2.4.2024
Read the AI trend roundup of Q1 2024 to discover how Amazon's bold $4 billion bet on Anthropic aims to outmaneuver OpenAI and explore the latest AI breakthroughs transforming Hollywood and beyond.
Marie Berg
Content Manager
In the first three months of 2024, we've seen artificial intelligence and technology grow faster than ever before. This time has brought us major advancements in AI, along with big moves from leading tech companies. These developments are making it clear that AI is set to play a bigger role in our daily lives and change the way industries work, pushing forward new ideas and ways of doing things. Each month has brought its progress and set of challenges, emphasizing the work being done to make the most of AI's possibilities while carefully considering the ethical side of its use. Here, we take a closer look at some of the key moments in AI from January to March 2024, illustrating how AI is steadily becoming a fundamental part of our world.
Let’s have a look at the first month of 2024 where the AI sector shared noteworthy updates, particularly from industry leaders like Apple and Samsung. These companies kicked off the year with significant developments that reveal their direction for the upcoming months. It's becoming increasingly clear that these advancements are guiding us towards a new phase of interaction, where technology becomes even more integrated into our daily lives.
Apple has announced the release of Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computer that transforms user interaction with digital content. Available from February 2, the device is powered by visionOS and offers a three-dimensional user interface controlled by a user's eyes, hands, and voice. It allows users to immerse themselves in dynamic landscapes, interact with apps in new ways, and capture and relive memories with spatial photos and videos. The device also introduces a new feature called EyeSight, which makes the device appear transparent to others when a user is engaged with it.
Samsung unveiled three new smartphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event: the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24, and Galaxy S24 Plus. The S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a 200MP main camera, and a titanium frame. The S24 is a smaller, cheaper alternative with a 6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a 50MP main camera. The S24 Plus features a QHD+ display, a 50MP wide camera, and a 4,900mAh battery. Samsung also introduced its new artificial intelligence platform, Galaxy AI, with features like Live Translate, Interpreter, Chat Assist, Note Assist, and Transcript Assist. Additionally, a new Circle to Search feature powered by Google was announced, and a promise of seven years of software updates for the new Galaxy S24 lineup. Lastly, Samsung teased a new health-tracking wearable, the Galaxy Ring.
Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy Ring, a smart ring with health-tracking capabilities, might signal a shift in the wearable technology market. The ring, which is designed for 24/7 wear, is expected to have leading sensor technologies and aims to provide consistent and accurate health data. This move by Samsung, a tech heavyweight, validates the smart ring form factor and could change how smart rings are viewed, from standalone devices to accessories for other gadgets.
OpenAI's annualized revenue has reportedly exceeded $1.6 billion, just two months after reaching $1.3 billion. This rapid growth is largely attributed to the launch of its paid ChatGPT service, ChatGPT Plus, in February 2023. OpenAI is also reportedly seeking to raise new funding at a valuation of at least $100 billion. The company is expected to continue its sales momentum into 2024, with some executives predicting its annualized recurring revenue will nearly quadruple to $5 billion by year's end.
AI startup Rabbit has launched the R1, a $199 standalone AI device that aims to act as a universal controller for apps. The device, which is about half the size of an iPhone, features a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a rotating camera, and a scroll wheel/button for navigation. It is powered by Rabbit's operating system, Rabbit OS, based on a "Large Action Model". The R1 can control music, order cars, buy groceries, send messages, and more through a single interface. The device is available for pre-order and is expected to start shipping in March.
February has brought further developments in artificial intelligence that change our understanding of technology, alongside government efforts to establish guidelines for its responsible and ethical use. This month's news covers a broad spectrum of AI developments, from innovations in brain-computer interfaces to initiatives inviting public participation in shaping the future of AI. It's becoming increasingly clear that setting rules for AI is a growing priority.
The UK government plans to invest over £100 million to stimulate 'responsible' AI R&D, with a focus on existing laws and regulators, and context-specific guidance for the tech sector. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will allocate £10 million for regulators to adapt existing rules to AI developments and enforce laws on AI apps, and £90 million to establish nine research hubs for AI innovation. The government has no plans to introduce new legislation for AI yet, opting for a context-based approach to address AI risks. The funding plan also includes £2 million for research projects defining responsible AI across sectors and £19 million for 21 projects developing trusted and responsible AI solutions.
