🗞️ AI News Recap

Hey TEDchats Fam!

Happy Monday! Ever tried acing an exam without a cheat sheet? AI can sometimes feel like a complex subject with a final exam looming. Recapping AI is like having that secret cheat sheet, ensuring you know all the right answers in the tech quiz. So, let's flip through this week's cheat sheet of AI recaps and uncover what happened over the past week!

🐇 QUICK BITES — THE PAST WEEK

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman Fired!

Sam Altman has been ousted from OpenAI, the AI startup known for ChatGPT, DALL-E 3, GPT-4, and other advanced generative AI systems. Altman will step down from both the board of directors and his CEO position following a review that found he was 'not consistently candid in his communications’. This leadership change includes Greg Brockman stepping down as board chairman but remaining as OpenAI's president under interim CEO Mira Murati, the former CTO. The latest development is that Microsoft has hired Altman and Brockman to lead a 'new advanced AI research team’ (read more).

Meta Unveils Emu Edit And Emu Video

Meta has unveiled groundbreaking social media tools, "Emu Edit" and "Emu Video," powered by the Emu AI model. Emu Edit simplifies image editing through text inputs, eliminating the need for complex selections. For example, an input could be ‘Dress the dog with a fireman outfit’. Emu Video takes it further, generating videos from text or image prompts. While the exact release date on Facebook and Instagram hasn’t been announced yet, these tools will allow users to personalize content effortlessly, bridging the gap between creativity and capability (read more).

French Billionaire Commits To Open Source AI

Kyutai, a French AI research lab with a $330 million budget, will be fully open source. At Scaleway's ai-PULSE conference, Iliad CEO and billionaire Xavier Niel detailed plans for Kyutai, a Paris-based nonprofit focusing on artificial general intelligence. Collaborating with PhD students, postdocs, and researchers on research papers and open-source projects, Kyutai's initial funding commitment from Niel was €100 million. Now, with additional contributions, the financing for the project is close to €300 million. One notable contributor is Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM, who is investing €100 million (read more).

The Ultimate Q&A For Companies

Notion, known for simplifying file and app management, introduces Q&A (beta). CEO Ivan Zhao calls it an 'all-knowing AI executive assistant,' enabling swift info retrieval within Notion. Users can ask direct questions, such as 'What is the company's Wi-Fi password?', setting Notion at the tech forefront alongside Microsoft and Google in AI-driven data retrieval. Notion's Q&A not only fetches data but also navigates permissions, safeguarding confidentiality. The challenge lies in ensuring AI accuracy and managing sensitive information access (read more).

Windows 10 Gains AI Edge: Microsoft Introduces Copilot

In a significant update, Microsoft is bringing Copilot, its advanced AI-powered chatbot, to Windows 10. Starting with the 22H2 version, users of Windows 10 will experience enhanced interactive capabilities, allowing them to ask questions and receive suggestions on various tasks and topics. This expansion reflects Microsoft's strategy to leverage the large user base of Windows 10, which remains active on approximately a billion devices (read more).

Menlo Ventures To Fuel AI's Future with $1.35 Billion

In a bold move underscoring its confidence in AI's potential, Menlo Ventures has amassed a staggering $1.35 billion. This fund is earmarked for nurturing the next wave of AI startups, signaling a significant bet on the transformative power of artificial intelligence. With a history of backing successful ventures like Uber and Warby Parker, Menlo's latest initiative marks a pivotal moment in the AI industry's evolution (read more).

YouTube Previews AI 'Dream Track'

YouTube is revolutionizing music creation with its latest AI feature, 'Dream Track'. This cutting-edge tool is designed to auto-generate 30-second music tracks that emulate the styles of renowned artists. Currently in testing with a select group of US creators (click to see who), 'Dream Track' can transform simple text prompts or hummed tunes into complete musical compositions (read more).

Airbnb Ventures into AI with a Strategic Acquisition

Airbnb takes a major step into the world of artificial intelligence by acquiring GamePlanner.AI, a mysterious new startup co-founded by Adam Cheyer, the brains behind Siri. Reportedly purchased for around $200 million, this move signals Airbnb's ambitious plans to enhance its platform with cutting-edge AI, as it embarks on a journey of technological innovation and expansion. The startup's mysterious nature adds intrigue, as it is unclear exactly what this startup is about (read more).

Civitai's Rise in the AI World

Civitai, an innovative AI content marketplace, has achieved an astounding milestone, amassing over 3 million users and attracting 12-13 million unique visitors each month. This impressive feat has been accomplished within just a year of its launch. The platform has rapidly become a hub for AI entusiastas, providing a space where users can effortlessly share and explore a diverse range of Stable Diffusion-based AI image models (read more).

Revolutionizing Game Development

After two years of intensive development, the Vienna-based startup Atlas steps into the limelight with an innovative 3D generative AI platform and $6 million in seed funding. This groundbreaking technology promises to transform the game development landscape, offering tools for rapid creation of virtual worlds. With capabilities to turn 2D images and text into detailed 3D models, Atlas is not just accelerating the design process but also democratizing it, making advanced worldbuilding accessible to both indie and major game developers (read more).

$4.7M Raised For Empathetic AI Agents

Siena AI secures $4.7M for an empathetic AI customer service agent. Merchants aim for optimal customer experiences, but issues like late deliveries often require customer service assistance. Integrating AI enables the use of chatbots, though scripted interactions can frustrate customers. Co-founders Andrei Negrau and Lisa Popovici envision an AI agent combining automation efficiency with human empathy (read more).

AI-Powered Eye Scan For Heart Disease

Toku's CLAiR, an AI-powered retina scan, predicts heart conditions through non-invasive eye examinations, linking glaucoma to cardiovascular health. The platform, integrated with existing retinal imaging cameras, swiftly calculates heart disease risk, hypertension, or high cholesterol in 20 seconds. Toku secured $8 million in Series A funding from National Vision and Topcon Healthcare, and has recently received ‘breakthrough device status’ from the FDA for CLAiR's compatibility with existing retinal imaging cameras. However, the company is still in early stages and is awaiting FDA clearance (read more).

🧰 AI TOOLBOX — RECAP 

👋 UNTIL NEXT TIME

Thanks for exploring this week's AI cheat sheet with us! We've condensed the latest in artificial intelligence onto these pages, but the journey doesn't end here. What lies ahead in the realm of AI? Join us in the next issue as we unfold more updates, and remember to keep your weekly AI cheat sheet always at hand for the latest insights.