OpenAI raises over $6.6 billion - Sync #487
I hope you enjoy this free post. If you do, please like ❤️ or share it, for example by forwarding this email to a friend or colleague. Writing this post took around eight hours to write. Liking or sharing it takes less than eight seconds and makes a huge difference. Thank you! OpenAI raises over $6.6 billion - Sync #487Plus: SB 1047 has been vetoed; a new humanoid robot has been revealed; the dark side of AI voice cloning; a new episode in the fight over the CRISPR patent; and more!Hello and welcome to Sync #487! The big news this week was OpenAI’s massive $6.6 billion funding round, which brought the company’s value to $157 billion. We will take a closer look at this deal, piecing together reports from various sources to understand what it means for OpenAI and its investors. In other news, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the controversial AI bill SB 1047. Elsewhere in AI, DeepMind open-sourced an AI model that designs computer chips, Snap introduced AI video tools to Snapchat, and a popular tech YouTuber shared his experiences of having his voice cloned. In robotics, a new humanoid robot has been revealed, and roboticists demonstrated an intriguing robot that can detach its hand. We will finish this week’s issue with a new episode in the fight over the CRISPR patent, some ideas on improving drug development, and a breakthrough map of a fly’s brain. Enjoy! OpenAI raises over $6.6 billionAfter weeks of rumours and speculation, it has happened. OpenAI has closed one of the largest VC funding rounds ever, raising $6.6 billion, which values the company at $157 billion. This deal makes OpenAI one of the highest-valued privately held companies globally, alongside SpaceX and TikTok, and worth more than 87% of S&P 500 companies. This funding round was led by Thrive Capital, which previously invested in OpenAI. Other participants included Microsoft, Nvidia, SoftBank, Khosla Ventures, Altimeter Capital, Fidelity, and MGX, a Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm. Notably absent from this list is Apple, which was reportedly in the talks to invest into OpenAI. Interestingly, the deal comes with some strings attached, both for OpenAI and for the investors. For OpenAI, the deal might mean a transition from its unusual nonprofit structure to a for-profit company which is more suitable for investors. Meanwhile, as Financial Times reports, investors were asked to not invest in OpenAI competitors, such as Anthropic or xAI. If the reports of exclusivity are true, then that could have a big impact on the future investments in AI space. In addition to $6.6 billion raised, OpenAI also secured a $4 billion credit line from nine banks—JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Santander, Wells Fargo, SMBC, UBS, and HSBC. “This credit facility further strengthens our balance sheet and provides flexibility to seize future growth opportunities,” said Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI, in an announcement. What will OpenAI use all this money for?In total, OpenAI has secured over $10 billion in funding. So, what will OpenAI use all this money for now? According to OpenAI, the new funding will allow the company to “double down“ on its leadership in frontier AI research, increase compute capacity and build new AI tools. In practice, it means OpenAI will use these funds to develop and train new models and add new functionalities, like the recently announced Canvas coming soon to ChatGPT (a clear response to Anthropic’s Artifacts) or the new features available for developers announced during this year’s first Dev Day. Some of those funds will go towards securing deals with copyright holders to use their data in OpenAI products. In the last year, OpenAI signed content deals with multiple partners, including Condé Nast, Time, The Atlantic, Vox Media, News Corp, Financial Times, with possibly more to come. Additionally, OpenAI is involved in multiple lawsuits, with the largest of them, filed by The New York Times, still unresolved and potentially costing OpenAI billions of dollars even if both companies opt for a settlement. There is also a possibility of OpenAI trying to design its own AI chips and build its own data centres. Currently, OpenAI heavily relies on Nvidia and Microsoft for these needs. Although designing custom chips is an expensive project, it can pay off in the long term, as chips specifically designed for a particular operation are more efficient than the general-purpose chips Nvidia offers. Additionally, this would reduce OpenAI's dependency on Nvidia. OpenAI buys itself time to become profitable and to become the next tech giantBut more importantly for OpenAI, the $10 billion it secured buys the company time to become profitable. Earlier this year, in the summer, The Information reported that OpenAI is bleeding money. According to their report, OpenAI has spent roughly $7 billion on model training and $1.5 billion on staffing, and is on track to lose $5 billion this year. Although OpenAI is burning through cash right now, the company projects to turn this trend around. OpenAI’s revenue is projected to reach $3.4 billion in 2024, $2.7 billion of which could come from ChatGPT alone and its 11 million paid subscribers. Next year, the company is expected to generate over $10 billion in revenue in 2025 and reach $100 billion in revenue by 2029. OpenAI is at an interesting point right now. The company is the poster child of the current AI boom, which it kickstarted with the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Since then, it has grown from a relatively small AI lab into one of the most valued startups in the world, with some viewing OpenAI as the next