OpenAI is planning major updates including lower costs and multimodality

Today’s Highlights:

?? Top Stories: OpenAI to lower costs and Biden to issue Executive Order on AI tech

?? Content: The State of AI Report for 2023 is here!

?? Funding: Saronic raises $55M to build autonomous battleships for the US government.

?? Quick News Hits

• Character.AI unveils group chat feature, enabling users to converse with multiple AI characters, fostering social connections and collaboration
• Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, the AI-powered code-writing tool developed w/ OpenAI tech, surpasses $100M in ARR.?
• Google now enables image generation and draft creation tools directly in search w/ its Search Generative Experience
• AMD acquires Nod.ai to facilitate the deployment of AI models tuned for its chip lineup, and in an effort to enhance its capabilities in competition w/ NVIDIA.?
• Developer tool vendor Replit integrates GhostWriter AI code completion tool and releases its own open-source generative AI model.
• 21-year-old student wins $40K by using AI to decipher words on a 2000-year-old scroll buried by Mount Vesuvius.
• Tech firms in Southeast Asia welcome ASEAN's approach to AI regulation, contrasting with the EU's strict framework
• Mozilla Firefox acquires Fakespot AI-powered Review Checker to target deceptive product reviews.
• Updated U.S. export rule for advanced chips under final review, signaling tighter restrictions on AI-related technology.
• TikTok flooded with A.I.-generated fake audio, including Barack Obama's voice, raising concerns over misinformation spread.

?? Top Stories

OpenAI plans major updates to lure developers with lower costs

(Source: Reuters)

TLDR: OpenAI is planning major updates for developers to enhance its AI models and developer tools, aiming to reduce costs and attract more companies to use its technology.

• The updates will include memory storage in developer tools, potentially reducing application costs by up to 20 times. New tools for vision capabilities, allowing image analysis, will also be introduced.
• However, open-source alternatives like LLaVA 1.5 are emerging as cost-efficient options for various tasks. LLaVA 1.5 combines generative AI components, fine-tuned for high-performance and computational efficiency. It uses a CLIP model for visual encoding and Vicuna for language processing, outperforming other open-source LMMs on multimodal benchmarks.
• While LLaVA 1.5 has cost-effectiveness and scalability advantages, it cannot be used for commercial purposes due to ChatGPT's terms. Despite this, it showcases the potential for future open-source LMMs, offering more accessibility to generative AI technologies.

Biden to push for government standards on AI

(Source: POLITICO)

TLDR: President Biden is set to issue an executive order on AI that will use the federal government's purchasing power to influence AI standards. The order is expected to tighten industry guidelines, require cloud computing companies to monitor AI system developers, streamline the recruitment of AI talent, and boost domestic AI education.

• In other regulation news: The No Fakes Act, a bipartisan bill, aims to establish federal rules safeguarding actors, musicians, and performers from unauthorized AI-generated replicas of their faces and voices.
• Sponsored by Senators Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn, Amy Klobuchar, and Thom Tillis, the bill standardizes regulations concerning the use of individuals' likenesses, names, and voices, allowing exceptions for news, public affairs, sports broadcasts, documentaries, biographical works, parodies, satire, and criticism.
• Protections extend throughout an individual's lifetime and 70 years after their death for their estate. Both individuals and entities can file civil actions based on these rules, with disclaimers of unauthorized replicas not considered effective defenses.
• This legislation essentially harmonizes likeness laws across states, addressing issues raised by AI-generated content replicating voices and appearances of famous individuals without consent.

Adobe unveils several new AI tools and features

TLDR: Adobe has introduced three new generative AI models, including Firefly Image 2, Firefly Vector, and Firefly Design, enhancing its creative software offerings.

• Firefly Image 2 improves image quality with features like depth of field adjustment and style replication. Firefly Vector is the world's first generative AI model for vector graphics, making it ideal for scalable designs without quality loss. Firefly Design generates customizable templates for various media formats using text prompts.
• Firefly Image 2 includes a feature called "Generative Match," enabling users to replicate the style of an existing image, promoting brand consistency and productivity.
• Adobe also introduced "GenStudio," allowing companies to customize Firefly for their needs, control access, and maintain brand consistency, targeting SMBs and enterprises.
• Adobe, in collaboration with other companies within the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), has introduced an "icon of transparency." This symbol is intended to be attached to content alongside metadata, providing information about the content's origin, including whether it was created with AI tools.
• Adobe has officially launched Project Stardust, an AI-powered photo editing engine that allows users to easily manipulate images by removing objects, changing backgrounds, and more. This project is powered by Firefly Model 2.

