The French MistralAI has released a beta version of its chatbot, Elon Musk sued OpenAI, and Google has more troubles. What else did we live through last week?
Elon Musk in a lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman argues that the merger with Microsoft was a betrayal of the company's mission in pursuit of profit.
According to the latest forecasts from ABI Research, the augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology sector is on the verge of a revolution - by 2028, the number of AR/VR sets delivered is expected to increase more than fivefold, reaching 69 million units.
Week in review 21.11: OpenAI releases Sam Altman; our impressions from Web Summit 2023
Sam Altman is no longer the CEO of OpenAI. You can read about why, who will replace him, and how this will affect the AI industry in our latest weekly review. In addition, we write about our impressions from Web Summit 2023 in Lisbon, AI negotiating with AI, and the concerns of Polish entrepreneurs. Welcome.
Free access to this article is provided to you by MU Group.
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Summary
Sam Altman stepped down as the CEO of OpenAI due to a "lack of trust" from the board, leading to over 730 employees threatening to quit. Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch, is his successor.
Samsung presented its first generative AI model, Samsung Gauss, at the AI Forum conference in Seoul.
The UK plans to build three new supercomputers by 2025 in Bristol, Cambridge, and Edinburgh, with a budget of $1.1 billion.
Luminance developed an AI system capable of independently negotiating contracts with other AI, trained on 150 million legal documents.
According to the Personnel Service Polish Labor Market Barometer, 46% of employees rate their market situation as good or very good, but 35% of entrepreneurs fear a deterioration in their company's situation in 2024.
A report on the Digitization of the SME sector in Poland shows that 44% of respondents see increased work efficiency as the main benefit of digitization, but 46% are concerned about the costs.
The NCBR-Nevada Acceleration Program is seeking young technology companies registered in Poland to benefit from the support of experienced mentors from Nevada.
The ManpowerGroup report reveals that 41% of employers worldwide prioritize responsibility and reliability in potential candidates.
In 2023, the online advertising market grew by 12%, with spending increasing by almost 400 million PLN year on year, according to the IAB Poland/PwC AdEx report.
LinkedIn plans to withdraw the publication of post carousels and disable sharing profile videos and linking in images from December 2023.
The New York State Court reached an agreement with Uber and Lyft, resulting in compensations for drivers amounting to 328 million dollars.
Apple plans to implement the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard, improving communication between iPhone users and Android devices.
The US Department of Justice accused Apple of violating anti-discrimination laws in hiring employees, resulting in a fine of up to 25 million dollars.
TikTok started a collaboration with Demagogue, a fact-checking organization, to combat disinformation.
Changes in Poland's commercial companies code from November 10, 2023, will make it more difficult for startups to raise funds through equity crowdfunding.
From the Editorial Board
Sam Altman ceased to be the CEO of OpenAI on November 17, 2023, and his sudden departure from the position is the talk of the entire technology industry. The official reason for the dismissal is a "lack of trust" in Altman from the board, but considering the sharp reactions of both OpenAI employees and investors associated with the company, this decision is not popular. You can read more about this in the Weekly News Review and Digitized Editorial recommends sections.
However, Altman's dismissal is not the only loud departure of a CEO associated with the technology industry. At the end of October, following a PR crisis, Paddy Cosgrave resigned as the managing director of the Web Summit conference. How did this affect the event itself? You can read our report from Web Summit 2023 in Lisbon in the Digitized Editorial recommends section.
We invite you to read!
Weekly News Review
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
OpenAI. Sam Altman dismissed from the position of CEO. There is already an official replacement
On November 17, information appeared on the OpenAI blog that Sam Altman is stepping down as the company's CEO. This news surprised both the company's employees and the representation of its main investor - Microsoft. In the official statement, the OpenAI board assures that Altman "was not consistently honest in his dealings with the board, which made it difficult for him to perform his duties", as a result of which "the board has already lost confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI". On November 20, 2023, the new CEO of OpenAI became Emmett Shear, former CEO of the Twitch platform. Shear called the opportunity to work at OpenAI "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" in a post on X, but also emphasized that the parting with his predecessor was "handled very badly" and "breached trust" in the board.
OpenAI employees threaten to leave if the company's board does not resign
The sudden dismissal of Sam Altman from the position of CEO of OpenAI has had unexpected consequences. Over seven hundred and thirty employees of the company sent an official letter to the company's board, in which they threaten to quit and move to Microsoft. To avoid this, the entire board must resign and reinstate Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.
