Microsoft's $1.5B UAE Deal, Ernie's 200M Users
17 April 2024: Microsoft 1.5B UAE Deal, Translators, Illustrators Affected; Meta Probes AI Deepfakes; Amazon Launches Maestro; Baidu's Ernie Bot Gets 200M Users
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Latest in AI,
1. 1-Minute Roundup
2. Headlines
3. AI Investment Deals
4. Other AI News
1-Minute Roundup
Headlines:
Microsoft invests $1.5B in UAE AI firm G42 amid US-China rivalry
Survey reveals AI's impact on translators and illustrators' livelihoods
AI Investment Deals:
GridBeyond raises €52M for AI energy and smart grid platform
Silo Team raises $1.16M to reduce developer turnover with AI
Take2 AI raises $3M for AI-powered sales recruiting simulations
Somite secures $5.3M for AI models producing human tissue
Kontakt.io raises $47.5M for AI-driven IoT platform in hospitals
Salesforge raises $500K for AI-powered B2B sales execution platform
Rivos raises $250M+ for AI-optimised server chips
HealthSage raises €3M for open-source AI healthcare platform
Bridgewise raises $21M for AI-driven investment analysis
Qureight raises £6.8M for AI medical data analysis platform
Upstage raises $72M for AI document processing and large-language models
Others:
Baidu's Ernie Bot reaches 200M users, doubling in recent months
Meta's Oversight Board probes AI-generated explicit nude images
Amazon Music unveils Maestro, an AI playlist creator
Headlines
Microsoft Bets $1.5B on UAE AI Firm Amid US-China Rivalry
Microsoft invests $1.5 billion in UAE-based AI firm G42, signalling a shift in UAE's ties from China to the US.
Why it Matters: The deal reflects the growing US-China rivalry for influence in the Gulf and the UAE's pivot toward Washington. It also highlights Microsoft's efforts to maintain its lead in AI.
Zoom In:
Microsoft will invest $1.5 billion in G42 and use its cloud services for AI applications.
The partnership aims to create a skilled AI workforce in the UAE and a $1 billion fund for developers.
Microsoft President Brad Smith will join G42's board.
Microsoft shares are up 45% over the last 12 months
Backstory: The UAE has been trying to diversify its economy away from oil and draw foreign investment by courting the US, China, and Russia. However, growing ties with China have strained relations with the US.
Big Picture: The deal reflects a broader realignment of diplomatic interests in the Gulf, with the UAE shifting toward Washington amid pressure to cut ties with China. It also highlights Microsoft's efforts to maintain its lead in AI through investments and partnerships worldwide.
What to Watch: Microsoft's growing influence in the AI startup sector has raised concerns among regulators, particularly in Europe, investigating its relationship with OpenAI.
Survey Reveals AI's Impact on Translators and Illustrators
The SoA survey uncovers the impact of generative AI on creators' livelihoods, with translators and illustrators experiencing significant loss of work and income.
Why it Matters: The findings demonstrate the deep uncertainty about the future role of generative AI in creative professions and the urgent need for regulation to ensure ethical development and use of these technologies.
Numbers:
26% of illustrators and 36% of translators have lost work due to generative AI
37% of illustrators and 43% of translators report decreased income from their work because of generative AI
86% of respondents are concerned about their style, voice, and likeness being mimicked or reproduced in generative AI output
787 responses received from SoA's 12,500 members and other authors
22% of respondents have used generative AI in their work
94% want credit, compensation, and consent when their work is used to develop generative AI systems
AI Investment Deals
GridBeyond raises €52 million in Series C financing to advance its AI energy and smart grid platform.
Silo Team raises $1.16 million in pre-seed funding to reduce developer turnover, which costs companies billions annually.
Take2 AI raised $3 million to reinvent sales recruiting using AI-powered job simulations to assess applicants' skills, behaviours, and culture fit.
Somite secures $5.3M in pre-seed funding to build AI foundation models that produce human tissue for cell therapies, targeting diseases like diabetes, obesity, and muscular dystrophies.
Kontakt.io raises $47.5 million from Goldman Sachs to fuel global growth and advance its AI-driven IoT platform for optimising hospital operations and resources outside the clinical domain.
Salesforge raised $500K in pre-seed funding to develop an AI-powered sales execution platform to make B2B sales teams leaner and more efficient.
Rivos raises over $250 million in an oversubscribed Series A round to build server chips optimised for AI and big data workloads, putting the Apple lawsuit behind it.
HealthSage raised €3 million to develop its open-source AI healthcare platform, which aims to streamline clinical information and support decision-making.
Bridgewise raised $21 million to expand its AI-driven investment analysis platform for global securities, bringing its total capital raised to $35 million.
Qureight raised £6.8 million to advance its AI platform that collates and structures medical data for analysis.
Upstage raises $72 million in Series B financing to expand its AI-powered document processing and large-language model solutions globally.
Others
Baidu's Ernie Bot Reaches 200 Million Users, Doubling in Recent Months
The Chinese-language chatbot now has over 200 million users and more than 85,000 enterprise clients, contributing to Baidu's revenue
Meta's Oversight Board Probes AI-Generated Explicit Images
The Oversight Board, Meta's semi-independent policy council, investigates how Instagram and Facebook handled explicit AI-generated images of public figures after their systems failed to detect and respond effectively to the content.
Why it Matters: The cases highlight social media platforms' challenges in detecting and moderating AI-generated explicit content, particularly in regions like India, where deepfakes have become a growing concern.
Amazon Music Unveils Maestro, an AI Playlist Creator
Amazon Music launched Maestro, an AI playlist maker that generates personalised playlists based on user prompts.
Why it Matters: The introduction of Maestro highlights the growing trend of AI-powered features in music streaming services, as companies like Amazon and Spotify aim to enhance user experience and engagement through personalisation.
Zoom In:
Maestro is currently available in beta to a small number of Amazon Music subscribers in the US.
Users can create playlists using any prompt, including emojis, and can save and share the AI-created playlists with other Amazon Music users.
Prime Music subscribers and ad-supported users can preview 30-second clips before saving playlists, while Amazon Music Unlimited users can listen to and save entire playlists immediately.
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