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Quick Hits
Crypto climb: Bitcoin hits 18-month high.
Musk’s machine: xAI has $1B appetite.
Gemini glimpse: It’s Google vs. ChatGPT.
Walkie-talkie: Strava adds DMs.
Getting the message: Discord redesigns.
Rural rollout: Ford delivers 30k EV chargers.
Justice jam: Developers compete for $10k.
Artful accusations: AI copyright claims abound.
Click, crash: YouTube stunt leads to prison.
CosMc cuisine: McDonald’s goes retro alien.
Chat later: OpenAI delays store launch.
Out of play: Spotify lays off 1.5k.
ML develops nose for fraud
Scientists trained machine learning to sniff out wine fraud, uncorking a solution to a problem that's been fermenting for years. By analyzing chemical compounds in wines, they can trace vintages back to their original vineyards with … wait for it … grape precision.
Goodbye, stethoscope?
Scientists developed a laser-based system, embedded with AI, that tracks heartbeats through skin vibrations on the throat. They say it’s easier to use and more accurate than cold metal on skin.
AI invades word-of-the-year lists
AI invades word of the year lists for 2023. Collins played it straight with “AI.” Cambridge leaned obscure with "hallucinate,” and Merriam-Webster continued the theme with "authentic.” Going off script, Oxford chose “rizz” but proffered runner-up status to "prompt."
ChatGPT tops Wikipedia charts
ChatGPT’s page tops the 2023 Wikipedia charts with 50M page views, beating out “Deaths in 2023” and a host of popular pages about cricket. Last year’s top page was devoted to Jeffrey Dahmer.
Paging Dr. Robot
A California VC firm’s $150M fund for minimally invasive med tech is among the latest evidence that robots are killin’ it in the OR. The mighty Mayo Clinic completed its first robot-assisted surgery, a kidney transplant, as a magnetic-based system debuted in Chile, removing a gallbladder. Back in the U.S., doctors claimed hundreds—even thousands—of robot-assisted surgeries with rival da Vinci Xi.
Where is gen AI headed?
Experts in generative AI expect it to transform work over the next year from customer service and marketing to product development and more. Tailored AI assistants will boost efficiency—and possibly creativity—while making analytics a cinch. Realizing the potential (vs. the hype) requires building trust.
Weekly Pulse
Recruiters: Growth potential, not degrees
Today’s recruiters overwhelmingly say that academic pedigree matters less than a candidate’s growth potential. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of employers value willingness to learn over existing skills when hiring. Eight in 10 say they would hire underqualified candidates to train up, especially for AI skills. Nearly half (45%) agree degrees are “not important.”
Post of the Week
Recently Funded
- Estonia’s Arcweave Raises $850k for AI Game Creation Tools
- Ukrain’s Respeecher Raises $1M to Create Synthetic Voices
- Florida’s Clayful Raises $7M for Text-Based Coaching for Kids
- Estonia’s Catalyst Raises $4.3M for Sustainable Battery Materials
- Santa Clara-based EnCharge Raises $22.6M to Accelerate AI
- Bay Area Game Maker On Rebrands, Pivots to B2B, and Snags $25M
- Sydney-based Generative AI Platform Leonardo.Ai Raises $31M
Poll of the Week
What We’re Reading
Deloitte’s chief futurist warns against letting AI blind you to other priorities (Fast Company)
IBM advances Quantum Computing ambitions with generative AI power for software development (VentureBeat)
How should AI be governed? Open source syllabus offers framework (VentureBeat)
Making an image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging your phone (MIT)
Podcasts of the Week
Recruitment Strategies for 2024 (Back to Work)
Lisa Randall: Dark Matter, Theoretical Physics, and Extinction Events (Lex Fridman Podcast)
Startups Hiring Now
StockX: The Stock Market Of Things. | 10 open roles
Juniper Square: Unlock the potential of every investment partnership. | 7 open roles
Crowdbotics: A new way to build software. | 6 open roles
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