In this week’s edition of the TekTonic newsletter, we examine Microsoft’s and Apple’s quiet exit from OpenAI’s board, signaling potential strategic pivots to Asia Pacific’s leading role in generative AI adoption despite restrictive measures in China. We also explore AI’s ethical considerations and groundbreaking capabilities, such as OpenAI’s rumored development of advanced reasoning systems and Microsoft’s VALL-E 2 voice generator deemed too dangerous for public release. On the business front, significant investments and layoffs reflect the ongoing balance between innovation and efficiency. AI continues to revolutionize patient care with new models and substantial funding in healthcare. Stay tuned as we unpack these stories and more, highlighting AI’s profound impact and future implications in our lives.
The AI news from major Tech companies was noticeably quiet this week. No new major AI news from Microsoft, Google, Meta, X, or even OpenAI. Curiously, this week, we learned both Microsoft and Apple removed themselves from OpenAI’s board of directors (what is this all about?). But my favorite story this week focused on Asia Pacific’s world-leading GenAI adoption despite OpenAI’s ceasing to offer ChatGPT in China. Along with China’s new AI restrictions, this is generating cries from its developers to reinstate the services.
This week, we heard OpenAI is reportedly nearing the development of AI systems capable of advanced reasoning. Is this hype to keep attention focused on the languishing OpenAI or a new capability used to revolutionize industries reliant on complex decision-making? In another strategic move, we heard an old rumor resurface from The Atlantic’s CEO that OpenAI is venturing into the search market, integrating content from major publications. This could mark the demise of Perplexity; the AI-assisted search engine.
VentureBeat’s 6th Annual AI Innovation Awards celebrated cutting-edge achievements in generative AI. One company not on this list is Rabbit. As if the failed promises and security holes weren’t enough, Rabbit’s R1 device has come under further fire for logging user chats without offering a way to delete them, raising serious concerns about data privacy and security.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink announced plans for another human brain implant. Meanwhile, in Hiroshima, world faith leaders committed to ethical AI development, emphasizing the need for responsible innovation in the face of rapid technological advances.
Microsoft’s VALL-E 2, an AI speech generator that mimics human voices with startling accuracy, was deemed too dangerous for public release due to potential misuse, highlighting ongoing ethical dilemmas in AI development. In contrast, AI’s positive impact was showcased by New York’s distribution of AI robot companions to combat loneliness among seniors, demonstrating AI’s potential to improve quality of life.
On the technological front, Microsoft’s new GraphRAG tool promises to revolutionize data discovery with advanced question-answering capabilities. Similarly, MIT researchers introduced a generative AI tool for databases, simplifying complex statistical analyses and making sophisticated data insights more accessible.
In cybersecurity, Google makes dark web reports available to all users, enhancing personal security and allowing users to monitor the dark web without going to it. However, the most prominent password compilation ever leaked on the dark web, comprising nearly 10 billion passwords, and even more remarkable, it did not even make the nightly news.
Nvidia’s upcoming RTX 5090 GPU leak revealed impressive clock speeds, hinting at substantial performance boosts for gamers and professionals alike. Meanwhile, Apple’s recent sales report showed the most significant drop in iPhone sales since the pandemic’s early days. Yet, it revealed ambitious AI plans that could steer the company towards new sales.
In tools and software, PatSeer’s AI Patent search engine saw a significant improvement, enhancing patent searches by 33%, and Anthropic’s new prompt playground aims to streamline AI app development. Notably, Microsoft added spellcheck and autocorrect to Notepad after 40 years, which is a seemingly minor update, but does anyone care?
The US Air Force conducted its first-ever AI versus human dogfight with fighter jets in an unprecedented event. We also learned that China is planning on 50 new AI standards and a majority of European Managers don’t understand the EU’s AI Act.
In business, a Goldman Sachs report places a $1 trillion question mark over generative AI, reflecting the enormous impact it could have on industries. Reinforcing this narrative a Dataiku survey revealed that many executives feel unprepared for immediate adoption, underscoring a gap between AI’s potential and current business readiness. Meanwhile, Hugging Face announced profitability with its free and open-source models, showcasing a sustainable path for AI startups amidst a challenging economic landscape.
Amazon launched its generative AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus, in the US. This innovative tool aims to enhance the online shopping experience, showcasing AI’s potential to revolutionize consumer interactions. On a different note, CNN announced more layoffs as it transitions towards a future beyond cable TV, UiPath laid off 10% of its workforce citing efficiency as the main reason, and Intuit laid off 1,800 employees to focus on AI
In healthcare, we learned this week that Regard raised $61 million to close the clinical insights gap with its AI-powered platform, aiming to unlock the full potential of patient data for clinicians. This week, we also learned of a new AI model that can also accurately estimate pulmonary function from chest X-rays. Arianna Huffington and Sam Altman partnered to start Thrive Health, a company that uses the power of generative AI to hyper-personalize and scale behavior changes for improved lifestyle.
A Pittsburgh-based AI robotics company raised $300 million on the startup front, including funding from Jeff Bezos, highlighting the growing investment in AI-driven innovations. Similarly, AMD’s acquisition of Silo AI, Europe’s largest private AI lab, marks a significant step in expanding its AI capabilities and strategic partnerships.
Lastly, in new products, Amazon introduced generative AI in Alexa at its fall event, launching multiple devices and enhancing the user experience with advanced AI features. Patronus AI’s new model, Lynx, promises to catch hallucinations in other AI models, addressing a critical issue in AI reliability and accuracy.
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.
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