OpenAI is exploring ways to democratize artificial intelligence (AI) by seeking public input on AI rules and behavior. The company launched a $1 million program called "Democratic Inputs to AI," funding ten teams to develop democratic processes for AI systems. One such project is Polis, a platform that uses machine learning to map users' values and identify common ground among differing viewpoints. However, questions remain about whether public input will be advisory or binding, and how these systems can accurately represent diverse viewpoints without bias.
Elon Musk claims that the first human implanted with Neuralink's brain chip can now move a mouse cursor using thought alone. However, medical ethicists have criticized the company's method of releasing information, arguing that it fails to meet basic ethical standards. Concerns have been raised about potential complications, the lack of information about plans to remove the device if necessary, and the absence of findings from animal research. Despite these concerns, Neuralink is planning to conduct clinical trials after gaining FDA approval.
PayPal and Venmo have unveiled six new innovations aimed at revolutionizing commerce through AI-driven personalization for both merchants and consumers. These include a new PayPal checkout experience, Fastlane by PayPal for a faster guest checkout experience, Smart Receipts for AI-personalized recommendations, an advanced offers platform for personalized real-time offers, a reinvented PayPal consumer app, and enhanced Venmo business profiles. These innovations aim to speed up transactions, personalize offers, and provide more reasons for customers to use PayPal and Venmo.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, reached a revenue milestone of $2 billion in December, with expectations to more than double this figure by 2025 due to strong interest from businesses seeking to use its generative AI tools. The company's annualized revenue topped $1.6 billion in December, largely due to the success of its ChatGPT product. OpenAI, valued at over $80 billion, is currently in talks to raise funds for a tech initiative aimed at boosting global chip-building capacity and expanding its AI capabilities.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly seeking up to $7 trillion in AI chip funding, sparking a complex geopolitical situation. Taiwan's TMSC manufactures most of today's AI chips, including those designed by Nvidia. China also relies on TMSC-manufactured chips and has ambitions to control Taiwan. The US is working to reduce reliance on TMSC to fend off China in the global AI race, with the Biden administration directing $5 billion in CHIPS Act money towards boosting the domestic semiconductor industry. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates AI firm G42 is reportedly in talks with Altman for funding and is shifting its investments to Western markets. Nvidia is also courting UAE investors. However, experts suggest that dominating the AI chip market requires more than just financial investment, but also a shift in reliance on data teams and a solution to the global supply chain problem.
OpenAI has completed a deal that values the company at $80 billion, nearly tripling its valuation in less than 10 months. The deal, led by venture firm Thrive Capital, allows employees to cash out their shares. This comes after a year of controversy for OpenAI, including the firing and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman. The deal is seen as a vote of confidence in the company, which specializes in generative AI technology.
March has seen a range of updates, notably the European Union responding to demands for regulated artificial intelligence by implementing the EU AI Act. Meanwhile, in the United States, developments in AI are poised to impact Hollywood film production.
The European Union's parliament has approved the world's first major set of regulations to govern artificial intelligence (AI), categorizing the technology into levels of risk from "unacceptable" to low hazard. The EU AI Act, born in 2021, is expected to come into force in May 2024, with implementation staggered from 2025 onwards. Despite concerns that regulation could hinder Europe's ability to compete with Chinese and American tech companies, the Act has been hailed as a major milestone in international AI regulation.
Apple researchers have developed new methods for training large language models on both text and images, enabling more powerful and flexible AI systems. The research, titled "MM1: Methods, Analysis & Insights from Multimodal LLM Pre-training", shows that a mix of image-caption, interleaved image-text, and text-only data is crucial for achieving state-of-the-art results. The researchers also found that the choice of image encoder and the resolution of input images had a major impact on model performance. This research comes as Apple ramps up its investments in AI, with plans to spend $1 billion per year on AI development.
Berlin-based AI-SaaS startup Frontnow has raised €3.8 million in an extended Seed financing round led by Peak, with participation from PROfounders Capital and Identity Ventures. The company, which develops AI solutions for online retailers, will use the funding to further develop its technology and expand its enterprise customer base. Frontnow's products include a virtual shopping assistant and a tool that optimizes product descriptions in online stores.
