✨ [Tiferes] AI Future Newsletter - Issue #24

Author

Clark Valberg
November 21, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

Your weekly briefing on all things AI

This week, we see big changes in Open AI as the company explodes in growth. There are also significant investments to watch as more industries expand their interest in AI and its uses in health, travel, finance, and more.

↩️ In a Major Shakeup, Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI

⏸️ ChatGPT Pauses Plus Subscriptions Due to Overload

🩺 Forward Health Unveils the Future of AI-Powered Healthcare

🧳 Airbnb Acquires AI Startup to Build ‘Ultimate Travel Agent’

📰 AI in the News

Turbulence After Dev Day: GPT Plus Subscription Pause and Fired CEO?

OpenAI’s “Dev Day”, emceed by Sam Altman, generated such an unexpected surge in demand for ChatGPT Plus, that they had to put a temporary pause to its premium subscription service. Priced at $20 per month, ChatGPT Plus offers expedited response times and early access to new features, like the GPT-Turbo and customizable GPT models. This measure aimed to maintain the quality of service for existing users, with the standard version of ChatGPT still available for free. (Read More)

Then, in a dramatic turn of events at OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman was unexpectedly fired, only to potentially be on the verge of a return. We’ve tracked the twists and turns to give you a play-by-play:

  • November 17, 2023

    • 3:44 PM: OpenAI released a statement in a blog post, ousting Sam and appointing Mira Murati as the interim CEO. (link)

    • 4:46 PM: Sam issued a goodbye statement. (link)

    • 11:42 PM: Co-founder Greg Brockman announced his resignation, posting a timeline of events detailing the unexpected move by the OpenAI board. (link)

      • 12:00 PM: Sam Altman was fired by the board via Google Meet.

      • 12:23 PM: Greg was dismissed from board via Google Meet (although not yet fired).

  • November 18, 2023

    • 2:35 PM: Further details emerged, suggesting that the firing was likely orchestrated by OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, amid growing tensions over the pace of development. (link)

    • 9:10 PM: OpenAI staff threatened an ultimatum for the board to resign and for Altman/Brockman to return, or they would quit and join Sam. (link)

  • November 19, 2023

    • 12:17 PM: Board negotiation process had already begun. (link)

    • 4:03 PM: Altman was seen at OpenAI HQ on Sunday afternoon, with reports indicating Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was leading discussions. (link)

    • 10:29 PM: Chaos ensued late Sunday night, leading to the resignation of dozens of OpenAI staffers, with more expected to follow. (link)

  • November 20, 2023

    • 12:31 AM: The board rejected negotiations and appointed Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch, as the new interim CEO of OpenAI. (link)

    • 2:53 AM: Satya Nadella announced that Sam and Greg would join Microsoft to form a new advanced AI research team. (link)

    • 4:01 AM: Emmett Shear confirmed his new role as interim CEO and outlined his 3-point plan. (link)

    • 8:15 AM: Ilya posts regret over the firing and tries to reunite the company. (link)

    • 6:18 PM: Satya Nadella appeared on CNBC and did not directly confirm whether Sam, or anyone at OpenAI, would be officially joining Microsoft. (link)

CarePods: The Future of AI-Powered Healthcare

Forward Health has launched a revolutionary approach to healthcare with the introduction of CarePods. Compact, self-contained, medical stations that promise to streamline the healthcare experience using advanced AI technology.

CarePods, envisioned by Forward Health's CEO Adrian Aoun, a computer scientist and AI specialist, are designed to deliver primary care services such as blood tests, swabbing, and blood pressure readings without the need for in-person medical staff. Instead, custom AI diagnoses patients, with doctors remotely authorizing prescriptions almost instantly. These medical stations will be strategically placed in malls and office buildings, providing easy access to essential health services for $99 a month.

The innovative health pods offer a variety of tests and features through a user-friendly interface, akin to walking into a giant iPad. With a full-body scanner and an assortment of health apps, CarePods enable users to conduct various health tests, with real-time review and support from Forward's doctors if necessary​.

