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AI Takes The Stage in Tech, Academia, and Governance 🌍

Apple’s billion-dollar AI splurge, a surge of AI startups at Y Combinator, government tech initiatives from the US & Japan, and Harvard’s latest academic venture – it’s clear: AI is the defining trend of our era.

Let's dive into this week's AI evolution across the board.

In the news this week:

• 🍏 Apple's Billion-Dollar AI Spending

• 🚀 AI Dominates Y Combinator's Stage

• 🏛️ IRS Implementing AI Solutions

• ⚕️ Harvard Adds an AI Medicine PhD Track

📰 AI in the News

Apple is Quietly Spending $22.6 Billion on AI R&D

Apple is making significant strides in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), investing millions of dollars daily, as revealed by a report from The Information. The tech giant is not just focusing on one AI model but is reportedly working on multiple AI models across several teams.

A key unit within Apple, named "Foundational Models," is dedicated to conversational AI and boasts a team of around 16 members, including ex-Google engineers. This unit is led by John Giannandrea, Apple’s head of AI, who was brought on board in 2018 to enhance Siri's capabilities. Interestingly, Giannandrea has expressed reservations about the potential of AI-powered chatbots.

But Apple's AI endeavors don't stop there. The company's Visual Intelligence unit is working on an image generation model, while another team is diving deep into "multimodal AI," which can recognize and produce both images or videos and text. These AI models are being developed for various applications, including a chatbot for AppleCare customers and another to streamline multistep tasks with Siri.

One of Apple's most advanced language models, internally known as Ajax GPT, is said to be more potent than OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, which powers the initial version of ChatGPT. This model, initially designed for internal use, has been trained on over 200 billion parameters, showcasing Apple's commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, Apple's significant investments and innovations in this space signal its intent to remain at the forefront of technological advancements. Full Story

Y Combinator’s AI Frenzy: 64% of Their Latest Class

Y Combinator, the renowned startup accelerator, is set to showcase its latest batch of startups on its iconic Demo Day. This year, the spotlight is firmly on artificial intelligence (AI). A staggering 64% of the startups, 139 of 218, are building applications or tools centered around machine learning or AI. This is a significant leap from past YC groups, where AI-focused startups typically made up less than 20%.

The majority of these AI startups are delving into large-language models, reflecting the industry's current fascination with natural language processing and its myriad applications. This surge in AI-centric startups at Y Combinator underscores the growing enthusiasm from both founders and investors for this rapidly evolving sector.

While the details of each startup remain under wraps until Demo Day, the sheer number focusing on AI is a testament to the technology's potential to reshape industries, from healthcare to entertainment. As the tech world eagerly awaits the unveiling of these startups, one thing is clear: AI's influence on the future of tech is undeniable and is set to grow exponentially. Full Story

More Stories

• Wall Street forecasts: AI at the helm of the upcoming $3 trillion giants (link).

• Tencent unveils enterprise-focused AI tool, marking China's tech evolution (link).

• IRS turns to AI: A modern approach to unmasking tax evaders (link).

• Japan's Government tests waters with ChatGPT, eyeing workplace efficiency gains (link).

• Morgan Stanley introduces finance-centric chatbot, redefining client interactions (link).

• eBay's latest innovation: An auto-generating tool for seamless product listings (link).

• Canva and ChatGPT unite: A groundbreaking plugin for design enthusiasts (link).

• Hubspot's new arsenal: AI-powered tools set to revolutionize marketing & sales (link).

💡 Industry Insights

🏥 Healthcare

AI-Enhanced Hearing: Starkey's Genesis AI hearing aids offer more than sound clarity. With features like real-time language translation and fall detection, they're redefining the future of hearing solutions, aiming to attract a younger audience and challenge hearing aid stigmas. (link)

Harvard's AI Medicine Initiative: Harvard Medical School's Department of Biomedical Informatics is launching an AI in Medicine Ph.D. track. The program, starting in fall 2024, aims to train students in harnessing large-scale biomedical data and advanced AI techniques to develop transformative medical technologies and research. (link)

AI's Cancer Combat: Paige collaborates with Microsoft to develop the world's largest image-based AI model, aiming to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and treatment by leveraging vast datasets and advanced machine learning. (link)

🏠 Real Estate

AI Driven Architecture: Generative AI tools are transforming the real estate design sector. With platforms like Midjourney, architects and designers can swiftly visualize property concepts from textual descriptions, enhancing property design efficiency and fostering innovative collaborations in the market. (link)

Dawn McKenna Group’s AI Copilot: Luxury Presence unveils Presence Copilot, an AI-driven mobile assistant for real estate. Integrated with over 270 MLS, the platform offers comprehensive listing data, market insights, and collaborative search features, aiming to revolutionize agent-client communication and property searches. (link)

⚖️Legal

Microsoft Takes The Onus: Microsoft pledges to cover legal damages for customers using its AI products, should they face copyright infringement lawsuits due to the AI's output. This move underscores the tech giant's commitment to backing the reliability and safety of its AI solutions. (link)

AI Legal Defense: LexisNexis is integrating generative AI into its platform, revolutionizing legal research by predicting and generating legal arguments. This advancement promises to enhance the efficiency and precision of legal professionals. (link)

📈 Venture Deals

• Imbue, an AI research lab, secures a whopping $200 million in funding. (link)

• AI21 Labs attracts $155 million at a $1.4 billion valuation, aiming to rival giants in text-generating AI tools. (link)

• Robot software company, Mujin, lands $85 million in funding. (link)

• ThetaRay raises $57 million to revolutionize global payments with its AI solution. (link)

• Harmonya garners $20 million to empower retailers with AI-driven product data insights. (link)

• Speak attracts $16 million to introduce its AI-enhanced language learning app to the US market. (link)

• Voxel secures $12 million to harness computer vision for enhanced workplace safety. (link)

• Atomicwork raises $12 million to improve employee experience (link)

🛠️ Latest AI Tools

• tripbotapp.com is a ChatGPT trip planning assistant

• prompteasy.co gets you access to best prompts on the internet

• phrasee.co produces AI-generated on-brand marketing content

• acrolinx.com provides solutions for content governance

• ocean.io adds a layer of intelligence to your B2B prospecting

• ubique.live can take a single video message and create realistic personalized variations

• Singify helps you create AI music covers

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