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- Perplexity will research and write reports
Good morning,
In today's newsletter, we explore new advancements and collaborations in AI, reflecting both innovation and strategic growth. Perplexity's Pages feature simplifies report generation with AI, while Anthropic's Claude now customizes bots for diverse tasks. Singapore's green data center initiative responds to AI-driven energy demands, and Grab partners with OpenAI to enhance its services. Intel, Google, and others join forces to develop UALink for AI chip connectivity. Meanwhile, OpenAI's ChatGPT Edu integrates AI into university operations. Additionally, an AI tool from George Mason University aims to improve antidepressant matching, and venture capital for generative AI sees a significant drop as investors reassess the market. Dive into these stories and more for the latest on AI's evolving landscape.
Sliced:
📃 Perplexity will research and write reports
🤖 Anthropic’s AI now lets you create bots to work for you
🇸🇬 Singapore pushes for green data centers as growing AI demand strains energy resources
🚖 OpenAI’s Tie-Up With Grab to Give Southeast Asian Firm an AI Boost
🤝 Intel, Google and other tech giants team up to develop UALink AI chip interconnect
👩🏻🏫 OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Edu
Perplexity has introduced a new feature called Pages, which automates the creation of customizable web pages based on user prompts. This feature is designed to help users, including educators, researchers, and hobbyists, by generating reports that include written content, visual aids, and cited sources. Users can specify the audience type, such as beginners or experts, and Perplexity will tailor the content accordingly. Pages relies on Perplexity's AI models to gather information, structure it into sections, and add visuals, although users cannot edit the text directly and must re-prompt to correct any errors. The feature aims to simplify the process of creating detailed and shareable research presentations, but it currently delivers surface-level information that may not satisfy more rigorous academic or professional research needs.
Anthropic has introduced a new feature for its AI chatbot Claude, allowing users to create customized bots to perform various tasks such as reading emails, purchasing products, and providing customer support. Known as "tool use" or "function calling," this feature enables Claude to connect with any external API, allowing for personalized solutions based on user needs. These bots can also handle image analysis, making them useful for applications like virtual interior design consultations. The AI assistant is accessible through Anthropic's Messages API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Vertex AI, with pricing determined by the volume of text processed. This development reflects a broader trend in the tech industry, with companies like Google and OpenAI also enhancing their AI capabilities to offer more personalized and interactive user experiences.
Singapore has launched a green data center roadmap to support its digital economy ambitions amid rising AI and computing demands, which are straining energy resources. The plan aims to provide at least 300 megawatts of additional capacity through green energy deployments and enhance the energy efficiency of data centers. With AI driving the need for substantial data processing, data centers have become significant energy consumers, contributing to 82% of Singapore's ICT sector emissions and 7% of the nation's total electricity consumption. As the second-largest data center market in Southeast Asia, Singapore's initiative includes deploying energy-efficient IT equipment and offering incentives for resource efficiency. This move aligns with global trends where companies like Microsoft and Google are increasing clean energy usage, emphasizing the need for governmental incentives to encourage sustainable practices in data center operations.
Grab Holdings is collaborating with OpenAI to integrate advanced AI technologies into its ride-hailing and delivery services across Southeast Asia. This partnership aims to enhance Grab's mapping capabilities, develop more efficient customer-support chatbots, and improve accessibility for elderly and visually impaired users through advanced text and voice functionalities. As part of the initiative, Grab will pilot OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise for select employees to promote the adoption of AI tools within the company. This collaboration aligns with Grab's efforts to cut costs and drive profitability, which has led to an increased forecast for annual earnings. OpenAI continues to expand its enterprise partnerships globally, recently securing deals with major firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Eight leading tech companies, including Intel, Google, AMD, Broadcom, Microsoft, Meta, Cisco, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, have formed the UALink Promoter Group to develop a standardized interconnect for AI chips. This initiative aims to streamline the process of assembling AI clusters, enhance infrastructure scalability, and challenge Nvidia's dominance in the GPU market. The UALink Consortium, set to be officially formed in the third quarter, will release the first specifications for this interconnect technology, enabling the connection of up to 1,024 AI accelerators within a single cluster. This development promises to improve the efficiency of data exchanges between AI chips, leveraging direct memory access to speed up machine learning applications, similar to Nvidia's GPUDirect technology. This effort is part of a broader trend in the industry, following Intel's earlier CXL interconnect and the UXL Foundation's work on multiprocessor AI software.
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Edu, a specialized version of ChatGPT designed for universities to incorporate AI across various campus operations. Powered by GPT-4o, this tool offers advanced text and vision reasoning capabilities and includes features such as data analysis, web browsing, and document summarization. ChatGPT Edu aims to provide secure, affordable AI access for educational institutions, helping with tasks such as personalized student tutoring, resume reviews, research grant writing, and faculty grading. It has already been successfully integrated at institutions like the University of Oxford, Wharton School, and Columbia University. This initiative is designed to enhance educational experiences by making AI more accessible and practical for both academic and operational uses.
🛠️ AI tools updates
Researchers at George Mason University have developed MeAgainMeds.com, an AI-based tool designed to match patients with the most effective antidepressants based on their medical history. By analyzing data from over 3.6 million patients and 10.2 million prescriptions, the AI provides evidence-based recommendations to help reduce the trial-and-error process in finding the right medication, thereby improving patient outcomes. The tool does not require personal identifiable information and encourages patients to discuss the AI's suggestions with their healthcare providers. This innovative approach aims to streamline and personalize the treatment process for individuals suffering from depression, potentially benefiting millions of patients.
💵 Venture Capital updates
Generative AI seed funding has experienced a significant decline, dropping 76% from its peak in Q3 2023 to Q1 2024. This reduction reflects a cautious approach from investors who are reassessing the market after an initial surge of enthusiasm. In Q1 2024, venture capital deal value for pre-seed and seed-stage deals fell to $122.9 million from the peak of $517.7 million in Q3 2023, with only 34 deals recorded. The release of comprehensive tools by major players like OpenAI, which offer free services that make many startups redundant, has contributed to investor wariness. Additionally, concerns over market saturation and the profitability of AI startups have led investors to exercise greater caution and set higher standards for new investments.
🫡 Meme of the day
⭐️ Generative AI image of the day
Before you go, check out How A Non-Techie Launched A Spirituality App Using AI.
