Powered by Data - June 3, 2024

Last Week in Conversational AI

• Mistral, the French AI startup backed by Microsoft, unveils Codestral, its first generative AI model for coding. Trained in over 80 programming languages, including Python and JavaScript, Codestral assists developers in writing and interacting with code, completing functions, writing tests, and more. However, its use is restricted due to potential copyright issues, with limitations on commercial activities and internal business usage. Despite its impressive 22 billion parameters, Codestral may pose practical challenges for developers due to its resource-intensive nature and performance concerns.
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• Elon Musk's xAI secures a significant $6 billion in Series B funding from a consortium of investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal. The investment will accelerate the development and market launch of xAI's AI products and further advance its research efforts. Musk, via the social media site X, revealed that xAI was valued at $18 billion before the investment. This funding positions xAI to compete with other AI giants like Microsoft and OpenAI, particularly in developing artificial intelligence technologies. Musk founded xAI in July of the previous year and introduced its AI chatbot named Grok in November.
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• Perplexity AI introduces Perplexity Pages, a new feature allowing users to transform search queries into visually appealing and shareable web pages. Users can enter prompts, select audience types, and shape the generated text to create detailed articles with various sections. The AI tool also assists in finding and inserting relevant media items like images and videos. Users can publish these pages, share them with others, and even turn existing conversation threads into pages. Perplexity aims to utilize its core technology for information curation rather than content generation, emphasizing user decision-making in organizing and presenting the page content. The feature is initially available to a limited number of users, with plans for broader availability in the future.
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• Accounting firm PwC has struck a significant deal with OpenAI to become the first reseller of its enterprise chatbot, ChatGPT Enterprise. The agreement also positions PwC as the largest user of OpenAI's business product. This move aligns with PwC's AI-focused tech strategy and underscores the growing interest in leveraging advanced generative artificial intelligence among businesses. Until now, companies interested in using ChatGPT Enterprise had to approach OpenAI directly, but this partnership streamlined the process for PwC and its clients. The deal will reportedly provide access to ChatGPT for around 100,000 PwC employees, with customized AI tools being developed to enhance various aspects of their work. While the deal's financial terms were not disclosed, PwC's significant investment in AI over the next few years highlights the importance of AI technologies in shaping the future of business operations.
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