The Halloween spirit has officially descended upon us, and the AI world is no exception. This week brought a chilling number of developments, from OpenAI’s $6.6 billion funding round and Nvidia’s surprise foray into open-source LLMs to Google’s multilingual Gemini Live and some truly unsettling privacy concerns raised by Meta Smart Glasses. Let’s delve into the spookiest stories from the AI frontier:
OpenAI’s $6.6 Billion Funding Round and a Valuation That’s Out of This World
Sam Altman’s charmed existence just got a whole lot more charmed. OpenAI, the company he co-founded, has secured a staggering $6.6 billion in its latest funding round, pushing its valuation to a whopping $157 billion. This makes OpenAI one of the wealthiest private enterprises on the planet and puts Altman on track to become one of the top 10 richest people on the globe should the company’s proposed for-profit restructuring plan go through. Existing investors like Microsoft and Khosla Ventures were joined by newcomers SoftBank and Nvidia in this record-breaking investment. Shortly after securing the funding, OpenAI released Canvas, a collaborative feature similar to Anthropic’s Artifacts.
Nvidia Enters the LLM Arena with Open-Source Offering
Nvidia, known for its powerful AI hardware, is stepping into the software arena with the launch of LVNM 1.0, a truly open-source large language model. This model family, led by the 72 billion-parameter LVNM-D-72B, is designed to excel at various vision and language tasks and is touted as a rival to GPT-4. However, Nvidia emphasizes that LVNM is not intended to be a direct competitor to other frontier-class LLMs but rather a platform for developers to create their own chatbots and applications. This move signifies Nvidia’s ambition to expand its influence within the AI landscape.
Google’s Gemini Live Speaks the Language of Inclusion
Direct conversation with your AI assistant is the new must-have feature. This week, Google announced the expansion of Gemini Live to include nearly four dozen languages beyond English, starting with French, German, Portuguese, Hindi, and Spanish. This move aligns with the growing trend of AI assistants becoming more accessible and inclusive. Microsoft, not to be outdone, also unveiled Copilot Voice, a similar feature for its AI assistant that prioritizes natural and intuitive communication. These advancements join ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode and Meta’s Natural Voice Interactions, further blurring the lines between human and machine interaction.
California Governor Vetoes Expansive AI Safety Bill
The debate surrounding AI safety took an unexpected turn this week as California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047, the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Models Act. In his veto message, Newsom argued that the bill focused too narrowly on the largest language models, overlooking the potential dangers posed by smaller, specialized models. This decision has sparked further debate about the appropriate approach to regulating AI, leaving many to wonder what the future holds for AI safety legislation.
Meta Smart Glasses: A Frightening Glimpse into a Privacy Nightmare
Two Harvard computer science students conducted a chilling experiment called I-XRAY, demonstrating the potential for Meta Smart Glasses to be turned into automatic doxing machines. They modified commercially available Meta smart glasses to identify and look up any person within their field of vision. The glasses capture images of strangers, run them through PimEyes image recognition software for identification, and then use that information to search for personal details (phone numbers, home addresses) on commercial data brokerage sites. This raises alarming privacy implications, as anyone wearing these modified glasses could potentially access sensitive information about unsuspecting individuals. While the students have no plans to publicly release the source code, their experiment highlights the urgent need to address the privacy implications of AI-powered devices and the potential for their misuse.
This week in AI has been a mix of exciting advancements and chilling reminders of the potential downsides of AI technology. As we navigate this rapidly evolving landscape, it’s crucial to remain vigilant, advocate for responsible development, and ensure that AI serves humanity, not exploits it.
