Google brings AI to Assistant and Pixel 8

Today’s Highlights:

📰 Top Stories: Anthropic is seeking more than $2 billion from Google and Google brings AI to assistant and Pixel 8

👀 Content: OpenAI CTO Mira Murati discusses chatbots and artificial general intelligence

💰 Funding: Iambic Therapeutics is developing novel therapeutics using its generative AI discovery platform and Stampli is leveraging AI for accounts payable automation

⚡️ Quick News Hits

• Anthropic, seeks over $2Bn in funding from Google, after already securing a $1.25Bn investment from Amazon, for a valuation of $20Bn to $30Bn.

• Meta introduces generative AI tools for advertisers to create content, such as image backgrounds and text variations.

• Asana releases new AI features, including smart fields and summaries, to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability within orgs.

• Adobe to launch Project Stardust, an AI-powered photo editing tool, that can automatically identify objects and offer seamless manipulation w/ contextual design assistance.

• Artifact adds AI-powered image generation to help users enhance their content, and further differentiate it from rival platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

• Canva unveils Magic Studio, an AI-powered design suite that automates design tasks, while also investing $200M to compensate designers that contribute to AI training data.

• Users exploit Meta's AI sticker tool to create lewd and offensive images, prompting safeguards and a limited rollout.

• Google and Amazon are reviewing Sony's research on skin color measurement in AI systems in order to combat biases.

• Nonprofit AIandYou will launch a public awareness campaign to prepare voters for AI-generated political misinformation ahead of the 2024 election.

• U.S. lawmakers question Meta and X over lack of rules against AI-generated political deepfakes.

• AI-focused ETFs experience reduced inflows as investors worry about high U.S. interest rates impacting AI company valuations.

• Epik's AI-powered '90s yearbook photo trend takes social media by storm, making it the top trending free app in the App Store.

📰 Top Stories

Google introduces new AI-features to Assistant and new Pixel 8

TLDR: Google unveiled Assistant with Bard, an AI-enhanced version of its virtual assistant, and the new Pixel 8 pro will now run generative AI models on-device.

• Assistant with Bard is integrated w/ existing apps like Gmail and Docs and can assist w/ tasks like trip planning, email inbox organization, and creating grocery lists. The multi-modal assistant can be interacted with through text, voice, or images. Roll out will start with early testers before being available on Android and iOS in the coming months.

• The Pixel 8 Pro will be the first device to run generative AI models on-device, powered by its custom-built Tensor G3 chip. These on-device models enhance features like Magic Eraser for photo editing, sharpening details in Zoom, and delivering audio recording summaries.

Use OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 Image Generator Directly within Microsoft Bing

(Source: Microsoft)

TLDR: Microsoft has integrated OpenAI's DALL-E 3 image generator directly into Bing Chat and Bing Image Creator, giving users the ability to create and refine images through the chatbot.

• DALL-E 3 is designed to be more creative and photorealistic than its predecessors. It features safety tools to prevent the creation of images of public figures, hateful, or NSFW content.

• Microsoft plans to expand the use of DALL-E technology beyond Bing, including integrating it into the Paint app as "Paint Cocreator" on Windows

• Microsoft plans to expand the use of DALL-E technology beyond Bing, including integrating it into the Paint app as "Paint Cocreator" on Windows

LinkedIn is adding AI tools to it’s platform

(Source: Reuters)

TLDR: LinkedIn is integrating AI (Powered by OpenAI), directly into its platform w/ multiple new AI features including AI-assisted candidate discovery and AI-powered coaching.

• AI-assisted candidate discovery for recruiters, promises better natural language searches, less focus on university credentials and job titles, and prompts on how a role could be tailored around a candidate's strengths and constraints (such as location).

• AI-powered coaching in the subsciber-only LinkedIn Learning, is a chatbot service to coach workers through tough moments or career development.

• AI will also be employed to assist marketing professionals in creating ad campaigns with greater ease.

• LinkedIn aims to shift the focus from job titles to specific skills, and plans to provide these AI-powered features at no additional cost.

Zoom introduces Zoom Docs w/ built-in AI Features

(Source: Verge)

TLDR: Zoom introduces Zoom Docs, a collaborative workspace w/ integrated AI features through its Zoom AI Companion. Zoom aims to position itself as a competitor to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

• Zoom AI Companion can assist users in summarizing meetings, chats, and populating documents, enhancing collaboration. Zoom Docs offers features like interdocument linking, hierarchical organization, and multiple access points.

