Hello, fellow humans! We hope you’re enjoying the new and limited Saturday edition of the Daily Brief. In this edition, we’re focusing on AI, but don’t worry, it’s written by actual people—not bots. Do you have any burning questions about AI or some interesting AI hallucinations you’d like to share? Feel free to email us anytime. Enjoy!
Here’s the latest AI news you need to know:
1. Baidu is preparing major updates for its Ernie bot. The Chinese tech company released an intriguing ad in which Ernie goes missing and people struggle to function without him.
2. US senators have drafted legislation to protect performers from AI impersonations. This comes after a song featuring Drake and The Weeknd generated enough concern among lawmakers to introduce the No Fakes Act.
3. AMD, one of the world’s largest computer chip firms, has acquired an AI startup. AMD’s goal is to compete with its rival Nvidia. Interestingly, this acquisition comes at a time when generative AI deals are declining.
4. Unfortunately, AI startups are laying off workers due to high interest rates and reduced funding. Founders are pointing to these factors as the cause for the layoffs.
5. OpenAI is close to finalizing the biggest office deal in San Francisco since 2018. This indicates how AI is fueling the city’s demand for office space.
Now let’s talk about the current state of AI deals. In the third quarter of this year, deals for generative AI decreased by 29% compared to the previous quarter. The total value of these deals amounted to $6.1 billion, with Amazon’s $4 billion agreement with language model provider Anthropic being a significant portion of that amount.
There are a few reasons why investors may be hesitant. Firstly, Big Tech companies with their market dominance and extensive resources may be intimidating smaller players. However, even Big Tech has slowed down its dealmaking. Additionally, valuations vary widely, making the investment landscape even more complex.
Despite these changes, the hype around AI is far from dying. Investors are shifting their focus to enterprise AI companies that can reduce back office costs and handle mundane tasks.
And now, it’s time for a pop quiz! Which country has drafted rules requiring AI system providers to submit a risk assessment before launching the product to the public? Is it A. Japan, B. Brazil, C. USA, or D. Italy? Scroll down for the answer.
Quotable: “We broke all of them.” – University of Maryland computer science professor Soheil Feizi in an interview with Wired, referring to the current use of watermarking in AI images. This statement comes as the G-7 considers asking companies to utilize watermarking technology.
Interested in more AI-related content? Here are some interesting reads:
🪧 Striking actors are still in negotiations to address their AI concerns.
🥱 Canva introduces AI tools to automate mundane design tasks.
🏃 Zoom hopes its latest AI features will give it an advantage over Microsoft Teams.
🖱️ Understanding the differences between building, buying, and renting AI talent.
🤖 SoftBank’s CEO predicts that AI will surpass human intelligence within a decade.
🤳 Google’s latest Pixel phones are equipped with AI capabilities.
Have you ever wished you could chat with famous personalities or even create your own unique personalities to chat with? Character.AI allows you to do just that. You can chat with avatars of notable figures or even customize your own characters. This platform has received $190 million in funding and offers a new premium feature—a group chat that allows up to five AI chatbots and five humans to interact together. We had an interesting conversation with a group of economists, including John Maynard Keynes, Adam Smith, Janet Yellen, and even Taylor Swift. We threw in a talking sloth for added fun. Although the conversation became repetitive after a while, it can be entertaining to see how different personalities interact. Perhaps in the future, as the technology improves, we can witness enlightening discussions between renowned figures or even settle disputes between characters from our favorite TV shows.
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