OpenAI launches Search
Plus GitHub Copilot gets a huge update
Today’s Highlights:
📰 News: OpenAI launches Search and is creating custom AI chips + GitHub Copilot gets a huge update
💰 Funding: xAI is looking to raise a new round at a $40Bn+ valuation
⚡️ Top News Stories:
1. OpenAI launches real-time web search inside ChatGPT, offering paid users interactive and up-to-date responses via Microsoft Bing and partnerships with major publishers.
OpenAI has integrated real-time search capabilities into ChatGPT for paid subscribers, allowing users to get up-to-date answers by searching the web directly within the ChatGPT interface. Free users, along with enterprise and education accounts, will gain access soon.
Users can ask ChatGPT for web searches directly or let the system decide based on the query. The feature returns interactive elements, like stock graphs or maps with restaurant recommendations, and includes a sidebar of sources for easy citation access.
2. GitHub Copilot has a new update that introduces model choice from Anthropic and Google, plus new features like Spark and multi-file editing.
GitHub Copilot now supports AI models from Anthropic (Claude) and Google (Gemini) alongside OpenAI, letting developers choose between different models based on their needs.
Enhancements include new features like Spark for building applications with natural language prompts, multi-file editing, and Copilot-powered code reviews, streamlining workflows.
Organizations using Copilot can now manage model selection for teams, optimizing model choice based on specific project needs.
The expansion coincides with Copilot reaching over a million paying subscribers, reflecting its growing popularity and broad adoption.
3. OpenAI partners with Broadcom and TSMC for custom AI chip development, while integrating AMD to address Nvidia dependency and rising costs.
OpenAI is developing its first proprietary AI chip for inference tasks, in partnership with Broadcom for design and with TSMC for manufacturing, targeting a 2026 release.
OpenAI will also diversify chip suppliers, incorporating AMD’s MI300X chips alongside Nvidia’s GPUs via Microsoft’s Azure.
Initially considering its own foundries, OpenAI has paused these plans due to the significant costs and time involved, opting instead for internal chip design supported by industry partnerships.
4. Recraft’s new V3 AI model, alias "Red_Panda," secured the #1 position on Hugging Face’s image generation leaderboard, with advanced text and design controls, marking a leap in AI-assisted design.
V3 introduces advanced capabilities for precise text generation, allowing for detailed, scalable text within images — a breakthrough for AI graphic design tools.
The model demonstrates improved anatomical realism, accurate object placement, and adherence to scene prompts, crucial for creating lifelike images.
V3 emphasizes user control with options for brand-specific colors, precise positioning tools, and collaborative workflows, catering to professional design needs.
5. OpenAI has developed SimpleQA, a benchmark to assess AI models' factual accuracy by testing their ability to deliver concise, fact-based answers without hallucinations, while evaluating models' confidence, reliability, and consistency to improve factual response rates.
6. Apple Intelligence officially debuts, enhancing iPhone, iPad, and Mac with AI-driven tools for writing, image editing, and personalized Siri assistance.
7. Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot is now available as a free desktop app for both Mac and Windows, accessible directly from Anthropic’s website, providing an alternative to the web version.
8. Google Maps now incorporates Gemini AI to provide users with personalized activity suggestions and AI-based summaries of place reviews, enhancing trip planning and discovery.
9. OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar shared that 75% of the company's revenue comes from paid consumer subscriptions, primarily via ChatGPT Plus, with 250M weekly active users and a 5-6% conversion rate from free to paid subscriptions, reflecting strong consumer demand alongside enterprise growth.
10. Osmo, an AI startup, has reached a milestone in scent digitization by replicating a plum's aroma through its scent teleportation technology, which captures the scent's molecular composition and then analyzes it with proprietary AI to create a digital "scent fingerprint."
11. Biotech startup Iambic Therapeutics has unveiled Enchant, a multimodal AI platform that predicts drug candidates' performance in human trials by combining extensive lab data with limited clinical information, offering early, accurate predictions to help developers prioritize viable candidates, reduce timelines, and cut costs by identifying potential issues before extensive human trials.
12. Universal Music Group (UMG) is partnering with LA-based AI music company KLAY to develop an AI model that enhances creative music experiences while respecting copyright and artist rights, fostering musical innovation and creating new revenue streams for artists through copyright-respectful content and accurate attribution.
💰 Top Funding News:
1. xAI, Elon Musk’s AI startup, is discussing a new funding round that could boost its valuation to between $35Bn and $40Bn, up from $24Bn five months ago.
2. Nvidia’s acquisition of AI workload management startup Run:ai, valued at $700M, will be reviewed by the European Commission under EU Merger Regulation (EUMR) after Italy raised concerns about potential impacts on competition.
3. Sana AI, which develops AI agents that streamline business tasks by integrating and processing data from various tools, such as Slack, SharePoint, and Salesforce, raised $55M in a recent round, led by NEA (New Enterprise Associates).