Sam Altman and Jony Ive raising funding for secret AI device company

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1. Sam Altman and Jony Ive raising funding for secret AI device company

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple design chief Jony Ive are seeking funding for their mysterious AI device startup, which aims to develop a personal AI product that challenges the conventional smartphone experience and explores new interaction modalities with AI.

The startup is in talks with major venture capitalists, including Thrive Capital and Emerson Collective. The potential of the device lies in its hardware and the reimagining of how we interact with AI daily.

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2. Air Force secretary plans to ride in AI-operated F-16 fighter aircraft this spring

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall plans to fly in an AI-operated F-16 fighter aircraft later this year, speaking before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's defense panel. Kendall is pushing to obtain over 1,000 AI-operated drones and plans to let one of them take him into the air later this spring.

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft project is part of a $6 billion program that will add at least 1,000 new drones to the Air Force. Cost-cutting is one of the elements of AI that appeals to the Pentagon for pursuing the project. The idea is to not fall too far behind China, which has modernized its air defense systems, which are much more sophisticated and put manned planes at risk when they get too close.

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3. Google enhancing Cloud with new AI models, security enhancements

Google Distributed Cloud has announced support for new AI models and security improvements at the Google Cloud Next '24 event. GDC now supports open AI models like Llama and Gemma, and it now fulfills ISO27001 and SOC2 compliance certifications. The additions will enhance generative AI search solutions with features like on-premise data retrieval and natural language search using the Gemma 7B model.

GDC also has security improvements, prioritizing sensitive applications in compliance with regulations and integrating Palo Alto Networks threat prevention technology. A new GDC Sandbox has been introduced for developers to build and test services, and GDC storage can now support large analytics or AI workloads.

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4. Biden to give Taiwan’s TSMC $6.6 billion to ramp up US chip production

The US government plans to give $6.6 billion to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to help it build three factories in Arizona as part of President Joe Biden's efforts to secure the supply of advanced chips.

The investment, which includes $5 billion in government loans, will create around 6,000 high-wage tech jobs and over 20,000 indirect jobs. The US government emphasizes the need to bring more chip production onshore to limit potential supply disruptions, including the coronavirus pandemic and potential military aggression by China.

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5. AI-powered camera makes people naked

German artist Mathias Vef and designer Benedikt Groß have created a "deepfake camera" called NUCA, which uses AI to generate nude pictures of any clothed person in seconds. The camera, which is a 15-ounce compact device, has sparked diverse reactions, ranging from fears of AI's bias towards body cult and beauty mania to enthusiasm for its celebration of natural human beauty and form.

The project prompts a crucial discussion on AI's potential, emphasizing consent, algorithmic fairness, and the societal impacts of AI-generated imagery. NUCA is not intended to invade privacy, but rather a working prototype designed for artistic expression. The pair plan to show off the prototype at an exhibition in Berlin this summer.

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