Meta Announces First “Llamacon” Event as Open-Source Conference for Devs

⚡️ Headlines

🤖 AI

Mira Murati Launches Thinking Machines Lab to Make AI More Accessible - Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has founded Thinking Machines Lab, a public benefit corporation aiming to develop advanced AI technologies with a focus on accessibility and transparency. [WIRED].

HP Acquires AI Wearable Startup Humane for $116 Million - HP has purchased Humane, an AI wearable startup, for $116 million, integrating its technology and team to enhance HP's AI capabilities. [The Information].

South Korea Plans 3-Gigawatt AI Data Center - An investor group is planning one of the world's largest data centers for artificial intelligence in South Korea, a sign of red-hot AI demand. [The Wall Street Journal].

Fiverr Encourages Gig Workers to Utilize AI Automation - Freelance platform Fiverr is introducing tools that allow gig workers to train AI on their previous work, enabling automation of future tasks to increase efficiency. [TechCrunch].

U.S. Tech Giants Provide AI Models to Israel, Sparking Ethical Debates - Companies like Microsoft and OpenAI have supplied advanced AI and cloud computing services to Israel's military operations, raising concerns about the ethical implications of AI in warfare. [AP News].

🦾 Emerging Tech

Nvidia-Backed Robotics Startup Field Targets $2 Billion Valuation - Robotics startup Field AI, supported by Nvidia, is in discussions to raise funds at a $2 billion valuation, reflecting growing investor interest in robotics technology. [The Information].

🤳 Social Media

Amazon Discontinues TikTok-Like Shopping Feed - Amazon has shut down its Inspire feature, a TikTok-style shopping feed, to better align with customer preferences and focus on other shopping experiences. [The Information].

🔬 Research

Fairness through Difference Awareness: Measuring Desired Group Discrimination in LLMs - Researchers introduce a benchmark suite to assess large language models' ability to recognize and appropriately handle group differences, emphasizing the importance of context-aware fairness in AI systems. [arXiv].

⚖ Legal

EU Faces Criticism Over Copyright Loophole in AI Act - The European Union is under fire for a significant loophole in its AI Act, which critics say leaves creators vulnerable to exploitation by generative AI models without adequate intellectual property protections. [The Guardian].

🎱 Random

Meta Announces World's Longest Undersea Cable Project - Meta has unveiled the Waterworth Project, a $10 billion initiative to construct a 50,000-kilometer undersea cable connecting five continents, aiming to enhance global internet connectivity and support AI innovation. [WIRED].

Authors Discuss the Uses and Abuses of AI in Education - In a recent interview, two authors explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of integrating artificial intelligence into educational settings, offering insights into its future role in the classroom. [Inside Higher Ed].

🔌 Plug-Into-This

Save the Date: Meta Connect 2025 & Inaugural LlamaCon

Meta has announced two major events for 2025: the inaugural LlamaCon on April 29th and the annual Meta Connect conference on September 17th-18th. LlamaCon will focus on open-source AI developments, providing developers with updates and insights into Meta's AI model, Llama. Meta Connect will continue its tradition of showcasing advancements in virtual and augmented reality, along with other technological innovations.

• LlamaCon Details:

  • Date: April 29, 2025

  • Focus: Open-source AI developments, particularly around Meta's Llama model

  • Audience: Developers and AI enthusiasts

  • Additional Information: Further details to be released in the coming weeks

• Meta Connect 2025 Details:

  • Dates: September 17-18, 2025

  • Focus: Latest advancements in Meta Horizon and emerging technologies

  • Audience: Tech community, developers, and consumers

  • Additional Information: Event will "peel back the curtain on tomorrow's tech"

• AI Investments: Meta plans to invest billions in AI throughout 2025, signaling a significant commitment to advancing artificial intelligence technologies.

• Smart Glasses Milestone: Since their launch in October 2023, Meta's AI-powered Ray-Ban Smart Glasses have sold 2 million units, as reported by EssilorLuxottica.

📆 Meta’s outward commitment to open source appears to deepen amidst brutal competition for AI engineers globally — should be a fun time!

Mira Murati Launches Thinking Machines Lab

Mira Murati, former Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, has unveiled her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab. The startup aims to develop advanced AI systems that are accessible and customizable, focusing on enhancing human-AI collaboration.

• Team Composition: The company has recruited approximately 30 researchers and engineers, with about two-thirds coming from OpenAI. Notable hires include co-founder John Schulman as Chief Scientist and Barret Zoph as Chief Technology Officer.

• Mission Focus: Thinking Machines Lab seeks to bridge the gap between rapid AI advancements and public understanding, emphasizing the development of AI models that can be tailored to individual needs.

• Commitment to Transparency: The startup plans to openly share its research findings and code, fostering collaboration within the AI community and promoting a culture of openness.

• AI Alignment Efforts: A key objective is to ensure AI systems align with human values, making them safer and more reliable.

• Leadership Background: Murati's tenure at OpenAI included leading the development of ChatGPT and briefly serving as interim CEO during a leadership transition in 2023.

🤖 With that name, hopefully not too many people have watched Dune Prophecy! Murati’s startup has been getting attention for a while now, ever since her high profile departure from OpenAI. While there isn’t a clear distinguishing product mentioned, nor clear competitive advantage, this should still be worth keeping an eye on as the top talent in the AI industry continues to diffuse outward and seek fertile niches to stake their own claim.

X Doubles Premium+ Plan Prices Following xAI's Grok 3 Release

Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), has raised the price of its Premium+ subscription from $22 to $40 per month in the U.S., coinciding with the release of xAI’s latest AI model, Grok 3. This is the second price hike in recent months, following an increase from $16 to $22 in December 2024. The Premium+ tier includes an ad-free experience and exclusive access to Grok 3, which features enhanced reasoning capabilities.

• Grok 3 AI Model:

  • Release Date: February 17, 2025

  • Advancements: Trained with 10x the computing power of Grok 2

  • Key Features: New “Think” and “Big Brain” modes for advanced problem-solving

  • Access: Available only to X Premium+ and xAI SuperGrok subscribers

• X Premium Subscription Pricing (U.S.):

  • Premium (standard): Remains at $8/month

  • Premium+: Increased from $22 → $40/month

  • Annual Premium+ Plan: Priced at $420/year (instead of $480 if paid monthly)

• Exclusive Premium+ Benefits:

  • Ad-Free Experience: No ads in For You and Following feeds

  • Increased Exposure: Priority in replies and search

  • Access to Grok 3 AI: The only X users with full access to the latest AI model

🧠 The aggressive price hike aligns with Musk’s push to monetize AI-driven features. As Grok 3 evolves, X seems to be positioning Premium+ as an AI-centric subscription model, similar to ChatGPT Plus, but tightly integrated into the social platform.

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