Vienna-based 3D AI platform Atlas emerges from stealth mode with $6 million in funding
Vienna-based 3D generative AI platform, Atlas, has secured $6 million in funding to improve AI models for the gaming industry. The platform aims to speed up the creation of virtual worlds and experiences for game developers and brands building video games and extended reality (XR) environments. The funding came from two rounds led by 6th Man Ventures and Collab+Currency, with participation from investors such as Square Enix, Nvidia, and Gaingels. Atlas plans to launch an alpha version of the platform later this year to enable smaller, medium, and indie game developers to use its technology and build their own worlds. The CEO, James, emphasized the importance of principles such as privacy, human agency, oversight, and inclusion in the gaming industry. He expressed optimism that Atlas would develop to include a wider range of AI-powered tools to simplify complex tasks like 3D modeling and coding.
French investment firm Serena launches new €100 million fund focused on blockchain, AI and quantum technologies
According to The Big Whale report, French investment company Serena has launched a new fund of 100 million euros, focusing on investments in the fields of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology.
Decentralized AI computing platform Ritual completed US$25 million in financing, led by Archetype
Decentralized artificial intelligence computing platform Ritual has received a $25 million investment in a round led by Archetype, with participation from Accomplice and Robot Ventures. The cash injection will be used to build network infrastructure, expand the team to 15 people, and develop Ritual's ecosystem. The startup plans to launch its alpha platform early next year.
Musk’s AI model “Grok” has issued more than 400 tokens with the same name, with a total market value of tens of millions of dollars.
On-chain data, an anonymous developer released nearly 400 different GROK tokens over the weekend, with a total market value of millions of dollars. This allowed early investors to earn multiple times their initial token purchase, and these tokens seem to have been inspired by the AI chatbot service Grok from social application X.
Kaifu Li's AI company Zero One Wuxing launched its Chinese-English bilingual large model Yi and completed financing with a valuation of over US$1 billion.
According to reports, 01.AI, an AI company founded by Li Kaifu, Chairman and CEO of Innovation Works, has released its first open-source bilingual model, Yi. 01.AI has completed a new round of financing led by Aliyun. Currently, the valuation of 01.AI has exceeded US$1 billion, making it a unicorn company. On November 2, Yi quietly uploaded two basic models with parameter scales of 6B and 34B on the Hugging Face platform. As of November 5, Yi-34B has climbed to the top of the Hugging Face LLM Leaderboard (pretrained) and the C-Eval Chinese model list. Yi currently has a context window of around 200K and can process about 400,000 words of text, which is currently the longest context window among large models worldwide. At the same time, through the polishing of AIInfra, the training cost of Yi-34B has been reduced by 40%. Due to the low quality of Chinese language materials, the proportion of English and Chinese language materials in Yi's training data is currently higher than that of Chinese language materials.
Musk: xAI will announce its first AI product tomorrow
On November 3rd, Musk announced on social media that xAI will release its first AI product to a specific group of users tomorrow. Musk said, "In some important ways, it is currently the best available."
Data analytics platform Dune launches DuneAI
On November 2nd, blockchain data analysis platform Dune announced the official launch of DuneAI, which can ask any language question to Dune's natural language engine and obtain insights into cryptocurrency data without the need for SQL.
Modulus Labs completes $6.3 million in seed round financing, with participation from Variant and 1Kx
Modulus Labs, a project aimed at introducing cryptographic security into artificial intelligence, completed a $6.3 million seed round of financing, with participation from Variant and 1Kx.
The core concept of Modulus Labs is to use zero-knowledge proof to provide verification for AI systems, ensuring that AI queries remain unchanged and unaltered. This paves the way for AI to be integrated into a wider range of Web3 applications.
OpenAI: A preparatory team is being formed to assess the risks posed by AI
OpenAI stated that they are building a new preparation team to evaluate, anticipate, and protect against the many risks that may arise from current large language models to general artificial intelligence (AGI) and other highly capable artificial intelligence. These risks include personalized persuasion, overall network security, and even some factors that threaten human survival.
US Border Control Uses AI Tool to Scan Social Media for "Derogatory" Content
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is using an AI-powered tool called Giant Oak Search Technology (GOST) to scan social media posts for content deemed "derogatory" to the U.S. The use of AI in border control has raised concerns about privacy and ethical implications. GOST assists the agency by scrutinizing social media posts and determining their potential risk to the U.S. The public remains skeptical of AI, especially where personal privacy is concerned.
