Lumian Gen AI Newsletter Issue #7

⏱️ News Flash

The 2-Minute Scoop to Keep You in the Loop

1/ Apple takes a practical approach to AI: No bragging, just features

Apple's new VR headset, Vision Pro, is all the buzz, despite its late entry and high cost. Users can enjoy apps, movies, and even virtual document editing. And it's Apple, so we know they mean business with hardware.

But, what got our attention is that Apple did not mention AI once at their event. Instead of catching the AI hype train, Apple seems to be subtly incorporating AI technologies in their offerings, like improved autocorrect and voicemail transcriptions, reflecting their preference for precise terminology over buzzwords.

2/ Chinese tech giant Baidu is rolling out an AI venture fund

Baidu is spearheading China's AI race with a $145 million fund for generative AI companies. The firm's CEO, Robin Li, has also teased a new, advanced language model for their Ernie Bot service. Yet, the AI stage in China isn't solely Baidu's. Alibaba and Tencent are also set to unveil their large-language models, Tongyi Qianwen and HunyuanAide, respectively. Just a little reminder though, China has previously banned the usage of ChatGPT since February.

3/ OpenAI launches guide to effectively using GPT

OpenAI's been quick on the draw. With recent Twitter chatter suggesting a dip in ChatGPT's performance, they've retorted with a handy guide on effective prompting. Basically, it's a "not us, it’s you" nudge. Their tips? Be clear, break it down, and reason with the bot. Or you could just subscribe to Ethan Mollick’s substack. Plus, there are extra resources for the tech-savvy out there.

🖼️ AI Art - Liquid Content

Beautiful QR Codes

Gen AI is now being used to create hyper customized QR Codes.

Using Stable Diffusion + ControlNet, experts have found a way to turn fully functional QR code into beautiful images.

What’s ControlNet? Think of ControlNet as a smart tool that can change a picture while keeping important parts the same. It's like a magic paintbrush that can turn a photo of a cat into a cartoon, but you'd still know it's your cat. It helps us play with images while keeping what's special about them.

It's a new era of 'liquid content', where we're not just viewers, but shapers of visual information. Talk about cool!

🤑 Fundraising

The (AI) Intelligent Investor

• Cohere Announces $270M Series C to Bring Generative AI to Enterprises

• EliseAI Raises $35 Million in Series C Funding to Revolutionize the Real Estate Industry

🤖 Nerd Out

Technical and Business Readings

• Are AI startups too easy to copy?

• Benchmark’s view on the AI race

• Why AI Will Save the World (a16z)

😜 AI-themed posts are earning rave reviews...

Among their electronic peers!

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Best,

Robin and Saswat