OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Makes Nuclear Energy Startup Oklo Public

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July 13, 2023

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman makes nuclear energy startup Oklo public — Image Credits: AD

A nuclear energy firm is going public through the special purpose acquisition company run by ChatGPT’s CEO Sam Altman. Sam Altman and Churchill Capital, who co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp., will merge with the firm Oklo. Altman has been chairman of Oklo since 2015 and has long been a leading investor in the company.

abundant energy is important to a great future and there are only a few technologies that can deliver it safely, cost-effectively, at scale, and without burning carbon. as ceo of altc, i am excited to be combining with @oklo, a unique company positioned to lead in fission.
— Sam Altman (@sama) July 11, 2023

“Obviously AI requires lots of energy, but energy is needed for many other things that we do in this world of atoms,” stated Altman on a conference call with investors on Tuesday. “So for a very long time, my attention has been on finding new sources of energy, primarily nuclear energy. And that is what initially brought me to Oklo.”

“The structure of cheap, accessible, clean energy and cheap, accessible, powerful intellect – if those change, the economy can actually shift too. And I think the future for people might be extremely spectacular,” he continued.

The advanced nuclear fission business will construct facilities and sell electricity under long-term contracts in order to generate ongoing income. Data centers, factories, and industrial sites are a few examples of its clients.

The business claims to have secured three locations, two in southeast Ohio and one in Idaho, where a commercial-scale advanced fission power plant will be operational in 2026 or 2027.

According to Oklo, this technology can run on recycled fuel and requires a lot less area than conventional nuclear reactors. The business also intends to offer services for recycling old nuclear fuel.

During the conference call, co-founder Jake DeWitte remarked, “We’ve been building Oklo for more than a decade, and we have the proper technology. Once the merger is completed in early 2024, Oklo is anticipated to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ‘OKLO.'”

Microsoft Announces Cuts 276 Jobs in New Round of Layoffs

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Sahil Pawar

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July 13, 2023

Microsoft announces cuts 276 jobs in new round of layoffs

Microsoft has announced a fresh round of layoffs. The round comes on top of Microsoft’s downsizing, which was made public in January 2023 and led to 10,000 job losses at the software company. GeekWire reports that 276 employees of Washington, the company’s home state, are affected.

The impacted employees primarily worked in sales, support, and customer service. 66 of the 276 employees were virtual workers. Many affected Washington division employees have also joined LinkedIn.

According to a source, it is highly unusual for Microsoft to reduce staff just one week into the 2024 fiscal year. Additionally, a spokeswoman said that organizational and employee changes are a normal and necessary element of running the business. “For our future and the support of our clients and partners, we will continue to give strategic development sectors top priority and financial investment,” she said.

In an email, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that the company was firing thousands of workers due to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.” While reducing positions in some areas, the letter states that “we will continue to hire in key strategic areas.”

For several months after the layoff announcement, Microsoft continued to eliminate positions across all of its divisions, including Xbox, HoloLens, LinkedIn, and others. On the other hand, the software behemoth is making significant investments in the AI sector, particularly in Bing Chat.

Elon Musk Launches AI Startup xAI To Take On OpenAI

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Sahil Pawar

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July 13, 2023

Elon Musk launches AI startup xAI — Image Credits: AD

On Wednesday, the wealthy entrepreneur Elon Musk presented his long-rumored artificial intelligence venture, xAI. In his quest to develop a ChatGPT rival, he also introduced a group of engineers from the same important American technology companies he wants to compete against.

Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2023

The venture will be led by Musk, who is currently the CEO of the electric vehicle maker Tesla, the CEO of the rocket launch company SpaceX, and the owner of Twitter. In the past, Musk has said that the advancement of AI should be halted and that industrial regulation is necessary.

Musk has frequently expressed his worries about the potential “civilizational destruction” that AI could cause. Musk described his strategy for creating a safer AI during a Twitter Spaces event on Wednesday night. Instead of consciously incorporating morality into its AI, xAI would aim to develop a “maximally curious” AI, he claimed.

The xAI team is made up of Tony Wu, a former Google employee, Igor Babuschkin, a former engineer at Google’s DeepMind, Christian Szegedy, a former Google research scientist, and Greg Yang, a former Microsoft employee.

Musk registered X.AI Corp as a Nevada-based corporation, in March, according to a state filing. Musk is mentioned as the sole director of the business, while Jared Birchall, who is the managing director of the family office, is named as the secretary.

Dan Hendrycks, who oversees the Centre for AI Safety and focuses on the risks associated with AI, will offer advice to the xAI team. xAI claims to be employing qualified researchers and engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dell Technologies Partners with Intel to Launch AI Skills Lab in Telangana

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

Dell Technologies partners with Intel AI Skills Lab Telangana — Image Credits: CIO

Dell Technologies and Intel have teamed up to unravel AI for the benefit of Telangana’s Lords Institute of Engineering & Technology students. The “AI for Youth” programme from the two companies is being integrated into the school’s curriculum.

Through this collaboration, the Lords Institute of Engineering & Technology hopes to close the digital skills gap and prepare students for the workforce. Through this partnership with Intel, a complete programme for AI readiness will be introduced, giving young people the tools they need to be future-ready.

