Welcome, AI Enthusiasts!

Today’s AI Insights:

• 🚨 Sam Altman leaves OpenAI's safety committee

• 💰 AI startup 11x raises $24M to build AI digital employees

• 🎥 Runway unveils API for its video-generating AI models

• 📸 Transform your photos with Pixlr AI

• 🗞️ Latest AI and tech news

• 🛠 New AI tools

• 📝 AI Meme of the day

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AI NEWS

OPENAI

🚨 Sam Altman leaves OpenAI's safety committee

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has stepped down from the company’s oversight committee, which was created to focus on the safety of its AI projects. OpenAI says the committee is now “independent,” but it still includes members of OpenAI’s board.

The Details:

• Committee’s Role and Members: The committee is led by Zico Kolter, a professor at Carnegie Mellon. Other members include ex-Sony executive Nicole Seligman, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, and retired General Paul Nakasone. Key OpenAI staff members, like Lilian Weng (Head of Safety Systems) and Matt Knight (Head of Security), are also part of the team.

• Why Altman Stepped Down: Altman faced criticism from U.S. senators and former employees, who said his involvement could weaken the committee’s ability to be unbiased about AI safety.

• Concerns About Safety: Some former OpenAI employees left the company, saying they didn’t trust that it would handle AI safely. They believed safety was being pushed aside under Altman’s leadership.

• Efforts on Safety and Regulation: OpenAI has recently reviewed its latest AI release, Strawberry, for safety. The company is also increasing its lobbying efforts in Washington, spending more money to get federal support as new AI regulations are being discussed.

Altman leaving the oversight committee is OpenAI’s way of addressing concerns about the safety of its AI work. However, it remains to be seen how the committee will ensure responsible AI development, especially with increasing government regulation and ongoing criticism of OpenAI’s direction.

AI STARTUP

💰 AI startup 11x raises $24M to build AI digital employees

11x.ai, a startup that develops AI bots for automating workflows, has raised $24 million in Series A funding led by Benchmark. Originally based in London, the company is moving its headquarters to San Francisco to further its vision of AI-driven automation.

The Details:

• Funding and Growth: The $24 million funding comes just a year after a $2 million seed round. 11x.ai is nearing $10 million in annual recurring revenue, with clients like Brex, DataStax, and Otter.

• AI Digital Workers: The company offers AI bots, or “automated digital workers,” that can handle tasks for go-to-market teams like sales and marketing. It has introduced AI agents named Alice and Jordan to serve as AI sales reps and phone representatives capable of holding 30-minute real-time conversations.

• Future Plans: 11x.ai plans to launch two more digital workers soon, expanding its suite of AI agents. The funding will help enhance its products and grow its team, which currently includes 27 members.

• Market and Competition: While the company envisions a future where AI agents handle monotonous tasks, it faces competition from major players like UiPath and ServiceNow, as well as other startups like Docket and Regie.ai. However, investors like Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel are optimistic about 11x.ai’s potential impact.

11x.ai aims to revolutionize how businesses handle repetitive tasks through AI automation, freeing up human workers for more strategic roles. With its recent funding, the company plans to expand its AI offerings and scale its operations, positioning itself as a key player in the growing field of AI-driven workflow automation.

AI TUTORIAL

AI TUTORIAL

📸 Transform your photos with Pixlr AI

Pixlr is an online photo editor that offers a variety of tools to enhance, retouch, and customize your photos with ease.

Steps to follow:

1. Visit the Pixlr website, sign up for an account, and log in to access the AI-powered editing tools

2. Click “Open Image” to upload the photo you want to edit from your device or use a URL.

3. Use AI-driven tools like “Auto Fix,” “AI Cutout,” and “AI Retouch” to automatically enhance your photo. These tools adjust lighting, remove background, and retouch imperfections with a single click.

4. Further customize your image by using manual editing features such as cropping, resizing, adding filters, and applying text overlays.

5. Once you are satisfied with the edits, click “Save” to download your enhanced photo in your desired format and quality.

AI & TECH NEWS

Runway unveils API for its video-generating AI models

Runway has introduced an API to integrate its AI video-generating model, Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, into third-party apps. Available in limited access, the API requires a “Powered by Runway” banner on interfaces using it. This launch comes amid competition from companies like OpenAI and Luma Labs, raising questions about the use of copyrighted data in AI training.​

ChatGPT’s weekly users have doubled in less than a year

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has reached over 200 million weekly users, doubling its numbers since last November. This growth reflects the chatbot’s rising popularity, despite strong competition from tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. Additionally, 92% of Fortune 500 companies are now utilizing OpenAI’s products, with API usage increasing significantly following the launch of the more affordable GPT-4o Mini model

Spotter rolls out AI tools to spark YouTubers' creativity

Spotter has launched Spotter Studio, an AI-powered creative suite designed to help YouTubers with video brainstorming, thumbnail ideas, project planning, and team collaboration. It analyzes billions of YouTube videos to provide personalized suggestions tailored to individual creators’ preferences and past performance.

SparkLabs closes $50M fund to back AI startups

SparkLabs has launched a $50 million AIM AI Fund to back AI startups globally, including those in its AIM-X accelerator in Saudi Arabia. The fund will focus on AI ventures, with 35% allocated to accelerator participants and the remaining 65% targeted at Series A and B investments. The fund highlights the growing global interest in AI, with the U.S. still leading in the number of AI startups. SparkLabs aims to invest in 50 to 70 companies with this new fund.

AI MEME OF THE DAY

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