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Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft Leverages OpenAI's Chip Expertise to Boost Semiconductor Efforts

Microsoft is adopting OpenAI's custom chip designs to enhance its own semiconductor development, following a partnership agreement that grants Microsoft intellectual property rights to OpenAI's chip designs.

CEO Satya Nadella explained that Microsoft plans to extend OpenAI's innovations for its own purposes, with access to OpenAI's system-level advancements.

The collaboration allows Microsoft to leverage OpenAI's expertise in AI chip development, a field proving difficult and expensive, while securing access to AI models through 2032, excluding OpenAI's consumer hardware endeavors.

Artificial Intelligence

Milestone Secures $10M to Optimize AI Investment in Engineering

Milestone, an Israeli startup, has raised $10 million in seed funding to help companies track and optimize the return on investment (ROI) of generative AI tools used in coding workflows. The platform correlates AI tool usage with engineering metrics, including code quality.

The funding round was led by Heavybit and Hanaco Ventures, with participation from Atlassian Ventures and angel investors. Milestone's platform integrates with codebases, project management platforms, team structure, and AI tools to provide actionable data on AI usage and its impact on productivity.

Customers like Kayak, Monday, and Sapiens use Milestone to measure feature delivery speed, identify bugs caused by AI-generated code, and make informed decisions on AI tool implementation. Milestone partners with vendors like GitHub, Augment Code, Qodo, Continue, and Atlassian to stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Finance

Cash App Unveils AI-Powered Financial Assistant and Enhanced User Benefits

Cash App has introduced several new features as part of its fall update:

  • An AI chatbot, Moneybot, that provides financial insights and answers questions about spending patterns, income, and savings.
  • A new benefits program, Cash App Green, offering rewards like higher borrowing limits, free overdraft coverage, and APY on savings balances to users who spend $500+ monthly or receive deposits of at least $300.
  • The ability to discover places that accept Bitcoin and make Bitcoin payments using USD, facilitated by the Lightning Network.

Moneybot aims to turn financial data into actionable insights for users. Cash App Green will make up to 8 million accounts eligible for benefits. The update also includes expansion of Cash App Borrow and access to Afterpay services within the app.

AI & Mobile Technology

Willow AI: Voice Dictation App for iOS Launches with $4.5M Funding

Willow, founded by Allan Guo and Lawrence Liu, has launched an iOS app that enables users to type with their voice across all applications. The app supports over 100 languages and allows users to define vocabulary terms and writing styles. Key features include a full keyboard for edits and integration with a desktop assistant. Willow has raised $4.5 million and competes with companies like Wispr Flow and Monologue. Future plans include expanding to Windows and Android.

Climate Tech & Investment

Mirova Invests $30.5M in Varaha to Support Regenerative Farming in India

Mirova, a climate-focused investment firm, has invested $30.5 million in Indian climate tech startup Varaha to expand its regenerative farming program, benefiting smallholder farmers in northern India. This investment, Mirova's first carbon investment in India, involves cash in exchange for a share of carbon credits generated over time. Varaha, founded in 2022, focuses on regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and biochar projects, utilizing a network of local partners and real-time monitoring software. The investment will support Varaha’s Kheti project, which encourages low-emission practices among farmers in Haryana and Punjab. Varaha also promotes direct seeding of rice and incorporating crop residue into the soil, reducing the need for burning stubble. The credits generated will be verified using Verra’s VM0042 methodology, with proceeds directed to farmers. Additionally, Varaha has partnered with Google for a biochar carbon removal deal and has raised $12.7 million in venture funding.

Social Media

diVine: Jack Dorsey-Backed Reboot Revives Vine's Legacy with Archived Videos and AI Content Detection

diVine, a new app backed by Jack Dorsey, is launching to revive the spirit of Vine's six-second looping videos. The app provides access to over 100,000 archived Vine videos restored from a backup created before Vine's shutdown.

Users can create profiles and upload their own Vine videos, with suspected generative AI content flagged. The project is financed by Dorsey's nonprofit, "and Other Stuff," focused on funding open-source social media tools.

Evan Henshaw-Plath reconstructed the Vine content from large binary files saved by the Archive Team after Twitter shut down Vine in 2016. The app contains a good percentage of the most popular videos from about 60,000 creators.

Vine creators retain copyright and can request DMCA takedowns or verify their accounts to post new videos or upload missing content. DiVine uses technology from the Guardian Project to verify that new video uploads are human-made.

Built on the Nostr decentralized protocol, diVine allows developers to create their own apps and run their own hosts and media servers. DiVine is available on iOS and Android.

Technology

Silicon Valley's Unparodiable Reality: The Rise of 'Chad: The Brainrot IDE'

Clad Labs, a Y Combinator startup, launched 'Chad: The Brainrot IDE,' an AI coding tool that integrates brainrot activities like gambling, TikTok, and Tinder into the development environment. The founders claim this increases productivity by preventing developers from getting distracted by their phones or browsers while waiting for AI to complete tasks. Despite mixed reactions and accusations of 'rage baiting,' the founders insist it's a genuine attempt to create a consumer app-like experience for developers. Currently in closed beta, Chad aims to build a community of users who appreciate the concept.

Entertainment

Cord-Cutting Crisis: YouTube TV and Disney Standoff Leaves 'Jeopardy!' Fans in the Dark

YouTube TV and Disney are locked in a dispute over streaming deals, leaving YouTube TV subscribers without access to Disney-owned networks like ABC and ESPN. This blackout has affected millions, with sports fans and 'Jeopardy!' viewers feeling the impact. YouTube TV is offering a $20 credit to subscribers, but some argue it's not enough compared to past disputes. Disney is estimated to lose millions due to the standoff, while YouTube TV claims Disney's demands would raise prices for customers.

The dispute centers on fair rates for Disney's channels, with Disney potentially gaining revenue from its new ESPN Unlimited subscription. The author humorously laments the inability to watch 'Jeopardy!' and hopes for a resolution to the blackout.