π Silicon Valley's Next Leap, Microsoft's Caution, ChatGPT's Reality Check
Todayβs pick
Silicon Valley's Big, Bold Sci-Fi Bet on the Device That Comes After the Smartphone. Inside a former horse stable in the San Francisco neighborhood of SoMa, a wave of gentle chirps emerged from small, blinking devices pinned to the chests of employees at a start-up called Humane. By Erin Griffith via The New York Times
π: It will be ironic if this - or something like it - emerges as the next computing platform (before AR glasses and then BCI) after Meta lost circa $50b on VR headsets and Amazon lost billions on Alexa. Time will tell. - Gavin Baker (@GavinSBaker)
Microsoft restricts employee access to OpenAI's ChatGPT, citing security concerns. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI. But for a brief time on Thursday, employees of the software company weren't allowed to use the startup's most famous product, ChatGPT, CNBC has learned. "Due to security and data concerns a number of AI tools are no longer available for employees to use," Microsoft said in an update on an internal website Β By Jordan Novet via CNBC
π: the rumors that we are blocking microsoft 365 in retaliation are completely unfounded - Sam Altman (@sama)
The best way to reach new readers is through word of mouth. If you click THIS LINK in your inbox, itβll create an easy-to-send pre-written email you can just fire off to some friends.
ChatGPT Is Dumber Than You Think. As a critic of technology, I must say that the enthusiasm for ChatGPT, a large-language model trained by OpenAI, is misplaced. Although it may be impressive from a technical standpoint, the idea of relying on a machine to have conversations and generate responses raises serious concerns. By Ian Bogost via The Atlantic
π: AI for writing is the wrong term. Itβs a WORD SYNTHESIZER. This reflects how people use them. Musicians have had synthesizers for decades, and guess what, there are still musicians. Even more of them. - james yu (@jamesjyu)
Ghost, now OpenAI-backed, claims LLMs will overcome self-driving setbacks -- but experts are skeptical. It's not hyperbolic to say that the self-driving car industry is facing a reckoning. Just this week, Cruise recalled its entire fleet of autonomous cars after a grisly accident involving a pedestrian that led the California DMV to suspend the company from operating driverless robotaxis in the state. By Kyle Wiggers via TechCrunch
π: Can an LLM drive a car? - John Hayes (@ghosthayes)
Meta Strikes Deal to Return to China After 14 years. Meta Platforms has struck a preliminary deal to sell a new, lower-priced version of its virtual-reality headset in China, regaining a foothold among consumers in the country 14 years after Facebook was shut out. The agreement with Tencent Holdings will make the worldβs largest videogame company the exclusive seller of Metaβs headsets in China, people familiar with the matter said, offering the U.S. technology giant a major new market as it looks to boost tepid global demand for its niche gear. By Raffaele Huang via Wall Street Journal
π: Meta has struck a preliminary deal to sell a new, lower-priced version of its virtual-reality headset in China, regaining a foothold in the country 14 years after Facebook was shut out. - Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ)
Thanks for reading to the bottom and soaking in our Newslit Daily fueled with highlights for your morning.
I hope you found it interesting and, needless to say, if you have any questions or feedback let me know by hitting reply.
Take care and see you tomorrow!
P.S. Want to advertise with us? Weβd love to hear from you.