• Forward Future Daily
  • Posts
  • šŸ§‘ā€šŸš€ AI Drug Breakthrough, the Rise of the AI Manager & Aardvarkā€™s Forecasting Win

šŸ§‘ā€šŸš€ AI Drug Breakthrough, the Rise of the AI Manager & Aardvarkā€™s Forecasting Win

AI drives drug repurposing, boosts workforce roles, improves weather forecasting, enhances speech and transcription, powers Space Force, and fuels Perplexity's $18B bid.

Good morning, itā€™s Friday. AI just saved a manā€™s life by repurposing an old drug, a weather AI named Aardvark is making traditional forecasting look like amateur hour, and if youā€™re a people manager, donā€™t be surprised if your next hire isnā€™t humanā€”the AI manager has arrived.

Plus, in a recent interview, we spoke with Thais Castello Branco, Head of Marketing at Exa about their ambitious mission to rebuild web searchā€”from the ground upā€”for the age of AI.

Read on!

šŸ¤” FRIDAY FACTS

What Was the First Movie to Feature Artificial Intelligence?

Stick around to find out! šŸ‘‡

šŸ—žļø YOUR DAILY ROLLUP

Top Stories of the Day

AI-driven weather prediction breakthrough

šŸŒ¦ļø AI Model 'Aardvark' Revolutionizes Weather Forecasting
Aardvark Weather, a new AI-based system, delivers faster and more accurate forecasts using a fraction of the computing power needed by traditional models. Developed by Cambridge, the Alan Turing Institute, and Microsoft, it analyzes raw data from satellites and weather stations to provide tailored predictions in minutes. Aardvark is expected to boost forecast accuracy to eight days and improve disaster predictions, outperforming the US GFS with just 10% of the data.

šŸ—£ļø OpenAI Unveils Enhanced AI for Speech and Transcription
OpenAI launched new AI models for speech synthesis (gpt-4o-mini-tts) and transcription (gpt-4o-transcribe), improving accuracy, nuance, and emotional tone. The text-to-speech model allows developers to fine-tune how speech is delivered, such as ā€œapologeticā€ or ā€œserene.ā€ The transcription models outperform Whisper, reducing hallucinations and improving clarity, especially in noise. Accuracy remains lower for Indic and Dravidian languages, with a 30% word error rate.

šŸ›ø Space Force Plans Major AI Integration Push
The U.S. Space Force released a strategy to integrate AI into its operations, aiming to improve decision-making and space domain awareness. The plan emphasizes AIā€™s role in tracking objects, detecting threats, and enabling autonomous satellite actions in contested environments. It highlights the need for AI literacy among personnel and secure, accessible data handling. The initiative aligns with Pentagon goals, with Defense Secretary highlighting AIā€™s role in competing with China.

šŸ’° Perplexity AI Seeks $18B Valuation in New Funding Round
Perplexity AI is in talks to raise $500 million to $1 billion at an $18 billion valuation, doubling its previous $9 billion figure from November. Backed by NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos, and SoftBank, the AI search startup competes with Googleā€™s Gemini and OpenAIā€™s ChatGPT by enhancing features like Deep Research and a new AI-powered browser, Comet.

ā˜ļø POWERED BY MUREKA

Your Voice, Your AI Song!

Mureka Logo

With Mureka, you can upload your own voice or choose from our preset vocal options to create AI-generated music. The best part? Your selected vocal stays consistent throughout the entire track, giving your music a unique and professional sound!

Try it now and create AI music with your own voice or a preset vocal!

šŸ‘¾ FORWARD FUTURE ORIGINAL

Inside Exa: The Startup Building a Search Engine for the AI Age

As artificial intelligence reshapes technology, even the way we search the web is evolving. Traditional search engines like Google are built for humans, but what happens when the search user is an AI? In a recent conversation, we sat down with Thais Castello Branco, Head of Marketing at Exa, to discuss how this San Francisco startup is reinventing search for the age of AI. The discussion shed light on Exaā€™s vision for AI-driven search, how it stands apart from giants like Google and OpenAI, and what the future holds for searching in an AI-dominated world.

Traditional search engines rely heavily on keyword matchingā€”finding exact phrases or words on web pages and aligning them with user queries. Yet as large language models and AI agents increasingly become primary users of the web, a new kind of search technology is neededā€”one capable of interpreting not just the words, but the intent behind a query.  ā†’ Continue reading here.

āš•ļø MEDICINE

AI Finds Hidden Cure: How Machine Learning Saved a Manā€™s Life

AI Finds Hidden Cure

The Recap: Joseph Coates, once facing a death sentence from a rare blood disorder called POEMS syndrome, made a miraculous recovery after an AI model suggested a groundbreaking drug combination. AI-driven drug repurposing is rapidly emerging as a lifeline for patients with rare diseases where traditional treatments have failed.

Highlights:

  • Joseph Coates was out of options after failing standard treatments for POEMS syndrome; his doctors had prepared him for hospice care.

  • His girlfriend contacted Dr. David Fajgenbaum, a rare disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, who turned to an AI model for a solution.

  • The AI suggested an untested combination of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and steroids ā€” and it worked within a week.

  • Drug repurposing ā€” using existing medications for new conditions ā€” isnā€™t new, but AI is accelerating the process by analyzing vast amounts of medical data.

  • AI models are scanning 4,000 drugs against 18,500 diseases, rapidly surfacing potential treatments that were previously overlooked.

  • Examples include using inhaled alcohol for chronic vomiting, ADHD medication for periodic paralysis, and Parkinsonā€™s drugs for speech and movement issues.

