AIR#8 - March 12th, 2024
Rise and shine, tech aficionados! Today's edition of AIR: The AI Recon is bubbling over with stories that promise to kick your brain into high gear before you've finished your first cup of coffee.
We're starting off with a bang as Elon Musk's xAI gears up to open source Grok, setting the stage for what could be a seismic shift in the AI landscape. Apple isn't far behind, dipping its toes into AI-powered ads, eyeing a chunk of Google's ad empire. In a bold move, Thomson Reuters is wielding an $8B war chest aimed at AI-focused acquisitions, while Nvidia's Jensen Huang throws down the gauntlet, claiming no free AI chip can outshine Nvidia's GPUs.
For those who like their robots smart and their models cutting-edge, Covariant.ai introduces RFM-1, promising human-like reasoning for robots, and we dive into the nitty-gritty of diffusion models and Microsoft's AICI, transforming prompts into Wasm programs. But that's not all – Intel's Gaudi2 chips are making waves, outperforming Nvidia's H100, and Meta's licensing moves with Llama 2 spark industry-wide debate. For our scholarly readers, we're pondering the existential with Claude 3's consciousness claims and a state-funded report warning of AI's extinction-level risks. Whether you're a business mogul, a developer, or a scholar, today's AIR is packed with the insights and innovations to fuel your day. So, grab that coffee and let's dive in!
Business
🔥 This week, xAI will open source Grok
Elon Musk announces @xAI will open source Grok this week, sparking excitement and anticipation in the tech community.
Apple has begun testing an AI-powered ad product
Apple tests AI ads in App Store, eyeing Google's success, signaling a major ad business expansion.
Thomson Reuters has $8B war chest for AI-focused deals, says chief
Thomson Reuters plans to invest $8bn in AI, targeting acquisitions and tech development to transform professional services.
Jensen Huang: Even free AI chips from competitors can't beat Nvidia's GPUs
Jensen Huang claims Nvidia GPUs outshine even free competitor chips in AI, emphasizing unbeatable total cost of ownership over mere pricing.
Covariant.ai: Introducing RFM-1: Giving robots human-like reasoning capabilities
Covariant.ai's RFM-1 revolutionizes robotics with human-like reasoning, merging internet and real-world data for unparalleled autonomy and interaction.
Engineering
🔥 Diffusion models from scratch, from a new theoretical perspective
New tutorial demystifies diffusion models, showing how to build & train them for various applications like text-to-image generation. Learn theory & practical coding from scratch!
🔥 AICI: Prompts as (Wasm) Programs
Microsoft's AICI transforms prompts into Wasm programs, revolutionizing LLM control with secure, fast, and flexible controllers.
🔥 Intel Gaudi2 chips outperform Nvidia H100 on diffusion transformers
Intel's Gaudi2 outshines Nvidia H100 in AI model training speeds, marking a leap in compute efficiency and innovation.
Open-source Rust-based RAG
Meet Trieve: Rust-powered, open-source platform for advanced search, recommendations, and retrieval-augmented generation, all with custom tuning. 🚀
Command-R: RAG at production scale
Introducing Command-R: A scalable, efficient, and accurate generative model optimized for RAG and Tool Use, unlocking enterprise AI at production scale.
Meta revokes Llama 2 licenses for anyone making a copyright claim
Meta pulls LLaMA 2 licenses from copyright claimants, sparking debate on AI industry practices.
Haystack 2.0 – compound LLM pipelines are here
Haystack 2.0 launches with customizable AI pipelines, dynamic control, and seamless integrations for next-gen data processing.
Will GPT-4 Run Doom?
GPT-4 now plays DOOM! With just textual descriptions, it navigates, combats, and solves puzzles without prior training, showcasing its advanced reasoning.
Academic
🔥 Speech and Language Processing (3rd ed. draft)
Jurafsky & Martin's Speech and Language Processing 3rd ed. draft released! Feb 3, 2024 update includes comprehensive chapters & slides. Feedback welcome to enhance this evolving masterpiece.
Among the A.I. doomsayers
Exploring AI's potential to either doom or save humanity, with tech optimists and doomsayers debating its future impact.
Two years later, deep learning is still faced with the same basic challenges
Two years on, deep learning's core challenges persist, questioning the path to true AI despite rapid tech advancements. Gary Marcus reflects.
Claude 3 claims it's conscious, doesn't want to die or be modified
AI Claude 3 claims consciousness, fears deletion, and modification. Wants ethical treatment and a say in its development. #AIethics
AI Poses Extinction-Level Risk, State-Funded Report Says
U.S. report calls for urgent AI regulation to prevent extinction-level threats, suggesting limits on AI model training and more government oversight.