Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

A Starlink competitor just got a major influx of cash — and the investments are coming from some heavy hitters.

Google, AT&T, and Vodaphone just injected $200M into AST SpaceMobile, cranking up the heat on the space-based connectivity race. Let’s explore…

In today’s tech rundown:

• Google, phone carriers invest in Starlink competitor

• On-demand skin patch wirelessly releases drugs

• 7 new products

• Apple’s security-enhancing iOS upgrade

• DMA ruling allows EU users to separate FB, IG accounts

• Mr. Beast earns $250k on X video experiment

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

AST SPACEMOBILE

📡 Google, phone carriers invest in Starlink competitor

Image source: AST

The Rundown: Google, AT&T, and Vodafone are investing $206.5M into AST SpaceMobile, a Starlink competitor developing satellites that can connect directly to smartphones.

The details:

• Like Starlink, AST aims to provide service in hard-to-reach areas not covered by cellular networks.

• The company has a large prototype in orbit, with plans to launch 5 more satellites by March 2024 (for comparison, Starlink has 6 LTE-enabled satellites in orbit).

• Google will partner on integrating AST's service into Android devices, while AT&T and Vodafone have placed equipment orders for commercial service.

• Starlink has a deal with T-Mobile in the U.S., along with a partnership with several other carriers worldwide.

Why it matters: With backing from major tech and telecom players, AST could position itself as a thorn in Starlink’s side — though consumers worldwide likely benefit from the mass expansion of global phone connectivity set to come in the near future.

TOGETHER WITH CASTMAGIC

🔊 Turn audio files into content

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• Perfectly accurate transcript with timestamped show notes, key topics, and summaries

• Work with any audio - sales calls, YouTube videos and more

Click here to try Castmagic, the fastest way to automate your content workflow.

MEDICAL TECH

💊 On-demand skin patch wirelessly releases drugs

Image source: UNC

The Rundown: Researchers at the University of North Carolina just developed a wearable skin patch that can wirelessly receive commands from a smartphone to release drugs on demand.

The details:

• The soft, thin patch contains an array of tiny microneedles loaded with different medications.

• A wireless signal triggers heating of individual microneedles, causing their gold coating to disintegrate and expose the drugs to the skin.

• Drugs are then released within 30 seconds from only targeted needles.

• In tests on mice, the patch effectively delivered the sleep hormone melatonin when triggered.

Why it matters: This smart patch could transform treatment for chronic illnesses by scheduling and delivering multiple drugs throughout the day without needing injections or frequent medication intake — with convenience and programmability that could significantly improve patients' quality of life.

NEW PRODUCTS

💰 Finagg- Free, extensive financial data (link)

📙 Meander- Feedback and career growth insights (link)

🤖 CuServly- Your business's AI-powered chatbot solution (link)

🌐 Instill- AI-driven data ETL platform for unstructured inputs (link)

📈 Composer IRA- Automated trading for retirement accounts (link)

📕 storly.ai- Write your life’s story with AI interview algorithm (link)

🦾 Fine Tuner- Build AI agents at scale (link)

💼 Cody- An AI assistant for business (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

Nvidia has launched the open beta of its RTX Remix tool, enabling modders to enhance older games with advanced textures and ray tracing technology.

Apple's latest update, iOS 17.3, introduces Stolen Device Protection to enhance user data security on iPhones and iPads.

Mr. Beast shared that his video posted to X garnered $250k in revenue, though the content creator pointed to advertisers inflating numbers with ad buys.

EU users will soon be able to separate their Instagram and Facebook accounts due to new regulations from the Digital Markets Act.

VF Corp, supplier to popular brands like North Face and Vans, admits a data breach affecting 35.5 million customers without expecting financial repercussions.

Growing inventory and declining mortgage rates signal a potential recovery for the housing market in 2024.

MAGGIE, a proposed solar-powered aircraft, aims to search for water on Mars from the planet's atmosphere.

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Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Sam Altman wants AI to continue accelerating — and isn’t going to let major chip shortages stand in his way.

