OpenAI Launches the GPT Store

+ AI updates from CES

Today’s Highlights:

📰 News:  OpenAI officially launches GPT Store and AI dominates at CES

💰 Funding: Quora raises $75M from Andreessen Horowitz to grow its AI chat bot

⚡️ Top News Stories:

  • The GPT Store was initially planned for November but faced delays, finally opening this week. 

  • Over 3M bots, known as GPTs, have been created by users since the announcement of the GPT Builder program.

  • The GPT Store allows users to publicly share their versions of ChatGPT. Only subscribers to OpenAI's paid tiers can create and use custom GPTs.

  • OpenAI plans to start a revenue-sharing program with GPT creators based on user engagement. A new review system will ensure custom GPTs meet OpenAI's brand guidelines and usage policies.

  • The GPT Store is available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users, as well as a new tier called Team.

  • ChatGPT Team, targeted for smaller teams, offers access to GPT-4, DALL-E 3, and Advanced Data Analysis features. It’s price will start at $25/month per user when billed annually.

  • The R1 features a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a rotating camera, and a scroll wheel/button for navigation and interaction.

  • It is powered by a 2.3GHz MediaTek processor, 4GB of memory, and 128GB of storage.

  • Rabbit OS, the device's operating system, is based on a "Large Action Model" (LAM) rather than a large language model like ChatGPT.

  • The LAM was trained by humans interacting with apps, teaching the model how to use them.

  • The R1 can control music, order cars, buy groceries, send messages, and more through a single interface.

  • It has a dedicated training mode, allowing users to teach the device new actions.

  • Rabbit OS aims to be a universal controller for apps, simplifying user interaction with various services.

  • The R1's 1st and 2nd 10,000 unit run sold out, and pre-orders for a third shipment are underway.

  • The R1 is positioned as both a standalone gadget and a potential future replacement for smartphones.

3. AI dominates at CES. Here are the top announcements so far! (For an even larger list click here)

  • Amazon enhances Alexa w/ new generative AI-powered experiences, partnering with AI companies Character.AI, Splash, and Volley to deliver innovative features.

  • Walmart introduced two AI-powered tools: First, GenAI search, (a partnership w/ Microsoft), allowing shoppers to search for products by use case; Second, "Walmart InHome Replenishment" uses AI to create automated online shopping carts. They also introduced an social AR shopping tool and discussed how they are extending their use of AI across retail locations. 

  • Samsung had multiple AI announcements; they showed off Ballie - a round robot home assistant, they added AI into its smart robot vacuum, and announced a partnership w/ MMGuardian for an AI-powered phone that offers protection for kids and teens.

  • Volkswagen announced plans to install OpenAI's ChatGPT in its vehicles starting in Q2, enhancing in-car voice assistant capabilities.

  • ElliQ, an eldercare robot developed by Intuition Robotics, received a hardware upgrade and generative AI integration, enhancing its conversational capabilities.

4. Microsoft Corp.'s $13Bn investment in OpenAI is potentially facing a comprehensive investigation by EU antitrust regulators.

5. Pennsylvania becomes the first state to deploy OpenAI's enterprise ChatGPT service in a pilot program to assist state employees with administrative tasks.

6. Dee Templeton, a Microsoft Corp. executive, has joined OpenAI's board as a nonvoting observer.

7. At a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, news industry executives argued against the use of journalism to train AI assistants like ChatGPT, claiming it's not fair use.

8. NVIDIA has partnered with Amgen to build AI models for drug discovery, deploying the AI model-building platform Freyja

9. Stanford University researchers have developed Mobile ALOHA, a cost-effective AI system that trains mobile robots to perform complex tasks like cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

👀 Interesting Reads and Content:

Sam Altman joined Bill Gates on his podcast

Sal Khan, Founder of Khan Academy, joined Reid Hoffman on his podcast, ‘Possible’, to discuss AI and its effect on the future of education. 

💰 Top Funding News:

1. 1X, an AI and robotics company producing androids to benefit society and meet the world's labor demand, raised $100M Series B from EQT Ventures and others. (Previously their Series A was led by OpenAI and Tiger Global in March 2023.)

2. Quora, the social Q&A site, raised $75M from Andreessen Horowitz to accelerate the growth of it’s AI chat platform Poe, which has rapidly grown since its launch.

3. hyperexponential, a pricing decision intelligence (PDI) software serving insurance and reinsurance companies, raised a $73M Series B led by Battery Ventures w/ a16z.

4. Luma, a startup training new AI models designed to generate 3D objects from text descriptions and address the "uncanny valley" problem in current-gen GenAI, raised a $43M Series B, from Andreessen Horowitz and others. 

5. Artisight, developing an AI-driven Smart Hospital Platform, raised a $42M Series B from strategic and client investors as well as Nvidia and other Series A investors. 

6. Anecdotes, a startup developing software to automate governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) processes, raised a $25M Series B led by Glilot Capital Partners w/ Vertex, DTCP, Red Dot Capital Partners, Vintage Investment Partners, and Shasta Ventures.

7. Contents.com , an enterprise platform integrating multiple LLMs into a unified, cost-effective service, raised a $18M Series B, led by Alkemia Capital and Thomson Reuters Venture, w/ contributions from FNDX and Invictus Capital.

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