Newsletter
Highlights:
Meta to invest around $40 billion in AI in 2024
The first-ever US Air Force dogfight involving an AI-flown fighter jet was a success
AI leads to medical breakthroughs in cancer drug prescriptions and gene editing research
Business
Mark Zuckerberg laid out 3 ways Meta will make money from its huge AI investments (BusinessInsider)
Mark Zuckerberg plans to spend around $40 billion in 2024, mostly on AI investments, in the hopes that it will become a core part of Meta’s business. He states "I actually think we're in a place where we've shown that we can build leading models and be the leading AI company in the world.”
How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Businesses (BusinessNewsDaily)
This article breaks down the different terminology associated with AI, as well as what the future holds. AI is likened to merely the next evolution of software. The most at-risk jobs are analyst related occupations such as hedge fund managers and lawyers, but AI will also create entirely new job types in return.
Microsoft's and Amazon's AI partnerships draw UK watchdog scrutiny (Reuters)
Amidst partnerships between Microsoft and Mistral AI, as well as Amazon and Anthropic, the British regulator grows concerned if these partnerships fall within UK merger rules and fair competition practices. Both Amazon and Microsoft responded to say that they believe their actions are up to regulation standards.
Government
Army rethinks its approach to AI-enabled risks via Project Linchpin (DefenseScoop)
Project Linchpin, announced last year, is the first official program to propose a plan for integrating AI into Army weaponry. This week, three senior defense officials provided an update, saying that they are creating a new “AI risk reduction framework” to ensure that their work addresses the dangers of deploying AI.
US Air Force stages dogfights with AI-flown fighter jet (DefenseNews)
The first-ever dogfight involving an AI-piloted fighter jet was a success last Friday. Two pilots were in the cockpit to monitor performance and switch between AI but they were never needed to fly the plane. This is a massive step for the US Air Force towards creating trustworthy advanced AI systems. They have no plans at the moment to replace pilots with this technology.
Entertainment
Drake threatened with lawsuit over diss track featuring AI Tupac (The Verge)
Drake’s latest song, “Taylor Made”, is being scrutinized for using AI to incorporate the voice of the late Tupac Shakur, as well as Snoop Dogg. Shakur’s estate has threatened legal action if the song isn’t pulled from the internet. This situation reflects the growing popularity of AI in the music industry and the necessity for urgent regulation.
An AI Salvador Dalí will answer any question when called on his famous 'lobster phone’ (NPR)
Ask Dalí is a new installation at the Dalí museum in Florida which allows visitors to pick up a lobster-shaped receiver, modeled after the iconic Lobster Telephone sculpture, and hear the artist’s voice using generative AI. The model was trained on archival English interviews over the course of Dalí’s career.
Science
NIH researchers develop AI tool with potential to more precisely match cancer drugs to patients (NIH)
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of NIH, published a proof-of-concept study last week suggesting that AI could be used to more efficiently prescribe drugs to cancer patients. By analyzing and identifying the individual cells inside a tumor, doctors can determine which drugs are most appropriate on a patient-to-patient basis.
Profluent combines LLMs and CRISPR for open-source AI gene editing project (Fierce Biotech)
Profluent is an artificial intelligence startup specializing in proteins. They believe that their large language models (LLMs) can further gene editing research so they made their work free to the public through an open-source license. Their initiative aims to design proteins using AI that take inspiration from nature but are entirely brand new. Profluent’s programs were trained on protein sequence databases and are now capable of generating their own “CRISPR-like proteins and instructional RNA molecules”.
Life
IOC takes the lead for the Olympic Movement and launches Olympic AI Agenda (Olympics)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently launched the Olympic AI Agenda, a strategy document outlining four commitments the IOC has made to leverage AI in their operations. They hope to use AI to empower athletes, increase fairness, and further immerse spectators.
Metro Has Started Installing AI-Powered Cameras To Ticket Drivers Parked In Bus Lanes (LAist)
Los Angeles has installed 15 AI-powered cameras in buses to scan in real-time for cars parked in the bus lane or in front of stops. The cameras will then take photos and videos of the license plate and send it to local parking enforcement agencies for action. The city hopes to install 100 in total and launch the program by the end of 2024.