tech giant, akin to Google and Facebook. However, that transformation did not come easily and last year was turbulent for OpenAI. Sam Altman was ousted as a CEO to then come back to his role a couple of days later. The release of GPT-4o was tainted by the controversy’s surrounding ChatGPT’s voice that was very familiar to Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Whistleblowers raised concerns over the safety culture inside the company. The company started become more secretive and stopped sharing details of its models, prompting many to question the validity of the word “open” in OpenAI. Now there are talks about OpenAI becoming a for-profit company, which will essentially end the original vision for the company as an open and independent counterweight to other AI labs like DeepMind. Additionally, many high-profile people have left the company. Recently, Mira Murati, OpenAI's CTO, announced her departure from the company, along with chief research officer Bob McGrew and research VP Barret Zoph. They join a growing list of high-profile departures over the last year, including Andrej Karpathy (a prominent AI researcher), Ilya Sutskever (OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist), Jan Leike (former leader of the Superalignment team), and John Schulman (one of OpenAI's co-founders). Additionally, Greg Brockman, the company's president, is currently on sabbatical. Out of fifthteen people who founded OpenAI in 2015, only three remain. We will have to see what the future holds for OpenAI. Will it deliver on its overarching goal of building AGI to benefit all of humanity, or will it collapse under its own weight? If you enjoy this post, please click the ❤️ button or share it. Do you like my work? Consider becoming a paying subscriber to support it For those who prefer to make a one-off donation, you can 'buy me a coffee' via Ko-fi. Every coffee bought is a generous support towards the work put into this newsletter. Your support, in any form, is deeply appreciated and goes a long way in keeping this newsletter alive and thriving. 🧠 Artificial IntelligenceGov. Newsom vetoes California’s controversial AI bill, SB 1047 How AlphaChip transformed computer chip design World’s first AI art museum to explore ‘creative potential of machines’ in LA Brain-like Computers Tackle the Extreme Edge Snap is introducing an AI video-generation tool for creators ▶️ The dark side of AI voice cloning (13:05) In this video, Jeff Geerling, a popular tech YouTuber, shares his experience of having his voice cloned without his consent and explains how the situation was ultimately resolved. He then discusses how easy it is to clone someone's voice and highlights the ethical issues this technology raises if misused. Why the Training of Generative AI Models Is a Violation of Copyright Law ▶️ The Rise of Virtual Humans — and What They Mean for the Future (10:27) In this TED Talk, Sara Giusto, a talent manager, discusses managing virtual influencers—digital-only social media stars. Despite being virtual, these influencers engage with their audiences and real-world issues like climate change and collaborate with major brands such as Amazon and Porsche. Sara emphasises how virtual human technology enhances creativity, connection, and expression across industries, viewing it as a revolutionary blend of technology and emotion. She urges moving away from dystopian views of AI to focus on its potential for fostering human connection and positive impact, with plans to use AI to make virtual humans more autonomous. If you're enjoying the insights and perspectives shared in the Humanity Redefined newsletter, why not spread the word? 🤖 RoboticsFourier launches GR-2 humanoid, software platform Fourier revealed an updated version of their humanoid, GR-2. GR-2 is taller and heavier than GR-1, standing 175 cm (68.9 in.) tall and weighing 63 kg (139 lb.), with 53 degrees of freedom and a single-arm load capacity of 3 kg. It features a swappable battery with double the capacity and a runtime of up to two hours. Additionally, GR-2 has a new hand with 12 degrees of freedom, equipped with six tactile sensors that allow it to sense force and identify object shapes and materials. Fourier also introduced an SDK compatible with ROS and other frameworks like NVIDIA Isaac Lab and Mujoco, providing developers with pre-optimised modules for machine vision, path planning, and force feedback. There is no publicly available information about the cost of the robot. Robot hand can detach from arm, crawl over to objects, and pick them up Some roboticists look to nature for inspiration. Others asked, “What if we don’t?” and the result is this robot, which can detach its hand, allowing it to crawl and grasp objects independently. Also, its fingers can bend backwards. Humanoid robotics developers must pick which problems to solve, says NVIDIA 🧬 BiotechnologyTwo Nobel Prize winners want to cancel their own CRISPR patents in Europe The Great Pharma Wasteland Crispr-Enhanced Viruses Are Being Deployed Against UTIs 💡TangentsFly brain breakthrough 'huge leap' to unlock human mind Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please click the ❤️ button or share it. Humanity Redefined sheds light on the bleeding edge of technology and how advancements in AI, robotics, and biotech can usher in abundance, expand humanity's horizons, and redefine what it means to be human. A big thank you to my paid subscribers, to my Patrons: whmr, Florian, dux, Eric, Preppikoma and Andrew, and to everyone who supports my work on Ko-Fi. Thank you for the support! My DMs are open to all subscribers. Feel free to drop me a message, share feedback, or just say "hi!" |
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