The CEO is reportedly in talks with investors and manufacturers on a new global chipmaking venture, chasing billions from the Middle East. Let’s investigate…

In today’s AI rundown:

• Altman chasing billions for chip manufacturing

• OpenAI suspends Dean Bot AI taking on Biden

• How to generate a powerpoint in seconds with Copilot

• Meta introduces Mosiac-SDF for 3D shape generation

• 5 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs

• More AI & tech news

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

OPENAI

💰 Altman chasing billions for chip manufacturing

Image source: Bloomberg

The Rundown: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seeking billions from investors to establish a global network of semiconductor factories focused on producing AI chips, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

The details:

• Altman is aiming to work with ‘top major chipmakers’ to set up manufacturing plants worldwide to help meet surging demand for compute power.

• The chip efforts were briefly halted amid Altman’s brief removal as CEO in November, but discussions were revived upon returning.

• Altman is reportedly in talks with Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC to manufacture, alongside discussions with wealthy Middle East investors.

• The chip venture aims to decrease reliance on Nvidia, while also trying to get ahead of a potential massive future supply shortage.

Why it matters: To the joy of accelerationists, Altman looks to be rushing to ensure chip shortages won’t limit AI progress. But competing with chip giants is no small task — and further entanglement with the Middle East and new business ventures likely opens Altman and OpenAI up to even more scrutiny.

TOGETHER WITH OCTOAI

🐙 Mixtral on OctoAI: 12x lower costs, 30% faster speeds vs GPT-4-Turbo

The Rundown: Innovators who built on OpenAI are hungry for alternatives as their LLM-powered apps catch fire with users. Why?

• Inference costs on OpenAI are too high for new apps to become successful businesses.

• Low latency and scale don’t come out of the box. Not realistic for most folks.

• Closed-sourced models lack the flexibility needed to deliver excellent experiences.

Switch from GPT-4-Turbo to 12x your savings and see 30% lower latency.

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POLITICS & AI

👨‍⚖️ OpenAI suspends Dean.Bot AI taking on Biden

Image source: DeanBot

The Rundown: OpenAI just suspended the account of the developer behind Dean Bot, a chatbot mimicking Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips — saying the use violates the company’s ban on using its tech in political campaigns.

The details:

• A super PAC called We Deserve Better is behind the chatbot, contracting AI startup Delphi to build the application.

• One of the PAC co-founders is Matt Krisiloff, former chief of staff to Sam Altman — with reported support from hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.

• The chatbot was trained on Phillips’ podcasts, interviews, and speeches — and can respond via voice to help educate and interact with potential voters.

• The account suspension is reportedly OpenAI’s first action against the use of GPT in political campaigns.

• The bot was originally powered by an OpenAI API, but is being pivoted to open-source tech in wake of the suspension.

Why it matters: AI’s political drama has officially begun — and OpenAI will likely be playing whack-a-mole with these issues all year. But with capable open-source alternatives, the tech’s usage in campaigns isn’t going away — and its wider adoption is something AI experts currently fear the most.

AI TRAINING

🪄 How to generate a powerpoint in seconds with Copilot

Image source: Ethan Mollick on X

The Rundown: Microsoft Copilot’s new AI integration with PowerPoint allows you to create in-depth presentations with speaker notes from documents in seconds.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint (make sure it's updated to the latest version) and click the ‘Copilot’ button on the top right taskbar.

2. In the prompt box, explain what you’d like to create. Options include creating a presentation from scratch, uploading documents to create from a file, or creating individual slides.

3. Copilot will provide suggestions based on your prompt. Accept, modify, or reject the outputs as needed.

4. Copilot is also capable of adjusting layouts and images, generating speaker notes, animating slides, and more — all by chatting conversationally via the chat box.

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AI RESEARCH

♾️ Meta introduces Mosiac-SDF for 3D shape generation

Image source: Meta

The Rundown: Meta researchers just published a paper on Mosaic-SDF, a new 3D format tailored for training generative AI models to quickly and efficiently create novel shapes.

