ChatGPT wins literary prize

Quick Hits

Key addition: Microsoft adds AI button.

Pokémon with guns: Palworld sells 5M.

‘View once’: Telegram gets ephemeral.

AI earnings: Bloomberg automates.

Small is big: Stability AI shrinks LLM.

Postal power: USPS electrifies.

Post Postmates: Founder creates TipTop.

TV smackdown: WWE picks Netflix.

Printing money: Xerox backs AI fund.

Wooing Web3: VCs launch $25M fund.

Second wind: $100M funds mature tech.

AI vs. shapes: DeepMind solves geometry.

Brex-it: Bay Area fintech trims 20%.

YouTube trims: Company cuts 100 roles.

Companies lower barrier to maker tech

A new generation of maker tech startups lowers the barrier to entry for pros and serious hobbyists who want to craft parts and other creations out of everything from titanium and brass to wood and plastic. Rownd Lathe, Makera, and Coast Runner are among the companies showing off their wares at CES.

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AI co-authors award-winning Japanese novel

ChatGPT gets belated credit for its part writing a novel that earned Japanese author Rie Kudan a prestigious literary. She fessed up to using AI to write parts of the book, sparking global debate over the role of AI in the creative process.

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ASU is open to AI

Arizona State University announced a partnership with OpenAI to help with curriculum development and research, the first such partnership of its kind.

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BMW tests humanoid workforce

BMW is piloting Figure's general purpose humanoid robots at its South Carolina factory, evaluating viability for automating difficult or dangerous automotive production tasks to augment human staff.

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Locals balk at Bay Area billionaire playground

California Forever's bid to turn 60k acres on the edge of San Francisco into a walkable, sustainable tech hub is meeting fierce local opposition that has developers eyeing a statewide vote instead.

Gaming layoffs prompt talent exodus concerns

Over one-third of video game developers endured layoffs last year, according to a Wired survey, sparking worries of an industry brain drain as AI automation looms. Just this week Riot Games announced layoffs as part of a larger “post-pandemic course correction.”

Poll of the Week

Recently Funded Companies

• Bulk Exchange?Raises $4.5M for Construction Material Sourcing
• Harbiz?Gets $5.4M for Fitness Professional Platform
• Prompt Security?Nabs $5M to Secure Enterprise AI
• Artisse AI?Raises $6.7M for AI Photo Creation App
• Recraft?Gets $12M to Launch AI Design Platform
• Aniai?Raises $12M for Burger-Grilling Robot
• Kiln?Nabs $17M to Expand Crypto Staking
• Qdrant?Lands $28M for Open Source Vector Database
• French?Latitude?Gets $30M for Small Satellite Launches
• Clerk?Raises $30M for Authentication Platform
• Forta?Secures $55M to Support Kids with Autism

Post of the Week

What We’re Reading

What happens when you think AI is lying about you? (BBC)

Twitch announces new deal to pay streamers more (BBC)

Apple Shares the Secret of Why the 40-Year-Old Mac Still Rules (Wired)

Why Making Face Computers Cool Isn’t Easy (NYT)

AI Program Finds Thousands of Possible Psychedelics. Will They Lead to New Drugs? (Scientific America)

Podcasts of the Week

Product Market Fit As a Journey, Not a Destination (Midstage Startup Momentum)

? Startups hiring now

Sysdig: Sysdig is a cloud-native visibility and security company | 62 open roles

YipitData: Leading market research firm for the disruptive economy | 53 open roles

Imagen Technologies: Powering the future of primary care | 50 open roles