Bye 👋 TikTok...?

Also, Chinese AI progress is still blowing minds — (at least at the news outlets OpenAI helps fund now 😏)

Author

Jack Lajoie
January 17, 2025 • read time ~ 8 minutes

⚡️ Headlines

🤖 AI

How Medium is Addressing AI-Generated Writing - Medium outlines its policy for handling AI-generated content, emphasizing transparency and content quality. [Medium].

From Chalkboards to Chatbots: AI Revolutionizes Nigerian Classrooms - AI is transforming education in Nigeria by enhancing access, interactivity, and personalization in learning. [World Bank Blogs].

Apple’s AI Controversy: News App Criticized for Spreading Fake Headlines - Apple faces backlash over its AI-powered news app allegedly promoting misinformation. [CNN].

NVIDIA Unveils Microservices to Secure AI Agent Development - NVIDIA launches microservices to enhance the reliability and security of AI systems. [SiliconANGLE].

AI Reunites Families at Maha Kumbh Festival Amid Massive Crowds - Advanced AI systems help track missing individuals in the world's largest religious gathering. [Bloomberg].

Replit CEO Says AI Tools Are Evolving Beyond Professional Coders - Replit CEO reveals a shift in AI development focus, making coding tools accessible for everyone. [Semafor].

🦾 Emerging Tech

Chinese Robotics Company Unveils Robot Dog As Fast As Usain Bolt - It can sprint 100 meters in 10 seconds. [X].

Coinbase Relaunches Bitcoin-Backed Loans in the U.S. - Coinbase revives Bitcoin-backed lending services, allowing users to borrow against their crypto holdings. [The Information].

Crypto Promoters Target Pump-and-Dump Scammers with Legal Action - Legal battles emerge as crypto advocates sue alleged scammers behind pump-and-dump schemes. [Wired].

🔬 Research

MatterGen: Generative AI for Designing Advanced Materials - Microsoft unveils MatterGen, a groundbreaking AI system for creating innovative material designs. [Microsoft Research Blog].

Princeton's HAL Lab Pushes Boundaries in Human-Aligned AI - The HAL Lab at Princeton explores cutting-edge research in aligning AI with human values and goals. [Princeton].

⚖ Legal

FTC Flags Snapchat AI Chatbot as Potentially Harmful - The FTC refers Snapchat's AI chatbot case to prosecutors, citing risks to user safety. [The Information].

Meta Defends Against AI Copyright Claims Using YouTube Data - Mark Zuckerberg leverages YouTube's fair use precedents to counter AI copyright allegations. [TechCrunch].

🔌 Plug-Into-This

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously upheld a federal law requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban. The decision cites national security concerns over potential data access by the Chinese government.

  • The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act mandates the divestiture to mitigate risks associated with foreign-controlled applications.

  • If ByteDance fails to sell TikTok's U.S. operations by the deadline, the app will be removed from app stores, and existing users will eventually lose access due to the lack of updates.

  • President-elect Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to delay or modify the ban, potentially through an executive order or by granting a 90-day extension for ByteDance to finalize a sale.

  • Legal experts note that while a presidential order cannot fully override a law passed with bipartisan support, it can influence its enforcement and implementation.

  • TikTok's CEO has expressed optimism about reaching a resolution to keep the app available in the U.S., highlighting ongoing discussions with the incoming administration.

🤨 This should be the final nail in the coffin for TikTok, but politicians are reacting quickly to the level of public outrage rising as legions of pre-teens are poised to have their 3 second attention spans scattered to the far corners of the internet. Both sides of the aisle are finding reasons to at least posture as if they want it to stick around…

China's AI sector is demonstrating rapid growth and innovation, with companies like DeepSeek and MiniMax introducing advanced models that rival global industry leaders. These developments highlight China's increasing competitiveness in artificial intelligence, driven by technological ingenuity and significant investments.

  • DeepSeek's new language model, DeepSeek-R1, excels in mathematical reasoning and uses advanced techniques like reinforcement learning and "mixture of experts" to achieve high performance despite limited access to cutting-edge hardware.

  • MiniMax, backed by major funding, has released diverse generative AI tools, including a multimodal platform and a text-to-video model, showcasing versatility across creative and practical applications.

  • Both companies exemplify China's ability to overcome challenges, such as U.S. restrictions on advanced chips, by prioritizing innovative methodologies and leveraging domestic resources.

  • These advancements align with a broader trend of Chinese firms developing specialized capabilities, allowing them to compete with established Western giants like OpenAI and Google.

  • Investment in AI startups, alongside government support, has accelerated the pace of China's AI evolution, positioning the country as a global leader in this field.

🌏 Advanced models are popping out left and right from China like daisies in spring time. To a skeptic (and Wall St.) though, with AI’s actual immediate economic returns looking to be more and more dubious, the China vs. USA AI competition narrative feels more like simply another iteration of the same post-Cold War international threat than an immediate and real problem…but we probably wouldn’t see it as one until it’s too late, right?

Mistral AI has announced a partnership with Agence France-Presse (AFP) to integrate AFP's newswire stories into its AI assistant, Le Chat. This collaboration aims to provide users with responses enriched by AFP's comprehensive and verified news coverage.

  • AFP contributes over 2,300 news articles daily in six languages: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Arabic.

  • Le Chat's integration with AFP ensures that AI-generated responses are grounded in reliable and up-to-date information.

  • This partnership underscores Mistral AI's commitment to delivering trustworthy and factual content to its users.

  • The collaboration enhances Le Chat's multilingual capabilities, aligning with Mistral AI's goal of democratizing access to advanced AI interfaces.

  • By incorporating AFP's news content, Mistral AI addresses the challenge of information accuracy in AI-generated responses.

📰 This strategic alliance highlights the growing trend of AI companies partnering with reputable news organizations to purportedly enhance the quality and reliability of information provided to users.

 🆕 Updates

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