Khan Academy and Microsoft are teaming up to give teachers a free AI assistant

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1. Khan Academy and Microsoft are teaming up to give teachers a free AI assistant

Khan Academy and Microsoft have partnered to offer K-12 teachers in the U.S. a free AI assistant, Khanmigo. Microsoft is donating access to its Microsoft Azure infrastructure to give teachers free use of the tool, which previously required a $4 per month subscription.

Khan Academy's AI assistant can help teachers devise lesson plans, formulate questions about assigned readings, and generate reading passages appropriate for students at different levels. The tool is particularly valuable in light of recent research showing teachers work longer hours than most working adults, leading to teacher burnout and a loss of student experience.

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2. Amazon plans to give Alexa an AI overhaul — and a monthly subscription price

Amazon is planning to upgrade its Alexa voice assistant with generative artificial intelligence and charge a monthly subscription fee to offset the cost of the technology.

The Seattle-based tech and retail giant will launch a more conversational version of Alexa later this year, potentially positioning it to better compete with new generative AI-powered chatbots from companies like Google and OpenAI. Amazon's subscription for Alexa will not be included in the $139-per-year Prime offering, and Amazon has not yet nailed down the price point.

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3. South Korea aims to bolster local chip production with $19 billion of support

South Korea is extending tax breaks and providing financial support to its local semiconductor industry with a $19 billion package, similar to the US's CHIPS Act. The 26 trillion won ($19 billion) package aims to stay competitive with the US, China, and Taiwan.

South Korea saw a 56% increase in semiconductor exports in April compared to the previous year, despite fierce competition from Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. SK Hynix plans to invest $14.6 billion in AI chip manufacturing capacity, while Samsung replaces its semiconductor division leader.

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4. Anomaly raises $1.45M for AI-driven Layer 3 gaming platform

Anomaly has raised $1.45 million for an AI-driven Layer 3 gaming platform. The platform integrates with Telegram to offer accessible mini-games that require no prior crypto knowledge. Anomaly's AI-powered SDK enables rapid creation and deployment of mini-games across social media platforms like Telegram and Discord.

The platform's advanced AI functionalities include player-model training, matchmaking, automated quest creation, and in-game asset generation. Anomaly has secured multiple IP partnerships with brands like Atari and is poised for a node sale and an ecosystem token launch later this year.

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5. Pocket-Sized AI Models Could Unlock a New Era of Computing

Microsoft has released a smaller AI model called Phi-3-mini, which is capable of handling audio, video, and text. This model is part of a family of smaller models that researchers believe measures up favorably to the OpenAI model behind ChatGPT.

The Phi-3 family of models suggests it's possible to build AI apps that don't depend on the cloud, potentially opening up new use cases. The Phi family also reveals the nature of modern AI and how it can be improved by being more selective about what an AI system is trained on.

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