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Meta announces AI chatbots with 'personality’

Also: Asia/Pacific AI Spending Surge to Reach a Projected $78 Billion by 2027, According to IDC

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AI KATANA
September 28, 2023

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In recent advancements, Meta introduced personality-infused chatbots across its platform, aimed at enhancing user engagement, alongside revealing its mixed reality headset, Quest 3. A Nature survey reflects a blend of anticipation and apprehension among 1,600 researchers regarding AI's role in scientific endeavors, highlighting both the potential and pitfalls of large language models like ChatGPT. SK Telecom is steering towards becoming a global AI entity through its 'AI Pyramid Strategy', tripling AI investments and launching 'A.', a Korean large language model. The AI spending in the Asia/Pacific region is anticipated to soar to $78.4 billion by 2027, propelled by diverse industrial applications, with China spearheading AI adoption. Meta is also amplifying AI functionalities across its platforms, while Mistral AI debuts with a large language model, Mistral 7B, accessible for free. Lastly, Vishal Maini, a Google DeepMind alum, establishes Mythos Ventures with $14 million to nurture seed-stage AI startups, emphasizing ethical AI development and transformative technologies.

Sliced:

  • 👩🏻 Meta announces AI chatbots with 'personality’

  • 🧑🏽‍🔬 AI and science: what 1,600 researchers think

  • 🇰🇷 SK Telecom unveils new AI strategy

  • 📈 Asia/Pacific AI Spending Surge to Reach a Projected $78 Billion by 2027, According to IDC

Meta unveiled new chatbots with distinct "personalities", specializing in various topics like holidays or cooking. This move, part of a tech industry chatbot advancement race, aims at delivering more personalized AI experiences. Despite being a work-in-progress with certain "limitations" as acknowledged by Mark Zuckerberg, these chatbots, embodied by celebrities and other notable figures, are designed to provide entertainment in addition to answering queries. Initially, the rollout will be in the US only. Alongside, Meta provided details on its upcoming mainstream mixed reality headset, Quest 3, part of its long-term metaverse strategy.

A Nature survey of over 1,600 researchers globally reveals a mix of excitement and concern towards the rising use of AI tools in scientific research. While many foresee AI becoming central to their fields, concerns such as increased reliance on pattern recognition without understanding, potential for bias, and facilitation of fraud are prevalent. Notably, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT were both appreciated for their capabilities and critiqued for risks like misinformation and plagiarism, underscoring the nuanced stance of the scientific community on AI's role in advancing research.

SK Telecom aims to morph into a global AI entity by enhancing its AI competence and global partnerships. Through its 'AI Pyramid Strategy,' the focus is on AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation, and AI Service. The firm plans to triple its AI-related investments from 12% to 33% over the next five years, focusing on energy-efficient AI data centers and expanding its data center business globally. It aims to innovate existing services while venturing into new sectors like AI healthcare and urban air mobility. Moreover, SKT launched 'A.,' a Korean LLM service, evolving it into a personal AI assistant service.

IDC projects a surge in Asia/Pacific's AI spending to $78.4 billion by 2027, reflecting a broader adoption of AI technologies across various industries like professional services, banking, and retail to enhance operations and customer experiences. Key areas of investment include AI infrastructure provisioning, augmented customer service agents, and sales process recommendation. The region is also exploring Generative AI, with China leading in AI adoption, accounting for 50% of the total AI spending in Asia/Pacific and emerging as a global AI powerhouse.

🛠️ AI tools updates

Meta is rolling out AI enhancements across its apps, including AI stickers for image editing and co-creation on Instagram, Meta AI as a conversational assistant on various platforms, and 28 other unique AIs, some portrayed by celebrities. Additionally, they're launching AI studio for custom AI development and acknowledging the new challenges, ensuring a slow rollout with built-in safeguards to ensure safety and trustworthiness while promoting creativity and improved interactions.

Mistral, a French AI startup, has unveiled its first large language model, Mistral 7B, and made it free for all users under the Apache 2.0 license. The model is touted to outperform others of its size while being less computationally intensive. It's downloadable via various means, including a 13.4-GB torrent. While the model is free, Mistral's business model suggests a paid version for those desiring deeper access, indicating a commercial offering with white-box solutions for enterprises.

💵 Venture Capital updates

Vishal Maini, a Google DeepMind alumnus, launched Mythos Ventures, a fund to support emerging AI startups. Having raised $14 million from over four dozen investors, Mythos will focus on seed-stage AI startups developing "pro-social technologies" and those with transformative potential. Maini, emphasizing on ethical AI development, intends to invest between $100,000 and $1 million in startups like Monumental Labs Inc., ValueBase, and Elicit, aiming to drive positive changes in various sectors through AI.

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