Newsletter
Highlights:
Microsoft to invest $2.2 billion into Malaysian AI expansion.
Anthropic launches iOS competitor to ChatGPT called “Claude AI”.
The US urges China and Russia to keep humans, not AI, in charge of nuclear weapons.
Business
Microsoft to invest $2.2 bln in cloud and AI services in Malaysia (Reuters)
On Thursday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed plans to invest $2.2 billion over the next four years in Malaysia to expand cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) services in their continued efforts to bring generative AI to Southeast Asia. The investment is their largest yet in Malaysia and will create AI-skilling opportunities for 200,000 people. Microsoft also plans to work with the Malaysian government to improve their cybersecurity by establishing a national AI Centre of Excellence.
Big Tech's AI spending spree comes with a catch (Yahoo! Finance)
Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta have all recently pledged to invest heavily in AI in the first quarter earnings season. However, not all investors are happy about this decision. "Given the billions of dollars that Big Tech companies have been pouring into the AI boom, investors are cautious that this may ultimately result in infrastructure overbuild minus the promised future profits," said Nicole Tanenbaum, an investment strategist.
Anthropic releases Claude AI chatbot iOS app (Ars Technica)
On Wednesday, Anthropic launched its new iOS mobile app, Claude, for its 3 AI language models that are similar to ChatGPT. Out of the three different models (titled Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet, and Claude Haiku) the base app used Claude Sonnet while Claude Opus is available for Pro subscription users. Anthropic says an Android app is coming soon.
Government
US official urges China, Russia to declare only humans, not AI, control nuclear weapons (Reuters)
State Department arms control official Paul Dean urged Russia and China to follow in the US’s footsteps and make a pledge to never allow artificial intelligence to make decisions on deploying nuclear weapons. France and Britain have already done the same. "We think it is an extremely important norm of responsible behavior and we [UN Security Council] think it is something that would be very welcome in a P5 context," he states.
Tech Reviews
Rabbit R1 review: nothing to see here (The Verge)
The Rabbit R1 is a $200 AI “pocket companion”. It’s a 3x3in orange square with a small screen, camera, and push-to-talk button. In theory, it’s an interesting experiment with AI but in practice it doesn’t do anything that your phone can’t do better. It’s finicky and slow and often misidentifies objects or incorrectly performs tasks. The Rabbit R1 is just one of many AI devices being pitched right now. Humane’s AI pin is another company toying with bringing AI personal assistants out of our phones for a hands-free experience.
Life
The AI-Generated Population Is Here, and They’re Ready to Work (WSJ)
Using individual data such as appearance or health history, artificial intelligence can create a person’s “digital twin” to carry out tasks in their place. For example, Los Angeles-based startup AI Fashion consensually uses photos of real models to generate new images of them modeling without them ever having to show up for a photoshoot. Similarly, San Francisco-based company Unlearn is using AI to simulate how diseases might progress over time in individuals given their health data.
What’s next with AI? (The Verge)
In late June 2023, The Verge and Vox Media partnered to conduct a long-term study of how American adults are thinking about and using AI. Now they’ve released their findings of how the statistics have changed over the year. The main takeaways are that interest has not wavered but usage is growing at a smaller rate. Also, that AI seems to be predominantly used for productivity over creativity, with work and schools adopting AI into the new norm.
How to use AI to plan your next vacation and what you should know first (USA Today)
With the recent boom in AI personal assistants, it’s no surprise that AI is permeating into the travel industry. AI travel planners like Layla or Mindtrip specialize in offering more specific recommendations and tools than can be found through ChatGPT. Points of interest, hotel recommendations, and third-party bookings can all be found in these apps. Mindtrip even allows multiple people to collaborate on itineraries.
