🤯 Who knew QR codes could be this fun?

These artistic QR codes have been generated by AI. (Try scanning them)

🤑 This 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿-𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 old AI startup just raised $113 million. 

Co-founded by key members of Google and Meta’s AI research teams,, the Paris-based startup Mistral AI, raised its first round at a valuation of $260 million. According to Lightspeed VP, one of its investors, Mistral AI will provide businesses the foundational technology to automate existing processes and develop innovative new products with state-of-the-art large language models. 

What is so special about Mistral AI?

The company is still in its infancy, so it's really about what it is trying to do. #1, it’s trying to take on OpenAI and #2 - AI startups are having a moment right now. Lots of strong opinions about whether this is representative of a bubble, but one thing to keep in mind - you can’t build a competitor to OpenAI for cheap. Wonder why? See our first Q&Ai later in this newsletter.  

🔍 Bankers Shopping FTX's 'Hundreds of Millions of Dollars' Stake in AI Startup: Investment bank Perella Weinberg is reportedly looking to sell shares in AI startup Anthropic, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which were previously owned by crypto exchange FTX before its bankruptcy.

✍️ Machine Learning Programme Hits Milestone of Enrolling Half a Million Students

Imperial College London's 'Mathematics for Machine Learning' online course has enrolled over 500,000 students since its launch in 2018.

🤔 A.I. Doomers Are a 'Cult' - Here's the Real Threat, According to Marc Andreessen

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen published a 7,000-word essay sharing his views on artificial intelligence (AI). He argues that AI is not sentient and that fears of it harming humanity are exaggerated. Andreessen contends that AI researchers and ethicists are incentivized to be doomers and believes that AI development should proceed as rapidly as possible.

Q&Ai

Common questions asked about AI this week 

💰 What is the cost of operating AI Chatbots?

As impressive as the technology may seem, the best versions of chatbots are still not available to the public. Maintaining chatbots can be costly due to various factors. Initially, the development and training of AI language models require substantial amounts of data and software to identify language patterns. Additionally, hiring top researchers with high salaries adds to the expenses. The need for computational power, particularly GPUs, for running complex language models also contributes to the costs. Companies like Nvidia charge significant amounts for their GPUs, which are essential for handling such tasks. Furthermore, the scale of usage, with millions or even billions of users, multiplies the costs of running chatbot services. 

Balancing market share acquisition with financial losses becomes a crucial aspect for companies offering AI models for consumer use. To mitigate costs, efforts are being made to develop more efficient and smaller models. This is one of the reasons why companies with extremely large balance sheets are the ones leading the charge in AI chatbots that are available to consumers. Startups aiming to take on these giants, are unable to do this without large investments - which is why you see Anthropic AI and Mistral AI raising extremely large rounds. 

🤷 Can you trust what a chatbot says?

Sometimes, but not entirely. Case in point: OpenAI is being sued for libel after its ChatGPT AI chatbot allegedly hallucinated a man into an embezzlement lawsuit. Mark Walters, the man involved, claims that the AI chatbot falsely accused him of embezzling money from The Second Amendment Foundation. Walters has filed a libel lawsuit against ChatGPT, alleging damage to his reputation.

🌼 Why is  Nature not allowing the use of generative AI images and videos?

Nature, a scientific journal, has decided not to publish any content in which photography, videos, or illustrations have been created wholly or partly using generative AI. The decision stems from concerns over transparency, attribution, consent, and permission. However, the journal will allow the inclusion of text that has been produced with the assistance of generative AI, as long as appropriate caveats are provided.

🔆 Can AI Make Older Adults Feel Less Lonely?

Intuition Robotics, the company behind AI companion ElliQ, believes that technology can help combat loneliness in older adults, despite concerns about the impact of social media on younger generations. The company's founder, Dor Skuler, cites data gathered during beta testing of ElliQ, which is now being distributed to seniors in the US through state aging agencies.

New AI Tools You Can Use:

• Create a website in seconds using AI and natural language. No-coding necessary, at framer.com.
• QR art AI generator that creates scannable QR Art for your brands, at quickqr.art.
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• Keep track and monitor your OpenAI usage and costs at aispend.io.
• The AI version of Excel on steroids. Input your data and let AI do the rest at rows.com.

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