Welcome again to Week in Overview. This week, we’re taking a look at OpenAI’s final — and largest — announcement from its “12 Days of OpenAI” occasion; Apple’s potential entrance into the foldable market; and why Databricks is selecting to attend to go public. Let’s get into it.
P.S. We’re off for the vacations! Week in Overview might be again in your inbox within the new yr.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman introduced the successors to its o1 reasoning mannequin household: o3 and o3-mini. Whereas the fashions are usually not broadly accessible but, security researchers can join a preview. The reveal marks the tip of the corporate’s “12 Days of OpenAI” occasion, which noticed bulletins for real-time imaginative and prescient capabilities, ChatGPT Search, and even a Santa voice for ChatGPT. You possibly can compensate for the whole lot you missed right here.
The Ray-Ban Meta sensible glasses acquired a giant improve this week. Members of Meta’s early-access program can now obtain firmware v11, which provides “reside AI.” The function lets wearers repeatedly converse with Meta AI to reference issues they mentioned earlier within the dialog — and it really works with real-time video. Stay translation between English and Spanish, French, or Italian, in addition to performance with Shazam are additionally included in v11.
UnitedHealth’s Optum left an AI chatbot, utilized by staff to ask questions on claims, uncovered to the web — and anybody may entry it with an internet browser. Whereas the chatbot didn’t seem to comprise or produce delicate private or protected well being info, its inadvertent publicity comes at a time when its guardian firm faces scrutiny for its use of AI instruments and algorithms to allegedly override docs’ medical choices and deny affected person claims.
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Oura nabs $200M: The sensible ring maker closed a $200 million Sequence D funding spherical, bringing the corporate’s valuation to $5.2 billion. Oura says the money will assist the corporate increase its product choices and additional spend money on product, science, AI, and extra. Learn extra
Now you can name ChatGPT from a landline: In an effort to make ChatGPT accessible to as many individuals as potential, OpenAI introduced a 1-800 quantity to name the chatbot — even from a landline or a flip cellphone. Customers can name 1-800-CHATGPT, and the AI assistant will reply by means of the cellphone. Learn extra
Tesla tries to spice up Mannequin S gross sales: After abandoning its free Supercharging for all times provide in 2018, Tesla is bringing it again for some Tesla Mannequin S automobiles on the finish of the yr. But it surely’s essential to notice that Tesla additionally simply elevated the value for the Mannequin S by $5,000. Learn extra
Google desires to tackle Sora: Google DeepMind introduced Veo 2, a next-gen video-generating AI. Veo 2 can create two-minute-plus clips in resolutions as much as 4k. That’s 4x the decision — and over 6x the length — that OpenAI’s Sora can obtain. Learn extra
Apple eyes the foldable market: Apple is aiming to launch two foldable gadgets within the subsequent few years, in response to a report from The Wall Avenue Journal. One other report from Bloomberg, nonetheless, claims the corporate’s focus is on an enormous, foldable iPad. Learn extra
Bob Lee verdict: A San Francisco jury discovered Nima Momeni responsible of second-degree homicide within the deadly 2023 stabbing of Bob Lee, the Money App creator and former CTO of Block. The jurors determined Lee’s homicide was not premeditated and located Momeni not responsible of first-degree homicide. Learn extra
Perplexity acquires Carbon: Perplexity acquired Carbon, a small startup specializing in connecting AI methods to exterior knowledge sources. The corporate says Perplexity will quickly have the ability to search by means of your information and work messages in Notion, Google Docs, or Slack someday in early 2025. Learn extra
Temu continues to be on prime: Temu was as soon as once more probably the most downloaded free app within the U.S., in response to Apple’s record of prime apps and video games throughout the App Retailer. The buying app moved into the No. 1 slot final yr, stealing the place from TikTok. Learn extra
GitHub launches free model of Copilot: GitHub now has a free model of its widespread Copilot code completion/AI pair programming device. Till now, builders needed to pay a month-to-month charge, with solely verified college students, academics, and open supply maintainers getting free entry. Learn extra
Google releases its personal “reasoning” mannequin: Google has launched Gemini 2.0 Flash Pondering Experimental, what it calls its new “reasoning” AI mannequin. It’s presently within the experimental levels, and from our transient testing, there’s actually room for enchancment. Learn extra
Evaluation
To IPO or to not IPO: Databricks simply closed one of many largest funding rounds ever, elevating a staggering $10 billion. Naturally, know-how buyers had been fast to ask what this implies for the corporate’s extremely anticipated IPO. In an interview at Axios AI Summit, CEO Ali Ghodsi mentioned “it’s dumb to IPO this yr” and is as a substitute ready till at the very least 2025. Databricks is utilizing this “Sequence J” to let early staff money out and proceed rising. Whereas 2024 was unsure in some ways, the IPOs of ServiceTitan, Reddit, and different corporations have largely been profitable. However, as Maxwell Zeff writes, why threat it when you’ll be able to simply elevate as a lot cash as Databricks? Learn extra
