Your weekly briefing on all things AI

For a lot of chatbot users, AI is mostly just a cute toy that can do some cool tricks. There has been lots of hype around game-changing capabilities, but there are still many skeptics criticizing a lack of practical business use-cases for the average user. Claude’s Artifacts feature, however, is a genuine tool for creating shareable applications. By making this feature available on their free plan, they are putting the power of development into the hands of anyone with an idea.

Let’s dive in:

📰 Create Simple Apps Now On Claude’s Free Plan

📈 NVIDIA Announced A $50B Buyback

💡 AI Unlocks New Drugs for Mental Health Disorders

 🛠️ Free Tool for Business Concept Validation

📰 AI in the News

Claude Users Can Make Apps (in 1 Prompt) for Free

Anthropic has announced that "Artifacts" are now available for all Claude users across all of their plans. Artifacts enhance creativity and collaboration by allowing users to create, view, and iterate on various outputs, from code snippets to interactive dashboards. This feature supports diverse use cases, including developers, product managers, designers, marketers, and sales teams. Users can publish and remix Artifacts within the community or share them securely in team environments. (Link) 

More Stories

• Amazon CEO Claims Its GenAI Saved $260M and 4,500 “Developer-Years”. (Link)

• OpenAI In Talks To Raise Funds at $100B Valuation. (Link)

• 200 Google DeepMind Employees Protest Military Contracts. (Link)

• Defense Innovation Unit Solicits Contracts for GenAI Solutions. (Link)

• NVIDIA Unveils Major AI Developments at SIGGRAPH 2024. (Link)

• D-ID Launches Advanced AI Video Translation Tool Featuring Voice Cloning and Lip Sync Technology. (Link)

• Chinese Organizations Turn to Amazon Cloud and Competitors to Access High-End U.S. AI Chips. (Link)

• Salesforce’s Latest AI Agents Enhance Sales Prospect Filtering and Salesperson Training. (Link)

• GitHub Recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s First Magic Quadrant for AI Code Assistants. (Link)

• Former Alphabet X Spinout Mineral Sells Technology to John Deere. (Link)

• Google Appoints Former Character.AI CEO as Co-Head of Gemini. (Link)

• Gemini in Gmail Now Offers Enhanced Draft Polishing Capabilities. (Link)

• Harmonyze Develops AI Agents to Assist Franchisors in Analyzing Unstructured Data. (Link)

💡 Industry Watch

🏩  Healthcare

AI Revolutionizes Drug Discovery for Mental Health Disorders

Researchers at Uppsala University have used AI to speed up the development of new drugs for mental health disorders. By predicting the three-dimensional structure of the TAAR1 receptor—a protein involved in treating conditions like schizophrenia and depression—the AI models helped scientists identify promising drug candidates from millions of possible molecules. These molecules were then tested in experiments at Karolinska Institutet, with several showing strong potential. The AI-generated structures were highly accurate, even outperforming traditional methods, offering a faster and more efficient way to develop new treatments for mental health. (Link)

🏠 Real Estate

AI-Powered Price Fixing: US Sues RealPage for Antitrust Violations

The US Department of Justice, along with eight states, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against real estate software provider RealPage, accusing the company of using AI-powered algorithms to enable landlords to collude and inflate rental prices across the country. The lawsuit, filed under the Sherman Act, claims RealPage's software allows landlords to coordinate pricing, undermining fair competition and limiting affordable housing options for renters. The DOJ states that the software, used by 80% of multi-family rental units, negatively impacts millions of Americans. RealPage denies the allegations, arguing its software promotes healthy competition and adheres to legal standards, and pledges to defend itself against the charges. (Link)

🏛️ Law

Meta and Spotify Urge EU for Clearer AI Rules

Meta and Spotify are calling on the EU to provide clearer rules on AI, saying that current regulations are holding back innovation. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek argue that the lack of clear privacy laws prevents them from using AI technologies that are available in other regions. As a result, Meta plans to withhold its new AI model, Llama, from the EU. Both companies believe that streamlined regulations would boost AI development, benefiting users, developers, and artists across Europe. (Link)

