Pittsburgh-based startup Skild AI has emerged from stealth mode with a $300 million funding round led by Jeff Bezos’ fund and Japan’s Softbank Group. Founded by Carnegie Mellon University professors Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, the company aims to build a ‘general-purpose brain’ for robots.
Skild AI’s AI model, trained on more data than its competitors, can be retrofitted to existing hardware. Pathak highlighted the model’s unparalleled capabilities across various robots and tasks, indicating its potential to transform automation in real-world environments.
With applications in household tasks and industrial work, Skild AI’s technology promises to reduce robot costs and address labour shortages. The company, now valued at $1.5 billion, is hiring engineers from top tech firms and Carnegie Mellon University.
According to a Reuters report, the fairly new OpenAI project, Strawberry, is set to create giant waves in the research industry. The project, which some claim could be a renamed version of the company’s project Q* from last year, has been tagged as potentially having capabilities to navigate the net to conduct deep research.
The company’s representative confirmed to the news agency that the reasoning ability of their models will invariably improve with time. Just last Tuesday, employees of OpenAI were treated to a demo of a model with human-like reasoning capabilities. The meeting came on the heels of the negative commentary the company has faced for placing a gag order on employees for publicly exposing the dangers its innovations can potentially pose to humanity.
Earlier in July, employees sent a seven-page letter to the US Security Exchange Commission (SEC) chair, Gary Gensler, detailing what they deem as risks OpenAI’s projects can pose to humans. The letter was tinged with urgency as the agency was advised to take swift and aggressive action against the company for violating current regulations.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the leading producer of advanced chips for AI applications, is set to report a 30% rise in second-quarter profit on Thursday, driven by soaring demand. The world’s largest contract chipmaker, which counts Apple and Nvidia among its clients, has seen its stock—and the broader Taiwan market—reach record highs. Last week, TSMC’s American Depositary Receipts surpassed a trillion-dollar market value.
For the quarter ending 30 June, TSMC is expected to announce a net profit of T$236.1 billion ($7.25 billion), a significant increase from the T$181.8 billion reported in the same period last year. The company recently reported a substantial rise in second-quarter revenue, exceeding market expectations. Analysts like Li Fang-kuo from President Capital Management Co. anticipate a strong third-quarter outlook for all of TSMC’s products.
TSMC is heavily investing in expanding its production capacity, including spending $65 billion on three new plants in Arizona. However, the majority of its manufacturing will remain in Taiwan. The company is expected to maintain its capital expenditure guidance for this year at $28 billion to $32 billion, with 70% to 80% allocated to advanced technologies. KGI Securities’ Chu Yen-min suggests TSMC raise its capital spending due to favourable market conditions, which could further boost its stock price and support the broader market.
Why does this matter?
TSMC, often called the ‘sacred mountain protecting the country’ for its crucial role in Taiwan’s economy, remains a dominant player in the semiconductor industry despite challenges from Intel and Samsung. The AI boom has significantly increased TSMC’s stock price, which has surged 75% this year, outpacing the 33% gain in the broader market.
Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu have made only limited progress in meeting their renewable energy goals, according to a recent Greenpeace East Asia report. The sector’s power consumption is expected to surge due to growing demand for AI and cloud services, prompting calls for more robust action against climate change.
The report tracked the renewable energy use of top 25 cloud providers and data centre operators in China. Although Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu led in renewable energy procurement and carbon reduction measures, significant disparities remain across the industry. Only five companies reported annual renewable energy ratios exceeding 10%, a notable increase from just one company in 2022.
Despite these advances, only eight companies have committed to 100% renewable energy use by 2030, and only six have set carbon neutrality goals for their direct and indirect emissions. Greenpeace stressed the need for the tech sector to rapidly expand renewable energy consumption to meet the projected 160% increase in power demand for data centres by 2030, driven by AI development.
Kernel, a New York City startup founded by Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Steve Ells, features a unique dining experience using robotic technology to prepare plant-based meals. A robotic arm flips burger patties while a conveyor belt moves dishes along the assembly line. Human staff then add finishing touches and package the meals for customer pick-up.
Initially, Kernel’s industrial look and robotic processes confused diners, leading Ells to temporarily close the restaurant in early July for a brief redesign. The goal was to make the space more inviting by adding seating, pictures, warmer colours, and softer lighting to better signal that it serves food.
The revamped Kernel now aims to blend advanced technology with a welcoming atmosphere, ensuring that diners feel comfortable and clearly understand the innovative dining experience on offer. This approach combines efficiency with a human touch, setting a new standard for the future of food service.
Wiz, founded in Israel and now headquartered in New York, is known for its cloud-based cybersecurity solutions powered by AI. With about $350 million in revenue in 2023 and serving 40% of Fortune 100 companies, Wiz has quickly become one of the fastest-growing software startups globally. Recently, Wiz raised $1 billion in a funding round, valuing the company at $12 billion.