?? Interesting Reads and Content

Deep Dives

• The State of AI Report 2023
• Why even Google was afraid to release this facial recognition tech (NPR)
• New A.I. Tool Diagnoses Brain Tumors on the Operating Table (The New York Times)
• Can AI fix Wall Street’s ‘spaghetti code’ crisis? Microsoft+IBM are betting it can (Fortune)

Insightful Information

• The New AI Panic (The Atlantic)
• The unexpected impact of AI on animals (Big Think)
• New York wants to be AI's world capital (Axios)
• How AI could supercharge battery research (MIT Tech Review)

Analysis and Critiques

• Are we ready to trust AI with our bodies? (MIT Tech Review)
• A Doctored Biden Video Is a Test Case for Facebook’s Deepfake Policies (Wired)
• How the AI Landscape Has Shifted Over the Past Year—And Where Could Go Next (TIME)

?? Funding News

1. Saronic Technologies , which builds autonomous, AI-powered surface ships for defense and U.S.-aligned security purposes, raised a $55M Series A led by Caffeinated Capital .

• Other Notable Investors: 8VC , Andreessen Horowitz , and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

2. TileDB , a company that employs AI and multi-modal data consolidation to simplify data management across various industries, raised a $34M Series B led by AlleyCorp .

3. Mana.bio , a company that specializes in programmable drug delivery, using AI to optimize lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations, raised an oversubscribed $19.5M Seed Round co-led by a16z Bio + Health , Base4 Capital, NFX , LionBird and Technion - Israel Institute of Technology .

4. Cleanlab , an automated data curation solution that enhances data quality for enterprise AI, LLMs, and analytics by adding smart metadata, raised a $25M Series A co-led by Menlo Ventures and TQ Ventures, bringing total funding to $30M.

• Other Notable Investors: Bain Capital Ventures and Databricks Ventures.

5. Carefull , a fintech platform utilizing AI to protect seniors from financial fraud, scams, and money mistakes, raised a $16.5M Series A led by Fin Capital.

• Other Notable Investors: TTV Capital , Bessemer Venture Partners , Commerce Ventures , Montage Ventures , and Alloy Labs .

6. Modal , a cloud function platform that enables users to write Python code and execute it in the cloud within seconds, deploy autoscaling inference endpoints on GPUs, run large-scale batch jobs, and more, raised a $16M Series A led by Redpoint .

7. Thread (formerly Airtonomy), a company offering a self-contained device equipped with an onboard processor, AI algorithms, and backend management software to autonomously collect data from various energy assets, raised a $15M Series A led by Badlands Capital .

8. FluidAI Medical Medical, a medical tech company addressing postoperative complications, particularly anastomotic leaks, using AI-driven algorithms and sensors, raised a $15M Series A led by SOSV and Graphene Ventures .

9. Conveyor , a company specializing in trust-building solutions with the aim of creating a global infrastructure for data security and compliance trust by leveraging LLMs and AI to automate security reviews, raised a $12.5M Series A led by Cervin Ventures.

10. SuperOps , a company offering a cloud-native, unified platform for managed service providers (MSPs) to streamline IT management, raised a $12.4M Series B led by Addition and March Capital .

11. Anysphere , a startup building an "AI-native" software development environment called “Cursor” aimed at making programming significantly faster and more creative, raised $8M in seed funding from OpenAI 's Startup Fund, Nat Friedman , Arash Ferdowsi , and other angel investors.

12. Intento, Inc. , a leading machine translation and multilingual generative AI platform offering real-time translation and generative AI capabilities in over 650 languages, raised an $8M Series A led by Somersault Ventures .

• Other Notable Investors: I2BF Global Ventures , Flint Capital , Scorpio Capital , Courtyard Ventures , Davidovs Venture Capital, and existing investors.

13. Proteus Space? , a company transforming satellite design by automating the process and significantly speeding up production, raised a $4.2M seed round led by Moonshots Capital .

14. Vera , a company offering a conversational AI platform that enforces privacy, security, and fairness policies in AI interactions, raised $2.7M in pre-seed funding led by Differential Ventures .

• Other Notable Investors: betaworks , Everywhere Ventures , Essence Venture Capital , SaaS Ventures , Greycroft , and ATP Ventures.

15. Deasy Labs , a platform that connects to unstructured company data, categorizes it based on content and sensitivity, and then feeds relevant and high-quality data to text-generating models, raised $2.9M in seed funding from Y Combinator , General Catalyst , RTP Global , Rebel Fund , and J12 Ventures.

16. TitanML , an AI startup offering Titan Takeoff, an AI-powered solution designed to streamline the deployment of LLMs for machine learning teams, raised $2.8M in pre-seed funding led by Octopus Ventures .

17. SOTAI , a company focused on interpretable and explainable AI solutions, particularly in critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and law, raised $2M in seed funding, led by Four Rivers Group.

18. Hook , a music expression platform powered by AI that allows users to easily remix and recreate their favorite songs while ensuring legal compliance, raised $3M in seed funding led by Point72 Ventures .

19. Escalate , a platform that focuses on reducing frontline employee turnover through AI-driven upskilling and customized support systems, raised $1.26M in pre-seed funding.

20. Tidalflow , a platform that assists software firms in developing products compatible with LLMs, raised $1.7M in funding co-led by Gradient and Dig Ventures .