Brilliant Labs' AI-powered smart glasses

And: Midjourney considers banning the creation of political images | How to invest in AI

Author

AI Periscope
February 12, 2024

Exploring below the surface of AI headlines.

Summaries | Insights | Points of Views

In Today’s Edition

Wearable AI

Summary - Brilliant Labs is setting the stage with their AI-powered Frame smart glasses, vying to revolutionize how we interact with digital information daily. As the tech community is in a frenzy over Apple’s Vision Pro, Brilliant Labs, jumps onto the smart eyewear game, betting big on generative AI as the next big thing. Their CEO, Bobak Tavangar, envisions a future where smart glasses do more than just project digital whales; they become an indispensable part of our daily lives.

Buoy points:

  • Product names: Brilliant Labs’ frames are called… well, Frames. The AI assistant is Noa.

  • The design: Designed to be slim and fashionable, a departure from the bulky designs of current AR glasses and making technology wearable in public.

  • The price: At an affordable price of $349, these glasses support several AI models out-of-the-box, with future plans allowing users to swap models based on geographic or personal preference.

  • The purpose: Unlike competitors focusing on augmented reality (AR), Frame emphasizes practical AI applications like image generation and information retrieval.

  • Availability: Brilliant Labs announced that the Frame is available for pre-orders.

POV - I think wearable AI will continue to be a trend. Not being tethered to a keyboard - even if that’s the keyboard on your smartphone - will be a significant leap forward. The challenge will be the processing power on smaller and smaller wearable devices. My hesitation would be having the these electronics so close to your temple. Are you game to try the Frame?

Image generation

Image source: stock image | Pexels

Summary - As the U.S. approaches the 2024 election cycle, Midjourney, the AI firm at the forefront of image generation, is considering a bold move: putting a stop to the creation of political images of figures like Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The CEO, David Holz, deliberates over the company's responsibility in shaping political discourse, hinting at a temporary ban to sidestep the murky waters of misinformation. In the current tech, cultural and legal battles over deep fakes, the fast pace of technology faces off with the slow pace of legislative and societal guardrails.

Buoy points:

  • Midjourney considers banning political images to prevent misuse during the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

  • CEO David Holz suggests a 12-month pause on generating political figures' images.

  • Recent controversies, like AI-generated pornographic images of Taylor Swift, have heightened concerns over AI's role in spreading misinformation and unethical content.

  • AI and politics are a complex issue. Debates continue on its potential to undermine democracy through fake images, videos, and audio, continue. This, despite efforts by companies like Meta and OpenAI to introduce safeguards like labeling AI-generated material.

  • Midjourney's software has already been used to general fake imagery of Trump. Other fake material includes AI-made robocalls of Biden.

POV - Balancing the responsible use of AI will be debated for many months, probably years, to come. With the fast pace of technology in this new wild, wild west, we each just need to be cautious and do our own due diligence to confirm and validate the information we see online.

Investing

Summary - AI is quickly morphing into the investment behemoth of our era. With a quarter of all VC dollars in the US chasing after AI dreams in 2023 and an "AI January" marking the start of 2024, the buzz is difficult to ignore. From humanoid robots that might just be your next coworker, to AI-driven drug discovery speeding past traditional methods, getting a piece of the AI investing action is on the minds of many. And with giants like Goldman Sachs predicting a doubling of global AI investment by next year, the only question left is, how fast can you dive in? Peter Diamandis lays out his thoughts on AI investing.

Buoy points:

  • AI's Investment Surge: AI-focused companies attracted over 25% of VC funding in the US in 2023.

  • Goldman Sachs' Bold Prediction: Global AI investment is forecasted to reach $200 billion by 2025.

  • Private AI Gems: Notable investments include Figure AI's humanoid robotics and Stability AI's open source generative projects.

  • Public Market Choices: Of course, you have the tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. Others noted in earlier editions of this newsletter include Palantir and a host of chip-makers.

  • Angel Investing in AI: Start-ups can be found across the nation and the world. Investing in start-ups require joining like-minded communities (online and in 3D form)… and, well, the funds.

  • Consider AI “Layers of Value”:

    • Applications - end products (i.e. ChatGPT)

    • Infrastructure - tooling for engineers

    • Models - the magical algorithms

    • Compute - the foundational hardware where things run

POV - In the end, the success of AI investing hinges on the creation of value. Where are the new products and services emerging? Where is the new revenue? Where are the operational efficiencies? Where is the value?

Don’t forget to check out other AI headlines in The Ocean.

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