ChatGPT has a new competitor. Samsung presents an AI chatbot named Gauss
During the AI Forum conference at its research and development center in Seoul, Samsung presented its first generative artificial intelligence model – Samsung Gauss. The name of the tool refers to the German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss and reflects the company's ultimate vision for the development of large language models. Its main assumption is "drawing from all phenomena and knowledge in the world in order to use the power of artificial intelligence to improve consumers' lives", as stated in Samsung's press release.
Turbocharged AI. The United Kingdom invests in three new supercomputers
The United Kingdom has announced that by 2025 it will build three new supercomputers, thus becoming a European powerhouse in this area. The machines will be built with funds worth $1.1 billion and will operate in three cities: Bristol, Cambridge, and Edinburgh.
AI vs AI. Artificial intelligence negotiated a legal agreement without human involvement
The British company Luminance, which specializes in artificial intelligence, has created an automatic analysis system and document modification based on a large language model (LLM). In practice, the tool affects the ability of AI to independently negotiate contracts with other artificial intelligence, excluding human participation. Luminance claims that this is the first attempt in history to negotiate a contract based on artificial intelligence. It also confirms that the model was prepared based on 150 million legal documents, to provide AI with as much legal information as possible.
Labor market and business management
Polish Labor Market Barometer 2023. Employee comfort and entrepreneur concerns
From the latest Personnel Service Polish Labor Market Barometer, it turns out that 46% of employees rate their situation in the market as good or very good. Every third employee describes it as neutral, and only 16% of respondents describe it as bad or very bad. Therefore, we can talk about a high level of optimism among employees, which is also visible in forecasts for the next year. 45% of people expect their position to remain unchanged, 13% hope for improvement, and only 16% expect deterioration. However, the mood among entrepreneurs is not so good. 35% of them fear a deterioration in their company's situation in 2024. This is 13 percentage points less than in the previous edition of the study, but it is still hard to talk about optimism.
Digitization of work. Are Polish companies ready for the National e-Invoice System?
10 months before the mandatory introduction of the National e-Invoice System (KSeF), Symfonia and the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) have developed a report on the Digitization of the SME sector in Poland. The aim of the study was to check how in 2023 the awareness of company digitization and its level of implementation looks among entrepreneurs. The study shows that 44% of respondents indicate increased work efficiency as the main benefit of digitization. 33% of respondents see a reduction in harmful environmental impact. Only 19% of respondents see in digitization the potential to increase company revenues. However, almost half of the respondents (46%) are afraid of the costs associated with digitizing their organization.
Business in the USA. NCBR opens recruitment for the acceleration program in Nevada
NCBR-Nevada Acceleration Program (NCBR-NAP) is a nationwide acceleration initiative, resulting from the Memorandum of Cooperation between Poland and Nevada. The program focuses on supporting young technology companies registered in Poland, whose tenure is between 6 months and 6 years. NCBR is looking for ambitious technology companies that would like to benefit from the support of experienced mentors from the state of Nevada. The aim of the program is to acquire skills in developing business activities in the American market. Thanks to it, entrepreneurs will learn the secrets of building relationships with key partners.
Changing jobs? Here are 7 traits that employers are looking for the most
In the latest ManpowerGroup report, it was revealed that for 41% of employers worldwide, a sense of responsibility and reliability plays a decisive role in potential candidates. Another 37% pay attention to communication skills, cooperation and teamwork. Creativity (32%) and the ability to effectively solve problems (30%) also play a significant role in candidate selection criteria.
Marketing and advertising
IAB Poland Report: Online advertising market with double-digit growth
The year 2023 was exceptionally fruitful for online advertising. After the troubles brought about by events from the previous year, the market regained frozen budgets, and the growth dynamics on an annual basis jumped from 5% to 12%. In the first half of 2023, online advertising spending increased by almost 400 million PLN year on year, according to the IAB Poland/PwC AdEx report. As a result, the value of the digital advertising market reached almost 3.6 billion PLN with a growth rate of 12%. After the first quarter of 2023, in which a growth index of almost 14% was recorded, online advertising maintained a double-digit development pace. In the second quarter, it was almost 11%, which translated into a dynamics for the entire half-year at the level of 12%.
Big changes on LinkedIn. End of post carousels and linking in images?
A surprising change for LinkedIn users. According to reports from socialmediatoday.com, in December 2023, the platform plans to withdraw the publication of post carousels. But that's not the end of the news, as sharing profile videos and linking in the image will also be unavailable.
