OpenAI, in partnership with Common Sense Media, has introduced a free training course aimed at helping teachers understand AI and prompt engineering. The course is designed to equip educators with the skills to use ChatGPT effectively in classrooms, including creating lesson content and streamlining administrative tasks.
The launch comes as OpenAI increases its efforts to promote the positive educational uses of ChatGPT, which became widely popular after its release in November 2022. While the tool’s potential for aiding students has been recognised, its use also sparked concerns about cheating and plagiarism.
Leah Belsky, formerly of Coursera and now leading OpenAI’s education efforts, emphasised the importance of teaching both students and teachers to use AI responsibly. Belsky noted that student adoption of ChatGPT is high, with many parents viewing AI literacy as crucial for future careers. The training is available on Common Sense Media’s website, marking the first of many initiatives in this partnership.
Asian News International (ANI), one of India’s largest news agencies, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of using copyrighted news content to train its AI models without authorisation. ANI alleges that OpenAI’s ChatGPT generated false information attributed to the agency, including fabricated interviews, which it claims could harm its reputation and spread misinformation.
The case, filed in the Delhi High Court, is India’s first legal action against OpenAI on copyright issues. While the court summoned OpenAI to respond, it declined to grant an immediate injunction, citing the complexity of the matter. A detailed hearing is scheduled for January, and an independent expert may be appointed to examine the case’s copyright implications.
OpenAI has argued that copyright laws don’t protect factual data and noted that websites can opt out of data collection. ANI’s counsel countered that public access does not justify content exploitation, emphasising the risks posed by AI inaccuracies. The case comes amid growing global scrutiny of AI companies over their use of copyrighted material, with similar lawsuits ongoing in the US, Canada, and Germany.
Perplexity, an AI-driven search startup, has unveiled a new shopping hub to attract users and compete with Google’s dominance in search. Backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Nvidia, the platform offers visually rich product cards in response to shopping-related queries, integrating with platforms like Shopify to provide real-time product details.
The rollout includes features like ‘Snap to Shop,’ which uses photos to suggest products and a Merchant Program that allows retailers to share their offerings with Perplexity. Initially available in the US, the service will expand to other markets at a later date.
This move comes as Perplexity raises new investments at a reported $9 billion valuation and seeks to compete with OpenAI, which recently introduced enhanced search features for ChatGPT. The startup aims to leverage AI-powered tools to boost its presence in e-commerce and attract both users and merchants.
Elon Musk has expanded his legal battle against OpenAI by adding Microsoft to his lawsuit, accusing both companies of engaging in illegal practices to monopolise the generative AI market. The federal antitrust claims, filed in Oakland, California, argue that the partnership between OpenAI and its largest investor, Microsoft, has sidelined competitors and restricted investment opportunities for other AI developers.
Musk’s complaint, which builds on his initial lawsuit from August, claims that OpenAI, which he helped to establish as a nonprofit, has deviated from its original mission. It has transformed into a highly profitable company, valued at $157 billion, and Musk argues that its partnership with Microsoft has created unfair market dominance. He is seeking to have the licensing agreement between the two companies voided and for them to divest assets gained through what he calls monopolistic practices.
The lawsuit also accuses Microsoft and OpenAI of circumventing regulatory oversight by entering exclusive agreements that Musk believes resemble a merger, without going through standard antitrust reviews. OpenAI has dismissed the claims as unfounded, while Musk’s legal team insists that the companies’ actions are damaging competition and transparency in the AI sector.
Musk’s tensions with OpenAI have been ongoing since he left the organisation, which he co-founded to develop safe AI. As OpenAI transitioned to a for-profit structure and secured billions from Microsoft, concerns grew about the concentration of power in the hands of a few dominant players in AI.
Leading AI companies are rethinking their approach to large language models as scaling existing methods faces diminishing returns. OpenAI’s latest model, o1, represents a pivotal shift towards human-like problem-solving techniques.
The traditional focus on larger datasets and increased computing power is being reconsidered. Key figures, including former OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, highlight the plateauing benefits of scaling and call for more innovative methods. Power shortages, data scarcity, and high costs have also hindered the development of superior models like GPT-4.
New approaches like ‘test-time compute’ are gaining traction, enabling AI systems to evaluate multiple solutions before choosing the most suitable one. This advancement enhances model performance without requiring massive increases in computational resources. OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and others are rapidly adopting these techniques, marking a shift in the competitive AI landscape.
These advancements could significantly alter demand in the hardware market, challenging Nvidia’s dominance in AI chips. As AI evolves, companies are competing not only to improve models but also to redefine the tools and techniques shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
Tesla founder Elon Musk has revived a legal action against OpenAI, alleging the organisation abandoned its original non-profit mission. Filed in a California federal court, the amended complaint names Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, and Dee Templeton as defendants. Additional plaintiffs, including Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive and ally of Musk, have also joined the case.
Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, accuses the organisation of exploiting Microsoft’s infrastructure in what his lawyers describe as a ‘de facto merger.’ He claims OpenAI has benefited from favourable treatment by Microsoft, disadvantaging competitors such as xAI, Musk’s AI venture. The lawsuit also raises concerns over alleged antitrust violations involving OpenAI board members and their connections to Microsoft.
