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Google Pays $2.7 Billion to Reunite character ai co-founder

Can a $2.7 billion deal bring a genius back into the fold? Google thinks so, welcoming back AI pioneer Noam Shazeer after his successful venture with Character.AI.

ALSO this week, the most Important AI developments & news to know:

In today’s AI Researchs:

• Google’s $2.7 Billion Bet on AI Genius

• Meta Connect 2024: Key Announcements in AI, AR, and VR

• Google just upgraded NotebookLM (How to use)

• OpenAI to Raise ChatGPT Subscription Price

• AI Researches & AI pointers

• Trending Ai tools of the week

• More Ai news and developments

Read time: 5 minutes

OPENAI

📖 Google’s $2.7 Billion Bet on AI Genius Noam Shazeer

AI Researchs: Google has reportedly paid $2.7 billion to bring back AI expert Noam Shazeer, who left the company after a disagreement in 2021. Shazeer, known for his groundbreaking AI work, will now help lead Google’s next big AI project, Gemini, as part of a strategic move that also includes the acquisition of Character.AI’s technology.

The Details:

• Noam Shazeer co-founded Character.AI after leaving Google, which grew into a top AI startup with a $1 billion valuation.

• Google’s $2.7 billion payout secures Character.AI’s technology and brings Shazeer back to help develop its Gemini AI model.

• Shazeer had originally left Google after a conflict regarding the release of his AI chatbot, Meena, which he believed could replace Google Search.

• The acquisition sidesteps regulatory hurdles, providing Google instant access to Character.AI’s intellectual property.

Why this important: This move underscores Google’s determination to stay ahead in the competitive AI landscape by securing top talent and valuable technology. Shazeer’s return signals that Google is serious about pushing the boundaries of AI development, with potential implications for the future of search, conversational AI, and more.

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META ANNOUNCEMENTS

🚀 Meta Connect 2024: Key Announcements in AI, AR, and VR

AI Researchs: Meta’s highly anticipated Connect 2024 event was packed with announcements that showcase the company’s growing commitment to AI, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). From upgraded smart glasses to celebrity AI chatbots and a new Llama AI mode

The Announcements:

• Orion AR Glasses: Meta introduced its Orion AR glasses, which aim to replace smartphones with real-time translation and personal assistant features.

• Ray-Ban Smart Glasses: Upgraded Ray-Ban smart glasses now come with new AI capabilities like real-time language translation and memory assistance, along with enhanced integrations with Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart.

• Quest 3S VR Headset: Meta’s new Quest 3S headset offers improved visuals and affordability.

• Celebrity AI Chatbots: Meta’s AI chatbots now feature the voices of celebrities like Kristen Bell and John Cena

• Llama 3.2 AI Model: Meta announced Llama 3.2, an open-source AI model that processes both text and images, advancing its AI capabilities.

• AI-Generated Content: More AI-generated images will appear in Instagram and Facebook feeds, giving users creative tools for social media content.

• Avatars 2.0: Meta’s upgraded metaverse avatars will feature more customization options, enhancing digital self-expression across platforms.

• Web and 2D Apps in VR: Meta is expanding its app store to include 2D and web apps, broadening the functionality of its VR headsets.

• Limited-Edition Ray-Bans: Meta launched crystal-clear Ray-Ban smart glasses for $429, blending fashion and tech in a premium package.

AI FOR PRODUCTIVITY

🎙️ Google just upgraded NotebookLM (How to use)

AI Researchs: Google has unveiled major updates to NotebookLM, its AI-driven note-taking and research assistant. The new features include the ability to summarize YouTube videos and audio files, along with a tool to create sharable AI-generated audio discussions. These updates come as Google aims to increase NotebookLM's appeal to both educators and professionals across the globe.

The Details:

• NotebookLM now supports summarizing YouTube videos and audio formats like MP3 and WAV.

• Users can generate sharable AI-based audio discussions from their documents with a simple URL.

• The tool's popularity has shifted, with professionals now making up 50% of its user base.

