- Microsoft confirmed that it's making another multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT and DALL-E creator OpenAI.
- While the software giant didn't disclose the exact amount, a source told The New York Times that it's $10B. Since 2019, Microsoft has been the exclusive cloud partner for OpenAI, and its Azure-powered supercomputing system has been used to train all of OpenAI's machine-learning and AI models.
- Consulting firm McKinsey & Company said it has acquired AI/ML startup Iguazio for $50M. Israel-based Iguazio provides an MLOps platform to enterprises to develop, deploy, and maintain AI and machine learning models and applications. Through the acquisition, McKinsey plans to add to its AI arm known as QuantumBlack.
- Indian billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani praised the capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT tool, calling it "a transformational moment in the democratization of AI." The chairman and founder of Adani Group also admitted that he has "some addiction" to ChatGPT since a demo of the tool was released by OpenAI in late November. He predicted that competition and growth in generative AI will rapidly become as "complex and as entangled as the ongoing silicon chip war."
- A final report from a U.S. government task force seeks $2.6B in funding for a federal AI data and research hub. The report covers plans for a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), which would be a publicly available AI cyber-infrastructure for researchers and students to access data and other resources. A White House-led task force said that the infrastructure is needed to further democratize AI, which has so far been restricted to "well-resourced" entities like Big Tech corporations.
- Digital media company BuzzFeed plans to incorporate more AI into its news and business operations, Chief Executive Jonah Peretti told staff in a memo today. Plans include using OpenAI technology to personalize content and quizzes that the media outlet is known for. The AI-assisted content will begin appearing this year.
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