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Artificial Intelligence

Inside OpenAI: Growth, Chaos, and the Launching Spirit

Calvin French-Owen, a former OpenAI engineer, shared his experiences working at the company, highlighting its rapid growth and chaotic environment. OpenAI scaled from 1,000 to 3,000 employees during his tenure, leading to communication and organizational challenges. Despite the chaos, the company maintains a startup-like culture where employees are empowered to act on their ideas quickly.

French-Owen's team launched Codex, a coding agent, in just seven weeks with remarkable user uptake. He noted that OpenAI operates with a high degree of secrecy due to intense scrutiny, monitoring social media trends and addressing safety concerns like hate speech and political manipulation.

The company focuses on practical safety measures while also considering the long-term potential impacts of its LLMs. The stakes are high as governments and competitors closely monitor OpenAI's developments.

Business

Fyre Festival Brand Rights Sold on eBay Amidst Controversy

The rights to the infamous Fyre Festival have been sold on eBay for $245,300. The buyer's identity and intentions remain unknown.

Fyre Festival, organized by Billy McFarland, was a disastrous luxury music festival in the Bahamas, notorious for poor accommodations and lack of promised amenities.

McFarland, convicted of financial crimes, attempted a second festival that was canceled due to permit issues. He then decided to sell the Fyre Festival brand.

Proceeds from the eBay sale will partially go towards restitution, though McFarland still owes $26 million.

Technology

Apple Invests in US Rare-Earth Mining Firm MP Materials to Boost Domestic Supply Chain

Apple is investing $500 million in MP Materials, the only fully integrated rare-earth mining company in the United States, to strengthen the domestic rare-earth supply chain.

The deal involves Apple buying American-made rare-earth magnets developed at MP Materials' facility in Fort Worth, Texas, specifically for Apple products.

The companies will also collaborate on a rare-earth recycling line in Mountain Pass, California, to process recycled materials for reuse in Apple products.

Apple's commitment is part of its pledge to spend over $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, with almost all magnets across its devices now made with 100% recycled rare-earth elements.

Artificial Intelligence

Thinking Machines Lab Secures $2B Seed Funding at $12B Valuation

Thinking Machines Lab, founded by ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has completed a $2 billion seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz, valuing the AI startup at $12 billion. The round saw participation from NVIDIA, Accel, ServiceNow, CISCO, AMD, and Jane Street. The company plans to unveil its first product, including a significant open source offering, in the coming months. Thinking Machines Lab aims to empower humanity through collaborative general intelligence, building multimodal AI. The company has attracted former OpenAI employees and is actively recruiting individuals with experience in building successful AI-driven products.

Technology

AI Summaries in Google Discover: A New Threat to Publisher Traffic

Google is testing AI-generated summaries in its Discover feed, potentially reducing traffic to news publishers' websites. These summaries, which cite multiple sources, appear at the top of news stories in the Google app. This change, along with other AI-driven features like bullet points and grouped news, is raising concerns among publishers already struggling with declining traffic due to AI overviews and other AI apps. The shift towards AI-summarized content may further diminish the need for users to visit news websites directly.

Cybersecurity

Ukrainian Hacktivists Disrupt Russian Drone Maker Gaskar Group

Ukrainian hacktivist group BO Team, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance and Ukraine's military intelligence, has claimed responsibility for hacking into the network infrastructure of Russian drone manufacturer Gaskar Group.

The cyberattack reportedly resulted in the destruction of over 250 systems, including virtual servers and workstations, and the wiping of 47 terabytes of company data and 10 terabytes of backups.

The groups also claim to have stolen personal data of Gaskar Group employees, including home addresses and family information.

Gaskar Group, a supplier of drones to the Russian military, has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Automotive Technology

Lucid Air Sedans to Gain Hands-Free Highway Driving with Software Update

Lucid Motors is set to release a software update on July 30, enabling hands-free highway driving in its Air sedans. This advancement places Lucid among the few companies offering such technology in the U.S., alongside Ford (BlueCruise), General Motors (Super Cruise), and Mercedes-Benz (Drive Pilot). Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) also offers hands-free capabilities under specific conditions.

The hands-free update will initially be available for Air sedans, with a similar update planned for the Gravity SUV later this year. The feature is exclusive to vehicles equipped with the $2,500 “Dream Drive Pro” package, which includes 32 sensors like lidar, radar, cameras, and ultrasonics.

Drivers must remain attentive and ready to take control, as the system uses a camera to monitor driver attentiveness and is limited to compatible divided highways. Lucid has delivered approximately 20,000 cars since 2021.

Business & Events

Fyre Festival's Legacy: Brand Sold on eBay Amidst Controversy

Billy McFarland, the mastermind behind the infamous Fyre Festival, has sold the rights to the brand on eBay for $245,300. The buyer's identity and intentions remain unknown.

The original Fyre Festival was a disastrous event in the Bahamas, marked by inadequate accommodations and poor food, leading to McFarland's conviction for financial crimes.

Despite his past, McFarland attempted a second Fyre Festival in Mexico, but it was canceled due to lack of permits. He then decided to auction off the Fyre Festival brand.

McFarland claims the brand has potential in entertainment, media, and fashion. A portion of the sale proceeds will go toward restitution, though he still owes $26 million.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Leaders Unite to Advocate for Monitoring AI Reasoning Through Chain-of-Thought Analysis

AI researchers from leading companies are urging deeper investigation into monitoring the 'thoughts' of AI reasoning models using Chain-of-Thought (CoT) techniques.

A position paper emphasizes that CoT monitoring could be crucial for controlling AI agents as they become more capable, providing insights into their decision-making processes.

The paper calls on AI developers to study the factors that make CoTs monitorable and to track monitorability as a potential safety measure.

Notable figures from OpenAI, Safe Superintelligence, Google DeepMind, and others have signed the paper, highlighting a unified effort to enhance AI safety research and attract more attention to areas like CoT monitoring.

Venture Capital

Betsy Fore Launches Velveteen Ventures, a Native American-Led Venture Fund

Betsy Fore, a Native American woman, has launched Velveteen Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on healthcare, climate, consumer, and community sectors. The firm aims to invest $500,000 to $4 million in seed and Series A companies.

Velveteen Ventures seeks to invest in 15 to 20 companies, with a portion of Fund I’s carry going to Native American tribes. Karla Brollier, also of Native descent, will lead climate investments, and Katherine Stabler joins as COO.

Fore, previously with TinyOrganics and Wondermento, aims to support founders and prove that profits and purpose can coexist.