Forward Future Takeaways:
AI is changing drug discovery by unlocking hidden treatment potential in existing medications ā€” a cost-effective and fast alternative to new drug development. The success of Coates's case suggests that AI-driven drug repurposing could revolutionize rare disease treatment, bringing hope to millions of patients previously left without options. ā†’ Read the full article here.

šŸ‘„ AGENTS

The Rise of the AI Manager: Why Leading AI Agents is the Future of Work

The Rise of the AI Manager

The Recap: AI isnā€™t coming to steal jobsā€”itā€™s creating a new type of worker: the AI agent. Professionals who learn to manage AI systems effectively will become the new power players in the workforce, combining strategic oversight with technical savvy.

Highlights:

  • AI agents are moving beyond simple automation, becoming autonomous ā€œteam membersā€ capable of decision-making and complex problem-solving

  • Leading AI requires both technical understanding and soft skillsā€”setting clear goals and ensuring alignment with human workers

  • Effective AI management combines tactical expertise with human collaboration, blending strategic direction with hands-on technical oversight

  • Like the industrial revolution, AIā€™s efficiency gains could increase overall demand for human workers, not reduce it

  • Current education models focus too much on theory; practical AI and technical skills need to become core parts of the curriculum

  • Businesses that integrate AI literacy into training and operations will have a competitive edge

  • Understanding AIā€™s limitations and questioning its outputs will define successful AI leadership

Forward Future Takeaways:
AI is poised to shift the nature of work, not eliminate it. The professionals who succeed will combine strategic management with technical fluency, ensuring AI outputs align with human goals. As AI becomes more autonomous, critical thinking and adaptability will be the defining traits of effective AI managers. ā†’ Read the full article here.

šŸ›°ļø NEWS

What Else is Happening

Claude Gets Web Search

šŸŒ Claude Gets Web Search: Anthropicā€™s Claude chatbot now pulls real-time info from sources like NPR and Reuters, citing answers directly.

šŸ Apple Shuffles AI Execs: Tim Cook taps Vision Proā€™s Mike Rockwell to lead Siri after major AI setbacks and product delays.

šŸ“” AI Meets Satellite Internet: AI agents need constant internet ā€” satellite networks like Starlink could keep them connected 24/7 worldwide.

šŸŽ—ļø AI Detects Cancer at 99%: A new AI model, ECgMLP, identifies endometrial cancer with 99.26% accuracy, outperforming doctors and aiding early diagnosis.

šŸ¦¾ Oracle Launches AI Studio: Oracleā€™s new AI Agent Studio lets Fusion Cloud users create and manage AI agents to boost productivity and automation.

šŸ¼ US Grads Flock to China AI: Stanford and Harvard grads are joining Chinaā€™s AI startups like Manycore as global AI talent demand surges.

šŸŽ¬ AI-Dubbed Film Hits AMC: Swedish UFO comedy Watch the Skies will debut in English via AI dubbing on 100 AMC screens this May.

šŸ“½ļø VIDEO

AI Learns to Win ā€œAmong Usā€ with Reinforced Learning! - Lie Detection Breakthrough

Missed it? Matt explains how Stanford researchers boosted AIā€™s skills in Among Us with multi-agent reinforcement learning, improving communication and deduction to double win rates without human data. Get the full scoop! šŸ‘‡

šŸ§° TOOLBOX

Custom AI Agents, Fast Business Plans, and Smarter Content Detection

šŸ¤– OpenManus: Open-source framework for building AI agents with customizable behaviors, external tool integration, and community support.

šŸ“ˆ BizPlanner AI: Generate a professional business plan in under 15 minutes with AI-driven customization, interactive editing, and easy export.

šŸ“ Originality AI: Detect AI-generated content, check for plagiarism, verify facts, and improve readability with high accuracy for publishers.

šŸ¤” FRIDAY FACTS

Okay, Maybe Not the First, but Metropolis Was Revolutionary!

Fritz Langā€™s Metropolis (1927) famously featured Maria, a humanoid robot with intelligence and intent, setting the stage for decades of AI-inspired storytelling. But did you know there were even earlier depictions?

  • The Mechanical Statue and the Ingenious Servant (1907): A comedic silent short featuring a mischievous automaton.

  • Homunculus (1916): A German serial showcasing an artificial human who becomes tyrannical.

  • The Master Mystery (1919): Starring Harry Houdini, this adventure serial featured the menacing automaton "Q," cinema's first robot villain.

  • The Mechanical Man (1921): An Italian film featuring a destructive robot and even cinemaā€™s first robot-vs-robot showdown.

And nearly a century later, AI is no longer just a sci-fi conceptā€”itā€™s part of our everyday life. Wow.

Thatā€™s a Wrap!

ā¤ļø Love Forward Future? Spread the word & earn rewards! Share your unique referral link with friends and colleagues to unlock exclusive Forward Future perks! šŸ‘‰ Get your link here.

šŸ“¢ Want to advertise with Forward Future? Reach 450K+ AI enthusiasts, tech leaders, and decision-makers. Letā€™s talkā€”just reply to this email.

šŸ“„ Got a hot tip or burning question? Drop us a note! The best reader insights, questions, and scoops may be featured in future editions. Submit here.

šŸ›°ļø Want more Forward Future? Follow us on X for quick updates, subscribe to our YouTube for deep dives, or add us to your RSS Feed for seamless reading.

Thanks for reading todayā€™s newsletterā€”see you next time!

The Forward Future Team

šŸ§‘ā€šŸš€ šŸ§‘ā€šŸš€ šŸ§‘ā€šŸš€ šŸ§‘ā€šŸš€

Reply

or to participate.