Amazon has finalized its plan to invest $4 billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI rival, with an additional $2.75 billion on top of the $1.25 billion it initially committed. This marks Amazon's largest venture investment yet. Anthropic has recently released its powerful Claude 3 family of large language models (LLMs), which have surpassed OpenAI's models in power. Amazon's investment in Anthropic aligns with its strategy to offer powerful tools to its cloud customers and generate revenue from its AWS cloud services and Bedrock platform.
The advent of AI technologies like OpenAI's Sora and Google's VideoPoet, which can turn text into realistic video, could disrupt Hollywood by reducing the cost and manpower needed to create films, according to Vanity Fair. These technologies could enable a single person to create a film or TV series, democratizing the industry. However, this shift raises concerns about job displacement and copyright issues. While some see the potential for increased creativity and access, others fear the loss of human touch in storytelling.
OpenAI is set to meet with Hollywood studios and executives to discuss partnerships and familiarize them with Sora, their upcoming text-to-video generator. While Sora is slated for public release later this year, some A-list directors and actors have already been given access.
Meta is rumored to be working on a pair of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, internally named "Orion", which are expected to be more technologically advanced than their existing products. A demo of these glasses might be presented later this year at Meta Connect. However, the glasses are not ready for public release and are expected to be launched internally in 2024, with a public release planned for 2027.
As we look back on the first quarter of 2024, AI has shown rapid progress, influencing everything from everyday gadgets to industry norms. This period highlighted not only new products from giants like Apple and Samsung but also a significant focus on the ethical considerations of AI, balancing innovation with the need for responsible use.
January brought us interesting launches, such as Apple's Vision Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S24 series, which both point to a future where digital interactions are more integrated into our lives.
In February, the narrative expanded to include government and public involvement in AI's development path. The UK's commitment to responsible AI research and OpenAI's efforts to include public input reflects a growing interest in the importance of oversight and diversity in shaping AI's future.
March underscored the importance of regulation, with the EU setting a benchmark for AI governance worldwide. This, alongside Apple's advancements in AI training, illustrates the industry's dual challenge of pushing boundaries while ensuring ethical compliance.
Reflecting on these developments, it's clear that the conversation around AI is maturing, focusing not just on what AI can do but also on how it should be used for the greater good. The first three months of 2024 have set the stage for a year of significant transformation, emphasizing the collective responsibility to guide AI towards positive societal impacts. As we move forward, the goal is to harness AI's capabilities in ways that enrich our lives and foster a more inclusive and thoughtful approach to technological advancement.
In the first three months of 2024, we've seen artificial intelligence and technology grow faster than ever before. This time has brought us major advancements in AI, along with big moves from leading tech companies. These developments are making it clear that AI is set to play a bigger role in our daily lives and change the way industries work, pushing forward new ideas and ways of doing things. Each month has brought its progress and set of challenges, emphasizing the work being done to make the most of AI's possibilities while carefully considering the ethical side of its use. Here, we take a closer look at some of the key moments in AI from January to March 2024, illustrating how AI is steadily becoming a fundamental part of our world.
Let’s have a look at the first month of 2024 where the AI sector shared noteworthy updates, particularly from industry leaders like Apple and Samsung. These companies kicked off the year with significant developments that reveal their direction for the upcoming months. It's becoming increasingly clear that these advancements are guiding us towards a new phase of interaction, where technology becomes even more integrated into our daily lives.
Apple has announced the release of Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computer that transforms user interaction with digital content. Available from February 2, the device is powered by visionOS and offers a three-dimensional user interface controlled by a user's eyes, hands, and voice. It allows users to immerse themselves in dynamic landscapes, interact with apps in new ways, and capture and relive memories with spatial photos and videos. The device also introduces a new feature called EyeSight, which makes the device appear transparent to others when a user is engaged with it.
Samsung unveiled three new smartphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event: the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24, and Galaxy S24 Plus. The S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a 200MP main camera, and a titanium frame. The S24 is a smaller, cheaper alternative with a 6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a 50MP main camera. The S24 Plus features a QHD+ display, a 50MP wide camera, and a 4,900mAh battery. Samsung also introduced its new artificial intelligence platform, Galaxy AI, with features like Live Translate, Interpreter, Chat Assist, Note Assist, and Transcript Assist. Additionally, a new Circle to Search feature powered by Google was announced, and a promise of seven years of software updates for the new Galaxy S24 lineup. Lastly, Samsung teased a new health-tracking wearable, the Galaxy Ring.
Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy Ring, a smart ring with health-tracking capabilities, might signal a shift in the wearable technology market. The ring, which is designed for 24/7 wear, is expected to have leading sensor technologies and aims to provide consistent and accurate health data. This move by Samsung, a tech heavyweight, validates the smart ring form factor and could change how smart rings are viewed, from standalone devices to accessories for other gadgets.
OpenAI's annualized revenue has reportedly exceeded $1.6 billion, just two months after reaching $1.3 billion. This rapid growth is largely attributed to the launch of its paid ChatGPT service, ChatGPT Plus, in February 2023. OpenAI is also reportedly seeking to raise new funding at a valuation of at least $100 billion. The company is expected to continue its sales momentum into 2024, with some executives predicting its annualized recurring revenue will nearly quadruple to $5 billion by year's end.
AI startup Rabbit has launched the R1, a $199 standalone AI device that aims to act as a universal controller for apps. The device, which is about half the size of an iPhone, features a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a rotating camera, and a scroll wheel/button for navigation. It is powered by Rabbit's operating system, Rabbit OS, based on a "Large Action Model". The R1 can control music, order cars, buy groceries, send messages, and more through a single interface. The device is available for pre-order and is expected to start shipping in March.
February has brought further developments in artificial intelligence that change our understanding of technology, alongside government efforts to establish guidelines for its responsible and ethical use. This month's news covers a broad spectrum of AI developments, from innovations in brain-computer interfaces to initiatives inviting public participation in shaping the future of AI. It's becoming increasingly clear that setting rules for AI is a growing priority.
The UK government plans to invest over £100 million to stimulate 'responsible' AI R&D, with a focus on existing laws and regulators, and context-specific guidance for the tech sector. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will allocate £10 million for regulators to adapt existing rules to AI developments and enforce laws on AI apps, and £90 million to establish nine research hubs for AI innovation. The government has no plans to introduce new legislation for AI yet, opting for a context-based approach to address AI risks. The funding plan also includes £2 million for research projects defining responsible AI across sectors and £19 million for 21 projects developing trusted and responsible AI solutions.
OpenAI is exploring ways to democratize artificial intelligence (AI) by seeking public input on AI rules and behavior. The company launched a $1 million program called "Democratic Inputs to AI," funding ten teams to develop democratic processes for AI systems. One such project is Polis, a platform that uses machine learning to map users' values and identify common ground among differing viewpoints. However, questions remain about whether public input will be advisory or binding, and how these systems can accurately represent diverse viewpoints without bias.
Elon Musk claims that the first human implanted with Neuralink's brain chip can now move a mouse cursor using thought alone. However, medical ethicists have criticized the company's method of releasing information, arguing that it fails to meet basic ethical standards. Concerns have been raised about potential complications, the lack of information about plans to remove the device if necessary, and the absence of findings from animal research. Despite these concerns, Neuralink is planning to conduct clinical trials after gaining FDA approval.
PayPal and Venmo have unveiled six new innovations aimed at revolutionizing commerce through AI-driven personalization for both merchants and consumers. These include a new PayPal checkout experience, Fastlane by PayPal for a faster guest checkout experience, Smart Receipts for AI-personalized recommendations, an advanced offers platform for personalized real-time offers, a reinvented PayPal consumer app, and enhanced Venmo business profiles. These innovations aim to speed up transactions, personalize offers, and provide more reasons for customers to use PayPal and Venmo.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, reached a revenue milestone of $2 billion in December, with expectations to more than double this figure by 2025 due to strong interest from businesses seeking to use its generative AI tools. The company's annualized revenue topped $1.6 billion in December, largely due to the success of its ChatGPT product. OpenAI, valued at over $80 billion, is currently in talks to raise funds for a tech initiative aimed at boosting global chip-building capacity and expanding its AI capabilities.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly seeking up to $7 trillion in AI chip funding, sparking a complex geopolitical situation. Taiwan's TMSC manufactures most of today's AI chips, including those designed by Nvidia. China also relies on TMSC-manufactured chips and has ambitions to control Taiwan. The US is working to reduce reliance on TMSC to fend off China in the global AI race, with the Biden administration directing $5 billion in CHIPS Act money towards boosting the domestic semiconductor industry. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates AI firm G42 is reportedly in talks with Altman for funding and is shifting its investments to Western markets. Nvidia is also courting UAE investors. However, experts suggest that dominating the AI chip market requires more than just financial investment, but also a shift in reliance on data teams and a solution to the global supply chain problem.