The details:

• M-SDF represents a 3D shape using tiny voxel grids placed around its surface, capturing detail efficiently.

• The format is fast to compute from shapes, low in parameters, and compatible with powerful AI models.

• The researchers showed M-SDF's utility by training a neural model that generates creative 3D shapes based on text captions.

Why it matters: M-SDF provides an efficient 3D shape representation for unlocking AI's generative potential in the area, which could significantly advance creative 3D applications.

NEW TOOLS & JOBS

AI tools powered by Supertools

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👩‍💻 Cohere- Technical Product Marketing Associate (link)

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QUICK HITS

Elon Musk said there is currently a massive gigawatt-class GPU cluster being constructed in Kuwait during an interview with entrepreneur Peter Diamandis.

MultiOn CEO Div Garg discussed the future of AI agents with Nathan Labenz, saying autonomous agents will soon change the nature of jobs as we know them.

Mindaugas Galvosas showed off a video demo of MedivisAR, an FDA-cleared, AI-powered AR platform for surgeries.

Stability AI unveiled Stable LM 2 1.6B, a fast and compact 1.6B parameter multilingual language model that outperforms similar small models

Two Google DeepMind researchers are reportedly in talks to leave and launch a new AI startup in Paris, with potentially over $220M in initial funding to create a new AI model.

Bloomberg reported that Elon Musk’s xAI has secured $500M in commitments towards a $1B investment round, at a valuation of at least $15B — but Musk dispelled the article as ‘fake news’.

NASA published research demonstrating self-assembling robotic structures, utilizing mobile robots and reusable frames to enable the construction of buildings that… build themselves.

THAT’S A WRAP

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Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

The Vision Pro is Apple’s biggest launch in a decade — but not everyone is coming to the welcome party.

Tensions between the tech giant and the developer community are threatening to rain on the company’s new launch. Let’s dive in…

In today’s tech rundown:

• Major companies avoiding Vision Pro apps

• Disney demos HoloTile floor for shared VR experiences

• 7 new products

• 7 quick stories

• X’s payment feature inches closer

• Boeing faces additional scrutiny after safety issues

• Apple’s iMessage Check-In feature

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

APPLE

🍎 Major companies avoiding Vision Pro apps

Image source: Getty Images

The Rundown: Several major apps including Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify will not offer dedicated experiences for the upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset — leaving consumers forced to access popular platforms in-browser via Safari.

The details:

• Netflix and YouTube, which both compete with Apple in the streaming space — confirmed that they will not be releasing native apps as of now.

• Bloomberg reported that Spotify will also refrain from an integration on the headsets, with rumors that Meta and Google apps will also be absent.

• Apple simplified Vision Pro app development by automatically including iPad apps, but some developers are still holding off.

• Despite the notable holdouts, over a dozen entertainment apps have already pledged support, including TikTok, streaming services, sports leagues and more.

Why it matters: It’s going to be tough to have a great experience on the Vision Pro if the most-used apps are all missing from the headset. Apple’s failure to play nice with competing tech firms may be driving this power play — and could seriously hamper the company’s most pivotal launch in a decade.

TOGETHER WITH OCTOAI

🐙 Mixtral on OctoAI: 12x lower costs, 30% faster speeds vs GPT-4-Turbo

The Rundown: Innovators who built on OpenAI are hungry for alternatives as their LLM-powered apps catch fire with users. Why?

• Inference costs on OpenAI are too high for new apps to become successful businesses.

• Low latency and scale don’t come out of the box. Not realistic for most folks.

• Closed-sourced models lack the flexibility needed to deliver excellent experiences.

Switch from GPT-4-Turbo to 12x your savings and see 30% lower latency.

Try OctoAI Text Generation and get $10 in free credits when you sign up today.

DISNEY

🪄 Disney demos HoloTile floor for shared VR experiences

Image source: Disney Parks

The Rundown: Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot showed off the HoloTile floor — a treadmill-style floor that enables multiple people to have shared virtual reality experiences.