💵 Finance

Skyfire Raises $8.5M to Let AI Agents Make Autonomous Payments for Users

Skyfire, a San Francisco startup, has launched in beta with $8.5 million in seed funding to build a payment network that enables AI agents to autonomously handle financial transactions on behalf of users. Co-founded by Amir Sarhangi, Skyfire aims to be the "Visa for AI," allowing AI agents to make payments, receive funds, and hold balances without human intervention. The company addresses a key limitation in the AI space: the inability of autonomous AI agents to perform tasks that require financial transactions. Backed by investors like Neuberger Berman and Brevan Howard Digital, Skyfire's infrastructure empowers AI agents to function as independent economic actors in a new digital economy, enhancing their utility in tasks such as shopping, booking services, or building apps. (Link)

⚙️ Tech

Neuralink's Visionary Leap: "Blindsight" to Restore Sight

At VivaTech, Elon Musk unveiled Neuralink's ambitious new project, "Blindsight," aimed at restoring vision to those who are blind or have lost their sight. This cutting-edge technology will interface directly with the brain's optical centers. The announcement follows Neuralink's recent FDA approval for its pioneering device, "Telepathy," which enables users to control digital devices with their thoughts. Musk also highlighted the need for ethical AI development, stressing the importance of ensuring that future AI systems are aligned and trustworthy. (Link)

📈 Transactions 

• Openwater has raised $100M to target cancer cells while protecting healthy ones. (Link)

• Story has secured $80M at a $2.25 billion valuation for its content IP blockchain. (Link)

• Opkey has raised $47M for its AI-driven ERP test automation. (Link)

• Fresha has acquired €27.8M to boost its AI and machine learning capabilities. (Link)

• PreciseDx has raised $20.7M for its AI-based breast cancer risk assessment. (Link)

• BeMe Health has garnered $12.5M for its teen mental health platform. (Link)

• Skyfire has secured $8.5M for autonomous payments in AI. (Link)

• SleekFlow has raised $7M to expand conversational AI across Asia. (Link)

• Cairn Surgical has obtained $4.5M for its breast cancer locator. (Link)

• TransBnk has secured $4M for transaction banking innovation. (Link)

🛠️ Tool of the Week

How Strong Is Your Business Concept? Get Instant Feedback with FlowKitten

FlowKitten revolutionizes idea validation with its advanced AI technology, offering instant, actionable feedback in just 20 seconds—and it's completely free. This tool is designed for entrepreneurs and innovators seeking quick, reliable validation of their business concepts. By leveraging FlowKitten, users gain valuable insights that help refine their ideas and enhance their chances of success. With over 10,000 users and a strong position in the $2.3 billion idea validation market, FlowKitten stands out as a vital resource for shaping and validating startup ideas efficiently and at no cost. (Link)

Next-Gen AI Tools for Key Industries:

Woebot Health: 24/7 mental health support with personalized support and deep insights.

Dilligen: Transforms contract review for lawyers with fast, effortless AI analysis.

AirDNA: Offers data-driven insights to help investors maximize returns in the short-term rental market.

Trullion: Supercharges finance with AI-powered automation for precise and compliant accounting.

📝 Prompt Tip of the Week: 

Making GPTs Your Thought Partner

Many people approach GPTs like search engines, expecting a perfect answer from a single prompt. But GPTs are more than just repositories of information—they're dynamic thought partners. To get the most out of them, you need to engage in a back-and-forth dialogue, refining your prompts as you go. This week’s prompt is designed to illustrate how a conversational approach can lead to powerful results for your business.

Prompt Example: Imagine you're looking to build a strong LinkedIn strategy for your company. Instead of asking a one-off question, try this step-by-step approach:

1. Start with the objectives:
   Prompt: "You are an expert content strategist and creator. I need your help to develop a powerful LinkedIn strategy for my company. Start by asking me 3 focused questions to clarify our goals."

2. Identify key elements:
   Prompt: "Next, ask the necessary questions to understand our vision and values. What makes a strong LinkedIn strategy in alignment with our company’s mission?"

3. Break down the strategy:
   Prompt: "Identify the essential components we need to address in this strategy. Break down the plan into manageable steps."

4. Iterate and refine:
   Prompt: "For each component, ask me at least 3 questions, adjusting based on my responses. Only proceed to the next step once I confirm we're on the right track."

Why This Works: By treating GPTs as thought partners, you encourage deeper thinking and more nuanced answers. Breaking the request down into steps helps both you and the LLM to refine answers based on ongoing input, leading to more tailored and effective solutions.