OpenAI has hired the co-founder of Twitter challenger Pebble

Pivot 5: 5 stories. 5 minutes a day. 5 days a week.

1. OpenAI has hired the co-founder of Twitter challenger Pebble

Gabor Cselle, former CEO and co-founder of Pebble, has joined OpenAI to work on a secret project. Cselle has been employed at OpenAI since October and announced the news in a post on X. He is a repeat founder who sold his first company, a Y Combinator-backed mobile email startup called reMail, to Google. Cselle worked at Twitter as a group product manager and later at Google.

He began working on Pebble in 2022 with Michael Greer, Discord's ex-engineering head. Pebble, which emphasized safety and moderation, faced challenges in growth and closed down last October. In May, Cselle joined the accelerator South Park Commons, where he worked on generative AI prototypes. OpenAI rival Anthropic also has Alex Rodrigues, founder of Embark, joining as an AI safety researcher.

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2. Anthropic’s Haiku 3.5 surprises experts with an “intelligence” price increase

Anthropic has launched its Claude 3.5 Haiku AI model, which costs four times more to run than its predecessor. The price increase is due to the model's increased intelligence, according to Anthropic.

The new model will cost users $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, compared to 25 cents per million input tokens and $1.25 per million output tokens for the previous Claude 3 Haiku version. Claude 3.5 Haiku is not yet available in the Claude.ai web interface or app, but is marketed for tasks like coding suggestions, data extraction, labeling, and content moderation.

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3. Spot AI reels in $31M for its AI-powered video processing platform

Spot AI has raised $31 million to help companies analyze footage from security cameras at their facilities. The company sells a hardware appliance called the Intelligent Video Recorder that stores footage in onboard storage drives and can store up to 90 days.

The IVP includes software that detects camera malfunctions and AI models for easier review. Spot AI's platform is used by 1,000 customers across 17 industries and has processed billions of hours of footage since its launch in 2020.

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4. Meet the startup that just won the Pentagon’s first AI defense contract

The Department of Defense has awarded its first generative AI defense contract to Jericho Security, focusing on developing advanced cybersecurity solutions for the Air Force. The $1.8 million contract, announced through AFWERX, aims to address AI-based threats and human vulnerability.

Jericho's approach involves simulating complex, multi-channel phishing attacks, focusing on human vulnerability and creating personalized security training programs. The contract represents a significant validation for Jericho Security's expansion into the government sector.

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5. Alan unveils AI health assistant for its 680K health insurance members

French startup Alan has announced three new product updates, including an AI chatbot called Mo, vetted by doctors. Mo is an optional chatbot that rephrases questions and asks users to start with it or talk to a doctor. Doctors check Mo's answers within 15 minutes, confirming or correcting the advice.

Alan has facilitated 900 conversations between users and Mo, and plans to make it a health companion that understands users' context and history. The company also unveiled a mobile shop for health-adjacent products and a gamified step counter called Alan Walk.

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