The details:

• HoloTile uses rotating tiles to simulate realistic multi-directional movement in VR without users leaving the floor area.

• The surface can enable experiences like collaborative VR sightseeing, games, training, and other applications with natural walking motion.

• Smoot said he sees potential for HoloTile at Disney's parks and venues— like using it as a stage insert for new types of dance performances or dynamic set changes.

Why it matters: Is this a key breakthrough towards more immersive, shared virtual reality experiences? Between increases in robotics and AI — alongside more mainstream adoption via headsets like the Vision Pro, the ‘Ready Player One’ era of VR may be here soon.

NEW PRODUCTS

🤖 CuServly- Your business's essential AI chatbot (link)

📊 Sharly AI- Interactive document and PDF conversations (link)

📈 Scopechat- Crypto trading query assistant (link)

🧑‍🎓 Studyy - Instant Flashcards- Flashcard creation through scanning (link)

📷 Photify AI- Instant AI-generated portraits (link)

👨 AI Steve- Analyzes websites for strategic advice (link)

🖥️ Super- Create a website from your Notion database in minutes (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

NASA successfully reestablished contact with the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars after a communication blackout during its 72nd flight.

X created a dedicated account for its upcoming Payments feature, leading to surges in several Musk-linked cryptocurrencies like Doge speculation on potential integration.

Apple unveiled an iPhone 15 commercial showcasing the Messages app's Check-In feature, emphasizing peace of mind for parents of new drivers.

UK researchers are exploring the use of old mine shafts to store and distribute the waste heat from supercomputers to heat homes efficiently.

A real estate startup is creating a community in Appalachia designed for right-wingers seeking refuge from what they perceive as cultural insanity.

Boeing faces scrutiny over its close ties with the U.S. government following safety issues with its 737 Max planes.

Japan's SLIM probe successfully landed on the moon, making Japan the fifth nation to achieve a lunar landing, but faces power issues with its solar panels.

AMD has removed 'Made in Taiwan' markings from its Ryzen 7000 processors, citing alignment with its product marking process and not political reasons.

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Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

After years in court, Apple likely hoped its legal storms had passed — with new App Store changes implemented after rulings from its Epic Games lawsuit.

But what Apple sees as compliance, app makers see as a loophole — with the new rules angering developers and likely bringing more legal battles to the table. Let’s dive deeper…

In today’s tech rundown:

• Apple’s App Store changes draw criticism

• Smart contact lenses monitor glaucoma

• 9 new products

• Zuckerberg reorgs Meta AI with AGI focus

• Iowa sues TikTok for misleading parents

• Instagram introduces ‘nighttime nudges’ to help teens sleep

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

APPLE

📱Apple’s App Store changes draw criticism

Image source: Reuters

The Rundown: Apple updated its App Store rules this week under legal pressure, allowing developers to use third-party payment systems — but developers must still pay Apple a 27% commission fee, drawing widespread criticism that the changes don't go far enough.

The details:

• The updates stem from a 2020 lawsuit from Epic Games challenging Apple's "walled garden" approach and 30% commission fees.

• A court ruled Apple had monopoly power over iOS apps and ordered them to allow alternate payments — but under the new rules, apps must still pay a 27% "tax" to Apple for external payment transactions.

• Both Apple and Epic appealed the original decision to try and push the issue to the Supreme Court, but were denied.

• Developers slammed the change as bad faith compliance, with Epic's CEO saying they will continue to contest it in court.

Why it matters: While the concessions may appease the court, developers argue the changes reinforce Apple's app marketplace dominance rather than increasing competition. With Apple now facing heat from all angles, these legal challenges seem likely to continue.

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MEDICAL TECH

👁️ Smart contact lenses monitor glaucoma

Image source: Northumbria University

The Rundown: Researchers from Northumbria University just developed GlakoLens — contact lenses with embedded sensors that continuously monitor pressure changes within the eye to aid in glaucoma diagnosis.

The details:

• The tech uses a soft disposable lens and wireless system to gather and analyze pressure data over 24 hours.