Google Invests $2 Billion in AI Creator Anthropic in Ongoing AI Arms Race with Microsoft and Amazon
Google is increasing its investment in Anthropic, the creators of Claude AI, with a $2 billion commitment. The investment will be made in two payments of $500 million and another of $1.5 billion. This is a significant increase from the $400 million Google invested in Anthropic in February. Amazon has also committed to investing $4 billion in Anthropic. The investment is part of the ongoing AI arms race between Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Shutterstock integrates generative AI tool to create licensed AI-generated images
Shutterstock has integrated a new generative AI tool called Creative AI into its library of over 700 million images, allowing users to create customized AI-generated works that are appropriately licensed. The tool leverages technology developed by OpenAI, allowing users to generate new images and edit and change images already in the Shutterstock library. New features in Creative AI include Magic Brush, variations, and image expansion. While Creative AI is free to use, users will need a subscription plan to purchase the final image.
Mmerch: The Futuristic Fashion Line Powered by AI and NFTs
Fashion enthusiast Colby Mugrabi is set to launch a new clothing line called Mmerch next year, which will incorporate AI and blockchain technologies to create unique, tech-savvy hoodies. The line will feature 960 limited-edition hoodies with six key components, ten contrasting prints, and two materials, all crafted through the use of generative algorithms. Each hoodie will be connected to a non-fungible collectible, granting access to a physical version for everyday wear, and will come equipped with a QR code that acts as a gateway to an NFC chip. The line aims to offer fashion items with extra value that extends beyond the point of purchase, setting a high standard during a time when economies of scale confine conventional manufacturing workflows.
Qualcomm to Unveil Third-Generation Snapdragon 8 Chip with Enhanced AI Capabilities
Qualcomm is preparing to launch its third-generation Snapdragon 8 chip, which boasts improved performance and a significant advancement in on-device AI capabilities. The chip's powerful AI engine can support high precision in local AI models and run local large-language models of over 10 billion parameters.
New AI System Generates 3D Models from Text Descriptions
A team of researchers from the Australian National University, the University of Oxford, and the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence have created a new AI system called "3D-GPT" that can generate 3D models from text-based descriptions. The system uses multiple AI agents that each focus on a different part of understanding the text prompt and executing modeling functions.
Microsoft CEO Outlines Plans to Integrate AI with All Customer Solutions and Tech Stacks
Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella has announced plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into all of the company's customer solutions and every layer of its tech stacks. In his annual letter to shareholders, Nadella emphasized that the next generation of AI will reshape every software category and every business, including Microsoft's own.
Universal Music Group sues Anthropic
Universal Music Group (UMG) has filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence developer Claude Anthropic, marking the first major lawsuit in the music industry against an AI developer. UMG is seeking $75 million in compensation. Concord Music Group, ABKCO, Worship Together Music, Plaintiff Capital CMG, and other companies listed as publishers have also filed lawsuits against Anthropic, accusing the AI developer of using songs from artists they represent in their AI model dataset without permission.
Generative AI and Web3 Solution Cerebrum Tech Completes US$1.8 Million in Financing
On October 18th, Cerebrum Tech, a solution provider for generative AI, gaming, and Web3, announced that it has completed a $1.8 million funding round at a valuation of $15 million. Boğaziçi Ventures led the round with participation from Inveo Ventures Coinvestment.
Baidu Launches Upgraded AI Chatbot Ernie 4.0, Competing with OpenAI's ChatGPT
Baidu, a major search engine company in China, has released an upgraded version of its AI chatbot, Ernie 4.0, which competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Baidu's CEO, Robin Li, announced at the company's annual technology conference in Beijing on October 17, 2023 that the launch of the new version of Ernie 4.0 could lead to a new round of economic growth. Although the general public cannot yet access the latest version of Ernie 4, Li claims that it is as good as OpenAI's ChatGPT 4. Baidu has been gradually transitioning into an internet service company specializing in AI-related services since the launch of its generative AI chatbot, Ernie, in August 2023.
Mercer CFA Institute Report: AI Could Help Pension Funds Cut Costs and Increase Investment Returns
According to the Mercer CFA Institute global pension report, pension funds could benefit from using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce costs, increase investment returns, and identify potential risks. AI could help fund managers analyze large amounts of data to uncover opportunities and create custom investment portfolios. It could also be used to personalize marketing and outreach efforts based on members' communication patterns. However, there are still challenges to overcome, and AI tools may generate fake or misleading information. The report also emphasized the need for strong defenses against cyberattacks and other security breaches.
