Author: The Horizon

Seattle biotech hub pursues ‘DNA typewriter’ tech with $75M from tech billionaires

A new Seattle biotech organization, the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, has received $75 million in funding from the University of Washington, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Allen Institute. The initiative aims to research “DNA typewriters,” self-monitoring cells that could revolutionize biology. By leveraging DNA as a storage medium for information, the organization seeks to […]

EU ‘final’ talks to fix AI rules to run into second day — but deal on foundational models is on the table

European Union lawmakers have reached a preliminary agreement on how to regulate artificial intelligence, specifically concerning rules for foundational models/general purpose AIs (GPAIs). The agreement retains elements of the tiered approach to regulating these advanced AIs proposed earlier this year, with some exceptions for open source advanced AIs.   These developments in AI regulation in […]

McDonald’s will use Google AI to make sure your fries are fresh, or something?

McDonald’s is teaming up with Google to roll out generative AI in thousands of its stores beginning in 2024. This partnership involves hardware and software upgrades to optimize operations, including the promise of delivering hotter and fresher food to customers. The AI-driven system, which will run on-location and through Google Cloud services, aims to streamline […]

High Court rules that Getty v Stability AI case can proceed

In a recent copyright infringement case, Getty Images has sued Stability AI, a UK generative AI startup, for using scraped images from Getty’s website without consent to train and develop Stable Diffusion, a synthetic image generating AI. The case is still in preliminary stages, with the focus on the location of the AI’s training and […]

Gene editing is now a medical reality – Sickle Cell CRISPR treatment approved by FDA

In the U.S., sickle cell disease disproportionately affects Black patients, who have historically faced discrimination and barriers to healthcare. CRISPR, a groundbreaking gene editing technology, holds promise for treating the disease, but ethical concerns and regulatory frameworks need to be addressed. However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help mitigate risks associated with gene editing, as it […]

Stanford and Meta inch towards AI that acts human with new ‘CHOIS’ interaction model

Researchers from Stanford University and Meta’s Facebook AI Research lab have developed a groundbreaking AI system, CHOIS (Controllable Human-Object Interaction Synthesis), that generates natural and synchronized motions between virtual humans and objects based solely on text descriptions. This system allows virtual beings to understand and respond to language commands as fluidly as humans, representing a […]

Sam Altman’s Right-Hand Man Says AI Is Overhyped

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has experienced unprecedented growth, reaching 100 million weekly active users and propelling the company’s valuation to around $86 billion. Despite the hype, the company’s leadership acknowledges certain aspects of AI are overhyped, emphasizing that AI systems are still evolving and facing limitations. OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap, while surprised by the success of ChatGPT, […]

Busted! Drive-Thru Run by “AI” Actually Operated by Humans in the Philippines

The AI drive-thru system used at Checkers and Carl’s Jr relies heavily on outsourced laborers to intervene in over 70% of customer interactions, despite being marketed as an autonomous technology by Presto Automation, the company behind the system. The SEC is currently investigating claims regarding aspects of Presto’s AI technology. The reveal of the extensive […]

Paving the way to efficient architectures: StripedHyena-7B, open source models offering a glimpse into a world beyond Transformers

Together Research has introduced the StripedHyena models, including StripedHyena-Hessian-7B (SH 7B) and StripedHyena-Nous-7B (SH-N 7B). These models are designed to improve training and inference performance for long-context sequence modeling tasks. They are the first alternative models competitive with the best open-source Transformers in short and long-context evaluations, achieving comparable or better performance with faster and […]

OpenAI taps former Twitter India head to kickstart in the country

OpenAI is strategically engaging with former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly to navigate Indian policy and regulatory landscapes as the company looks to set up a local team in India. The move comes amidst OpenAI’s effort to expand its presence in India, one of the world’s biggest internet markets. This aligns with the company’s interest […]

VinBrain to launch AI-centric solutions to save lives and advance precision care at RSNA 2023

VinBrain, an AI HealthTech company funded by Vingroup in Vietnam, introduced two cutting-edge AI solutions at RSNA 2023, a major medical conference in North America. The solutions, DrAid™ Enterprise Data Solution and DrAid™ Oncology Diagnosis and Treatment, aim to revolutionize medical care and advance precision care for all.   The presence of VinBrain at RSNA […]

Nvidia Sees Huawei as Formidable AI Chipmaking Rival, CEO Says

Huawei Technologies Co., Intel Corp., and several emerging semiconductor startups are major competitors to Nvidia Corp. in the race to produce the best AI chips. The CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, considers these companies to be formidable opponents, particularly in China.   The U.S. has imposed barriers on the sale of Nvidia’s AI chips to […]

Runway partners with Getty Images to build enterprise ready AI tools

Runway, in collaboration with Getty Images, is introducing a new model that allows companies to create custom video content using AI. This Runway Getty Images Model (RGM) is designed to enable fine-tuning using proprietary datasets, catering to various industries such as Hollywood studios, advertising, media, broadcasting, and more. It aims to revolutionize content creation by […]

San Francisco startup MaintainX raises $50 million to bring A.I. to industrial operations

MaintainX, a San Francisco-based startup specializing in industrial maintenance software, recently secured $50 million in a Series C funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures, propelling the company’s valuation to $1 billion and granting it unicorn status. The investment will be used to bolster their research and development, enhance artificial intelligence capabilities, and expand their […]

Early impressions of Google’s Gemini aren’t great

Google unveiled Gemini, its new flagship generative AI model meant to power various products and services, including the chatbot Bard. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that Gemini Pro, a lite version of Gemini, has been receiving criticism for its poor performance. Users have reported errors in providing accurate information, translating languages, summarizing news, and coding. Moreover, […]

New group aims to professionalize AI auditing

The AI industry is facing a critical issue related to the lack of independent audits for AI systems, leading to potential harmful consequences on society. Gemma Galdon-Clavell, CEO of Eticas Consulting, emphasizes the importance of auditing AI systems to ensure they work as intended without negative outcomes on society. The lack of agreed-upon methods for […]

Ex-Google, Coursera employees start Lutra AI to make AI workflows easier to build

Jiquan Ngiam, a former employee of Coursera and Google, identified the potential for AI to automate tasks traditionally performed by engineers. Along with a team of five, he founded Lutra AI, a startup that creates AI workflows from natural language, allowing non-technical users to automate tasks without needing technical expertise. Lutra takes a code-first approach, […]

The Generative AI Copyright Fight Is Just Getting Started

The use of copyrighted material to train AI models is the center of a heated debate between creators and AI developers. The Authors Guild and other artist groups argue that it is unfair to use their work without permission, while tech companies claim it falls under fair use. This conflict has sparked legal action and […]