The filing alleges Reid Hoffman and Dee Templeton facilitated agreements between OpenAI and Microsoft that violated antitrust laws. It further details how Hoffman’s dual roles at Microsoft and OpenAI may have allowed access to sensitive information. Zilis, a former OpenAI board member, expressed similar concerns internally but was reportedly ignored.
Musk’s lawyers argue that OpenAI’s transition to a profit-driven model undermines its foundational principles of transparency and safety. The complaint references incidents such as a 2018 cryptocurrency proposal that Musk vetoed, citing potential reputational harm. OpenAI has dismissed the lawsuit as baseless and characterised it as a publicity stunt.
AI companies, including OpenAI, are shifting away from the ‘bigger is better’ philosophy for training models. Instead, they are developing techniques that allow algorithms to ‘think’ in more human-like ways. These methods aim to address challenges such as massive energy consumption, hardware failures, and data scarcity that have hindered advancements in large language models.
OpenAI’s new model, o1, uses a technique called ‘test-time compute’, allowing it to consider multiple answers and choose the best option during use. This approach improves performance in complex tasks, like problem-solving and decision-making, without needing extensive pre-training. Noam Brown, an OpenAI researcher, revealed that even brief ‘thinking’ boosts the model’s capabilities significantly.
The industry-wide shift has broader implications for AI hardware, especially as Nvidia’s chips have been critical to AI training. Experts predict a move towards distributed cloud-based servers for inference tasks, potentially reshaping the demand landscape for chips. Prominent investors, such as Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz, are monitoring these changes closely as they may impact investments in AI infrastructure.
Caitlin Kalinowski, previously Meta’s head of augmented reality (AR) glasses, has announced she will join OpenAI to lead its robotics and consumer hardware initiatives. Kalinowski, who managed Meta’s AR glasses and VR goggles divisions, is expected to leverage her expertise in hardware to advance OpenAI’s efforts in robotics and develop consumer-focused AI products. She will focus on bringing AI into the physical world through collaborative projects and new technology partnerships.
This move is part of OpenAI’s growing commitment to hardware. Recently, OpenAI teamed up with Jony Ive’s LoveFrom to design a consumer AI device aimed at creating a computing experience that minimises social disruption. OpenAI has also resumed hiring robotics engineers after a previous shift away from hardware, reflecting a renewed interest in integrating its AI models into physical applications.
Kalinowski joins at a time when several companies, including Apple, are beginning to integrate OpenAI’s AI models into consumer technology. With the addition of Kalinowski, OpenAI aims to bring advanced AI functionality into robotics and consumer devices, promising transformative new products.
Physical Intelligence, a robot AI startup, has raised $400 million in early funding, attracting high-profile investors like Jeff Bezos, OpenAI, Thrive Capital, and Lux Capital. This latest investment values the startup at $2 billion, underscoring strong interest in AI-driven robotics solutions. Physical Intelligence aims to develop foundational software adaptable across different types of robots, eliminating the need for custom software per specific robotic task.
Global technology giants like Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Nvidia are already funnelling billions into AI. Industry estimates from venture capital firm Accel project that AI and cloud tech funding across the US, Europe, and Israel will hit $79.2 billion by the end of 2024. With several startups joining the robotic AI sector, including Vicarious, Universal Robots, and Covariant, competition in this space is intensifying.
Elon Musk recently predicted that at least 10 billion humanoid robots will be available by 2040, with prices ranging from $20,000 to $25,000. His Tesla company showcased the latest Optimus humanoid robot, adding to the anticipation around robotics advancements and automation technologies. Musk’s vision is part of the broader trend pushing the potential for AI-powered robots in everyday life.
Physical Intelligence recently demonstrated its innovative software, named π0, or pi-zero, showing its flexibility by enabling robots to carry out complex household tasks like folding laundry, bagging groceries, and retrieving toast from a toaster. This achievement highlights the startup’s strides toward building a universal robot software platform, with potential impacts on industries from home automation to logistics.
OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, is exploring a move to transition from a non-profit to a for-profit company, according to Bloomberg News. Early discussions with the California attorney general’s office aim to alter OpenAI’s corporate structure, signalling a significant shift in the governance of the AI research pioneer. Originally founded in 2015 as a non-profit, OpenAI’s new direction could open the door to increased investment opportunities.
The potential change in status would mark a strategic shift for the company, which developed the popular AI tool ChatGPT. OpenAI’s connection with Microsoft, which invested heavily in the company, has been a key factor in its growth. In September, reports emerged that OpenAI was already contemplating restructuring as a for-profit benefit corporation, with a new structure aimed at enhancing business opportunities while keeping its non-profit arm involved.
The non-profit branch of OpenAI would continue to exist and hold a minority stake, allowing the organisation to maintain some of its founding mission. This balance could appeal to investors while retaining a foothold in its original purpose of ethical AI development. OpenAI’s funding has also surged recently, including a $6.6 billion funding round, potentially valuing the firm at $157 billion.
With substantial backing and increased investor interest, OpenAI’s shift could cement its position as one of the world’s most valuable private companies. The move reflects broader trends in AI, where companies are aligning profit goals with technological innovation to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.
