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Microsoft unveils its most powerful enterprise tools yet at Inspire '23
July 19, 2023
Created w/ Midjourney and reference images. Prompt: ‘Satya Nadella shaking hands with a robot --ar 16:9 --v 5.2’
⚡ Today’s Highlights
📰 News: Microsoft unveils 365 Copilot and much more at Microsoft Inspire 2023 + Meta open-sources Llama 2
💰 Funding: Netcraft, Tractable, Sylvera, and Futureverse
🦾 Tools: This tool is the all-in-one SEO solution you need
📰 Today's Top Stories
(14 min read) (Source: Microsoft)
TLDR: Microsoft kicked off its Inspire conference today, here are the biggest announcements:
Microsoft 365 Copilot, available for $30 per user per month, will deliver thousands of AI skills that combine business data with contextual information for richer and more relevant responses.
Meta's Llama family of language models is supported on Azure and Windows, with Microsoft as the preferred partner for commercial deployment. Azure customers can fine-tune and deploy Llama 2 models easily and securely, optimizing them to run on Windows through the ONNX runtime.
Bing Chat Enterprise will offer AI-powered chat for work with commercial data protection, providing better answers, efficiency, and creativity while ensuring data security.
Microsoft Sales Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales will provide AI-generated summaries, email drafts, and meeting preparations to improve productivity and close deals.
Check out the full keynote speech below:
(8 min read) (Source: The Washington Post)
TLDR: Meta has announced that they are open-sourcing Llama 2, allowing researchers and companies to access and modify the AI model's underlying code, facilitating innovation and customization.
The availability of Llama 2 could level the playing field in the AI industry, enabling smaller companies to compete with established players like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google.
The open-source nature of Llama 2 has raised concerns about potential misuse, as criminals and malicious actors could exploit the technology for nefarious purposes, such as creating harmful content.
However, Meta believes that its decision to make Llama 2 open source aligns with its vision of promoting competition and avoiding the entrenchment of tech giants, fostering a more diverse and accessible AI ecosystem.
(7 min read) (Source: The New York Times)
TLDR: OpenAI's ChatGPT now has the ability to analyze images and provide descriptions, answer questions, and even recognize specific people's faces.
The advanced version of ChatGPT has been tested by blind users, allowing them to "interrogate images" and gain detailed information about their surroundings.
However, OpenAI has concerns about the facial recognition capabilities of ChatGPT and the potential privacy and ethical implications. They are working on addressing safety concerns before releasing the image analysis feature to the public.
(5 min read) (Source: The New York Times)
TLDR: The UN Security Council held its first session on the threats posed by AI with concerns raised about the potential for criminal activities, disinformation, and manipulation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a global watchdog to regulate and oversee AI technology, similar to existing agencies for aviation, climate, and nuclear energy.
While there was consensus on the need for international cooperation and rules, a binding resolution on AI governance remains distant. Countries like Russia and China expressed differing views on the extent of known risks and the role of international regulations. The use of AI in military applications, particularly autonomous weapons, was also discussed, with the UN aiming to establish a ban on AI in automated weapons by 2026.
(2 min read) (Source: Reuters)
TLDR: Infosys has secured a $2 billion deal with an undisclosed client to provide AI and automation services over five years. The agreement includes development, modernization, and maintenance services related to AI and automation.
This move follows the industry trend of increased investment in AI, with competitors like Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro also focusing on AI initiatives. Infosys recently launched Infosys Topaz, a generative AI platform.
(4 min read) (Source: Reuters)
TLDR: McKinsey has partnered with AI startup Cohere to offer AI solutions to enterprise clients, aiming to improve customer engagement and workflow automation. The partnership enables McKinsey to tap into the growing demand for AI solutions while considering factors like cost, IP protection, and consumer privacy.
💰 Funding Alerts
1. Netcraft - a global leader in cybercrime detection and disruption, utilizing AI + ML to protect organizations from digital threats and attacks - raised over $100M in funding led by Spectrum Equity (Parag Khandelwal, Managing Director), a growth equity firm specializing in internet-enabled software and data services companies.
With the investment, Netcraft aims to accelerate its strategic plans for growth and global expansion, further enhancing their capabilities in cybercrime detection and takedown operations.
2. Tractable, an insurance company that automates the claims and damage assessment process using computer vision, raised $65M in a Series E round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 (Nahoko Hoshino, Investment Director), with participation from Insight Partners and Georgian.
Tractable uses user-submitted photos of cars and homes captured via smartphones to assess conditions and provide accurate repair estimates.
With this investment, Tractable aims to expand its presence in the auto and property ecosystems, applying AI to facilitate repairs, protection, recycling, and sales.
3. Sylvera, a leader in carbon credit accounting, has raised $57M in Series B led by Balderton Capital (Daniel Waterhouse, Partner), Bain & Company, Fidelity International Strategic Ventures (Erik Mostenicky, Principal), and 9Yards Capital, with participation from existing investors including Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Salesforce, Speedinvest, Seedcamp, and LocalGlobe.
By providing reliable carbon accounting services, Sylvera aims to support investment in climate action and ensure buyers of carbon credits have confidence in the data. The company uses AI and machine learning to capture and analyze carbon sequestration data, combining sensing technologies on the ground with satellite data.
With the new funding, Sylvera plans to expand into the US market, establish a presence in New York, and target financial services companies and the asset management industry. The funds will also support recruitment for engineering and product teams to enhance transparency in carbon trading markets.
4. Futureverse, an AI and metaverse tech and content company, raised $54M in a new funding round led by 10T Holdings (Dan Tapiero, CEO), with participation from Ripple (Monica Long, President).
Futureverse aims to create an open metaverse ecosystem by combining advanced technology infrastructure and AI-driven content.
With the funding, Futureverse plans to develop and enhance its suite of proprietary AI content generation tools, focusing on music, objects, characters, and animations that will be integrated into the metaverse.
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👀 More Reading:
Maybe showing off an AI-generated fake TV episode during a writers’ strike is a bad idea (TechCrunch)
Schumer, humbled by AI, crafts crash course for Senate (Axios)
A faster way to teach a robot (MIT News)
AI startups have raised almost $29 billion this year. Researchers say a lot more needs to go to companies working to prevent it from becoming an existential threat. (Business Insider)
Want agency in the AI age? Get ready to fight (MIT Technology Review)
You’re going to see more AI-written articles whether you like it or not (Vox)
🌎 Fresh Content
1. AI continues to rapidly evolve week after week. In this episode of the Masters of Scale podcast, Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian discuss AI’s risks and opportunities and how leaders of industry are preparing for the AI revolution. (Spotify)
2. Comedian Patton Oswalt was recently on Conan O’Brien’s podcast Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend to discuss how generative AI may rapidly change show business and society in general as well as ChatGPT, deepfakes, and how the inherent imperfection of humanity makes for great art. (YouTube)
🧠 Prompts
Reimagine your employee wellness program. This prompt will guide you in leveraging emerging wellness technologies and trends to enhance the mental and physical well-being of your team. Through interactive dialogue with ChatGPT, you can explore innovative ways to integrate technology and improve the overall wellness experience. Engage in a dynamic conversation and uncover fresh insights to create a cutting-edge wellness program that nurtures your employees' health and happiness.
Reinventing Employee Wellness Program
Prompt: "ChatGPT, I need your assistance in reinventing our program by integrating emerging wellness technologies and leveraging current trends. Let's brainstorm how we can use technology to improve the mental and physical health of our team. Please ask me questions about our organization, team demographics, and specific wellness goals to help me provide tailored recommendations. When you're ready to begin, let me know."
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