Since the debut of ChatGPT last year, this has been arguably the most pivotal year for artificial intelligence.
The latest iteration of the technology powering OpenAI’s renowned ChatGPT bot was revealed. Elon Musk made an announcement about Grok, an AI ChatGPT adversary with a touch of irony, joining his platform, X, formerly known as Twitter. A Senate committee convened to discuss AI regulation in the healthcare sector, a targeted attack on OpenAI, and the introduction of the first portable IoT device aiming to eventually supplant smartphones.
ABI Research analyst Reece Hayden remarked, “These significant announcements reflect the rapid pace at which the AI market is evolving.”
Hayden emphasized that the industry’s progress this week serves as a testament to its dynamism. To maintain competitiveness and innovation, the AI community continues to advance swiftly while managing the risks of unforeseen outcomes.
Nonetheless, it was an eventful week, Hayden added.
Here’s an in-depth overview of the key developments in the world of Artificial Intelligence this year:
OpenAI’s Milestone Moment
Approximately a year following the launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI hosted its inaugural engineering event, reigniting the competition among tech firms to develop and integrate similar AI tools into their products.
The company introduced several enhancements to its AI tools, including the ability for developers to create customized versions of ChatGPT known as GPTs. These GPTs can be integrated into platforms, utilized in emails, and facilitate e-commerce transactions akin to plugins. In a live demonstration, CEO Sam Altman illustrated how anyone could effortlessly create a GPT without prior coding experience.
In a bid to make GPTs more accessible, the company is also introducing a Google Play Store for GPTs, set to launch later this month. These GPTs will be featured on a leaderboard akin to traditional app stores, showcasing useful tools across various categories like productivity, education, and entertainment.
According to Hayden, the announcements, Apple-esque Keynote presentation, and developer-centric approach indicate the company’s strategic focus on addressing challenges such as high costs and revenue constraints by fostering a robust developer ecosystem.
Altman also unveiled GPT-4 Turbo, the latest iteration of the system powering ChatGPT, boasting the capacity to generate output equivalent to approximately 300 pages of a standard book—16 times longer than its predecessor.
Altman delved into the system’s evolution, revealing that it is currently leveraged by around 2 million developers, with 90% of Fortune 500 companies utilizing the tools internally. The platform now boasts 100 million active users.
Ai Pin by Humane
Humane, an AI startup founded by former Apple employees, introduced the Ai Pin—a diminutive wearable device designed to revolutionize human-device interaction by projecting information onto users’ hands, enabling them to handle calls and perform tasks sans cellular technology.
The Ai Pin boasts a suite of AI-powered functionalities, including search capabilities, messaging features, and email organization. Equipped with Qualcomm AI technology, ultra-wide cameras, and a laser ink display, the Ai Pin is powered by a Snapdragon processor.
The unveiling of the Ai Pin, as noted by Gartner scientist Arun Chandrasekaran, represents a significant leap in technology design, exploring innovative modes of human-machine interaction.
However, the deployment specifics remain unclear. Despite assurances of all-day battery life, Hayden raised concerns about the device’s power consumption, particularly given its compact size and diverse functionality, posing challenges for data processing and user adoption.
Additional apprehensions arise regarding data privacy and user trust, with Hayden asserting that widespread acceptance of AI-driven devices necessitates a significant leap of faith from consumers.
Priced at $699, the Ai Pin will be available for purchase in the US starting November 16.
The Debut of Grok
Drawing inspiration from the comedic science fiction novel “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams, xAI introduced Grok—a robot with a penchant for ironic humor, akin to its creator Elon Musk. Grok is trained using real-time data access from the platform, as per Musk, who has helmed X (formerly Twitter) for a period.
While Grok is still undergoing preliminary testing, Musk announced its imminent availability on X’s Premium+ services, offering features like the blue box for $16 per month.
Although Musk co-founded OpenAI, he stepped down as president five years ago due in part to disagreements over the company’s strategic direction.
A Calculated Attack
Shortly after the developer conference, OpenAI experienced significant service disruptions attributed to potential targeted assaults on its servers. The company reported dealing with recurrent outages resembling a DDoS attack pattern, disrupting regular service.
A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack occurs when an attacker inundates an internet server to impede normal operations.
On the affected day, users encountered service unavailability messages, hindering access to OpenAI’s tools and services.
Fortunately, the organization confirmed that no user data was compromised.
Further AI Developments
Major tech players continue to invest in AI advancements. Amazon is reportedly investing substantial resources in training an AI model named “Olympus,” expected to surpass OpenAI’s GPT-4 in parameter count.
Meanwhile, YouTube is experimenting with AI tools to enhance content discovery, recommendations, and video post summaries.
While not all companies will pursue massive AI models, Chandrasekaran suggests that some will focus on developing smaller, specialized models to enrich their offerings, automate processes, and gain a competitive edge.