OpenAI has completed a deal that values the company at $80 billion, nearly tripling its valuation in less than 10 months. The deal, led by venture firm Thrive Capital, allows employees to cash out their shares. This comes after a year of controversy for OpenAI, including the firing and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman. The deal is seen as a vote of confidence in the company, which specializes in generative AI technology.
March has seen a range of updates, notably the European Union responding to demands for regulated artificial intelligence by implementing the EU AI Act. Meanwhile, in the United States, developments in AI are poised to impact Hollywood film production.
The European Union's parliament has approved the world's first major set of regulations to govern artificial intelligence (AI), categorizing the technology into levels of risk from "unacceptable" to low hazard. The EU AI Act, born in 2021, is expected to come into force in May 2024, with implementation staggered from 2025 onwards. Despite concerns that regulation could hinder Europe's ability to compete with Chinese and American tech companies, the Act has been hailed as a major milestone in international AI regulation.
Apple researchers have developed new methods for training large language models on both text and images, enabling more powerful and flexible AI systems. The research, titled "MM1: Methods, Analysis & Insights from Multimodal LLM Pre-training", shows that a mix of image-caption, interleaved image-text, and text-only data is crucial for achieving state-of-the-art results. The researchers also found that the choice of image encoder and the resolution of input images had a major impact on model performance. This research comes as Apple ramps up its investments in AI, with plans to spend $1 billion per year on AI development.
Berlin-based AI-SaaS startup Frontnow has raised €3.8 million in an extended Seed financing round led by Peak, with participation from PROfounders Capital and Identity Ventures. The company, which develops AI solutions for online retailers, will use the funding to further develop its technology and expand its enterprise customer base. Frontnow's products include a virtual shopping assistant and a tool that optimizes product descriptions in online stores.
Amazon has finalized its plan to invest $4 billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI rival, with an additional $2.75 billion on top of the $1.25 billion it initially committed. This marks Amazon's largest venture investment yet. Anthropic has recently released its powerful Claude 3 family of large language models (LLMs), which have surpassed OpenAI's models in power. Amazon's investment in Anthropic aligns with its strategy to offer powerful tools to its cloud customers and generate revenue from its AWS cloud services and Bedrock platform.
The advent of AI technologies like OpenAI's Sora and Google's VideoPoet, which can turn text into realistic video, could disrupt Hollywood by reducing the cost and manpower needed to create films, according to Vanity Fair. These technologies could enable a single person to create a film or TV series, democratizing the industry. However, this shift raises concerns about job displacement and copyright issues. While some see the potential for increased creativity and access, others fear the loss of human touch in storytelling.
OpenAI is set to meet with Hollywood studios and executives to discuss partnerships and familiarize them with Sora, their upcoming text-to-video generator. While Sora is slated for public release later this year, some A-list directors and actors have already been given access.
Meta is rumored to be working on a pair of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, internally named "Orion", which are expected to be more technologically advanced than their existing products. A demo of these glasses might be presented later this year at Meta Connect. However, the glasses are not ready for public release and are expected to be launched internally in 2024, with a public release planned for 2027.
As we look back on the first quarter of 2024, AI has shown rapid progress, influencing everything from everyday gadgets to industry norms. This period highlighted not only new products from giants like Apple and Samsung but also a significant focus on the ethical considerations of AI, balancing innovation with the need for responsible use.
January brought us interesting launches, such as Apple's Vision Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S24 series, which both point to a future where digital interactions are more integrated into our lives.
In February, the narrative expanded to include government and public involvement in AI's development path. The UK's commitment to responsible AI research and OpenAI's efforts to include public input reflects a growing interest in the importance of oversight and diversity in shaping AI's future.
March underscored the importance of regulation, with the EU setting a benchmark for AI governance worldwide. This, alongside Apple's advancements in AI training, illustrates the industry's dual challenge of pushing boundaries while ensuring ethical compliance.
Reflecting on these developments, it's clear that the conversation around AI is maturing, focusing not just on what AI can do but also on how it should be used for the greater good. The first three months of 2024 have set the stage for a year of significant transformation, emphasizing the collective responsibility to guide AI towards positive societal impacts. As we move forward, the goal is to harness AI's capabilities in ways that enrich our lives and foster a more inclusive and thoughtful approach to technological advancement.
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