• NotebookLM is powered by Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro, and new features are based on user feedback.

How to Get Started:

1. Access NotebookLM

2. Upload Your Content: You can upload documents, YouTube links, audio files, and PDFs directly into NotebookLM for analysis and summarization.

3. Generate Audio Discussions: Use the "Audio Overview" feature to turn your content into AI-generated discussions. Click the share icon to generate a public URL and easily distribute it.

4. Experiment with Summaries: Summarize key points from YouTube videos, audio files, and documents, helping you quickly extract the most important takeaways.

OPENAI

📉 OpenAI Might Raise ChatGPT Subscription Price to $44 by 2029

AI Researchs: OpenAI is reportedly planning to raise the price of its ChatGPT Plus subscription from $20 to $44 per month by 2029. The price hike reflects the company’s ongoing efforts to address significant operational losses, despite its massive growth in user base and revenue.

The Details:

• OpenAI plans to increase ChatGPT Plus from $20 to $22 per month by the end of 2024, with gradual hikes reaching $44 by 2029.

• The company currently faces an estimated $5 billion in losses this year, despite earning $300 million in monthly revenue.

• ChatGPT alone costs OpenAI approximately $700,000 per day in operational expenses, driven by high infrastructure and staffing costs.

Surveys suggest a potential backlash from users, many of whom already feel the $20 monthly fee is too steep.

AI Research Roundup

AI start-ups are scaling to over $30 million in annualized revenue in just 20 months, five times faster than prior SaaS companies, due to global demand and swift monetization strategies despite high operational costs. This trend underscores the exceptional growth and adaptability of AI businesses compared to previous technology sectors. report from FT.

Google DeepMind introduced AlphaChip, an AI that designs computer chips in hours instead of months using reinforcement learning.

A Japanese researchers utilized AI to uncover 303 new geoglyphs dating back to 200BC near Peru's Nazca Lines, depicting animals and human figures.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have introduced TxGNN, an AI model that significantly improves the identification of existing drugs for repurposing, targeting over 17,000 diseases—many without treatments—by analyzing shared features across conditions and making the tool freely available to accelerate the search for new therapies

AI Pointers

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang says everyone should learn AI because while it won't take your job, someone else who uses AI may take your job as companies use it to become more productive

Jensen Huang says the single greatest potential of AI is to transform biology from a life science into life engineering to improve healthcare and he "can't imagine" what the field will be like in 10 years

• 🏷️ Adobe GenStudio — Empowers marketing teams to quantify brand-consistent content.

• 🕵️ FactBot by Snopes — Verifies facts to debunk myths and misinformation.

• 🧾 JustPaid — Automates invoice reminders and tracks payments seamlessly.

• 🌐 AI Search Grader — Analyze and boost your brand's visibility on AI search platforms (free tool)*

• ⏰ BeforeSunset AI 2.0 — Intelligently customizes your schedule for optimal planning.

• 🛋️ Neolocus — Provides AI-generated renders for interior design projects.

• 💬 Notion AI — Chat and search across documents in Notion, Slack, and Google Drive.

• 🤖 Rows AI Analyst 3.0 — An AI data analyst that visualizes and formats your data.

Runway has started The Hundred Film Fund, giving $5M to help artists make AI-powered films.

Google reportedly paid $2.7 billion to rehire AI expert Noam Shazeer, co-founder of Character.AI, to boost its AI efforts.

OpenAI has announced the departure of its CTO Mira Murati and two other senior leaders during an unexpected company reorganization.

OpenAI is said to be working on an enhanced version of its Sora AI video generation model, focusing on delivering higher-quality and longer video clips compared to earlier versions.

Google announced new versions of its Gemini AI models—Gemini-1.5-Pro-002 and Gemini-1.5-Flash-002—with improved capabilities, reduced pricing, and more availability for developers.

James Cameron, renowned director of films like Titanic and Avatar, recently became a board member at Stability AI, known for its Stable Diffusion AI model.

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