Good morning, it’s Friday! Today, we’ve got Microsoft and BlackRock rallying $100 billion to power up AI, Perplexity flexing some new “reasoning” muscles, and Hollywood embracing AI with Runway and Lionsgate. Meanwhile, Intel's forging a new chip deal with Amazon, and Governor Newsom's caught in a tug-of-war over a controversial AI bill. Oh, and Snap is eyeing the future with a new AR operating system. Let’s get started.

Your Daily Roundup:

1. Microsoft and BlackRock Launch $100 Billion Fund for AI Data Centers

2. Perplexity Unveils Beta 'Reasoning' Feature for Pro Users, Tackles Complex Tasks with OpenAI's o1-Mini.

3. Lionsgate and Runway Ink Partnership; Unveil AI Model to Revolutionize Filmmaking.

4. Intel and Amazon Strengthen AI Chip Partnership, While European Plant Expansions Are Put on Hold.

5. Governor Newsom Considers AI Liability Bill Amid Fears of Stifling Innovation in California’s Tech Sector.

6. Snap Introduces Proprietary OS for AR Spectacles, Aiming to Lead the Next Wave of Augmented Reality.

👉️ Top AI Stories

Microsoft and BlackRock Form Group to Raise $100 Billion for AI Data Centers and Power Infrastructure

Microsoft and BlackRock have joined forces with other partners to form the Global Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP), with an initial goal of raising $30 billion to develop data centers and energy infrastructure for AI. The initiative aims to eventually gather up to $100 billion to meet the increasing demand for energy-intensive AI workloads, fueled by generative AI models like ChatGPT. This partnership emphasizes sustainable infrastructure development, as the need for powerful GPUs to run AI models continues to grow. Continue reading here.

Perplexity Adds Beta "Reasoning" Feature for Pro Users, Powered by OpenAI o1-Mini

Aravind Srinivas announced a new "reasoning" feature in beta for Perplexity's Pro users. This feature leverages the OpenAI o1-mini model to tackle puzzles, math, and coding tasks, though it currently lacks search integration. The model operates slowly due to rate limits, but Pro searches remain the best option for multi-step reasoning combined with web search. Continue reading here.

Runway and Lionsgate Team Up to Pioneer AI-Driven Film Production

Lionsgate and Runway have launched a groundbreaking partnership to develop a specialized AI model using Lionsgate’s extensive film catalog. This collaboration aims to provide filmmakers with advanced tools to enhance their creative processes in pre-production and post-production, potentially transforming traditional workflows with AI-generated cinematic content. Continue reading here.

Intel Expands AI Chip Partnership with Amazon, Pauses European Plants

Intel has announced an expanded partnership with Amazon to produce custom AI chips using Intel’s 18A process technology, alongside new Xeon 6 chips for AWS, in a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar deal. This strengthens Intel's collaboration with AWS, aimed at advancing cloud and AI capabilities. At the same time, Intel is restructuring its foundry business into an independent subsidiary and pausing new plant constructions in Germany and Poland for two years due to market demand, while U.S. manufacturing projects continue as planned. Continue reading here.

Governor Newsom Weighs Controversial AI Bill ‘SB 1047’ Amid Industry Pushback

Governor Gavin Newsom expressed reservations about SB 1047, California's AI liability bill, which aims to hold AI vendors accountable for catastrophic events. While acknowledging the bill’s intent to prevent large-scale AI disasters, Newsom is concerned it may stifle innovation and harm California’s booming AI industry. Although he hasn't made a final decision, Newsom has already signed other AI-related bills addressing current issues like election misinformation and AI-generated content, emphasizing a balance between responsible regulation and maintaining the state's tech leadership. Continue reading here.

Snap Unveils Proprietary Operating System for AR Spectacles

Snap has introduced a new operating system for its fifth-generation augmented reality (AR) Spectacles, aiming to cement its position in the AR hardware space. CEO Evan Spiegel envisions AR glasses becoming as widespread as smartphones, with Snap's early AR investments driving growth. At the Snap Partner Summit, the company also revealed updates for consumers, creators, and advertisers, including a simplified Snapchat app, new ad products, and enhanced AR tools for developers. The operating system could eventually be licensed to other AR hardware makers, broadening Snap's business model. Continue reading here.

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👾 Forward Future Original

The Intelligence Behind Language Models: Beyond Parroting

Computers, we’ve been told, operate using just zeroes and ones. On the face of it, for most of us, that might sound ridiculous. Hard to fathom. How can all information be reduced to just zeroes and ones?

