🧬 AI gene editing

🧵 In today's edition:

• 🧬 Gene editing with AI

• 🪬 Should AI companies be protected from lawsuits?

• 🚗 Presto's not-so-magical AI drive-thru

• 🎙️ BWAI: Season 1 Wrapped!

• 🤑 AI Fundraising News

• 🗞️ AI Quick-Bytes

• 🐦 Tweet Post of the Day

🧬 Gene editing with AI

The advancements in AI are getting more and more applicable by the week. 

Recently, the FDA approved its first gene editing treatment that utilizes CRISPR to activate a specific gene in patients battling sickle cell anemia. 

Although it doesn't offer a complete cure, the therapy signifies a big step forward, potentially sparing over 100,000 Americans from needing bone marrow transplants, the current standard for sickle cell treatment.

This treatment also has important implications for Black Americans, who make up 90% of sickle cell patients in the US and are a community that’s been historically marginalized in medicine.

Plus, as you could have guessed, AI plays a big role in advancing the technology. AI’s processing capabilities mean that scientists have a copilot with superpowers that can understand the impact of gene editing.

Microsoft and Google are leading the charge, investing millions in AI software to pinpoint optimal DNA edits, reduce side effects, and enhance the personalization of gene editing treatments.

Overall: Despite this historic feat, there are still some ethical concerns over CRISPR. Experts stress the need for robust regulatory frameworks to prevent a repeat of past controversies.

AI used for healthcare advancement has to be my favorite genre of AI applications. 

Read more: Semafor

🪬 Should AI companies be protected from lawsuits?

A new bipartisan Senate bill has been proposed banning AI platforms from legal protections under Section 230 - the landmark 1996 internet law shielding websites from liability for user-generated content. 

What’s the impact? Section 230 facilitated the growth of the early internet by preventing search engines and message boards from being sued out of business.

Banning these protections means that AI companies would have to be more careful and comply closely with regulations before releasing projects, which could be a great thing but could also stifle the pace of innovation.

What would the bill do? Essentially, it would strip “immunity from AI companies” regarding civil claims or criminal charges. 

Regardless of the bill, however, there are still questions surrounding whether or not Section 230 even covers AI. 

Some experts argue that AI platforms act as content creators rather than passive hosts, disqualifying them from protection. Others say that since AI outputs are shaped heavily by user inputs, Section 230 could still apply. 

What we do know is that the stakes are high. Section 230 enabled the growth of tech giants like Google and Facebook, and whether AI pioneers receive the same legal shelter could determine how quickly AI progresses. 

What do you think?

Read more: Gizmodo

🚗 Presto's not-so-magical AI drive-thru

Ever wondered who's really behind those AI-powered drive-thrus? 

Well…it turns out it isn't just AI. 

Backstory: Presto, the self-proclaimed leader in drive-thru voice automation, previously collaborated with big names like Carls Jr, Chili's, and Del Taco and used ChatGPT to boost its tech, touting 95% efficiency.

However, recent SEC filings showed that Presto's AI struggled to handle 70% of orders solo, employing off-site workers in the Philippines to pick up where AI failed.

Presto's founder has already stepped down, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall. And its new CEO now admits humans played a crucial role in order accuracy. 

While news like this is quite disappointing, it shows the immense pressure on AI startups to “appear” cutting-edge. It's the same force that recently led Google to embellish the capabilities of its own ChatGPT rival.

False bravado can backfire when real-world performance fails to deliver.

Overall: AI will unlock revolutionary possibilities in time, but for now, the tech remains in its infancy, with significant maturation required. 

It looks like humans will still take care of the bulk of your drive-thru orders for the time being 😉

Read more: Gizmodo

🤑 AI Fundraising News

•  Mistral AI raises ~$431M / €400M in funding to work on LLMs that create humanlike prose and code in seconds. The company is betting on an "open source" approach to allow developers and companies to build on top of its model.

• Harpoon Ventures raises $125M to invest in AI, deep tech, cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure, and other fields. It has helped its companies win $500 million in new customer deals from Fortune 500 and government customers.

🗞️ AI Quick-Bytes

What else is going on?

• Grok is a woke, crypto-loving insult comic, according to X users.

• Microsoft’s Edge Copilot AI can’t really summarize every YouTube video.

• OpenAI picks WilmerHale Lawyers for Altman firing investigation.

• Elon Musk says Ilya Sutskever—the OpenAI chief scientist who helped fire Sam Altman then backtracked—should jump ship for xAI or Tesla.

• Microsoft’s answer to OpenAI inquiry: It doesn’t own a stake.

• Google's AI-assisted NotebookLM note-taking app is now open to users in the US.

🐦 Tweet Post of the Day

Pretty cool application of AI! 🥑