📜 Robot Constitution

🧵 In today's edition:

• 📜 Robot Constitution

• 💰️ Anthropic’s unique fund-raise

• ⚡️ How fast is AI moving?

• 🤑 AI Fundraising News

• 🗞️ AI Quick-Bytes

• 🐦 Tweet Post of the Day

📜 Robot Constitution

Google recently introduced its own "Robot Constitution" to guide the decision-making of its upcoming fleet of intelligent machines. 

Inspired by Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics," the first rule is clear: "A robot may not injure a human being."

Sounds like something Christopher Nolan would use as inspiration. 

Hailing from Google DeepMind, the constitution aims to ensure the responsible development of robots integrated into daily life. 

DeepMind envisions a future filled with helpful robots handling complex tasks, such as household chores or cooking - but to achieve this, large language models and neural networks will have to assist robots in decision-making and understanding their environments.

So far, the results have been promising: tested in various office buildings, these robots showcased their capabilities by performing over 6,650 tasks in 77,000 trials. 

Overall: The Robot Constitution is just one layer of safety in a comprehensive system, but it helps emphasize Google’s commitment to responsible and safe integration of robots for everyday use.

Read more: Gizmodo

💰️ Anthropic’s unique fund-raise

Anthropic is in talks to raise $750M at a valuation ranging from $15B to $20B, turning heads in the tech world. Yet, their fundraising journey isn’t as typical as you’d imagine. Here's a closer look at the process:

Choice of Investment Vehicle: SPV vs. Direct Investment

• Anthropic opted for a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) instead of a direct investment route.

• Why?

  • Menlo Ventures, the lead financial supporter, favors an SPV because several LPs want to put money into the company individually.

  • Anthropic is also happy to oblige, given Menlo's instrumental role in bringing new customers to Anthropic.

Capped Valuation: $15-$20B

• In the age of AI, $20B seems menial. Don’t get me wrong, jumping from $5B → $20B in valuation is a big deal, but it doesn't seem that substantial given OpenAI’s projected $100B valuation.

• Anthropic's decision to cap their valuation has two potential rationales:

  • First: Given the challenging venture climate, a lower valuation now could prove to be a strategic advantage for future fundraising rounds. 

  • Second: Previous investment terms might have discouraged a higher valuation, as backers gain more shares with increasing valuation thresholds.

Diverse Forms of Investment

• Anthropic's funding isn’t solely in cash; it includes unconventional elements like "cloud credits" and contracts. 

• This dynamic approach eases financial strains and allows Anthropic to partner with tech giants like Microsoft and Google.

Overall: Anthropic's strategy raised eyebrows in Silicon Valley, but it reflects the current landscape of AI startups, where financial structures and partnerships with major players help drive innovation at lower costs for startups.

Read more: Semafor

⚡️ How fast is AI moving?

ChatGPT was released 404 days ago. 

Since then, AI has advanced at breakneck speed, shocking several AI experts and researchers.

Here are some details:

• In the last two years, San Francisco-based research firm AI Impacts conducted surveys to predict the pace of AI advancement.

• Between the 2022 and 2023 surveys, there has been a notable shift in experts' perceptions, with many revising their time estimates about AI acceleration.

• For instance, across 32 tasks surveyed in 2022 and 2023, the expected feasibility shifted 1.0 years earlier on average. (In simple terms, tasks that AI was predicted to perform by 2028 are now projected for 2027.)

• The most significant revelations lie in forecasts for High-Level Machine Intelligence (HLMI) and Full Automation of Labor (FAOL) - experts predict HLMI's arrival 13 years earlier in the 2023 survey compared to 2022, while FAOL's forecast decreased by 48 years from the 2022 survey.

Overall: The overwhelming consensus is that an AI-driven automated future is approaching fast.

So now, the question becomes: Should we urge caution or continue AI development at this pace?

Read more: Mashable

🤑 AI Fundraising News

• Credo Health raises $5.25M in Seed funding to offer a PreDx product that utilizes AI-enabled analysis of digital medical records to provide pre-encounter risk analysis, clinical summaries, and HEDIS Gap Closure, helping healthcare providers make informed clinical decisions and deliver personalized care.

• Nabla raises $24M in Series B funding to develop a platform that creates a transcript of a consultation, which is distilled into a clinical note, summarising details such as the patient's medical condition, symptoms, and treatment plan.

🗞️ AI Quick-Bytes

What else is going on?

• Building a viable pricing model for generative AI features could be challenging.

• Watch AMD’s CES 2024 press conference focused on AI in personal computers.

• Invoxia has a new smart collar suitable for both cats and dogs.

• More non-fiction authors are suing OpenAI and Microsoft.

• Hey Siri, does ChatGPT have a code to replace you in its new update?

• All the ways AI could suck in 2024.

• A better all-in-one AI app is finally here.
  

🐦 Tweet Post of the Day

Not AI-related, but a high-quality dad joke to start the week. A+.