Google Curbs AI, Workplace Productivity Debate
13 March 2024: Google's Election AI Limits, Mixed AI Workplace Views, AI Funding Surge, Europe's Talent Race, Meta's Legal Move, Italy's AI Push, DoorDash's SafeChat+
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Latest in AI.
1-Minute Roundup
Google restricts election-related queries on Gemini AI globally.
YouGov survey reports mixed sentiments on AI's impact on workplace productivity.
Nanonets secures $29M for automating back-office processes with AI.
Guardrails AI raises $7.5M for AI assurance tools and sharing platform.
Pienso garners $10M to develop a no-code AI platform.
Velou obtains $4M for AI-driven product data enrichment.
Milu Health lands $4.8M for its AI-driven health savings platform.
Bluwhale raises $7M for AI personalisation in Web3 applications.
Empathy secures $47M to expand its AI and human-guided bereavement platform.
Axion Ray receives $17.5M to predict and mitigate product failures with AI.
Adaptive ML announces a $20M seed investment for customised AI models.
Cognition AI gets $21M for an advanced coding assistant.
Covariant's $222M funding round to enhance warehouse robotics with AI.
Intense competition for AI talent heats up across Europe.
Midjourney bans Stability AI staff amid a data scraping clash.
Meta sues ex-VP over confidential data breach and employee defection.
Italy announces a €1 billion fund to boost AI development.
DoorDash introduces "SafeChat+" to tackle verbal abuse with AI.
Extropic debuts thermodynamic computing for more efficient AI.
Midjourney's "Character Reference" feature enhances consistency in AI imagery.
Google Cloud's HIMSS24 reveals new healthcare AI tools like Vertex AI Search.
Cohere's Command-R optimises large language models for enterprise AI applications.
Spotlight
Google Limits Election Queries on Gemini AI Amid Misinformation Concerns
Google is implementing global restrictions on its Gemini AI chatbot for election-related queries in countries undergoing elections. This move aims to prevent misinformation and the potential weaponisation of the service, reflecting Google's commitment to high-quality information. The restrictions, already in effect in the US and rolling out in India and other countries, showcase generative AI's evolving role and challenges in the electoral process.
Global Restrictions: Google's Gemini will not respond to election-related queries in countries with imminent elections, showcasing a proactive stance against misinformation.
India's Regulatory Environment: The change coincides with India's new advisory on AI models, highlighting the delicate balance between innovation and regulatory compliance in sensitive areas like elections.
Ongoing Adjustments: Despite restrictions, some queries may slip through due to typos, indicating a continuing effort to refine the AI's response capabilities.
How will this impact public discourse and information accuracy during election periods in affected countries?
Mixed Consumer Sentiments on AI's Impact on Workplace Productivity
A YouGov survey across 17 international markets shows varied perceptions of AI's influence on workplace productivity. Nearly a third of respondents acknowledge a positive impact. Despite the general optimism, a notable portion still needs to be made aware of AI's role in enhancing efficiency.
Positive Perception: 32% of consumers credit AI for boosting workplace productivity, particularly in India, Indonesia, and the UAE.
Sceptical Minority: Only 8% believe AI has hampered productivity, with higher scepticism observed in Canada and the US.
Gender Disparity: Men are more likely than women to perceive AI as beneficial for workplace productivity.
Regional Differences: European and North American consumers are less convinced of AI's positive impact than their Asian counterparts.
How can organisations better communicate and leverage AI tools to align with employee expectations and enhance productivity?
Latest AI Deals
Nanonets raised $29M in funding, led by Accel, to enhance its AI-driven platform for automating back-office processes. The company focuses on financial services but plans to expand into healthcare and manufacturing.
Guardrails AI secures $7.5M in Seed funding to enhance its AI assurance tools and expand the Guardrails Hub, an open-source platform for sharing AI validation techniques, with support from Zetta Venture Partners.
Pienso raised $10M in Series A funding to develop its no-code AI platform, designed to enable non-technical users to build and deploy AI models.
Velou secures $4M in seed funding to enhance its AI-driven platform for product data enrichment and search automation.
Milu Health raised $4.8M in a seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz Bio + Health. It is launching with employers to provide an AI-driven health savings platform.