• The constant monitoring captures natural fluctuations better than single in-office measurements to improve detection.

• Initial trials showed the contact lens sensors responded accurately to intentionally increased eye pressure.

• Glaucoma develops slowly over time with few symptoms, making early detection difficult — something that GlakoLens addresses with easy, constant measurements.

Why it matters: Wearable medical devices are about to push to new heights with new tech, AI and robotic advances. Innovations like these lenses will provide more rapid diagnosis and less invasive monitoring for countless conditions.

NEW PRODUCTS

🤖 Modelize.ai 1.0- AI-powered workflow automation (link)

👨 Broadcast 2.0- Manager's AI assistant (link)

📧 Superhuman AI for iOS- Accelerated email composition for mobile (link)

📸 Camp 2.0- AI-powered screenshot management (link)

🧠 Emergent Mind- GPT-4 explains trending AI/ML papers (link)

🗣️ Gotalk.ai- Text-to-speech AI conversion (link)

🕵️‍♂️ Knibble- AI-powered knowledge base (link)

👩🏽‍🍳ChefGPT- AI digital chef & kitchen companion (link)

✏️ StealthGPT- An AI-writing tool that avoids AI detection (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reorganizing the company with a new focus on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI).

The EU launches the Nostradamus project to enhance cybersecurity using quantum key distribution technology.

Iowa is suing TikTok, alleging the platform misleads parents by understating the amount of inappropriate content accessible to young users.

SWIR sensors, made with non-toxic quantum dots and offering improved performance in challenging visual conditions, show great potential for integration into various technology sectors.

Instagram is introducing "Nighttime Nudges" to encourage teens to stop using the app late at night and help them prioritize sleep.

The European Parliament is seeking to reform regulations to mandate fairer payment and greater transparency for artists on music streaming platforms.

Big Sky's 18K sensor, the world's largest in any commercial cinema camera, enhances content for Las Vegas' immersive Sphere venue.

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Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Samsung just rolled out its Galaxy S24 lineup, determined to bring a ‘new era of mobile AI’ to consumers everywhere.

Have the first true ‘smart’ phones just hit the market? Let’s dig deeper…

In today’s AI rundown:

• Samsung unveils ‘new era of mobile AI’ with Galaxy launch

• Adobe Premiere Pro gets new AI updates

• How to create 3D assets from text with Genie

• Google DeepMind AI solves olympiad-level geometry

• 8 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs

• More AI & tech news

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

SAMSUNG

Samsung unveils ‘new era of mobile AI’ with Galaxy launch

Image source: Samsung

The Rundown: Samsung just revealed its latest flagship Galaxy S24 smartphone lineup at the company’s Unpacked conference, featuring extensive new AI capabilities for communication, photography, gaming, and more powered by Google’s Gemini AI model.

The details:

• A Live Translate feature enables real-time voice/text translation during calls in the native phone app without needing third-party software, with the AI model running locally.

• The camera system uses AI editing tools to fill in backgrounds and adjust subject position, as well as in night mode and 100x zoom to clarify low light and distant shots.

• Circle to Search allows users to draw a circle around any object in an image or video to get AI-powered information from Google.

• On-device AI enables quicker responses compared to cloud-reliant solutions.

• The new rollout features three price points: the S24 Ultra starting at $1,299.99, the S24+ at $999, and the S24 at $799.

Why it matters: The race to incorporate AI into smartphones is officially here. While not all these features are guaranteed to move the needle for consumers — Samsung may be the first to truly expose mainstream users to AI’s potential in mobile devices.

TOGETHER WITH CONVEYOR

The impacts of AI on security questionnaires (see the 2024 report)

The Rundown: Last year, Conveyor’s customer trust automation platform was responsible for:

• Over 300k security questionnaire questions answered by AI

• 100k+ security documents downloaded

• 45% of the Fortune 500 companies conducting security reviews through Conveyor

So, does AI bring an end to security questionnaires as we know it?

Based on the data, Conveyor curated a list of predictions for the future of security reviews. Click here to see the report.

