Welcome to the newest edition of FindBiometrics’ AI update. Here’s the latest big news on the shifting landscape of AI and identity technology:
OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere have been engaged in backchannel diplomacy with Chinese AI experts in an effort to stave off threats to society including misinformation. There reportedly were secret meetings in Geneva last July and October, with Chinese individuals from state-backed institutions including Tsinghua University in attendance.
OpenAI says that 260 businesses are now using the enterprise version of ChatGPT, representing over 150,000 employees as end users. OpenAI first launched ChatGPT Enterprise in August of 2023, and this month announced a new ChatGPT option for shared use among smaller teams.
The European Commission is exploring the possibility that Microsoft’s multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI is in violation of the bloc’s antitrust regulations. “We are inviting businesses and experts to tell us about any competition issues that they may perceive in these industries, whilst also closely monitoring AI partnerships to ensure they do not unduly distort market dynamics,” said Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition.
Parag Agrawal, the erstwhile CEO of Twitter before Elon Musk’s takeover of the company, has raised $30 million for an as-yet-unannounced AI startup. All that’s known at present is that the startup is working on software for developers of Large Language Models. Khosla Ventures led the funding round, and presumably knows more.
HongShan has invested in Iluvatar CoreX, a Chinese startup focused on the development of System–on-a-Chip solutions. The latter is seen as a potential rival to Nvidia. HongShan is the Chinese spinoff of Sequoia Capital; the name, in Chinese, means “sequoia”.
Israel-based OrCam Technologies, a specialist in assistive devices for the visually impaired, has launched a new AI system for its Orcam MyEye product, a lightweight device that can be attached to eyeglasses. In addition to reading text and identifying products, the system supports facial recognition. It can also respond to voice-based inquiries, and it has internet connectivity.
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an “exploratory challenge” aimed at finding solutions to the growing threat of voice cloning, in which deepfake technology is used to impersonate an individual through their voice biometrics. The Commission is asking for submissions that address any relevant policies, products, or procedures to combat the problem.
And finally: Sam Altman got married. The OpenAI CEO’s husband, Oliver Mulherin, is an Australian coder.
The chatbot’s take: This week we gave ChatGPT a break from any deep industry analysis.
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January 12, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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