Bluwhale, an AI Web3 startup based in San Francisco, secured $7M in Seed funding to enhance its AI personalisation protocol for decentralised applications.
Empathy raised $47M in Series B funding, led by Index Ventures, to expand its AI and human-guided platform. The platform assists people with the practical and emotional aspects of bereavement.
Axion Ray raised $17.5M in Series A funding, led by BVP, to enhance its AI platform for predicting and mitigating product failures. Analysing diverse data sources for early warning signs aims to prevent costly recalls and protect brand reputation.
Adaptive ML secured a $20M seed investment. It aims to provide businesses with customised AI models, pricing its services between $120K to $360K annually for platform usage and approximately $1M for bespoke models.
Cognition AI's advanced coding assistant, backed by a $21M investment, can transform user prompts into fully realised websites or video games.
Covariant secured $222M in funding and specialises in developing software to enhance warehouse robotics. It offers a blueprint for broader applications in manufacturing and potentially autonomous vehicles.
Others
AI Talent Battle Intensifies in Europe
Europe's AI scene is heating up as startups vie for top talent, putting pressure on giants like Google DeepMind to offer competitive packages.
The success of ChatGPT triggers an investment surge in AI firms, drawing international players like Cohere, Anthropic, and OpenAI to establish European bases.
Midjourney Bans Stability AI Staff Amid Data Scrape Clash
Midjourney blocks Stability AI employees after alleged data scraping disrupts services, spotlighting tensions in the generative AI space.
The dispute underlines broader concerns about AI companies' data practices amidst ongoing debates over model training and copyright issues.
Meta Takes Legal Action Against Ex-VP Over Confidential Data Breach
Meta sues former VP Dipinder Singh Khurana for allegedly stealing sensitive documents, highlighting data security risks within tech giants.
The lawsuit underlines the potential fallout from employee defections to competitors, as Meta claims Khurana's actions led to a significant staff departure to his new AI venture.
Italy Boosts AI Ambitions with €1 Billion Fund.
Italy announces a €1 billion AI investment fund, with the potential to triple through private contributions, signalling a solid commitment to the technology's ethical development and regulation.
The initiative aligns with Italy's G7 presidency goals, emphasising AI's societal impacts and the need for strategic oversight in its advancement.
DoorDash Launches AI Tool to Combat Verbal Abuse
DoorDash introduces "SafeChat+," an AI feature that detects and addresses abusive language in-app interactions, enhancing safety for users and delivery personnel.
The advanced AI covers multiple languages and allows immediate reporting and action, reflecting DoorDash's commitment to a respectful platform environment.
Extropic Ignites AI with Thermodynamic Computing Breakthrough
Extropic launches a cutting-edge AI hardware platform that uses natural variations in matter for computing. It vastly outpaces traditional devices in speed and energy use by leveraging thermodynamic principles.
Extropic technology uses Energy-Based Models within stochastic analogue circuits to achieve this breakthrough, mimicking natural processes like Brownian motion.
Midjourney Unveils "Character Reference" for Consistent AI Imagery
Midjourney introduces a new feature enabling users to maintain character consistency across various AI-generated images, addressing a long-standing challenge in generative AI visuals.
The "–cref" tag, with reference URLs and control weights, allows for nuanced character replication, moving Midjourney closer to professional-grade creative tool status.
Google Cloud's AI Revolution in Healthcare: Vertex AI Search and More
Google Cloud introduced new AI tools like Vertex AI Search at HIMSS24. These tools are designed to make healthcare data more accessible and reduce the workload on healthcare professionals, potentially saving time and costs.
These updates, including easier data management and new MedLM features, aim to simplify how healthcare organisations handle patient data, leading to quicker, more informed decisions and better patient care outcomes.
Cohere Launches Command-R for Advanced Enterprise AI Applications
Cohere introduces Command-R, a new large language model optimised for retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and tool use. It is designed to enhance enterprise AI applications with improved accuracy, efficiency, and more extended context support.
Command-R integrates seamlessly with Cohere's Embed and Rerank models, offering businesses a powerful tool for automating complex tasks and workflows. It also ensures privacy and data security and supports 10 key global languages.
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