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The Rise and Fall of OpenAI's Arrakis
From high hopes to unforeseen obstacles: a comprehensive look at the factors leading to the shelving of one of OpenAI's most anticipated projects
Wes Roth
October 18, 2023
Today:
OpenAI Dropped Work on New ‘Arrakis’ AI Model in Rare Setback
OpenAI cooked up Arrakis around when ChatGPT hit the scene in November 2022. The word is, they finished GPT-4 earlier that year, but wanted Arrakis to run ChatGPT on the cheap. With a whopping $10 billion deal in talks with Microsoft, OpenAI probably wanted to show they were the big dogs in the AI game.
But by mid-2023, they dumped Arrakis. It just wasn't the hot ticket they hoped for. It's not like OpenAI to ditch a project deep in the works, so this was a big "oops" for them. Some folks think they might've been trying to flex for Microsoft too fast.
Chinese search engine company Baidu unveils Ernie 4.0 AI model, claims that it rivals GPT-4
Baidu, a big-time Chinese tech company, just dropped their new AI, Ernie 4.0, saying it's on par with America's GPT-4. At their annual showcase in Beijing, Baidu's head honcho, Robin Li, showed off how Ernie 4.0 can think, remember, and even whip up original content like ads and stories.
Baidu's gunning to be a top dog in AI after seeing how popular ChatGPT got last year. They're part of China's bigger plan to be a world leader in AI by 2030. Baidu's stock took a slight dip after the news, and while folks can't play with Ernie 4.0 yet, Baidu wants to slide its AI into their search engine and other products.
OpenAI’s flagship AI model has gotten more trustworthy but easier to trick
OpenAI's latest AI, GPT-4, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's more trustworthy than the older GPT-3.5, meaning it's better at keeping secrets, dodging biased info, and standing up to hacking tricks. But on the flip side, if you're sneaky enough with your questions, you can make it spill the beans. This info comes from some top-notch universities and Microsoft.
Now, this sneaky stuff doesn't work on most of Microsoft's products that use GPT-4. They've added extra layers to keep things safe. These researchers checked how good the AI was by testing for stuff like biased talk, protecting secrets, and how ethical it acted. They tried normal questions, sneaky questions, and then straight-up trick questions.
They didn't just keep this to themselves though. They told OpenAI and even shared their research for others to check out. The aim? To make AI better and safer in the long run. When GPT-4 first hit the streets, even OpenAI's big boss said it wasn't perfect. And now, the FTC is peeking into OpenAI to make sure they're not leading consumers down the wrong path.
Nvidia’s H800 AI chip for China is blocked by new export rules
US just threw a wrench in Nvidia's plans. They've got new rules stopping most AI chip sales to China. Nvidia, a big-shot in the AI world, tried to dodge last year's restrictions by making a different chip (H800) for China. But now, they can't even sell that.
Nvidia isn't sweating it, saying they're cool with following the rules and they've got plenty of global demand to keep the dollars rolling in. Other tech giants are still chewing on what this means for them. The big chip group warned not to go overboard with these rules because it might bite us in the back if foreign folks start shopping elsewhere. China? Not happy, telling the US to stop playing games with trade.
Opera One now allows you to do even more with AI
Opera's stepping up its game in the AI world, folks! They've jazzed up their browser so you can better use features like Aria in your daily grind. Joanna Czajka, bigwig at Opera, says they're making sure you get the best answers fast and easy.
They've added this thing called Refiner, where if Aria gives you a meh answer, you can pick what you didn't like and ask it to say it differently. Plus, there's a beefed-up Compose feature. You can pick what kind of stuff you're writing, set the mood, choose your style, and even decide how long you want it. Cool, right?
They even got this "My Style" thing where Aria learns how you write after you pen a few samples. As of now, though, some of these features aren't on all platforms. Check out Opera for yourself and see what the buzz is about.
AI-generating music app Riffusion turns viral success into $4M in funding
A year ago, Seth Forsgren and Hayk Martiros launched Riffusion, an app that makes music from images of audio. It got big-time attention, especially with folks curious about AI-created tunes.
Now, they're stepping it up. With advice from The Chainsmokers, they’ve bagged $4 million in funding. The upgraded Riffusion app lets users type in lyrics and a music style, and it spits out short song clips. Imagine texting your mom a personalized "good morning" jingle. Cool, right?
There's some worry about these AI tunes sounding like copyrighted music, but the Riffusion dudes say their app isn't made to copy famous artists. As for making money, they're still brainstorming. But for now, they're all about giving everyone a fun way to play around with music.
ByteDance’s video editor CapCut targets businesses with AI ad scripts and AI-generated presenters
CapCut, a video editing app by ByteDance, known for its tight ties with TikTok, is stretching its legs into the business world. Originally a hit with regular folks, CapCut's now launching "CapCut for Business".
It's jam-packed with features to help businesses and creators make ads. Think AI that helps write ad scripts, AI presenters for product demos, and even a virtual "try-on" feature for online shopping buffs. Working in a team? No sweat! They've added features for team collabs.
While this app's got a lot going for businesses wanting to advertise on platforms like TikTok, it can also jazz up any brand's organic content. This new business tool? It's free to start. So, marketers, creators, and brands, jump in and ride the CapCut wave!
Dubai Police Unveils Driverless, AI-Powered Patrol Cars
Dubai Police is stepping up their game by planning to use electric, self-driving patrol cars packed with smart tech. These cars, which were shown off at a recent event in Dubai, are all about boosting safety in neighborhoods.
They've got cool features like cameras that see all around and can pick out faces and read car tags. They can even spot if someone's up to no good. Plus, they've got a drone on board to reach places the car can't.
These aren't your regular cars either; they can move in all sorts of ways, even sideways, and are super quiet. After some more tests, you can expect to see them on Dubai streets by next year.
AI chatbots could help plan bioweapon attacks, report finds
Chatbots powered by big AI brains might help bad guys plan nasty bio-attacks, says a US study. This study by the Rand Corporation found that these chatbots can give tips on planning such attacks, but won't teach ya how to make the weapons. Remember that time in the 90s when some cult in Japan tried to use a dangerous toxin but goofed it up? The study thinks AI could fill in the blanks for folks like them.
These bio-attacks are a hot topic for an upcoming AI safety meeting in the UK. These chatbots, like ChatGPT, learn from tons of online info. In one test, a chatbot named some real bad bugs like smallpox and anthrax and chatted about how to spread them. But the testers had to trick the chatbot to spill the beans. In another test, the chatbot chatted about how to sneakily get a toxin while pretending it’s for science.
AI gave tech giants a $2.4 trillion boost to their market caps in 2023
US tech bigwigs saw a whopping $2.4 trillion bump in their value this year, thanks to the buzz around "generative AI" – that's the cool tech making new stuff from heaps of data. Major players like Apple and Amazon watched their stock prices climb by over a third. Meanwhile, Nvidia, the folks making the chips behind this tech magic, stepped into the elite trillion-dollar club.
But rewind to last year, and cloud-based businesses weren't dancing in the rain. They lost $1.6 trillion in value as folks pulled their money out of these high-flying stocks. However, the vibe's changing, and the sector's starting to heat up again.
This year, loads of these high-value companies popped up, and many had their heads in the AI clouds. Europe and Israel saw 40% of their new unicorns being AI-focused, while in the US, it was a wild 80%.
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