OpenAI CEO Testifies before Congress on AI Regulation

GPT-4 can reason like us now?!

May 17, 2023

⚡ Today’s Highlights

📰 News: OpenAI CEO Testifies before Congress on AI Regulation
💰 Funding: Aurandine, Hippocratic AI, and ANYbotics
🦾 Tools: Transform the way you network with the ultimate Personal CRM!
📅 Events: The AI and Big Data Expo starts today!

📰 Today's Top Stories

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress on AI regulation

(6 min read) (Source: POLITICO)

TLDR: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress, discussing the need for AI regulations and expressing willingness to address risks associated with AI tools like ChatGPT. He proposed the creation of a new government agency to develop standards for AI and suggested the need for international regulations.

Altman's reception was positive, indicating successful efforts to engage policymakers, although criticisms were voiced regarding corporate responsibility and financial pressures on OpenAI.
Lawmakers showed openness to considering regulatory proposals and expressed uneasiness about the influence of generative AI on elections. Concerns were raised about the potential distortion of reality, safety hazards, and AI's influence on elections.

The Big Picture: The CEO of the world’s leading AI company testifying in front of Congress and asking for regulation is a huge inflection point. It is rare for corporations to ask to be regulated and have the government get involved. Even if we levy the harshest of criticisms on OpenAI, it is clear that everyone, including the largest players, recognize the importance of getting ahead of AI and regulating it now.

Microsoft Says New AI Shows Signs of Human Reasoning

(11 min read) (Source: The New York Times)

TLDR: Researchers at Microsoft have published a provocative paper claiming that their new artificial intelligence system, GPT-4, demonstrates human-like understanding of the physical world.

The system generated creative solutions to a puzzle and exhibited behavior that researchers believed showed a deep and flexible understanding of human concepts and skills.
However, critics argue that the claims lack scientific rigor and that general intelligence requires a familiarity with the physical world, which the system may not possess. The debate revolves around whether the industry is building something akin to human intelligence or if it's a result of imagination and subjective evaluation.

Google's PaLM 2 uses nearly five times more text data

(6 min read) (Source: CNBC)

TLDR: Google's new general-use large language model (LLM), PaLM 2, was unveiled at Google I/O last week. It is trained on 3.6 trillion tokens, showing advancements in efficiency and performance compared to the previous version.

Both Google and OpenAI have kept the specifics of their latest LLMs, including GPT-4, secret due to the competitive nature of the industry. The lack of transparency has sparked calls for greater openness from the research community.
PaLM 2, trained on 340 billion parameters, utilizes a new technique called "compute-optimal scaling" for improved performance, faster inference, and lower serving cost. It powers various features and products, including the experimental chatbot Bard.

Amazon Plans to Add ChatGPT-Style Search

(5 min read) (Source: TIME)

TLDR: Amazon plans to introduce a ChatGPT-style product search feature on its web store, aiming to incorporate generative artificial intelligence into its search engine to provide interactive conversational experiences and personalized suggestions.

The company is seeking talented individuals to join an AI-first initiative to transform search through large-scale deep learning techniques, reflecting Amazon's significant investment in generative AI across its businesses.

💰 Funding Alerts

1. Auradine, a company specializing in web infrastructure solutions, raised $81 million in a Series A funding round led by Celesta Capitalm (Sriram Viswanathan, Managing Partner) and Mayfield (Navin Chaddha, Managing Director), joined by investors like Marathon Digital Holdings, Cota Capital, DCVC, and Stanford University.

They focus on areas such as blockchain, privacy, and AI. Their goal is to build highly scalable, sustainable, and secure infrastructure by developing breakthrough software, hardware, and cloud solutions.
The funding will fuel Auradine's development and go-to-market efforts, allowing them to deliver breakthrough solutions.

2. Hippocratic AI, an AI-powered medical education company, raised $50 million in seed funding from General Catalyst (Hemant Taneja, CEO and Managing Director) and Andreessen Horowitz (Julie Yoo, General Partner).

Hippocratic’s tutor uses AI to transform medical education and practice, empowering students, physicians, and patients for better outcomes and experiences.
With the funds, Hippocratic plans to develop a large language model to power healthcare bots, focusing on healthcare workforce empowerment, reducing burnout, and improving patient safety and experiences.

3. ANYbotics, a robotic industrial inspection company, raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Walden Catalyst (Nicolas Autret, Partner and Young Sohn, Managing Partner) and NGP Capital (Christian Noske, Partner), with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Aramco Ventures, and others.