• Zoom Docs appears tailored for team collaboration and offers potential cost savings, compared to Microsoft and Google's extensive productivity suite offerings, w/ Zoom AI Companion included in paid subscription plans starting at $150/yr/user.

• This development signifies the increasing convergence of video conferencing, collaboration, and AI in remote work tools

👀 Interesting Reads and Content

Deep Dives

• Nvidia Deepens Push Into AWS’ Turf (The Information)

• Generative AI Is Coming for Sales Execs’ Jobs—and They’re Celebrating (WIRED)

• Hannah Diamond Has Cracked the Code of Using AI for Music (WIRED)

• Los Angeles is using AI to predict who might become homeless and help before they do (NPR)

Insightful Information

• Tiny Language Models Thrive With GPT-4 as a Teacher (Quanta Magazine)

• How to Promote Responsible Open Foundation Models (Stanford HAI)

• The rise of the novice coder: Can AI turn every employee into a developer? (Semafor)

• The U.S. Isn’t Ready for the New Age of AI-Fueled Disinformation—But China Is (TIME)

• How General AI Will Eventually Reshape Everything (Forbes)

Analysis and Critiques

• AI’s Present Matters More Than Its Imagined Future (The Atlantic)

• 10 investors talk about the future of AI and what lies beyond the ChatGPT hype (TechCrunch)

• How Will A.I. Learn Next? (The New Yorker)

• We know how to regulate new drugs and medical devices–but we’re about to let health care AI run amok (Fortune)

💰 Funding News

1. Iambic Therapeutics, a biotech company developing novel therapeutics using its generative AI discovery platform, raised an oversubscribed $100M Series B co-led by Ascenta Capital and Abingworth.

• Other Notable Investors: NVIDIA, Illumina Ventures, Gradiant Corporation, Shanda, and independent board member Bill Rastetter.

2. Stampli, a company leveraging AI for accounts payable automation with tasks like invoice capture and fraud detection, raised a $61M Series D led by Blackstone.

• Other Notable Investors: Insight Partners, SignalFire, Bloomberg Beta, and NextWorld Capital.

3. Clearco (formerly Clearbanc), a fintech company using AI and ML to specialize in providing growth capital to e-commerce businesses, raised a $60M Series D led by Inovia Capital and Founders Circle Capital.

4. Pulumi, a platform that provides users with an AI-powered coding assistant to manage cloud resources using various programming languages, raised a $41M Series C w/ contributions from Madrona Ventures, NEA, Tola Capital, and Strike Capital.

5. Loop, a modern audit and payment platform designed for the next-gen supply chain leveraging AI and data analytics, raised a $35M Series B co-led by J.P. Morgan Growth Equity Partners and Index Ventures.

6. Machina Labs, a company leveraging robots and AI to bring unprecedented flexibility and agility to the manufacturing industry, raised a $32M Series B co-led by Nvidia’s NVentures and Innovation Endeavors.

7. Amperon Holdings, a company providing AI-powered electricity analytics solutions to energy market participants, raised a $20M Series B led by Energize Capital.

8. rabbit, an AI company specializing in consumer hardware and foundation model research, raised $20M in funding led by Khosla Ventures.

9. Reserv, a leader in AI-driven insurance claims processing, raised a $20M Series A co-led by Altai Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures.

• They offer generative AI claims data analysis tools to help managing general agents (MGAs) and insurance carriers enhance claims handling, improve data availability, and increase efficiency and accuracy.

10. Unitary AI, a company employing multimodal AI to tackle content moderation, raised a $15M Series A led by Creandum w/ participation from Paladin Capital Group and Plural.

11. Saleo, an AI-powered platform that transforms live software demos into data-complete, personalized, and highly relevant experiences, raised a $13M Series A led by Emergence Capital w/ participation from Tech Square Ventures.

12. Vayu Robotics, an AI company focused on providing high-quality, cost-effective robotics solutions, raised $12.7M in seed financing led by Khosla Ventures w/ participation from Lockheed Martin Ventures, ReMY Investors, and others.

13. Opsera, a Unified DevOps platform focused on streamlining the software development process and enhancing developer experience through AI-driven insights, automation, and integrations, raised a $12M Series A+ led by Taiwania Capital.

14. Move AI, a smartphone app capable of generating 3D motion capture models from standard 2D video, raised a $10M Seed Round from Play Ventures, Warner Music Group, RKKVC, Level2 Ventures, and Animoca Brands.

15. Lemurian Labs, which is developing a new chip and software to make processing AI workloads more accessible, efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, raised a $9M Seed Round led by Oval Park Capital.

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