ฮต Pulse: Issue #10
AI Scientists ๐ง๐ปโ๐ฌ, Gemini Advanced โ, and the Truth About Building AI Startups ๐ค.
Unrelated to AI:
See my latest Around the Web newsletter, Watch my latest video essay.
[AI/ML + Bio] ๐ค ๐ฆ ๐งฌ
ย ๐งซ Semi-Autonomous AIs for Scientific Research
Most of the research I would like to highlight in this newsletter has to do with AI systems built to automate scientific research. I wrote a full essay about the subject. You can find it here. Here are some of the works I highlighted in the essay:
Bioplanner: paper
Chemcrow: paper
Autonomous chemical research with large language models: paper
PaperQA: paper
[AI X Industry + Products] ๐ค๐ฅ๐จ๐ฟโ๐ป
[I]: ๐ญAI Smart Binoculars
I went for bird watching when I was in Asilomar, CA a few months ago, and I thought an AI smart binocular would be great. Now we have one. AX Visio considered to be the world's first smart binoculars, capable of identifying some 9,000 species of birds and wildlife in real time.
[II]: ๐ Rabbit
I have probably mentioned in this newsletter that we are already entering a new phase exemplified by the โSlow death of Apps.โ Powered by large language models. What does that look like? A new startup has an idea. Rabbit.
[III]: ๐ Volkswagen X ChatGPT
Volkswagen integrates ChatGPT into its vehicles. โVolkswagen will be the first volume manufacturer to offer Chat GPT as a standard feature from the second quarter of 2024 in many production vehicles.โ
[IV]: ๐ป The Indie Hackerโs Guide to AI Startups
Pieter Levels, a celebrity amongst indie hackers, talks about his experience and predictions of indie AI startups.
[V]: โGoogleโs Gemini Advanced
Newsletter from Sundar about their next chapter of the Gemini era. Bard and Duet AI to become Gemini. More on Gemini and Gemini Advanced. Gemini is also now available on mobile.
[AI + Commentary] ๐๐ค๐ฐ
[I]: ๐ป AI and the Future of SaaS
This essay discusses the rapidly evolving role of AI in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry. It emphasizes the growing integration of multi-modal AI capabilities into software tools, and the necessity for SaaS businesses to adapt to these advancements to stay competitive. Kahl also highlights the trend of localizing AI within companies' own infrastructures and the potential risks of over-reliance on external AI platforms.
[II]: ๐ Foundation Models will kill the Traditional Moat of ML applications.ย
This essay from Theory Ventures discusses the shifting competitive landscape in machine learning, emphasizing that LLMs are diminishing the value of proprietary models as business moats. It argues for the growing importance of data moats in LLM ecosystems, focusing on enhancing retrieval systems and workflow design. The essay also highlights the need for companies to develop strategies for handling edge cases in LLM systems, suggesting that the ability to manage these effectively will become a key differentiator in the future.
[III]: ๐ค The Year AI Gets a Better Body
The evolution of AI hardware in 2024. This article highlights how AI is transitioning from traditional devices like laptops and phones to more innovative form factors. It describes new products like Humane's "AI Pin" and Rewind's "Pendant," which integrate AI in more user-friendly and interactive ways, moving beyond the constraints of existing hardware.
[IV] โ๐ฝ What Can be Done in 59 Seconds
This essay discusses the transformative impact of AI on productivity, highlighting an experiment where Ethan, the author accomplished multiple tasks in 59 seconds using AI tools, demonstrating AI's efficiency and potential for creative and administrative tasks. It reflects on the crisis and opportunity AI presents in the workplace, particularly in how it changes the value and perception of human effort and skill in producing written content. Finally, it suggests that AI can liberate individuals from tedious tasks, allowing them to focus on more meaningful work, but also emphasizes the need for thoughtful implementation to ensure it enhances rather than diminishes work's value.
[V] ๐ป Microsoft: Research in the Era of AI
In this talk (that I highly recommend), Peter Lee of Microsoft Research discusses the impact of AI on various aspects of our lives and research. He talks about the potential benefits and risks of AI and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and responsible development.
[VI] ๐งโ๐ผ How chatGPT is Changing Your Job
Tyler Cowen, the famous economist on the effects of chatGPT, and how he uses chatGPT.
[VII] ๐ข The Truth About Building AI Startups Today.
โIn the first episode of the Lightcone Podcast, YC Group Partners dig into everything they have learned working with the top founders building AI startups today. They share the ideas that are working particularly well, mistakes to avoid, and take a look at the competitive landscape among the current AI giants.โ