Meta's New Glasses, Google's NotebookLM Update, Runway's $5M Film Fund, and OpenAI's Leadership Shakeup

Happy Friday, AI & Data Enthusiasts! Murati’s departure adds to a series of high-profile exits from OpenAI this week, and all eyes are now on Altman to guide the company through this transition. Let’s get into this, and more on AI funding and new AI-powered advances in today’s newsletter.

In today’s edition: 

• Meta’s Big AI Push at Connect 2024: New Glasses, Llama 3.2, and More

• Google’s NotebookLM Adds YouTube and Audio Support for Enhanced Collaboration

• Runway Launches $5M Fund to Support 100 AI-Driven Films

• OpenAI Leadership Steps Down, Raising Questions About the Company’s Future

- Naseema Perveen

WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION MOST

Meta’s Big AI Push at Connect 2024: New Glasses, Llama 3.2, and More

At Meta’s Connect 2024 conference, the company rolled out a series of groundbreaking AI announcements. Highlights included their Orion AR glasses, the new Llama 3.2 model, AI-powered Reels features, and Meta AI’s new Voice mode—showcasing the company’s ongoing drive to stay ahead in the AI race.

• Orion AR glasses: Meta unveiled its prototype of AR x AI glasses, weighing under 100g and featuring voice control, hand tracking, and wide-field displays—over a decade in the making.

• Llama 3.2: Meta introduced Llama 3.2, a vision model that understands both images and text. Available in 11B and 90B parameter versions, Meta also launched smaller models (1B and 3B) optimized for smartphones and future AR devices.

• Instagram AI upgrades: New AI tools like automatic video dubbing, lip-syncing for creators, and AI-generated content in the "Imagined for you" feed are coming to Instagram.

• Meta AI Voice mode: Users can now chat with Meta AI using their voice across platforms like Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, echoing similar updates seen from ChatGPT.

Meta’s bold moves with cutting-edge AR glasses, advanced AI models, and enhanced AI features across platforms underscore its dominance in the tech space. With nearly 500 million monthly active Meta AI users, Meta continues to prove it’s a force to be reckoned with in the AI and AR world. Never bet against Zuck!

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KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT

Google’s NotebookLM Adds YouTube and Audio Support for Enhanced Collaboration

NotebookLM is stepping up its game! The platform now supports adding public YouTube URLs and audio files, giving users a richer way to explore their sources. Plus, it’s easier than ever to share Audio Overviews, making NotebookLM an even more powerful tool for collaboration and study.

• New source types: Besides PDFs, Google Docs, and websites, you can now upload YouTube URLs and audio files directly into NotebookLM. This feature allows you to analyze videos and lectures, with summaries and citations linked directly to transcripts, or streamline projects by searching through transcribed audio recordings.

• Improved sharing: Sharing insights is now more seamless with the new Audio Overview sharing feature. A public link is generated with one tap, allowing you to share key takeaways from your notebook with colleagues or study partners. This feature is currently unavailable for Workspace users, but general users can share with ease.

To use these new features, create a notebook, upload a YouTube URL or audio file, and generate an Audio Overview. Once ready, tap "share" to generate a public link. Additionally, admins can now enable NotebookLM for entire organizations or educational domains.

NotebookLM continues to safeguard your privacy by ensuring no personal data is used for training, so you can confidently make the most of this versatile tool!

Runway Launches $5M Fund to Support 100 AI-Driven Films

Runway to spark the next wave of AI-generated films by earmarking $5 million in cash and additional service credits to fund up to 100 projects. The Hundred Film Fund is designed to encourage filmmakers to integrate AI into their productions, offering a significant opportunity for directors interested in exploring new creative avenues.

• Generous funding opportunities: Runway will provide up to $1 million in grants for each project, along with up to $2 million in service credits. The fund is open to all types of films, including features, shorts, documentaries, and experimental pieces.

• No ownership restrictions: Filmmakers retain full ownership of their projects. Runway only requires biweekly updates and the right to showcase the final films. Selection will be guided by industry experts like Jane Rosenthal and will.i.am.

• Growing potential: While the initial fund is $5 million, Runway hinted at the possibility of expanding the pool to $10 million based on project needs and potential impact.

This bold initiative from Runway aims to boost the integration of AI in filmmaking, offering filmmakers both funding and tools to experiment with AI-generated video. The hope is that out of 100 films, a few will demonstrate how groundbreaking AI can be in the creative process.

OpenAI Leadership Steps Down, Raising Questions About the Company’s Future

OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, has stepped down after six and a half years, sparking speculation about major changes at the company. Her departure comes as rumors grow that OpenAI may transition into a for-profit benefit corporation, giving CEO Sam Altman equity.

Murati’s departure adds to a series of high-profile exits from OpenAI this year. Former Head of AI Research, Andrej Karpathy, left in February, followed by co-founder Ilya Sutskever in May, and President Greg Brockman, who went on sabbatical in August. Sam Altman is now the only remaining senior leader, further amplifying concerns about the company's stability. All eyes are now on Altman to guide the company through this transition.

🎤 VOICE YOUR OPINION

ICYMI

• Ephos wants to shatter the market for AI and quantum chips.

• OpenAI CTO Mira Murati leaves the company.

• Crypto scammers hack OpenAI’s press account on X.

• OpenAI rolls out Advanced Voice Mode.

• LinkedIn has stopped grabbing UK users’ data for AI.

MONEY MATTERS

• AI ERP platform Opkey raised a $47 million Series B.

• AI-blockchain startup Story raised $80 million in a new round.

• Payments for AI agents platform Skyfire Systems raised $8.5 million in a new round.

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai announces $120M fund for global AI education.

• Grok’s image generator, Black Forest Labs, is raising $100M at a $1B valuation.

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✅Course: Understanding Artificial Intelligence by Data Camp.

✅Whitepaper: How To Address The Broken Promises Of AI In Manufacturing.

✅Watch: Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Unboxing & Impressions.

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