August 21, 2024: Claude AI App Hits $1M Revenue - Anthropics AI app Claude has surpassed $1 million in mobile app revenue in 16 weeks, with nearly half generated by U.S. users. Though trailing behind ChatGPT in both downloads and revenue rankings, Claude reached this milestone faster than Microsofts Copilot and Perplexity. The U.S. is the largest market for both downloads and revenue. Challenges remain as competition increases, particularly with Apple Intelligences integration of ChatGPT via Siri.

August 21, 2024: Google Cloud Run Adds Nvidia GPUs for AI Inference - Google Cloud Run now supports Nvidia L4 GPUs, enabling serverless AI inference. This service aims to provide cost-effective, scalable GPU power only when needed, eliminating the need for always-on cloud instances or on-premises hardware. Developers can deploy real-time inference, generative AI models, and compute-intensive tasks with improved efficiency. Google assures minimal performance impact with cold start times between 11 to 35 seconds. Although model-agnostic, the platform recommends using models under 13B parameters for optimal performance.

August 21, 2024: Snowflake Beats Expectations Despite Stock Drop - Snowflake Inc. reported better-than-expected Q2 results with a 29% revenue increase to $868 million and raised its full-year product revenue outlook. However, worries about a possible revenue growth slowdown in the second half led to a 7% after-hours stock drop. The company saw a net loss rise to $317 million and spent over $1 billion in reserves. Analysts highlighted concerns over deferred revenue and lack of margin forecast increase. Despite positive AI advancements and a 48% increase in remaining performance obligations, investors remain cautious.

August 21, 2024: OpenAI Opposes California AI Regulation Bill - OpenAI expressed opposition to Californias AI bill SB 1047, arguing it would stifle innovation and push talent out of the state. Senator Scott Wiener dismissed OpenAIs claims, stating the bill applies to all AI firms doing business in California, not just those headquartered there. He highlighted that specific provisions were not criticized by OpenAI. The bill is headed to a final vote, with Governor Gavin Newsoms stance still unclear.

August 21, 2024: Story Raises $80M, Targets IP Monetization with Blockchain - Story has secured $80 million in Series B funding, led by a16z crypto, at a $2.25 billion valuation. The startup aims to create a blockchain platform to manage and monetize intellectual property (IP) more effectively in the AI age. CEO S.Y. Lee envisions an IP blockchain enabling creators to control and license their content. With over 200 teams already registered, Story plans a commercial launch later this year. This innovative approach aims to sustain the creative economy amidst AI-driven content disruptions.

August 21, 2024: Piramidal Raises $6M for AI Brainwave Analysis - Piramidal Inc. secured $6 million in seed funding, led by Y Combinator, to develop an AI model that improves the accuracy and speed of diagnosing neurological conditions via electroencephalography (EEG) analysis. Their AI aims to tackle error-prone and time-consuming elements in EEG scans, primarily focusing on epilepsy diagnoses with plans to expand to other brain conditions.

August 20, 2024: BeyondMath Secures $8M to Revolutionize Engineering with AI - BeyondMath Ltd. has raised $8.5M to commercialize its AI-powered multiphysics simulation platform, which accelerates engineering iterations up to 1,000 times. By training AI models on physics equations, the startup aims to transform engineering in various industries, offering rapid, cost-effective simulations without physical prototypes or supercomputers. Using Nvidias DGX H200, BeyondMath optimizes design processes and democratizes advanced simulation capabilities. With applications in F1 racing and broader ambitions to unify physics theories, the platform promises significant industry-wide benefits in speed, cost, and environmental impact.

August 20, 2024: OpenAI Inks Multi-Year Content Deal with Cond Nast - OpenAI has signed a multi-year agreement with Cond Nast to train on its content and surface stories in ChatGPT and SearchGPT. The partnership, which includes financial compensation but undisclosed terms, allows OpenAI to utilize content from Cond Nasts renowned outlets such as The New Yorker and Vogue. Cond Nast follows a growing list of publishers collaborating with OpenAI, including the Associated Press and Financial Times, though some deals have reportedly bypassed editorial staff.

August 20, 2024: OpenAI Launches GPT-4o Fine-Tuning Feature - OpenAI has launched fine-tuning for its GPT-4o model, enabling developers to create custom versions for specific tasks using tailored datasets. This enhancement promises higher performance and cost efficiency for specialized applications. Fine-tuned models have shown strong results, including a top performance in the BIRD-SQL benchmark. Fine-tuning is available for all paid usage tiers, with initial free training tokens provided until Sept. 23.

