xAI’s AURORA 🖼️, 12 Days of OpenAI 🎄, China's Antitrust Investigation Into Nvidia ⚖️

In partnership with

Securing top talent with our guide is a click away

Deel’s simplified a whole planet’s worth of information. It’s time you got your hands on our international compliance handbook where you’ll learn about:

• Attracting global talent

• Labor laws to consider when hiring

• Processing international payroll on time

• Staying compliant with employment & tax laws abroad

With 150+ countries right at your fingertips, growing your team with Deel is easier than ever.

Get the guide

💬 OpenAI Developments

OpenAI and Future partner on specialist content

OpenAI has partnered with Future plc, a UK-based media company with over 200 brands including Marie Claire, PC Gamer, and TechRadar, to integrate their specialist content into ChatGPT. This collaboration aims to enhance user experience by providing access to a broad range of news and lifestyle information, complete with attributions and links to original articles, while also expanding Future's audience reach.

12 Days of OpenAI LIVE: ChatGPT-maker to release Sora and other advanced AI features

OpenAI has initiated a "12 Days of OpenAI" event, unveiling new features and models daily from December 5th to 20th, 2024. Highlights include the full release of the o1 reasoning model, a new $200/month ChatGPT Pro subscription offering unlimited access to advanced tools, and the anticipated launch of Sora, a text-to-video AI generator.

🌐 AI in Various Sectors

Healthcare: A study by DeepHealth and RadNet revealed that AI-enhanced mammography increased breast cancer detection by 21%, with AI acting as a “second set of eyes” for radiologists. While selection bias partially influenced results, randomized trials are needed to validate AI's full impact.

Robotics: Researchers from China and Germany have developed SMEO, a robotic rat equipped with a flexible spine, realistic forelimbs, and AI-driven behavior patterns, enabling it to interact seamlessly with live rats. By training SMEO on video data to emulate rat behaviors, the robot can engage in activities such as play and social nuzzling, offering a promising tool for ethical animal behavior studies and potentially reducing reliance on live animal testing.

Social Media and Interaction: X's AI chatbot, Grok, is now free for all users with a limit of 10 prompts and 10 image generations every 2 hours, though advanced features require a subscription. xAI, Grok's creator, has raised $12 billion in funding, signaling significant growth ambitions.

🚀 Tech Industry Moves

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have differing views on the timeline for achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Altman believes AGI is feasible with current hardware, while Suleyman estimates it could take up to 10 years and multiple hardware generations.

Microsoft is promoting its AI solutions, such as Copilot, as tools to automate routine tasks, thereby reducing the need for human labor and enabling companies to reallocate resources to more strategic initiatives. This approach aims to enhance operational efficiency and productivity across various business functions.

NVIDIA is collaborating with Thailand and Vietnam to develop sovereign AI capabilities, enabling these nations to harness artificial intelligence using their own data, infrastructure, and workforce. In Thailand, NVIDIA is partnering with local universities and startups to advance AI in sectors like weather prediction and healthcare, while in Vietnam, the company plans to establish its first R&D center to accelerate AI adoption across various industries.

Anthropic has integrated Google Docs into its Claude.ai assistant, enabling users to incorporate documents directly into chats and projects. This feature allows Claude to access and process the content, facilitating tasks such as summarizing lengthy documents and referencing historical context to support decision-making and strategic planning.

Meta AI has open-sourced Llama 3.3, a 70-billion-parameter multilingual large language model optimized for cost-effective inference, achieving token generation costs as low as $0.01 per million tokens. This release aims to democratize access to advanced AI capabilities, enabling developers and researchers to integrate sophisticated language understanding into their applications while minimizing operational expenses.

Google DeepMind has introduced GenCast, an AI-based weather prediction model that surpasses traditional forecasting methods in accuracy and speed, providing reliable forecasts up to 15 days in advance. Trained on four decades of data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, GenCast excels in predicting extreme weather events and operates with greater computational efficiency than conventional models.

⚖️ AI Ethics and Regulation

China's State Administration for Market Regulation has initiated an antitrust investigation into Nvidia, focusing on potential violations related to its $6.9 billion acquisition of Mellanox Technologies in 2020. This move comes amid escalating U.S.-China tensions over technology trade, with recent U.S. export controls on advanced chips prompting China to scrutinize foreign tech firms operating within its borders.

💡 Emerging AI Technologies and Companies

Barcelona-based HEMAV raises €8 million to advance AI-driven sustainable agriculture

Barcelona-based HEMAV, specializing in AI-driven agricultural solutions, has secured €8 million in funding from investors including Future Food Fund, PureTerra Ventures, and Inclimo. This investment will enhance HEMAV's SaaS platform, LAYERS, expand its global presence, and promote sustainable agricultural practices to address challenges like climate change and food security.

🎨 AI in Creative Industries

xAI’s Grok 2 has introduced AURORA, an advanced AI-powered image generation tool that transforms text prompts into photorealistic visuals with remarkable detail. Leveraging the FLUX.1 model, AURORA handles complex prompts, integrates real-time trends, and supports diverse creative applications like marketing, education, and digital art. While praised for its versatility and image quality, its minimal content restrictions raise ethical concerns around privacy and misinformation. Positioned as a key tool for creative professionals, AURORA promises to redefine digital content creation while navigating the challenges of responsible AI use.

🌍 Global AI Race

US Greenlights AI Chip Export to UAE, Strengthening Microsoft-G42 Alliance

The U.S. government has authorized Microsoft to export advanced AI chips to its United Arab Emirates (UAE) facility, enhancing its partnership with Emirati AI firm G42. The export license includes strict conditions to prevent access by individuals or entities from nations under U.S. arms embargoes or those on the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security's Entity List, particularly targeting affiliations with China.

If you want more updates related to AI, subscribe to our Newsletter