Tech giants and law and regulations
Uber and Lyft will pay 328 million dollars for "stealing drivers' wages"
The New York State Court has reached an agreement with Uber and Lyft platforms. The result will be compensations for drivers, which amount to 328 million dollars. The State Attorney's Office emphasized that this is the largest settlement ever obtained in the area of compensation irregularities.
Apple succumbs to pressure. RCS will be available on iPhones
After years of pressure from Google and other companies, and recently also European institutions, Apple plans to implement the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that support for RCS will appear next year and will work "in parallel with iMessage". This will improve communication between iPhone users and Android devices. iMessage will still be the default way of communication from iPhone to iPhone, and RCS will replace existing SMS and MMS standards. However, if necessary, SMS and MMS messages will remain available in emergency mode.
Apple will pay 25 million dollars in fines for discrimination
The United States Department of Justice accused Apple of violating anti-discrimination laws in hiring employees. The company agreed to pay up to 25 million dollars in fines - reports theverge.com. 18.25 million dollars will be used to cover compensation costs, and the remaining 6.75 million is a civil penalty. The Department of Justice found that Apple violated the Immigration and Nationality Act during recruitment under the Permanent Employment Certificate (PERM) program, which allows companies to permanently employ foreign workers in the USA.
TikTok collaborates with Demagogue to combat disinformation
In October 2023, TikTok began collaborating with Demagogue, a fact-checking organization, as part of ongoing efforts to combat disinformation. The organization announced this in November 2023 in a press release. Demagogue has already supported TikTok by publishing educational videos on recognizing and combating disinformation during the last parliamentary elections.
Digitized Editorial recommends
Web Summit 2023, or a product not as described [REPORT]
2.6 thousand startups, over 1.2 thousand investors and partners, and over 2 thousand representatives of the media - including the Digitized editorial team. In terms of attendance, the Web Summit 2023 conference turned out to be a great success. Between November 14 and 16, the Altice Arena in Lisbon and nearby trade and exhibition tents were visited by a total of over 70 thousand people from 153 countries - the most in the history of the event. Despite this, the conference itself was rather bland and sluggish and turned out to be quite a disappointment from our point of view.
– Apart from one example, I haven't heard any positive feedback about the presentations [that took place during the event - ed.]. So I can mainly recommend the conferences because of the atmosphere around and the people it attracts – says Bartosz Duchiński, managing partner at the digital agency MU Group and co-founder and CTO of Digitized.im.
"He's a good worker, but at a junior level". Why AI won't replace content managers?
Errors are the first element that makes artificial intelligence not yet able to fully replace a human. Groups and forums dedicated to AI are full of conversations with ChatGPT, which gives a recipe for a soup with nails, invents book authors or creates data from reports that never existed. Why? Because it was created to give us answers. If it doesn't know them, it generates them.
Therefore, in case of errors in content production, just like in the mentioned factory, a human is necessary. However, it can be safely assumed that these errors will be eliminated over time. So what proves that the famous ChatGPT or other tools that operate based on AI will not yet replace a human who deals with content marketing?
Startup financing. From November 10, raising funds will be even more difficult
Important changes for the development of startups in Poland came into effect on November 10, 2023. On this day, four new provisions of the commercial companies code began to apply, which will eliminate the possibility of using equity crowdfunding by limited liability companies. The planned solutions prohibit, among other things, the promotion and advertising of the acquisition of shares and the subscription of new shares in limited liability companies. Both the offer to acquire and the subscription of new shares cannot be made to an unspecified recipient.
Who is Sam Altman and how will his dismissal affect the AI industry?
The dismissal of Sam Altman from the position of CEO of OpenAI has caused a real storm in the AI industry. How will it affect it and why should we all care? You can read about it in the cross-sectional material of The Converstation service.
Editor-in-chief of Digitized. He has been associated with journalism for almost a third of his life; he worked for the Polish editions of Playboy, CKM and Esquire magazines, as well as Well.pl and naTemat.pl services. In his texts, he tries to understand reality and describe it objectively. He remains skeptical about many phenomena, but is not afraid to admit a mistake and change his mind. A native of Warsaw. Privately, he is a seeker of sense in nonsense and order amidst entropy. He likes wise words.
Inclusive language is a way of communication that aims to avoid discrimination and promote equality by taking into account differences. Unfortunately, something that should unite, more and more often divides. What does this result in and how to change it?
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Toby Walsh
English