This week’s tech and AI news had my head spinning. This time, rather than big headlines, we saw lots of intermediate news exhibiting even more visible progress. For example, Perplexity.ai released its web page generator that performs research, cites sources, and generates a web page reminiscent of Wikipedia. We also heard of a new AI Netflix called Showrunner, and Eleven Labs unveiled their new text-to-sound generator. Hollywood will never be the same.
My top stories of the week came from Elon Must (again) and his slap-fight with Meta’s Chief AI officer, Yann LeCun. Each tried to one-up the other over achievements and questioned the each other’s integrity. While a few news stories attempted to convince us that AI has reached a plateau, they were speculative and written by journalists looking to chill the AI hype. While we heard from a political scientist last week saying Democracy will not survive a post-AI world, a Nobel-winning Harvard commencement speaker called Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg the ’largest dictators.’ Google’s search algorithm leaked, which would have been the biggest story in Tech a few years ago, this was just a footnote. Did I mention the TikTok layoffs or the tech workers set to unionize at Samsung? While Big Tech says AI isn’t impacting jobs, they decided to study it just to make sure.
This week, industry leaders like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have made significant strides in AI models. While these advancements are impressive, they also surfaced crucial ethical questions. They compel us to reflect on the societal implications including the “robomorphic effect” of these technologies. However, it’s vital to acknowledge that not all news is positive. A recent report has cast doubt on the real-world utility of AI products like ChatGPT, suggesting that despite the buzz, they have yet to become a part of people’s daily internet use.
In a surprising twist, OpenAI’s former CEO, Sam Altman, has been embroiled in a corporate scandal. Reports suggest that Altman was ousted from OpenAI for allegedly misrepresenting his ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund to the board. This revelation and the departure of OpenAI’s safety lead, who voiced concerns about the company’s prioritization of flashy products over safety, joined Anthropic this week. Despite these challenges, Altman’s philanthropic commitment, as evidenced by his pledge to donate a significant portion of his wealth through the Giving Pledge, is an effort to reframe the conversation.
Turning to technological advancements, researchers have made strides in imitating human motion using a combination of central pattern generators and deep reinforcement learning.
In the legal AI news, the global law firm A&O Shearman is making waves with its new AI tool built on Microsoft’s Azure Cloud platform, promising to revolutionize legal workflows. However, legal challenges are also on the rise, as Microsoft and Meta face wrongful death lawsuits from the families of the Uvalde School Shooting victims, highlighting the growing scrutiny of tech giants in courtrooms.
On the cybersecurity front, alarming revelations have come to light with almost 70% of British MPs having their data leaked on the dark web. Additionally, a new North Korean threat actor, dubbed Moonstone Sleet, has been identified, combining traditional and unique cyber-attack techniques to target companies for financial gain and cyberespionage.
In hardware news, Gigabyte has unveiled a new motherboard for AMD Zen 5 that supports a colossal 128-pound GPU, reflecting the continuous push towards more powerful computing hardware. Elon Musk continues to make headlines with his startup xAI. The firm is now valued at $24 billion, and Musk has unveiled plans for a massive supercomputer to boost xAI, positioning it as a formidable competitor to industry giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta.
We also have news from the world of tools and applications. Eleven Labs has launched an AI sound effect generator that promises to be a game-changer for video editors and content creators. When paired with OpenAI’s video generator, could this change traditional movie making? Anthropic’ s AI assistant, Claude, has introduced a new tool use feature, significantly expanding its capabilities and allowing the AI to execute other software and control its surroundings. Meanwhile, Perplexity AI is innovating with a new feature that turns web searches into shareable Wikipedia-like pages, enhancing the way we interact with online content. Opera is collaborating with Google to integrate Gemini AI into its browser, offering users a more robust browsing experience with advanced AI capabilities.
In AI education news, OpenAI has introduced a new version of ChatGPT tailored specifically for universities. This innovation opens the door for AI to become a teaching assistant, a concept some professors in Colorado are already exploring. The potential for AI to transform higher education by enhancing learning experiences and supporting educators is immense.
In AI and Tech politics, former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering appointing Elon Musk as a White House advisor should he return to power. Meanwhile, the European Union has established an ‘AI Office’ to regulate the technology under its stringent new laws, marking the world’s first comprehensive rules to govern AI.
Turning to business, Salesforce has faced a rough week as its shares plummeted following a weak revenue growth forecast. This decline raises concerns about the impact of high interest rates and growing AI competition on the cloud-based software giant. Is this a one-off or are we starting to see AI impact software sales. On a brighter note, TIME has unveiled its 2024 TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, celebrating businesses and leaders who are shaping our world including AI companies. This week we also learned tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are using cloud services as a new form of currency, investing in startups by offering cloud credits instead of cash (Isn’t this bartering? I wonder if Amazon would let me exchange a chicken for AWS credits?).
In the world of robotics, researchers have designed soft actuators that mimic the ‘bone-in-flesh’ structure of human limbs. These devices exhibit ultrafast performance and extreme impact resistance, paving the way for advanced robotics applications that could revolutionize various industries.
In Media and entertainment, we learned of a new ground-breaking streaming service that now allows viewers to create their own shows using AI, potentially transforming content creation and consumption. On a different note, Elon Musk has criticized LinkedIn, calling it ‘so cringe,’ while also boasting that his platform, X, has 600 million monthly active users. The proliferation of AI-generated content has also led to fake news incidents, such as a fabricated revenge-murder prom story that circulated widely on social media. Experts are increasingly concerned about AI’s role in spreading disinformation.
That is it. Stay tuned for more news next week. I APPRECIATE ALL THE READERS. Help spread the word. I put these newsletters together so productive humans like you can stay on top of the latest AI stories shaping our world.
