Over the past few years, we have taken a gigantic leap forward in our decades-long quest to build intelligent machines: the advent of the large language model, or LLM.
This technology, based on research that tries to model the human brain, has led to a new field known as generative AI — software that can create plausible and sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level that mimics human ability.
Businesses around the world have begun to experiment with the new technology in the belief it could transform media, finance, law and professional services, as well as public services such as education. The LLM is underpinned by a scientific development known as the transformer model, made by Google researchers in 2017.
Likewise, the company behind an app that can recommend your next TV binge, movie to watch, podcast to stream or book to read, is out today with its own entertainment-focused AI companion, Pix. Built using a combination of Likewise’s own customer data and technology from partner OpenAI, Pix can make entertainment recommendations and answer other questions via text message or email, or by communicating with Pix within the Pix mobile app, website or even by speaking to Pix’s TV app using a voice remote.
Founded in 2017 by former Microsoft communications chief Larry Cohen with financial backing from Bill Gates, the recommendations startup aims to offer an easy way for people to discover new TV shows, movies, books, podcasts and more, as well as follow other users and make lists of their favorites to share. While today, recommendations are often baked into the streaming services or apps we use to play our entertainment content, Likewise maintains a registered user base of more than 6 million, and over 2 million monthly active users.
To build Pix, the company leveraged around 600 million consumer data points along with machine learning algorithms, as well as the natural language processing technology of OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 and 4. To work, the AI chatbot learns the preferences of the individual user and then provides them with personalized recommendations — similar to Likewise itself. In addition, the bot will reach out to users when new content becomes available that matches their interests.
Venture Investing To Catalyze The Next Generation Of Founder-Led, Longevity Biotech Companies — Dr. Alex Colville, Ph.D., Co-Founder and General Partner — age1.
Dr. Alex Colville, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and General Partner of age1 (https://age1.com/), a venture capital firm focused on catalyzing the next generation of founder-led, longevity biotech companies, with a strategy of building a community of visionaries advancing new therapeutics, tools, and technologies targeting aging and age-related diseases.
With a recent initial closing of US$35 million, age1 will be focusing on founders and companies at the earliest stages of first-money in, pre-seed and seed funding, and is resourced to continue to support companies through later rounds.
Dr. Colville previously established the biotech arm of Starbloom Capital and served as founding Chief of Staff of Amaranth Foundation, where he led: the foundation’s support of skilled researchers and ambitious moonshot projects in the longevity field, and helped to advance their lobbying efforts; the TIME Initiative (a group with mission to activate undergraduate students’ interest in aging biology); the Marine Biology Laboratory Biology of Aging Summer Course, among other programs.
Dr. Colville completed his Ph.D. in Genetics at Stanford University studying the biology of aging in Dr. Thomas Rando’s lab while consulting for several family offices, the R&D team of Rubedo Life Sciences, and the business development team of Maze Therapeutics. Prior to his Ph.D., while at Northeastern University completing his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering with a Minor in Biochemical Engineering, he advised pharma companies as a management consultant at Putnam Associates, a boutique life sciences consulting firm.
While plenty of fury was aimed at how the fee might impact developers’ finances, some of that anger stemmed from Unity’s inability to effectively communicate its new policy and provide clear answers to pertinent questions.
The dust is now supposedly settled, but here’s one more thing: why doesn’t Unity’s explanation for its shifting answers about the Runtime Fee in relation to subscription services hold up to scrutiny?
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reveals the technology behind codec avatars, which create ultra-realistic VR faces.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has been struggling to convince the world that its vision of the metaverse is worth pursuing. The social media giant rebranded itself in October 2022, hoping to create a more immersive and interactive online experience for its users. However, the initial response was far from positive. Many people mocked the cartoonish and unrealistic avatars that Meta showcased in its demonstration video, which lasted for over an hour. Others questioned the need and feasibility of creating a virtual world that mimics real life.
Meta’s ambitious project also faced… More.
Credits: Lex Fridman/YouTube.
Meta’s ambitious project also faced financial challenges. The company reported a loss of $4.28 billion in the first quarter of 2022, with its revenue from Meta Reality Labs, the division responsible for developing the metaverse, being much lower than expected. Meta also faced competition from other tech companies, such as Microsoft and Apple, that were working on their own versions of augmented and virtual reality.
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Professor Nita Farahany reveals to Azeem Azhar the startling advancements of brain-scanning technology and the extraordinary implications this tech has for privacy and humanity.
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Quantum technology holds immense promise, yet it is riddled with complexity. Anticipated to usher in a slew of technological advancements in the upcoming decades, it is set to offer us more compact and accurate sensors, robustly secure communication networks, and high-capacity computers. These advancements will outpace the capabilities of present computing technologies, aiding in the swift development of new drugs and materials, controlling financial markets, and enhancing weather forecasting.
To realize these benefits, we require what are termed as quantum materials, which display significant quantum physical effects. One such material is graphene.
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a single layer of atoms in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice in which one atom forms each vertex. It is the basic structural element of other allotropes of carbon, including graphite, charcoal, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes. In proportion to its thickness, it is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel.
Tesla has been given a vote of confidence by one of the world’s wealthiest men who believes the company’s valuation could grow four to five times between now and 2030.
Investor Ron Baron was speaking to CNBC about Walter Issacson’s new biography of Elon Musk, as Business Insider summarized, and Baron discussed the stock market potential of Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla, among other things.
“I think Tesla in the next seven years will be about four or five times as big as it is right now in the stock market,” Baron said. “In the funds that I manage, I’ve been maxed out.”
In an interview this year, Tosca Musk, entrepreneur and sister of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, shed light on the unexpected burdens that come with her famous last name. While speaking to the Daily Mail, Tosca discussed the misconceptions and financial pressures she faces because of her sibling’s astronomical wealth. She is the younger sister of the richest man in the world who has a net worth of around $230 billion, according to Forbes.
Tosca, renowned for her role as founder of the streaming service and production company Passionflix, shared a particular incident that highlighted these issues. She revealed that when she sought to secure a location for her ventures, she was initially quoted $5,000 per day. As soon as her identity was recognized, the rate mysteriously skyrocketed to $25,000. Musk expressed her frustration, stating that such assumptions were hardly equitable.
