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AI Agenda

By Stephanie Palazzolo

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Recent Editions

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AI Agenda

A Sora Rival Raises Millions from NEA

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 26, 2024 7:10am PST
An up-and-coming video-generation startup—and its new investors—may get more than they bargained for when it comes to competition.AI-powered video startup Genmo is set to raise at least $30 million in funding from NEA, according to 3 people familiar with the situation. Word of the fundraising follows OpenAI’s preview of a new video generation... An up-and-coming video-generation startup—and its new investors—may get more than they bargained...
Finpilot cofounders Lakshay Chauhan and John Alberg. Photos courtesy of Finpilot.
AI Agenda

Google’s Bet on Synthetic Data; AI Copilots Reach Finance; Another Nvidia Blowout

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 22, 2024 7:50am PST · 1 comment
Google’s artificial intelligence group is having a moment.After getting its flagship Gemini large language model off the ground and roughly on par with OpenAI, Google on Wednesday appeared to take a sudden lead in a parallel race to develop open-source LLMs, which Meta Platforms has been dominating. In the process, Google also gave a shot in the... Google’s artificial intelligence group is having a moment.After getting its flagship Gemini large...
Daniel Gross, left, and Nat Friedman. Photos via Wikipedia and Erin Beach.
AI Agenda

The ‘Magic’ Breakthrough That Got Friedman and Gross to Bet $100 Million on a Coding Startup

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati · Feb 21, 2024 7:00am PST
Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and his investment partner, Daniel Gross, raised eyebrows last week by writing a $100 million check to Magic, the developer of an artificial intelligence coding assistant. There are loads of coding assistants already, and the top dog among them is Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot. So what did Friedman and Gross see in... Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and his investment partner, Daniel Gross, raised eyebrows last...
Photo via OpenAI.
With Sora, OpenAI Casts Shadow Over AI Video Startups
By Kalley Huang and Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 20, 2024 7:00am PST · 3 comments
Photo via OpenAI.
AI Agenda

With Sora, OpenAI Casts Shadow Over AI Video Startups

By Kalley Huang and Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 20, 2024 7:00am PST · 3 comments
When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last week posted a series of ultrarealistic and cinematic videos made by Sora, his company’s latest artificial intelligence technology, we imagined alarm bells ringing across the technology industry and, perhaps, Hollywood. Most of all, the videos should put fear in the hearts of at least seven companies in our ... When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last week posted a series of ultrarealistic and cinematic videos made...
Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.
AI Agenda

No, Sam Altman Isn’t Raising Trillions of Dollars For Chips

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 15, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment
Contrary to popular belief, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman isn’t raising trillions of dollars for a large project to develop new server chips for artificial intelligence. A Wall Street Journal report last week that implied Altman was seeking up to $7 trillion worth of capital for what sounds like a joint venture to end all joint ventures caused... Contrary to popular belief, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman isn’t raising trillions of dollars for a large...
AI Agenda Newsletter
Stay ahead of the innovation and disruption happening in AI. Stephanie Palazzolo covers the tech, startups, companies and people making headlines.
By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy
Ali Ghodsi. Photo via YouTube.
AI Agenda

Databricks CEO On What It Takes to Turn LLMs Into a Big Business

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 14, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment
Ali Ghodsi, the CEO of Databricks, a $43 billion-valuation enterprise software firm, had lots to say about OpenAI and the potential challenges it faces in a conference call with The Information subscribers yesterday. (One new challenge it's likely wrestling with is the departure of high-profile researcher Andrej Karpathy, as we scooped... Ali Ghodsi, the CEO of Databricks, a $43 billion-valuation enterprise software firm, had lots to...
Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
AI Agenda

For Google, ‘Good Enough’ Gemini AI Could Be Good Enough to Win

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Jon Victor · Feb 13, 2024 7:00am PST
Early reviews are pouring in for Google’s Gemini Ultra, the company’s most advanced large language model that powers a paid version of chatbot Gemini, a rival to ChatGPT. The reviews make us think that after an early scramble to catch up to its Microsoft-backed rival, Google is going to be just fine in this market.The vast majority of developers... Early reviews are pouring in for Google’s Gemini Ultra, the company’s most advanced large...
Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.
The Most Exciting Thing About Altman’s Chip Dream
By Stephanie Palazzolo and Anissa Gardizy · Feb 12, 2024 7:00am PST
Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images.
AI Agenda

