Gen Z is already burned out, but what now?

Quick hits

No longer open: ChatGPT closes to new users.

Open source LLM: Finland startup releases model.

‘YC for growth’: Accelerator targets post-Series A.

‘YC for arts’: L.A. group accelerates art careers.

War, games: Sega-CEO-turned-VC backs military veterans.

Accelerating finance: Brokers get an accelerator of their own.

‘Social harmony’: Nepal bans TikTok.

Galactic monitoring: Canadian startup measures CO2 emissions from space.

Bionic tights: Bay Area startup helps those with MS walk.

‘Tipflation’: Pushy checkout screens seem to work.

A bit of optimism: Bitcoin is spiking.

Auto finance: Ramp taps AI.

Safe call: Meta wants parents to approve teen app downloads.

Noted: Notion chat bot reads your notes for you.

VCs use AI to detect founders’ emotional states

Investors and asset managers are harnessing AI to analyze emotional states of CEOs. The AI analyzes things like like shifts in speech rate, pitch, or volume.

New hottest tech employer: Government

Government agencies at the federal and local level are on a hiring spree looking for tech workers, including efforts in New York and Pennsylvania. Especially in demand are UX designers and AI specialists.

Study: Zoom makes us zombies

Researchers from Yale and University College London showed with science what we all know from experience: Staring at someone’s face on a computer screen results in lower levels of brain activity and social arousal than meeting them in person.

NYC electrifies heliports

Joby Aviation and Volocopter performed demo flights of their eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) in New York City as the city announced plans to electrify two Manhattan heliports.

Robotics awaits its GPT moment

Building robots with AI that can interact with the physical world will transform repetitive work across logistics, manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare. It will unlock as many efficiencies in the physical world as we’ve seen in the digital realm, enhancing all forms of manual labor.

Ask AI: Are we alone in the universe?

MIT researchers believe machine learning and AI can help answer the ultimate question for humanity. Future instruments will scan distant atmospheres and solar system samples for telltale chemicals that could indicate alien life. "I think within our lifetime we will know if there is life on other planets," says a NASA scientist.

Gen Z faces the greatest risk of burnout compared to previous generations. According to Asana’s 2022 Anatomy of Work Index, 84% of Gen Z experienced burnout in the last year compared to 63% of all workers. The research also shows Gen Z workers—those born between 1997 and 2012—are more likely to miss deadlines than any other generation. On average, Gen Z workers miss almost a quarter of their deadlines each week, compared to 6% for baby boomers and 10% for Gen X.

Poll of the week

Recently funded companies

• Sweden’s Acorai Secures $2.5M Grant for AI-Powered Heart Monitoring Device
• Scotland’s Glox Therapeutics Raises $5M Seed for Precision Therapy
• Seoul-based Modhaus Bags $8M Series A to Blend K-pop with Blockchain
• London-based Bloom Raises $10M Seed for Professional Coaching
• Bay Area-based Bezi Raises $13M for Collaborative 3D design
• England’s ViaNautis Raises $30M Series A for Nanomedicine

Post of the week

What we're reading?

• Google DeepMind wants to define what counts as artificial general intelligence (MIT)
• Accelerating Edtech (Stanford)
• Refilled wants to save 100 million plastic bottles from the landfill (TechCrunch)
• John Legend and Sia among singers to trial AI versions of voices with YouTube (Guardian)
• Personalized A.I. Agents Are Here. Is the World Ready for Them? (NYT)
• UW computer science research event offers a glimpse of the future at the dawn of AI (GeekWire)

Podcasts of the week

How to Follow Your Insatiable Curiosity with Nigel Morris of QED and Capital One (Inc. Founders Project with Alexa von Tobel)

AI-assisted coding: Experiences and perspectives (Thoughtworks Technology Podcast)

? Startups hiring now

• Nuna: Use our tech, data, and analytics to get affordable healthcare payer and provider answers | 17 open roles
• ShareWillow: A platform to design, launch, and manage profit sharing plans | 3 open roles
• LIBLAB: SDK as-a-service | 4 open roles