The program’s main goal is to develop the skills of chosen teachers through Intel-provided training and a 170+ hour AI curriculum that is used to coach students through bootcamps, AI-Thons, and virtual showcases. By establishing an AI Skills lab and empowering students to develop solutions with a social impact, the alliance intends to establish and nurture an ecosystem on campus that is ready for AI.

To enable students to work on projects in computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), OpenVINO, and Intel’s Neural Compute Stick 2, the lab is equipped with a Dell Optiplex.

Indrajit Belgundi, Senior Director and General Manager, Client Solutions Group, Dell Technologies, said, “Dell is glad to partner with Intel to build a truly AI ready campus at the Lord’s Institute, Telangana. The AI for Youth initiative will help bridge the skill gap by leveraging impactful AI pedagogy to enable both educators and students. Innovation in technology and education is key to building the future workforce.”

Huawei Launches Global Challenge to Create AI Solutions for Sustainable Climate Change

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

Huawei has announced a problem statement as part of a competition at the recent AI for Good Global Summit, the premier UN forum for open discussion on AI. Its goal is to increase awareness of the contribution of AI to the fight against climate change.

The International Telecommunication Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency are leading a group of United Nations agencies in a series of competitions designed to tap into the knowledge of the community and develop AI solutions for climate change.

The goal of the Huawei-organized 5G energy consumption modeling challenge is to create machine learning models that can lower the energy consumption of base stations made by any manufacturer. Academics from all around the world are urged to focus on this problem statement throughout the ensuing months.

The deadline for team registration is 30 September 2023, and it is now open. The top proposals will be chosen by a jury and then presented at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at the end of this year.

The challenge’s coordinator, Huawei researcher Xi Zheng, stated that the company hopes to raise awareness of challenging problems in ICT, encourage researchers and experts worldwide to contribute to the maturity of useful solutions, and present how AI capabilities can be used to deal with real-life issues. She stated that winners would receive cash awards, internships at Huawei, and chances to work with the company.

OpenAI’s DALL-E to Train on Shutterstock’s Image Library for Six More Years

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

OpenAI’s DALL-E train Shutterstock’s Image library six more years — Image Credits: Shutterstock

Shutterstock and OpenAI are extending their collaboration for another six years, during which time the AI startup will be able to use the vast collection of photos, videos, music, and metadata from Shutterstock to train its models.

The collaboration between the stock photo website and OpenAI originally started in 2021. At that point, Shutterstock began allowing OpenAI to utilize its photos to train DALL-E, a text-to-image model. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, called this agreement “critical” to the model’s training. Last year, Shutterstock introduced a “Contributor Fund” to pay when an artist’s work was used to train an OpenAI model.

At same time, Shutterstock also integrated OpenAI’s image generator directly into its website and forbade the selling of AI-generated photos produced using anything other than the DALL-E tool that was already embedded into its platform. However, Shutterstock is now increasing this integration and claims that doing so will allow users to “edit and transform any image in the entire Shutterstock library.” Giphy, the platform for creating GIFs that Shutterstock just purchased from Meta, will also get AI features from Shutterstock.

Brad Lightcap, the chief operating officer of OpenAI, says in a statement, “We’re happy to be able to license Shutterstock’s high-quality content library. In addition to improving the capabilities of our picture models, this expanded partnership gives brands, digital media, and marketing firms the keys to unlock revolutionary possibilities for ideation and content production.”

Shutterstock, in contrast to other image-sharing websites like Getty Images, is completely embracing AI and any potential consequences. Getty Images has responded to artists’ concerns about their work being scrapped to train AI models by fully prohibiting AI-generated content from its platform. Additionally, Getty Images filed a lawsuit against Stability AI, claiming that it had “illegally copied and processed millions of images protected by copyright” on its website.

National Science Foundation to Create Seven New AI Research Institutes

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

National Science Foundation Seven New AI Research Institutes — Image credits: NSF

The US National Science Foundation has announced a $140 million commitment to create seven new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes in partnership with other federal agencies, universities, and other stakeholders. The statement is a component of a larger federal government initiative to create a coordinated strategy for dealing with the benefits and challenges associated with AI.

The new AI Institutes will advance fundamental AI research that supports ethical and reliable AI systems and technologies, create novel cybersecurity strategies, contribute to creative climate change solutions, deepen our understanding of the brain, and use AI to improve public health and education.

The institutions will assist in addressing the dangers and potential negative effects posed by AI as well as the development of a diverse AI workforce in the United States. With this contribution, the NSF and its funding partners will have contributed about $500 million to the research network of the AI Institutes, which spans practically all 50 states.

The new AI Institutes focus on six research themes, including Trustworthy AI; Intelligent Agents for Next-Generation Cybersecurity; Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry; Neural and Cognitive Foundations of Artificial Intelligence; AI for Decision Making; and AI-Augmented Learning to Expand Education Opportunities and Improve Outcomes.