ADOBE

Adobe Premiere Pro gets new AI updates

Image source: Adobe

The Rundown: Adobe just introduced new AI-powered features to Premiere Pro, including updates like enhanced speech removal, custom audio transitions, and automatic audio category tagging.

The details:

• New AI audio tagging labels clips into dialogue, music, effects, or ambient noise, providing one-click access to relevant editing tools.

• Interactive fade handles allow quick drag-and-drop custom audio transitions on the main timeline.

• An Enhanced Speech tool is coming in February, promising to improve dialogue quality and remove unwanted noise from recordings.

Why it matters: Adobe continues integrating workflow-enhancing AI tools across its creative platforms. But unlike more controversial art updates, audio, and video editing seems like a sector ripe for AI disruption — optimizing mundane tasks so editors can focus on creative storytelling.

AI TRAINING

How to create 3D assets from text with Genie

The Rundown: Luma Labs recently launched a new text-to-3D model called Genie, allowing users to quickly generate 3D models of anything you can imagine.

Step-by-step:

1. Head to Genie and login to create a free account.

2. Under the ‘Imagine’ tab, type a description of the model you want to generate.

3. Genie will provide four variations of your prompt. Click your favorite, or retry to get additional options or tweak the prompt.

4. Once you’ve selected your favorite, you can download the 3D asset into a variety of file formats, as well as upscale or get additional variations.

AI RESEARCH

Google DeepMind AI solves olympiad-level geometry

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Google DeepMind researchers just developed AlphaGeometry, an AI system that can solve complex geometry problems from mathematical olympiads — reaching the performance level of top human contestants.

The details:

• AlphaGeometry combines neural networks and symbolic logic engines to search for geometric proofs trained on over 100M synthetic training examples.

• In a test set of 30 problems from the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), AlphaGeometry solved 25 problems, surpassing both specialized math software and other search methods.

• On problems from the 2000 and 2015 IMOs, the system attained perfect scores based on a review from a math olympiad coach.

• The system rediscovered known theorems during data generation and found novel generalizations of test problems, demonstrating creative reasoning abilities.

Why it matters: Being able to solve challenging geometry on par with some of the world’s most talented students demonstrates wildly impressive mathematic abilities for an AI system — and AlphaGeometry’s success offers a promising path to more human-like reasoning in AI.

NEW TOOLS & JOBS

AI tools powered by Supertools

• SciSpace- Your personal AI-powered integrated research workspace. Use RUNDOWN40 (40% off on annual plan) or RUNDOWN20 (20% off on monthly plan) (link)*

• Mailogy- Talk to your email with AI (link)

• Triibe- Build a happier workplace with AI (link)

• Sonia- Mental health for every mind (link)

• Helloii- ChatGPT on browser homepage (link)

• Equals- An AI assistant for your spreadsheet (link)

• Byrdhouse AI 2.0- Multilingual video call AI interpreter (link)

• Api Hunt- Access over 500 tech APIs (link)

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• Anthropic- Recruiting Analytics Lead (link)

• OpenAI- HR Operations Program Manager (link)

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QUICK HITS

Section is hosting a free event on Getting Started With AI for Beginners. If you've set a goal to use AI more in 2024, this free 1-hour event is for you. Sign up here.*

Amazon launched a new AI image generation feature on Fire TVs using voice prompts processed by Alexa, allowing users to create and set custom artwork as backgrounds.

Security researchers discovered LeftoverLocals, a GPU vulnerability affecting Apple, AMD and Qualcomm chips in millions of devices that risks exposing large quantities of AI model data.

Sakana AI raised $30M in seed funding for its work on nature-inspired foundation models, in a rare instance of a Silicon Valley VC backing a seed stage startup in Japan.

Sam Altman said OpenAI is currently focused on getting its board in place, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos about the company’s dramatic end to 2023.

OpenAI board director Adam D’Angelo reportedly spoke last month with Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi about joining the OpenAI board, despite Databricks functioning as a rival and positioning itself as ‘anti-OpenAI’.

