathering key information and relevant products, making it easier to find the perfect items (see Amazon’s announcement).

Meta AI Expands Global Reach: Announced on Mark Zuckerberg's WhatsApp channel, Meta's AI chatbot is now live in six new countries—the U.K., Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay, and the Philippines—with plans to expand to more regions, including the Middle East, soon. Available across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta AI is also expanding its language support, aiming to become the world’s most-used assistant by year’s end!

Building a GPT for Biology: London-based startup Basecamp Research just secured $60M to build a groundbreaking AI model for biology. Their model, BaseFold, is reportedly already outperforming DeepMind’s Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold 2 when it comes to predicting complex protein structures (see Basecamp’s announcement).

Uber’s AI Assistant for Electric Vehicle Queries Coming in 2025: Uber is launching an OpenAI-powered assistant for its U.S. drivers in early 2025, designed to answer all questions related to electric vehicles. From charging locations to vehicle recommendations, this AI chatbot will offer personalized advice, potentially expanding to other use cases in the future (see Uber’s announcement).

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