AI Weekly Digest #32: Is AI Adopotion Accelerating? Dualingo, DeepMind, OpenAI and CES cases

Hello, tech enthusiasts! This is Wassim Jouini and Welcome to my AI newsletter, where I bring you the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence without the unnecessary hype.

You can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Medium! Let’s connect!

Now let's dive into this week's news and explore the practical applications of AI across various sectors.

Main Headlines

Here are the three main trends to keep in mind if you are working in AI today.

#1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the standout trend at CES 2024

From “baby cries” AI translators, to chatGPT in electric cars, we’ve seen a wide range of new AI integrations in tech products. Here’s a sneak peak at what was announced during the show this week!

• Seer Grill's Perfecta Grill: An AI-controlled grill that improves its cooking over time based on your feedback!

• Oclean X Ultra Wi-Fi Digital Toothbrush: An AI-powered toothbrush that provides brushing feedback.

• Anura MagicMirror: A mirror that analyzes facial blood flow to check vitals and estimate heart disease risk.

• DeRucci Smart Mattresses and Anti-Snore Smart Pillow: AI-powered mattress and pillow for improved sleep quality and snoring reduction.

• AI Voice Agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Replica: A partnership for licensing digital replicas of voice actors' voices for use in video games.

• Smartphones integrating AI:

  • AI-powered features in Android and Google Pixel phones, changing the way phones are used.

  • Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: A gaming phone with AI-focused features like Semantic Search and AI noise-canceling.

• Capella AI Baby Monitor: An app that uses AI to interpret a baby's cries.

• Rabbit R1: A digital assistant that simplifies tasks usually done with phone apps.

• Volkswagen ID 7 with ChatGPT Integration: AI chatbot integration in Volkswagen's electric and gas-powered vehicles.

Relevant or ridiculous, we’ll let time decide!

#2 Duolingo lays off workers as it leans on AI tools to carry out more tasks

The fear of job loss due to the advancement of AI technology is intensifying as more companies adopt these tools.

We have previously discussed how StackOverflow laid off 28% of its staff and experienced a 50% reduction in its traffic over the past few months.

This trend is exemplified by Duolingo, which recently announced the layoff of several contractors, attributing this decision partly to the increased utilization of AI tools. The company's reliance on sophisticated technology has reduced its need for a larger workforce, highlighting the growing impact of AI on employment.

#3 From AlphaFold to the Next Trillion Dollar Business? 

AlphaFold remains one of my favorite AI breakthroughs. Its history, dating back to the days of gaming with AlphaGo, and its impact on drug discovery, make it one of the most fascinating developments in AI and one of the most impactful on human life. I cover it in the blog post below.

It comes as no surprise that DeepMind has launched a spinoff based on AlphaFold!

The spinoff, Isomorphic Labs, aims to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry by leveraging AI to significantly shorten the time required for drug development. This ambition is underpinned by partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies and builds upon the pioneering work of AlphaFold in understanding protein structures. The potential to reduce the average five (to ten) year discovery phase to just two years not only accelerates the availability of new medicines but also promises to reshape the entire landscape of medical research and healthcare!

Could this be the next AI powered Trillion-Dollar business ?

#4 OpenAI New Annoucements!

GPT Store is out: The store features a variety of GPTs in categories like DALL·E, writing, research, programming, education, and lifestyle. You can find popular and trending GPTs and even contribute their own to the store after verifying their Builder Profile. OpenAI will also launch a GPT builder revenue program in the near future!

ChatGPT Team Plan: OpenAI has introduced a new ChatGPT plan called "ChatGPT Team, aimed at teams of all sizes". ChatGPT Team ensures data privacy as the models don't train on business data or conversations. And it includes an admin console for workspace and team management.

This is it for Today!

Until next time, this is Wassim Jouini, signing off. See you in the next edition!

Have a great Sunday and may AI always be on your side!