August 20, 2024: Eppo Secures $28M for Advanced A/B Testing - Eppo Inc. raised $28 million in Series A funding, led by Innovation Endeavors, to enhance its cloud-based A/B testing platform. Eppos platform includes features like contextual bandit testing and CUPED analytics that improve experiment accuracy and user engagement. The funding will help Eppo expand its workforce and develop new testing features to optimize marketing budgets.

August 20, 2024: Defcon AI Secures $44M to Optimize Military Logistics - Defcon AI, a Virginia-based startup, raised a $44 million seed round to improve military logistics. Founded in 2022, the companys software aids complex planning for U.S. Department of Defense operations using machine learning and optimization algorithms. The technology already supports the Air Mobility Command and has secured $15 million in government contracts. Co-founder Paul Selva, a retired U.S. Air Force General, emphasizes the softwares critical role in crisis scenarios. Defcon AI aims to expand its applications within the DOD and industry.

August 19, 2024: AI Price War Squeezes Margins, Says Cohere CEO - Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez highlights the precarious state of the AI model market due to fierce competition and price dumping. Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta are slashing prices, making the business of selling AI model access a zero-margin game. Big Tech can subsidize these losses, but startups suffer. Many are being acquired by large cloud providers. Until the AI market stabilizes, selling products, like subscriptions, is a safer revenue strategy.

August 19, 2024: ElevenLabs Reader App Debuts Globally - ElevenLabs AI text-to-speech Reader app is now globally available, supporting 32 languages including Portuguese, Hindi, and Japanese. Initially released in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, Reader lets users upload any text and listen in various languages and voices. The app utilizes the Turbo v2.5 model for improved efficiency and quality. ElevenLabs, a unicorn startup, powers voice interactions on several platforms and recently licensed iconic actors voices for its app. Future updates include offline features and audio snippet sharing.

August 17, 2024: ChatGPTs Voice Mode: Conversational AI Revolution - OpenAIs new Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) lets users converse naturally with their phones, delivering jokes, advice, and complex explanations. Although still glitchy and lacking in practical assistant features like setting timers, AVM offers a unique, human-like interaction experience. This evolution in AI-driven companionship raises concerns about dependency and societal impacts, but signals significant advancements in virtual assistants compared to Siri, Alexa, and Googles Gemini Live.

August 17, 2024: Microsoft Copilot: AI Revolution in Productivity Tools - Microsofts Copilot, powered by OpenAI models, enhances productivity across various applications including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and GitHub. Offering features from text summarization to code generation, it supports plugins and integrates with third-party tools. Premium Copilot Pro and enterprise-focused Copilot for Microsoft 365 provide advanced capabilities like higher-resolution images and personalized data responses. Despite its utility, Copilot faces issues like inaccuracies, security concerns, and legal challenges over data use.

August 16, 2024: OpenAI Halts Iranian ChatGPT Election Influence - OpenAI has banned accounts linked to an Iranian group using ChatGPT to generate misleading U.S. election content. Named Storm-2035, the group created AI-generated articles and social media posts aimed at sowing discord. Despite little audience engagement, OpenAIs efforts follow similar disruptions tied to state-affiliated actors. Microsoft identified Storm-2035 in a broader election influence campaign.

August 16, 2024: Google Expands AI Overviews to Six Countries - Google is extending its AI-powered search summaries to India, Brazil, Japan, the UK, Indonesia, and Mexico, including local language support. Enhancements include new ways to display source links, encouraging higher-quality site visits. In India, users can toggle between Hindi and English results and listen to AI-generated responses. Despite criticism of AI tools for not adequately citing sources, Google aims to drive more traffic to external sites with these updates.

August 16, 2024: Geekbench AI Reaches New Heights in Device Testing - Primate Labs releases Geekbench AI 1.0 to measure real-world AI performance on mobile and desktop platforms. Renamed from Geekbench ML, the tool evaluates AI, machine learning, and deep learning through a three-metric scoring system, offering granular insights into hardware optimization. It measures speed and accuracy across various AI frameworks and is available on multiple operating systems and app stores. The tool integrates with Geekbench Browser for cross-platform comparisons.