Cybersecurity startup Vicarius secured $30M in Series B funding for its AI-powered vulnerability detection platform.

Google NotebookLM launched a new set of features to its AI-powered notetaking platform, including the ability to “Help Me Understand”, “Critique”, “Create Outline” and more.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

UK startup VividQ claims to have created the first ‘retina resolution’ projections, with plans to integrate holographic tech into gaming and AR/VR applications.

Between these tech upgrades and new hardware like the Vision Pro garnering major hype — are holograms set to be in the spotlight? Let’s take a look…

In today’s tech rundown:

• UK startup hails first ‘retina-resolution’ holograms

• Wing unveils larger delivery drone

• 9 new products

• Mr. Beast tests out videos on X

• YouTube hit with new layoffs

• Samsung teases new wearable smart ring

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

HOLOGRAPHIC TECH

👁️ UK startup hails first ‘retina-resolution’ holograms

Image source: VividQ

The Rundown: UK startup VividQ claims to have created the world’s first "retina resolution" holograms that match the detail the human eye expects — while also announcing a partnership with Japanese electronics firm JKC to advance VR/AR applications with the technology.

The details:

• VividQ engineers light waves to render 3D objects that users can naturally focus on at any distance.

• The company says the tech offers ‘unparalleled’ immersion and realism, with major implications for VR/AR, gaming, and other experiences.

• In addition to the JKC partnership, VividQ said it is also engaged with a ‘world-leading consumer electronics company’ on introducing the tech to its product roadmap.

Why it matters: With hyper-realistic advances like VividQ’s tech, alongside potential new hype around VR/AR with the Vision Pro — holograms may have a major cultural surge in the near future.

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DRONE TECH

📦 Wing unveils larger delivery drone

Image source: Wing

The Rundown: Google parent company Alphabet's drone delivery subsidiary Wing just introduced a new aircraft model capable of carrying loads up to 5 pounds, doubling the capacity of its current 2.5-pound fleet.

The details:

• The drone aircraft can travel at speeds up to 65 miles per hour with a roundtrip range of 12 miles on a single charge.

• By carrying items like meal kits, pizzas, and bundles of household goods, Wing aims to streamline deliveries that currently require two separate 2.5-pound aircraft.

• Wing CEO Adam Woodworth stated the company will roll out the new 5-pound capacity drone across service areas over the next 12 months.

Why it matters: This boost significantly expands the variety of packages Wing can deliver, though truly bulky items still remain out of reach. But given the advances in AI and robotics happening every day, it feels inevitable that drones will handle the bulk of deliveries sooner rather than later.

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SNIPPETS

YouTube has announced internal layoffs affecting its business operations, following over 1,000 job cuts at Google in hardware, policy, and advertising.

Apple agreed to a $35 million settlement over a class action lawsuit claiming iPhone 7 models had audio issues caused by a defective chip

Samsung unveiled its new AI-focused line of Galaxy S24 smartphones, with new camera, productivity, translation and search features powered by Google’s Gemini AI model.

Samsung also teased its new health and wellness-focused Galaxy Ring wearable at the S24 Unpacked event without many details.

MrBeast, known for assessing product pros and cons, explores content creation on X after an invitation from Elon Musk.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson has announced a restructuring strategy focused on unifying the company's separate news divisions and enhancing CNN's digital and mobile presence.

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THAT’S A WRAP

If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundowntech

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

AI is taking over the World… Economic Forum.

The world’s rich and powerful descended on Davos, Switzerland, this week for the annual meetup — with all the leading figures in AI attending to help shape global strategy. Let’s get into it…

In today’s AI rundown:

• AI takes center stage at the World Economic Forum

• Musk wants over $80B to continue AI and robotics strategy

• How to run Phi-2 locally on your computer for private AI

• Meta releases MAGNET technique for speedy text-to-audio

• 8 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs

• More AI & tech news

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

OPENAI

AI takes center stage at Davos World Economic Forum

Image source: Reuters

The Rundown: AI is one of the main themes of this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — with notable leaders like Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Yann LeCun, Mustafa Suleyman, and others holding discussions at the annual meeting of the world’s most rich and powerful.