The potential acquisition comes amid increased regulatory scrutiny of large tech companies under President Joe Biden‘s administration. Despite the investigation, the technology sector has seen a surge in mergers and acquisitions, with tech deals jumping over 42% year-on-year to $327.2 billion in the first half of the year. Alphabet’s interest in Wiz follows its decision not to pursue a takeover of online marketing software company HubSpot.
AI is currently a hot topic in the K-Pop community, as several top groups, including Seventeen, have begun using the technology to create music videos and write lyrics. Seventeen, one of the most successful K-Pop acts, has incorporated AI-generated scenes in their latest single, ‘Maestro,’ and experimented with AI in songwriting. Band member Woozi expressed a desire to develop alongside technology rather than resist it.
The use of AI has divided fans. Some, like super fan Ashley Peralta, appreciate AI’s ability to help artists overcome creative blocks but worry it might disconnect fans from the artists’ authentic emotions. Podcaster Chelsea Toledo shares similar concerns, fearing AI-generated lyrics might dilute Seventeen’s reputation as a self-producing group known for their personal touch in songwriting and choreography.
Industry professionals, such as producer Chris Nairn, recognise South Korea’s progressive approach to music production. While he acknowledges AI’s potential, he doubts its ability to match top-tier songwriting’s innovation and uniqueness. Music journalist Arpita Adhya points out the immense pressure on K-Pop artists to produce frequent content, which may drive the adoption of AI.
According to Kazinform News Agency, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry appointed Gizzat Baiturssynov as the head of the Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Development Committee. Baiturssynov’s educational background includes a degree from the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in Malaysia and a law degree from the Eurasian Law Academy named after Dinmukhamed Kunaev.
Baiturssynov began his career as a programmer in a private company before joining the ministry through the Youth Internship Program in 2019. His roles within the ministry have ranged from expert positions to Deputy Director of the Department of Electronic Industry Development and Digital Asset Industry. Since 2023, he has served as Director of E-Industry and Digital Asset Industry Development.
Baiturssynov’s appointment comes at a time of growing emphasis on AI innovation and regional collaboration. Recently, the Central Asian Security Forum brought together experts to discuss these topics, highlighting the importance of such developments for regional security and technological advancement.
With his extensive experience and expertise, Baiturssynov is poised to lead the AI and Innovation Development Committee in advancing Kazakhstan’s technological landscape.
Samsung unveiled its latest range of foldable devices, earbuds, and wearables at the Louvre in Paris, followed by a panel discussion with executives from Samsung, Google, Qualcomm, and more. The panel explored various AI-related topics, including Samsung’s two-way Interpreter translations and the company’s collaboration with Google on Circle To Search.
Dr Chris Brauer from Goldsmiths University of London presented findings from Samsung’s Mobile AI Report, highlighting a potential AI divide. He pointed out that while many people are embracing AI for its quality-of-life benefits, a minority remain reluctant, correlating with lower self-reported life satisfaction. This emerging divide could impact individuals’ ability to achieve their goals and navigate life successfully.
The report surveyed 5000 adults across France, Germany, South Korea, the UK, and the US, focusing on creativity, productivity, social relationships, and physical health. The digital divide remains a significant issue, with 30% of the world still under- or unconnected, limiting access to the latest technology. Qualcomm’s Don McGuire emphasised the importance of addressing this divide to ensure broader accessibility to AI tools for healthcare, education, and socioeconomic advancement.
Why does this matter?
AI has been a part of our digital lives for years, but recent advancements have brought it to the forefront, thanks to tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E. As the world moves towards an AI-driven future, addressing the digital divide is crucial to ensure that everyone benefits from these technological advancements.
Recent research from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has uncovered significant insights into the capabilities of large language models (LLMs). The study found that while LLMs excel in familiar scenarios, they struggle with novel tasks, raising questions about their true reasoning abilities versus reliance on memorisation.
The researchers compared LLMs’ performance on common tasks to hypothetical scenarios that deviated from their training data. For instance, models like GPT-4 showed proficiency in arithmetic using base-10 but faltered with other number bases, indicating a lack of generalisable addition skills. The pattern was consistent across various tasks, including spatial reasoning and chess, where models performed no better than random guessing in unfamiliar settings.
Lead author Zhaofeng Wu emphasised the importance of these findings, noting that as AI becomes more integrated into society, it must handle diverse scenarios reliably. The study’s insights aim to inform the development of more adaptable and robust future LLMs. The team plans to expand their research to include more complex and varied tasks, further exploring AI’s limitations and improving interpretability.
Supported by the MIT–IBM Watson AI Lab, the MIT Quest for Intelligence, and the National Science Foundation, the study was presented at the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (NAACL).