But yes, it is possible. Because the smallest unit of data is a bit - a binary unit - a simple true/false, yes/no, 1/0 dichotomy. It is that signal that was delivered from atop a castle in medieval Europe by a mole to signal readiness for invasion. It is the color of the smoke from the Vatican that signals that much-awaited Papal decision. Indeed, within the computer itself, it’s the flow or non-flow of electricity at a given moment that signals the zero or the one. Continue reading here.

🚀 Launches + Funding

• Microsoft Launches GRIN MoE AI Model: Microsoft introduces GRIN MoE, a 6.6-billion parameter AI model excelling in coding and math, available on Hugging Face and GitHub.

• Snapchat Launches Advanced Standalone AR Glasses: Snapchat debuts Spectacles AR glasses with immersive 46° FOV, dual Snapdragon chips, and advanced features for co-presence and spectator mode.

• Sakana AI Raises $30 Million Funding: Tokyo's Sakana AI secures $30 million to develop nature-inspired AI models, attracting global investors and spotlighting Japan’s AI market.

✍️ Editor Picks

Research

Schrödinger's Memory: Understanding Memory in Large Language Models

This paper explores whether Large Language Models (LLMs) possess memory and how it operates. The authors propose that LLMs exhibit what they call "Schrödinger's memory"—the memory is only observed when queried, otherwise remaining indeterminate. Using the Universal Approximation Theorem, they argue that LLMs dynamically approximate outputs based on inputs, likening this to human memory; and present experimental results comparing LLMs' memory capabilities to human cognition, highlighting both similarities and differences. Continue reading here.

Robotics

1X Technologies Unveils NEO: A Humanoid Robot for Home Use

1X Technologies has introduced NEO, a humanoid robot designed for home tasks, like folding laundry and assisting with daily chores, showcasing a future where AI-powered robots become integral parts of everyday life. Unlike other robots, NEO moves naturally and learns from interactions, improving its capabilities over time. While robots like NEO show potential in sectors like healthcare, they raise ethical concerns around privacy and data control. As 1X pushes for broader adoption, the role of humanoid robots as helpers or collaborators in daily life is becoming more imminent. Continue reading here.

📽️ New Video:

🧰 AI Toolbox

• Cracked Simplifies Motion Graphics with Text Prompts: Cracked is a motion graphics tool that enables users to create animations using simple text prompts, removing the need for complex software like Adobe AfterEffects. Founded by MIT alumni, it is designed to help startups and individuals quickly produce professional-quality videos.

• AnyParser: AI-Powered Document Parsing Tool Overview: CambioML's AnyParser Sandbox uses AI to streamline data extraction from diverse file formats, simplifying document parsing for professionals handling PDFs, PPTs, images, and more.

• DreamRP: Monetize AI Roleplaying with Fictional Characters: DreamRP lets creators turn their characters into AI chatbots, allowing them to monetize fan interactions. Unlike other platforms, DreamRP prioritizes ethical support by giving creators control and profit from their characters, creating new revenue opportunities in the AI roleplaying space.

🛰️ Houston, We Have More Headlines!

• Kyutai Labs Unveils Moshi AI: Kyutai Labs launches Moshi, a full-duplex conversational AI model with advanced language and audio capabilities.

• Minicheck Leads LLM Factuality Detection: The model outperforms larger models like GPT-4 in detecting factual inconsistencies in LLMs.

• OpenAI Boosts Rate Limits for o1: OpenAI has increased rate limits for Plus and Team users, raising o1-mini access to 50 messages per day.

• Mark Cuban Foundation and Dallas Mavericks Join Forces: Bring Free AI Bootcamp to Dallas Teens.

• Mistral AI Unveils Free API and Pricing Updates: Mistral AI introduces free API access, significant price reductions, and new model features.

• Google Gemini Adds 10 Voice Options: The Google Gemini App introduces 10 voice options for Gemini Live.

• OpenAI Raises API Rate Limits: OpenAI increases API rate limits for tier 5 developers, allowing 100 requests per minute for o1-preview.

• Pixtral 12B: With a 400M vision encoder and 12B Transformer decoder, the model excels at multimodal reasoning and text tasks.

• Lenovo to Build AI Servers in India: Lenovo will manufacture AI servers in Puducherry, India, producing 50,000 AI rack servers annually.

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🧑‍🚀🧑‍🚀🧑‍🚀 The Forward Future Team