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- #54 First ever human trials for an AI drug
Vaccines tamed smallpox in 1796. Then, starting in 1846, anesthesia facilitated painless life-saving surgery. Flemming stumbled across penicillin in 1928, and the first successful organ transplant happened in 1954. In 2023, the first-ever AI-discovered drug was given to humans for clinical trials. What’s the next milestone in this list? Your guess is as good as mine.
In today’s newsletter:
Hottest stories: First-ever AI drug tested on humans, Microsoft wants us to spend more online, and wow that’s a lot of money
TL;DR Rundown: Meta’s ethos of transparency, a talk from Brad, and Steam doesn’t appreciate AI imagery
Tool of the day: A diary that reflects with you
It’s comin’ back: Are you ready?
Give us a click and take your pick:
- AI Girl Power
- Harry AI Potter
- AI and our memories
HOTTEST STORIES
Today’s biggest stories if you’re in a rush
Ever heard of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)? If not, it’s not your fault. Affecting around 0.0001% of the global population, IPF doesn’t get the media attention of other illnesses. That’s not to say it’s not a horrible disease - if left untreated; most patients pass within two to five years. But treating IPF is (probably) about to get a whole lot easier - thanks entirely to AI.
Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-based biotech startup, has used AI to fully generate INS018_055, a drug specifically designed to treat IPF. But why is this special, you ask? Because INS018_055 is the FIRST EVER fully AI-generated drug to make it through to human trials. It speeds up the entire process, from discovering a new drug formula to refining it and testing it. If this works, future cures to known ailments might be just around the corner.
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Over the years, Microsoft has tried to build shopping features into its web browser Edge. Til now, it hasn’t gone so well, with the features earning the term “bloatware.”
That might be about to change though, as Microsoft recently released its new wave of AI-powered shopping tools for Bing. For example, using GPT integration, if a user searches for “college supplies,” the feature will create buying guides sorted into various categories, with comparisons, and a link to where to buy. Microsoft will get an affiliate fee for all purchases made though, which always muddies the waters of objective analysis and suggestibility.
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Never mind big dick energy; think big computer energy, all $1.3B dollars worth of it. Inflection AI, a personal AI, running a model called Pi, is now there for you and I. The Palo Alto-based startup plans to build a 22,000 Nvidia H100 Tensor GPU cluster, the largest in the world, to help develop large-scale artificial intelligence models and to support the company’s AI personal assistant and coaching services.
There’s got to be something to it, because investors like Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, and Nvidia have thrown over $1.3B at the startup.
TL;DR RUNDOWN
Listicle of what else is happening today
Meta open: AI determines what you see on your Instagram and Facebook feeds. In the spirit of “openness, transparency, and accountability,” Meta shares how these content algorithms work.
Our giant treadmill: According to celebrated Sci-Fi writer Ted Chiang, AI isn’t the problem - the problem is our self-created economy which we can’t really stop, or separate ourselves from.
Code wars: AI algorithms make coding much faster - but research shows AI coding assistants make bugs more common. Do your due diligence, developer.
Brad believes: Microsoft president Brad Smith traveled to Brussels this week to emphasize the importance for court regulators and lawmakers to regulate AI, saying nations must align their AI governance according to shared values and principles. Well said Brad.
King of the castle: The US outstrips China in the AI race for one main reason - the most advanced chips used to train AI are designed and manufactured in the land of the free. They want it to stay that way.
Another bill: Yet another AI startup, this one called Typeface, is now valued at $1B, thanks to its latest funding round. That unicorn isn’t so unique no more.
Steam says no! Gaming platform Steam is unofficially rejecting games that use AI art - which, if Steam sticks to its guns, will have far-reaching implications for AI imagery in games (namely, that there won’t be much of it).
Circumvention: China can’t get AI chips, so Chinese companies like Mei Tuan are purchasing AI startups, like Light Year, outright instead.
ChatCOPYCAT: Two U.S. authors are suing OpenAI for allegedly using their works without permission to train ChatGPT. If they’re successful, you’d better believe there will be many more to follow.
TOOL OF THE DAY
AI tools we’ve used, loved, and recommend above all others
Today’s tool is rosebud.app.
74% of people who use journaling find it emotionally beneficial. 65% felt journaling improved their ability to manage stress, and numerous studies prove that regular journaling can reduce overall levels of depression.
But let’s get real - journaling can get stale. It’s good for you, but can be difficult to make habitual. Rosebud.app fixes all that, because as you journal, the app discusses your thoughts with you. It’s incredible for self-reflection and development.
IT’S BEEN (NEARLY) 4 YEARS
Are you ready?
The crypto market tanked nearly four years ago - leading many enthusiastic hopefuls to start dusting off the hopium bong, ready for another bull run in 2024. In the meantime though, AI has well and truly taken center stage. And while crypto is in a cycle (a very, very volatile cycle), AI seems to be here to stay.
ONE REFERRAL TO REVEAL
The coolest picture you’ll see all day
Could You Help Us Out?
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How’d we go today? Telling us makes a huge difference, it really does.
#54