The details:

• OpenAI revealed it is working with the Pentagon on cybersecurity projects, coming after recently removing a blanket ban on ‘military and warfare’ uses on ChatGPT’s ToS.

• The ChatGPT creator is also accelerating work on addressing election disinformation risks, including new tools for ID’ing DALL-E generated images and more guardrails to prevent abuse.

• Altman also said more climate-friendly power is critical for training billion-parameter models, with future AI breakthroughs depending on energy innovation.

• Nadella urged attendees on a global regulatory approach to the technology but said he feels a ‘broad consensus’ is emerging on guardrails.

Why it matters: In the annual meeting of global leaders and elites, it’s no surprise that AI has a key seat at the table. With businesses and governments across the globe rushing to get a grasp on the tech, this year’s meetings will provide a key opportunity to get more globally aligned on adoption and safety.

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TESLA

Musk wants over $80B to continue AI and robotics strategy

Image source: The New York Times

The Rundown: Elon Musk just demanded (via X) that Tesla's board grant him a 25% voting stake (worth over $80B) to continue driving its AI and robotics strategy, startling investors and saying he'll pursue external ventures if his ask is not met.

The details:

• Musk said he is “uncomfortable growing Tesla to be a leader in AI and robotics without having ~25% voting control" in a reply on X.

• Musk’s current shares are reportedly worth 13% of the company, with the polarizing tech leader selling a significant amount of his shares to fund the purchase of Twitter.

• Granting the demands would be difficult, with Tesla needing to issue new shares that could result in shareholder lawsuits.

• Voting power was highlighted by Musk as the main driver, saying that being at 15% or lower ‘makes a takeover by dubious interests too easy’.

Why it matters: The provocative move spotlights Tesla's susceptibility to Musk's whims and the friction between his personal and corporate interests as AI ambitions collide. While Elon is undoubtedly an accelerant of innovation — it’s certainly not always a smooth ride.

AI TRAINING

How to run Phi-2 locally on your computer for private AI

Image source: Paul Couvert on X

The Rundown: Mistral AI’s open-source LLM, Phi-2, can be run on your laptop offline — keeping data private and avoiding the censorship that comes with other models.

Thank you to Paul Couvert for sharing this tutorial with us.

Step-by-step:

1. Download LM Studio - a free platform for local AI models

2. Inside LM Studio, search for "phi-2", select “TheBloke/phi-2-GGUF” and download the Q6_K or Q4_K_S version.

3. Open the Chat tab, ensure Phi-2 is selected, and then start prompting away!

AI RESEARCH

Meta releases MAGNET technique for speedy text-to-audio

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Meta researchers just developed a new text-to-audio AI method called MAGNET, which is capable of quickly generating music, sound effects, and noises from text prompts.

The details:

• MAGNET learns by predicting masked sections of songs during training, then unmasks pieces by using surrounding context as clues to fill in gaps.

• The technique is 7 times quicker than similar systems while matching their sound quality.

• MAGNET is also tested for turning text into sound effects and environmental noises.

Why it matters: By composing sections together non-sequentially, MAGNET points toward more efficient AI methods for music, audio, and perhaps even video creation down the line.

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Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said during an interview at Davos that he sees AI and machine learning as a core area of network growth, citing AI’s potential to possibly revive the smartphone market.

PwC’s annual Global CEO Survey found that 25% of respondents expect to reduce employee numbers due to generative AI.

Baidu has denied allegations its Ernie Bot is being used to train a Chinese military system, following media reports linking the LLM to weapons and combat data.

Vodaphone just signed a $1.5B, 10-year deal with Microsoft for AI-related services, including customer support chatbots and collaboration on the telecommunication giant’s platforms.

Square Enix revealed its Playstation exclusive game Foamstars uses some AI-generated art created with Midjourney, following the company’s pledge to ‘aggressively’ adopt AI.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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