Tech leaders bullish about generative AI amid the hype | Amazon donates $9M to homelessness efforts

More than a year after the generative AI hype train got going, companies are still trying to figure out how much time and money to sink into the new tech. But many execs remain bullish about its long-term impact. "We don’t want to be left behind,” said Expedia CTO Rathi Murthy (above, left), who was a speaker at a recent event hosted by Harvard Business School Club of Seattle that also included Remitly CEO Matt Oppenheimer (second from left) Dave Cotter (third from left) and Pioneer Square Labs’ Anthony Diamond, Ph.D. BECU CEO Beverly Anderson moderated the discussion. Read the story .?

USPTO denies OpenAI trademark for “ChatGPT” and “GPT”: If it stands, the decision from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will prevent OpenAI from defending its exclusive use of the phrases, opening them up to widespread adoption as common terms across the industry. Read more .

• Related: OpenAI on Thursday released "Sora," its video generation model ?that creates videos from word prompts. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called it a “remarkable moment."

Planette AI , a climate forecasting startup that just graduated from Techstars Seattle, raised $2.4 million to help businesses plan for weather and climate risks that could impact resources and operations. Read more .

Amazon is donating $9 million to six organizations in the Seattle area that are working to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness. Read more .

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Hot Links:

• Seattle venture capital firms Ascend and Flying Fish Partners invested in a $16 million round for Clarity, a startup developing tech to fight deepfakes. (TechCrunch )
• Shares of Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies fell after the company reported a $69.4 million loss in the fourth quarter. (Adaptive )
• OpenAI is reportedly working on a new web search product, partly powered by Microsoft Bing, that would amp up competition with Google. (The Information )
• Microsoft will host its annual developer conference in Seattle from May 21-23. Expect a ton of AI-related announcements and updates. (The Verge )

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