Forward Health's commitment to privacy and security is also at the forefront, with stringent data encryption, access control, and adherence to federal laws safeguarding patient data. Their blend of AI with professional medical oversight could set a new standard in healthcare delivery. (Full Story)

More Stories

  • Microsoft Teams Up with 'Be My Eyes' to Bring ChatGPT-4 to Visually Impaired Users. (link)

  • Google Delays Release of Gemini AI That Aims to Compete With OpenAI. (link)

  • Apple Patents Innovative 'Retinal Reflection Tracking' for Power-Efficient Eye-Tracking in Upcoming Headset. (link)

  • Google Expands Access for Teens to Bard AI Chatbot with Enhanced Safety Measures. (link)

  • AI-Generated Weather Forecasts For the Hour, Week, and Century Courtesy of AI. (link)

  • Alibaba Halts Cloud Unit Spin-Off Plans, Leading to 8% Share Price Drop. (link)

  • DeepMind's Mirasol3B Sets a New Benchmark for Video Analysis with Advanced AI Capabilities. (link)

  • YouTube Updates Policy to Protect Artistic Integrity Against AI-generated Content. (link)

  • Meta's Use of AI in Political Ads Sparks Artificial Intelligence Debate. (link)

  • Google's DeepMind Transforms the Future of Music Creation. (link)

  • Top VC Firms Commit to Responsible AI Use with Voluntary Commitments. (link)

💡 Industry Insights

💰 Finance

Benchmarking AI in Finance: Patronus AI unveils FinanceBench, a pioneering benchmark tool for evaluating Large Language Models (LLMs) in financial contexts. With an initial set comprising 10,000 Q&As from financial documents, it seeks to refine AI applications in finance, where even advanced models like GPT-4 exhibit a notable margin of error. (link)

Strategic AI Investment: Norway's massive $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund embraces AI to enhance investment management and capital deployment, aiming for a 10% productivity boost within a year. The fund, a major global investor, also sets responsible AI use standards for its portfolio companies, focusing on transparency and oversight, particularly in impactful sectors like healthcare, finance, and tech. (link)

🏠 Real Estate

Financing Green Futures: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) consortium NovA! introduces an AI-driven product to support banks in issuing Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLL) for real estate. It targets challenges like inconsistent Sustainability Performance Targets and greenwashing by leveraging AI for accurate benchmarking and monitoring of Key Performance Indicators. (link)

Real Estate AI Integration: Plunk, an AI-powered analytics platform, partners with BHR to enhance the RealReports™ platform, offering real-time property valuations and AI-driven remodeling insights. This collaboration aims to bolster real estate professionals' competitive edge by providing deep property insights for informed decision-making and optimized business growth, a crucial advantage in the current dynamic market. (link)

🔐 Cyber Security

Cybersecurity Boost with AI: Qevlar, a Paris-based cybersecurity startup, secures $5 million in seed funding to enhance digital security with AI. The company's AI platform actively monitors business operations, identifying and managing security risks, aiming to alleviate alert fatigue and skill shortages in the cybersecurity sector. With backing from EQT Ventures and notable angel investors, Qevlar's market traction and customer base have poised it for international attention and rapid advancement in the field. (link)

⚖️ Legal

AI's Legal Ethical Acumen: A new study reveals that ChatGPT surpasses most human counterparts in the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), signaling potential future roles in legal ethical compliance. The chatbot achieved a 74% correct answer rate, outperforming the human average of 68%, with particular strengths in conflicts of interest and attorney-client relationships. This marks a significant milestone in AI's capabilities within legal education and ethics. (link)

📈 Venture Deals

  • Menlo Ventures closed $1.35 billion to invest in companies leading the AI transformation. (link)

  • Airbnb acquired GamePlanner AI at just under $200 million. (link)

  • Lunit receives $150 million capital chip-in, doubles down on US market. (link)

  • Stability AI raised $50 million in funding from Intel. (link)

  • Ritual, an AI infrastructure startup, raised $25 million to fill gaps in crypto. (link)

  • OfferFit secures $25 million to revolutionize marketing with machine learning personalization. (link)

  • Radiant Security secured $15 million to meet the growing demand for AI-enhanced security. (link)

  • Aigen lands $12 million funding for Agtech robots. (link)

  • Ozone raised $7.1 million to enhance its AI-powered collaborative video editor in the cloud. (link)

  • Atlas raises $6 million to fast-track 3D world building with generative AI. (link)

🛠️ Latest AI Tools

  • Lebesgue scrapes global data for strategic insights.

  • FindAMeal tailors restaurant searches to user preferences.

  • LeadDelta3.0 is a CRM that enhances networking with AI.

  • Klu is a unified search app for Gmail.

  • Chat2Design is an AI design assistant.

  • Floutwork is a desktop app that streamlines work.

  • Scenery introduces an AI-powered video editor.

  • Copper Key creates custom AI workflows for on-brand marketing.

  • ABhero assists your sales team with a professional website.

  • Passionfroot helps you discover & book top creators.

  • Ankara generates narrations for your videos using AI.

  • Stylar is your new AI assistant for graphic design.

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