The Most Exciting Thing About Altman’s Chip Dream

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Anissa Gardizy · Feb 12, 2024 7:00am PST
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stole the show last week with a report that he is trying to raise trillions of dollars in capital to develop and manufacture AI chips. But let’s set aside our collective incredulity for a moment (we’ll come back to it!) and consider the implication of Altman’s fundraising: that unlimited computing power will lead to... OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stole the show last week with a report that he is trying to raise trillions...
Google’s Mountain View campus. Photo by The Washington Post via Getty Images.
AI Agenda

Google’s Strange Decision to Not Undercut OpenAI and Microsoft; OpenAI’s Secret Agents

By Kalley Huang · Feb 8, 2024 7:15am PST · 2 comments
I’m Kalley, a reporter covering Meta Platforms and social media. I’m now regularly contributing to AI Agenda.Google this morning launched Gemini Ultra, the long-awaited flagship version of its most advanced large language model. It also renamed its ChatGPT rival to Gemini from Bard, which seemed like a logical move. These announcements had... I’m Kalley, a reporter covering Meta Platforms and social media. I’m now regularly contributing...
Photo via Midjourney.
AI Agenda

One Class of AI Startups That Can Thrive Without Funding: Porn Chatbots

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 7, 2024 7:00am PST
Sex sells, and sex created by artificial intelligence is no exception.While many generative AI startups have struggled to manage the exploding costs of AI and retain their customers, AI-powered romantic chatbots haven’t had much trouble attracting and keeping their users. Since OpenAI released ChatGPT in late 2022, a thriving ecosystem has... Sex sells, and sex created by artificial intelligence is no exception.While many generative AI...
AI Agenda Newsletter
Stay ahead of the innovation and disruption happening in AI. Stephanie Palazzolo covers the tech, startups, companies and people making headlines.
By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy
Menlo Ventures partner Rama Sekhar. Photo courtesy of Menlo Ventures.
AI Agenda

Why We’re Worried About the Wrong AI Security Risk; Gemini is Coming (Again)

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 6, 2024 7:10am PST · 1 comment
Put aside all of the scary talk about bad people theoretically using large language models to build bombs or bioweapons for a moment. A more urgent threat, says investor Rama Sekhar, are AI models that could leak sensitive corporate data or hackers that trigger ChatGPT service outages. Sekhar is a longtime cybersecurity investor who joined Menlo... Put aside all of the scary talk about bad people theoretically using large language models to...
Nat Friedman holding one of the burnt scrolls from Vesuvius he set out to decipher. Photo via YouTube/Dwarkesh Patel.
Our GPU Reseller Prediction Comes True; 2,000-Year-Old Mystery Solved with AI
By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 5, 2024 8:00am PST
Nat Friedman holding one of the burnt scrolls from Vesuvius he set out to decipher. Photo via YouTube/Dwarkesh Patel.
AI Agenda

Our GPU Reseller Prediction Comes True; 2,000-Year-Old Mystery Solved with AI

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 5, 2024 8:00am PST
In October we predicted that resellers of graphics processing units, an emerging class of startups that provide Nvidia’s in-demand server chips to artificial intelligence developers, would soon be in trouble. Sure enough, three months later, one of those startups is giving up.On Thursday, the startup Banana, which raised $3.4 million in funding... In October we predicted that resellers of graphics processing units, an emerging class of...
Semantiks founder Adrian Sanchez-Castro. Photo courtesy of Sanchez-Castro.
AI Agenda

Mistral Reveals its Secret Weapon—Mark Zuckerberg; Struggling Startups Are Looking For the Exits

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Feb 1, 2024 7:00am PST · 1 comment
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a rough time testifying in Congress on Wednesday about social media’s mental health effects, but he must have cracked a smile after seeing the latest example of his company’s impact on the AI sector. For the past few months, AI founders and Meta employees have quietly speculated that Meta’s flagship... Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a rough time testifying in Congress on Wednesday about...
Photos via Adobe Stock
AI Agenda

