Overview of AI-related events for the week through April 21

Welcome to your one-stop shop for all the things AI!

This week's AI Digest brings you the hottest headlines in artificial intelligence, from learning robots to AI-powered dogfights. Discover the latest trends and equip yourself with the tools to stay ahead.

This Week's Top Headlines

— Mentee Robotics introduced Menteebot, a humanoid robot capable of performing complex tasks and learning through natural language commands.

— Limitless released Pendant, a $99 AI wearable designed to enhance, transcribe, and summarize meetings and preparation. Also Nothing Earbuds released two new headphone models, introducing ChatGPT integration.

— AMD hailed the 8000 release as the world’s first ‘AI-enabled desktop processor’ for business users.

— The U.S. Air Force and DARPA announced they have successfully conducted simulated dogfights with AI-controlled aircraft, a significant milestone in AI aviation testing.

Funding

• Andreessen Horowitz raises $7.2bn and sets sights on AI start-ups
• Microsoft just agreed to invest $1.5B in G42, an Abu Dhabi-based AI firm previously under investigation from the U.S. for its ties to China.
• Evolution Equity Partners raises $1.1B for new cybersecurity and AI fund.
• Mistral AI startup in talks for €500M funding boost.
• Ramp, a financial automation platform, closed a $150M Series D-2 funding round.
• The Bezos Earth Fund announced the AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, committing $100M in grants to leverage AI.
• FYLD secures ￡12M funding for AI-powered field management platform.
• London-based Lawhive an AI-powered platform for lawyers?secures over €11M in seed funding.
• AI-powered food waste reduction startup AIPERIA raises €7.5M funding.

Industry Pulse

— Meta is bringing Llama 3 into the world. It is starting with open-sourcing two variants of Llama 3 models and an upgraded version of Meta AI.

— Google announced a restructure to enhance AI product development, creating a new ‘Platform and Devices’ team and merging its Research and DeepMind teams.

— Microsoft just unveiled VASA-1, a new AI model capable of generating strikingly lifelike talking head videos from a single still image and an audio clip.

— Snap announced that it will add watermarks to AI-generated images on the platform, using a translucent logo with a sparkle emoji for increased transparency.

— Amazon Music launched a beta of Maestro, an AI tool allowing users to create unique playlists based on prompts with keywords, emojis, emotions, activities, or sounds.

— Instagram is testing Creator AI - a program to make AI chatbots of creators reply to their fans’ DMs.

— Poe rolled out Multi-Bot Chat, allowing users to talk simultaneously with multiple AI models in a single thread.

Reports

• Stanford has released their annual AI index report.
• A financial look at the generative AI market in 2024.
• Services as Software - The AI push with a $4.6 trillion opportunity.

Must-Try Tools

SpeedLegal - Personal AI contract negotiator.

CompliantChatGPT - AI assistant for HIPAA-compliant healthcare data management.

Tabnine - Private and personalized AI coding assistant.

Minard - Beautiful charts with natural language.

Omnipilot - Your AI copilot for Mac, providing context-aware assistance in every app you use.

Akool - All-in-one AI platform for visual marketing.

Elicit - Analyze research papers at superhuman speed.

Letterfly - Generate high-quality cover letters from your resume.

Capitol AI - Bring Stories to Life, visualize scripts and storyboards.

Collectif - Where teams discover product insights in minutes, not days.

Sana AI - AI knowledge assistant for teams.

Vana - Create a mini “you”, a digital persona from your data.

Articles Worth Reading

• The big tech firms want an AI monopoly – but the UK watchdog can bring them to heel.
• How chasing AI shifts tech spending patterns.
• Exploring the pros and cons of AI in the music industry.
• How AI and ML are revolutionising healthcare industry.
• Tech earnings season is coming, and AI is top of mind.
• AI and blockchain: A match made in heaven or hell.
• AI: The Good, The Bad, and The Uncanny.
• The AI hype bubble is deflating. Now comes the hard part.
• The AI that could heal a divided internet.

Stay Curious, Stay Informed!

The world of AI is constantly buzzing with innovation. This newsletter is your key to staying ahead of the curve. Let me know in the comments what AI topics pique your interest, and I'll be sure to cover them in future issues!

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