ChatGPT-4o Debuts, Big Tech's $60B AI Bet
14 May 2024: OpenAI's GPT-4o launch; Big tech targets Southeast Asia with massive investments; Anthropic's Claude, IBM's Granite, Meta's Camerabuds, Microsoft Places
Good Morning,
Latest in AI,
1. 1-Minute Roundup
2. Headlines
3. AI Investment Deals
4. Other AI News1-Minute Roundup
Headlines:
OpenAI unveils GPT-4o, an enhanced, cost-effective AI model with real-time interaction.
Tech giants invest heavily in Southeast Asia for AI and digital infrastructure growth.
AI Investment Deals:
Refreshworks raises €750K to boost Dutch AI business transformation.
Elementary receives Rockwell Automation investment to advance AI-driven quality solutions.
Offleash’d secures $700K for AI-powered pet parent social app expansion.
Multitude Insights gains NEC X investment for its AI law enforcement platform.
AI Squared acquires Multiwoven for reverse ETL technology integration.
Artisan AI raises $7.3M to develop autonomous AI employees.
Others:
Anthropic launches Claude chatbot in Europe, which is facing regulatory hurdles.
01.AI introduces the Wanzhi AI app for productivity in China.
Meta explores AI-powered "Camerabuds" with object identification features.
IBM open-sources Granite AI models for software development.
Microsoft launched an AI-driven office coordination app called Microsoft Places.
Amazon and Microsoft have significantly invested in France’s AI and cloud capabilities.
Headlines
OpenAI Unveils GPT-4o: Faster, Cheaper, and More Interactive AI
OpenAI launches GPT-4o, a more capable, conversational, cost-effective version of its flagship AI model. It features real-time voice interaction and improved text, audio, and image handling.
Why it Matters: The launch of GPT-4o reflects the intensifying competition among tech companies to expand their user base and monetise their generative AI technology, with OpenAI aiming to maintain its lead in the market.
Zoom In:
GPT-4o can analyse code, translate languages, and guide users through problems in real time.
The model can detect emotions in a tone of voice or facial expressions and rapidly switch between emotional tones.
GPT-4o will be available to individual users and companies, with some features rolling out to ChatGPT-Plus subscribers.
Context: The announcement comes just before Google's annual developer conference, where the tech giant is expected to reveal its AI products. This will highlight the ongoing rivalry between OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google in the generative AI space.
How it Works: Unlike previous approaches that combined separate models, GPT-4o is built as a single model trained on text, vision, and audio material, enabling faster and more accurate responses to various cues.What's Next: OpenAI is working on a wide range of products, including voice technology, video software, and a search feature for ChatGPT, while also developing GPT-5, a much-anticipated version of its model expected to be even more capable than current AI systems.
Tech Giants Bet Big on Southeast Asia's Digital AI Future
Tech giants are pouring money into Southeast Asia, establishing data centres and AI facilities, and pledging billion-dollar investments to tap into the region's young population, rising incomes, and business-friendly environment amid geopolitical tensions elsewhere.
Why it Matters: As growth slows in traditional markets, Southeast Asia presents a lucrative opportunity for tech companies to access new sources of growth, talent, and customers in a region welcoming Western investment and embracing digital technologies like AI.
Numbers:
Up to $60 billion is expected for data centre investments in Southeast Asia over the next few years.
Southeast Asia's internet economy is projected to surpass $600 billion by 2030.
25% yearly growth forecast for data centre demand in Southeast and North Asia through 2028.
Microsoft plans to train 2.5 million people in Southeast Asia by 2025 in AI skills.
Zoom In:
Amazon committed $9 billion to expand its cloud presence in Singapore.
Microsoft pledged $2.2 billion in AI investments during CEO Satya Nadella's regional tour.
Apple CEO Tim Cook toured Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore, announcing investments and meeting leaders.
Nvidia plans a $4.3 billion AI data centre park in Malaysia and is scouting locations in Vietnam.
Context: The region's young, tech-savvy populations, improving education and infrastructure, and pro-investment policies make it an attractive alternative to China and India for global tech firms seeking new markets, talent pools, and lower costs.Big Picture: The tech giants' Southeast Asia push reflects the industry's pursuit of new frontiers amid slowing growth, with generative AI as a catalyst for establishing the digital infrastructure to support future technologies and services.
AI Investment Deals
Refreshworks, a Dutch AI startup, raised €750K from eleven angel investors to enhance AI business transformation in the Netherlands. The company aims to make Dutch businesses leaders in the fourth industrial revolution.
Elementary, an AI-driven machine vision company based in Los Angeles, has received a strategic investment from Rockwell Automation to enhance its product offerings, focusing on AI-powered quality solutions in industrial controls.
Offleash’d, a Los Angeles-based startup developing a social app for pet parents, has raised $700K in seed funding to expand its operations and enhance its AI-powered community-building platform. The funding will also support live pet-friendly events in California and Washington.
Multitude Insights, based in Cambridge, MA, has secured an investment from NEC X to advance its AI-driven platform, Bulletin (BLTN), which enhances collaboration and case resolution for law enforcement and first responders.
AI Squared, a tech company from Washington, DC, has acquired Multiwoven, a company specialising in open-source reverse ETL technology based in Mountain View, CA, and Bangalore, India.
Artisan AI, based in San Francisco, has secured $7.3M in seed funding to further develop its platform by offering autonomous AI employees for enterprise companies. Oliver Jung led the round, including participation from Sequoia Scout, Y Combinator, and others.
Others
Anthropic Launches Claude Chatbot in Europe Amid Regulatory Challenges
By introducing Claude and European subscription plans, anthropic aims to expand its user base and revenue.
The company faces competition from OpenAI, local AI developers, and the EU's comprehensive AI Act.
Kai-Fu Lee's 01.AI Launches Wanzhi AI App for China's 'ChatGPT Moment'
01.AI, founded by AI pioneer Kai-Fu Lee, is introducing Wanzhi, a free productivity assistant tailored for the Chinese market.
Lee aims to accelerate AI adoption in China, which lacks its equivalent to OpenAI's ChatGPT due to censorship.
Meta/Facebook Explores AI-Powered Earbuds with Cameras
Meta Platforms is reportedly exploring the development of AI-assisted earbuds with cameras, dubbed "Camerabuds."
The earbuds are expected to have capabilities like object identification and foreign language translation powered by artificial intelligence.
IBM Open-Sources Its Granite AI Models for Code Development
IBM has open-sourced its Granite large language models (LLMs) trained on code data under the permissive Apache 2.0 license for research and commercial use.
The Granite models, with 3 to 34 billion parameters, are designed for software development tasks such as code generation, testing, and bug fixing across 116 programming languages.
Microsoft Launches AI-Driven Office Coordination App
Microsoft Places uses AI to recommend optimal office days based on meetings, co-worker schedules, and events.
The app allows employees to set office schedules, book rooms/desks, and view office space analytics.
Tech Giants Boost France's Cloud and AI Capabilities
Amazon Web Services will invest $1.3 billion in new cloud infrastructure around Paris to support France's generative AI efforts, creating 3,000 jobs.
Microsoft announces $4.3 billion investment in France's AI and cloud industries, including new data centres and training over 1 million people in AI skills.
Like TheAIML?
Please don’t keep it to yourself. Colleagues and friends can sign up here.
For even more,
Our newsletter archive: Click here
Follow us on Linkedin,
Follow us on 𝕏/Twitter
We value your opinion. Please take a moment to share your thoughts on this newsletter. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve and deliver the content you want to see. Please Email us