Microsoft Dishes on AI Revenue; Google CEO Says ‘Agents’ Are Coming

By Aaron Holmes and Jon Victor · Jan 31, 2024 7:00am PST
Microsoft investors tuned into the company’s earnings call with bated breath Tuesday night, looking to see how much its new AI products were boosting sales. Microsoft didn’t deliver an unequivocal blowout—revenue in the December quarter grew moderately faster, year over year, compared to the prior quarter’s growth—but positive signs abounded... Microsoft investors tuned into the company’s earnings call with bated breath Tuesday night,...
Photo via Adobe Stock
AI Agenda

The Rising Underdog In The Information’s AI Chip Database

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jan 30, 2024 7:50am PST
For those overwhelmed by the flurry of new chip startups hoping to ride the AI wave, you’re in luck. This morning, we published our AI Chip Database, which tracks both the startups building these chips and those building the software to run them.There’s lots in here. For instance, we make clear whether startups are making chips suitable for... For those overwhelmed by the flurry of new chip startups hoping to ride the AI wave, you’re in...
AI Agenda Newsletter
Stay ahead of the innovation and disruption happening in AI. Stephanie Palazzolo covers the tech, startups, companies and people making headlines.
By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy
Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.
Anthropic’s Antitrust Advantage
By Stephanie Palazzolo, Aaron Holmes and Maria Heeter · Jan 29, 2024 8:00am PST
Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.
AI Agenda

Anthropic’s Antitrust Advantage

By Stephanie Palazzolo, Aaron Holmes and Maria Heeter · Jan 29, 2024 8:00am PST
As officials from Lina Khan’s Federal Trade Commission scrutinize the role that cloud providers play in OpenAI and Anthropic, one thing they should recognize quickly is that the two startups’ relationships with their big cloud-shareholders are not the same. Anthropic has a lot more independence from its shareholders than OpenAI. For... As officials from Lina Khan’s Federal Trade Commission scrutinize the role that cloud providers...
A data center in Germany. Photo by Picture Alliance/Getty Images.
AI Agenda

The Next AI Bottleneck: Power For Data Centers

By Anissa Gardizy · Jan 25, 2024 7:00am PST
At The Information, we’ve spent a lot of time writing about artificial intelligence and the people who develop it. But at the end of the day, their ability to launch software to billions of people depends on data centers. And the availability of such facilities can’t be taken for granted.Over the past few days, I’ve rubbed shoulders with the... At The Information, we’ve spent a lot of time writing about artificial intelligence and the...
Photo via Adobe Stock.
AI Agenda

4% of AI Startups Prioritize Social Interests in Corporate Structure

By Abubakar Idris · Jan 24, 2024 8:07am PST
OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI have drawn attention for their unconventional governance structures, ones that prioritize public interest over obligations to shareholders. But these companies are the outliers, The Information’s analysis shows, as most AI developers opt for traditional approaches that appeal to investors. Only 4 of the... OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI have drawn attention for their unconventional governance...
Photo via Midjourney.
AI Agenda

What’s Driving AI Costs Down and What’s Driving Them Back Up

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jan 23, 2024 7:00am PST
Developing large language models is expensive work: the costs of running LLMs in the cloud knocked out more than half of the revenue Anthropic generated last month, Maria Heeter and I reported yesterday. And that doesn’t include the cost to train its models in the first place.Recent technological advancements should make it cheaper to develop... Developing large language models is expensive work: the costs of running LLMs in the cloud...
Chart by Shane Burke.
AI Agenda: OpenAI Is a (Relative) Steal
By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jan 22, 2024 7:35am PST · 1 comment
Chart by Shane Burke.
AI Agenda

AI Agenda: OpenAI Is a (Relative) Steal

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jan 22, 2024 7:35am PST · 1 comment
Over the past year, we’ve seen billions in funding thrown at AI startups at eye-popping valuations. More important than the absolute valuation figures, though, is how they stack up to those startups’ revenue numbers.In the chart above, we’ve tracked the valuations of eight AI startups that have recently raised funding, calculated against their... Over the past year, we’ve seen billions in funding thrown at AI startups at eye-popping...