🚨 Hollywood actor warns about AI

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What’s happening:

• 🎭 Nicolas Cage warns actors to guard their craft from AI

• 📈 $3.9B into generative AI startups in Q3 alone

• 💼 Microsoft and OpenAI haggle over equity

• 💰 Perplexity AI aims for $8B valuation in new funding round

• 📷 Instagram blocks DM screenshots in new safety update

• ⚠️ Meta fires employees over meal voucher misuse

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Hand-picked news:

🎭 Nicolas Cage warns actors to guard their craft from AI ↗️ LINK

• What: At the Newport Beach Film Festival, Nicolas Cage urged young actors to protect their performances from AI technologies like Employment-Based Digital Replica (EBDR), which allow studios to alter an actor's face, voice, and performance after filming. Cage emphasized the importance of organic, handcrafted acting.

• Why: Cage warned that AI could threaten the authenticity of an actor’s work, replacing their creativity and imagination with manipulated versions of their performance, impacting the heart of film acting.

• Impact: Cage’s call to action highlights growing concerns in Hollywood about the potential misuse of AI, encouraging actors to retain control over their performances and avoid signing contracts that allow such alterations.

📈 $3.9B into generative AI startups in Q3 alone ↗️ LINK

• What: Venture capitalists invested $3.9 billion across 206 deals in generative AI startups during Q3 2024, with $2.9 billion going to U.S.-based companies. Significant deals included Magic ($320M), Glean ($260M), and Moonshot AI ($300M).

• Why: Despite concerns about reliability, legality, and environmental impact, investors believe generative AI will revolutionize industries like coding, cybersecurity, and business analytics, betting on long-term profitability.

• Impact: While VCs remain bullish, the tech's growing computational demand stresses power grids and prolongs reliance on nonrenewable energy sources, potentially increasing greenhouse emissions. Data center operators are investing in nuclear power to address these challenges.

💼 Microsoft and OpenAI haggle over equity ↗️ LINK

• What: Microsoft and OpenAI are negotiating how Microsoft’s $13.75 billion investment in the AI startup will translate into equity as OpenAI restructures from a nonprofit to a for-profit company. The companies have hired Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to assist in determining Microsoft’s stake.

• Why: OpenAI’s soaring valuation, reaching $157 billion, makes this equity negotiation crucial for Microsoft. The restructuring aims to attract more investors and allow OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, to gain equity in the company.

• Impact: Microsoft may seek more governance rights in OpenAI, especially after being blindsided by Altman’s brief ouster in 2023. This restructuring could shape OpenAI’s future direction as it moves toward profitability.

💰 Perplexity AI aims for $8B valuation in new funding round ↗️ LINK

• What: Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI, is reportedly raising over $100 million in venture capital for her new AI startup, which will focus on developing proprietary AI products.

• Why: After leaving OpenAI, Murati stated her desire to explore new ideas and create space for independent projects. Her startup follows OpenAI's significant advancements in AI, and Murati aims to continue innovating in the field.

• Impact: Murati's exit adds to a wave of OpenAI executive departures, signaling a shift in the AI landscape as new ventures like hers emerge. Her startup could attract significant attention and investment given her track record at OpenAI.

👂 Apple turns AirPods Pro into hearing aids ↗️ LINK

• What: Apple’s new hearing health features for AirPods Pro 2, launching with iOS 18.1, include hearing aid functionality, hearing protection, and a hearing test. These updates turn AirPods into over-the-counter hearing aids, benefiting people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

• Why: With 80% of U.S. adults not having had their hearing checked in five years, Apple aims to raise awareness of hearing health. The hearing test feature on iPhones provides an accessible way to assess hearing loss and improve hearing protection.

• Impact: AirPods as hearing aids mark a significant milestone, offering a cost-effective solution. However, battery life and more severe hearing loss may require other options. Competitors like Samsung and Google are likely to follow this innovation soon.

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