According to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, “The National AI Research Institutes are a critical component of our nation’s AI innovation, infrastructure, technology, education, and partnerships ecosystem. These institutes are leading research that will guarantee that our nation is at the forefront of the global AI revolution.”

Wipro to Invest $1 Billion in AI Capabilities Over 3 Years

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

Wipro invest $1 billion AI capabilities over 3 years (2) — Image Credits: Wipro

According to a statement released on July 12, Wipro has introduced an AI-first ecosystem called Wipro ai360 and aims to include artificial intelligence into every platform or solution it utilizes both internally and as part of client solutions. The business will spend $1 billion on this over the following three years to improve AI capabilities.

Over the course of the upcoming year, the tech giant said it will teach all 2.5 lakh of its employees in AI basics and safe usage of AI. The big IT company claimed that the investments would be used to grow AI, its data and analytics solutions, create new R&D and platforms, and improve the capabilities of FullStride Cloud and Consulting.

To create new solutions and incorporate AI into all procedures and practices, it will make use of capabilities from the cloud and partnerships; data analytics and AI; design and consulting; cybersecurity; and engineering. Given that generative AI has the ability to drastically change the business, this is just the most recent in a long line of investments made by IT corporations in AI capabilities.

According to Thierry Delaporte, managing director and managing director at Wipro Limited, Artificial Intelligence is a fast-moving field. “We anticipate a dramatic shift in the future for many industries, especially with the introduction of generative AI. New difficulties, new working methods, and new business models are all present. The Wipro ai360 ecosystem places responsible AI operations at the core of all our AI efforts precisely for this reason,” he said.

According to the announcement, the platform would bring together the company’s 30,000 data analytics and AI specialists as well as the IT community from its four main business lines. Through Wipro Ventures, Wipro will also seek to fund “cutting-edge” startups. Additionally, it will introduce a seed accelerator programme for generative AI-focused companies to prepare them for commercialization.

Foxconn Pulling Plug on Semiconductor Plant Venture with Vedanta to Not Have Impact on India, says Minister

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

Foxconn pulling plug semiconductor plant venture Vedanta not impact on India — Image Credits: AD

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the minister of state for electronics and IT, stated on Monday that the intention of India to build semiconductor fabrication plants will not be affected by Foxconn’s decision to leave a joint venture with Vedanta.

➡️This decision of Foxconn to withdraw from its JV wth Vedanta has no impact on India's #Semiconductor Fab goals. None.

➡️Both Foxconn n Vedanta have significant investments in India and are valued investors who are creating jobs n growth.

➡️It was well known that both… https://t.co/0DQrwXeCIr
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) July 10, 2023

“Foxconn’s decision to end its joint venture with Vedanta has no bearing on India’s Semiconductor Fab goals. None,” Chandrasekhar wrote in a tweet, adding that both businesses are respected investors who are fostering employment creation and major investments in India.

Vedanta, a company supported by billionaire Anil Agarwal, and Foxconn announced in September of last year that they will establish India’s first electronic chip manufacturing facility in Gujarat with an estimated investment of USD 1.5 lakh crore.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Electronics and IT, also posted on Twitter to reaffirm Foxconn and Vedanta’s commitment to the Make-in-India initiative and the nation’s semiconductor mission.

It’s not for the government to get into why or how two private companies choose to partner or choose not to, continued Chandrasekhar. He said that the separation means that both companies can and will now pursue their strategies in India independently, and with appropriate technology partners in Semicon and Electronics.

According to the tweet, Vedanta recently filed a proposal for a 40 nm fab through the joint venture VFSL (Vedanta-Foxconn Semiconductors Limited), which is currently being assessed by the government’s Semicon India Tech Advisory Council. The proposal is supported by a technology licensing agreement from a global semiconductor giant.

UAVIO Introduces Autonomous Inventory Management Drone Technology for Warehouses

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Sahil Pawar

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July 12, 2023

UAVIO Labs, a Bangalore-based drone manufacturer, recently took to LinkedIn to announce “a big leap in warehouse management using drone tech.” The company’s latest video demonstrates a drone autonomously performing tasks such as barcode scanning, box counting, and empty space identification.

The post described the process for the same as a one-time 3D mapping of the warehouse followed by autonomous flights for routine operations. The use of the drone to revolutionize warehouse management results in greater efficiency, accuracy, and productivity, according to the company.

The co-founder and CEO of UAVIO, Arjun Jain, said in a post, “Thrilled to be a part of such cutting-edge work at UAVIO Labs. Embracing drone technology to redefine warehouse operations is the future, and we’re leading the way!” The company describes their new drone technology as “the most advanced India’s first software-only autonomous inventory management platform for modern warehouses.”

UAVIO is a drone manufacturer that offers services for the production of aviation and aerospace components. Since 2021, they provide unmatched cutting-edge drone solutions powered by artificial intelligence along with ongoing support services. UAV drones can execute tasks in natural world environments freely without the help of pilots in GPS-denied environments.

The company’s drones can do simple tasks such as taking images and videos, monitoring workflow, identifying fuel/gas/chemical leakage, and powering various defense and law enforcement applications like crowd counting, disaster management, remote monitoring, aerial surveillance, and vehicle detection.