ANYbotics revolutionizes industrial inspection with advanced legged robots powered by AI.
The funds will be used to scale international deployments, develop new capabilities, and solidify ANYbotics' position as a leading provider of robotic inspection solutions. They aim to revolutionize automated industrial operations by enhancing productivity and worker safety.

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👀 More Reading:

CNET staff are unionizing, citing editorial independence and use of AI tools (The Verge)
Tesla’s humanoid robot can pick things up and put them down (The Verge)
The Digital World Is Changing Rapidly. Your Cybersecurity Needs to Keep Up (Harvard Business Review)
Can We Stop Runaway A.I.? (The New Yorker)
Watch 44 million atoms simulated using AI and a supercomputer (New Scientist)
The Problem With Counterfeit People (The Atlantic)

🌎 Fresh Content

1. On the latest episode of ‘The Crazy Ones’ pod, Alex Lieberman and Jesse Pujji explore how the latest generative AI tools can be integrated into different startups and businesses. Get practical advice as they use their own businesses as examples. (Spotify)

2. The ‘Plain English’ pod explores how AI will change the future of war. Derek Thompson is first joined by Brian Schimpf, the CEO of Anduril, a military tech company building AI programs for the Department of Defense. He then chats with fellow journalist Ross Andersen, from the Atlantic, to discuss how we should prevent AI from blowing up the world. (Spotify)

📅 Upcoming Events

TDWI Nashville (May 14—19, 2023 / In person in Nashville, TN) is a six-day conference designed for data professionals and leaders who want to build effective data strategies, scalable architectures, and drive data-driven decision-making. With 40+ courses, 14 tracks, and 3 bootcamps to choose from, you can customize your learning experience. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to network with peers, gain new skills, and drive positive change in your business and career. Hurry, registration closes on May 12.
Attend Conversational AI Summit (May 16-17, 2023 / In person at the America Square Conference Centre in London, England) to discover advances in NLP, and how application can help create digital assistants, chatbots and conversational interfaces to improve customer experience & increase engagement.
The AI & Big Data Expo (May 17-18, 2023 / In person at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA) is a must-attend event for ambitious enterprise tech professionals. Explore how AI and Big Data impact industries like manufacturing, transport, finance, healthcare, and more. Hear from 250+ expert speakers sharing their industry knowledge and experiences through solo presentations, panel discussions, and fireside chats. Register now!
Upper Bound (May 23-26, 2023 / Edmonton, AB, Canada) is a deep dive into fundamental research in AI and machine learning, merged with a parallel exploration of excellence in industry application.

🧠 Resources

Today’s prompts are geared towards businesses keen on improving their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance, creating robust sustainability plans, and strengthening their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Our aim is to simplify these complex tasks and make them more effective for you. Even if you're new to AI, we encourage you to try these prompts and share your thoughts. Your feedback is valuable! Remember, these prompts are only a starting point. Feel free to modify them as per your requirements, and do ensure to review the outputs for accuracy and relevance.

ESG Strategy Formation

Leverage ChatGPT to conceive an ESG strategy for your business that evaluates and addresses environmental, social, and governance issues, aiming to both mitigate potential risks and discover opportunities for sustainable innovation.
"Imagine yourself as an ESG strategist. Your task is to help me formulate a comprehensive ESG strategy that considers environmental, social, and governance dimensions. This strategy should not only aim at risk mitigation but also at identifying opportunities for sustainable innovation. Start by asking me questions about my business to tailor the strategy effectively."

Sustainable Business Plan Development

Utilize ChatGPT's capabilities to craft a sustainability plan for your business that integrates circular economy principles, aiming to minimize waste, prolong product lifespan, and encourage responsible consumption.
"Act as a sustainability consultant. Your role is to help me design a sustainability plan that includes circular economy principles with the aim of reducing waste, extending product lifespan, and promoting responsible consumption. Ask me for more details about my business to create a thorough plan."

Corporate Social Responsibility Program Planning

Engage ChatGPT to outline a detailed CSR program that aligns with your business's core values and model, positively impacts your community, and boosts your brand reputation.
"Your task is to act as a CSR specialist. I need your assistance to plan a comprehensive CSR program that aligns with our business's core values and model, benefits our community, and enhances our brand reputation. Begin by asking me questions about my business to help shape an effective program."