A 16-Month-Old Startup Aims To Take Down Google

This Week’s News Roundup

In this week’s news roundup:

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Image from Perplexity

Jeff Bezos and other tech investors have collectively invested $74 million in Perplexity, a startup aiming to challenge Google's dominance in internet searches. This funding values Perplexity at over half a billion dollars.
Perplexity, founded 16 months ago, is leveraging recent advancements in artificial intelligence to provide a search product that delivers direct answers instead of traditional lists of links. The startup believes that this approach can be a credible competitor to Google's search dominance.
Perplexity faces a formidable challenge in breaking Google's near-monopolistic control over the search market. Past attempts by larger companies like Yahoo and Microsoft have proven unsuccessful.

Image generated using Midjourney V5

Midjourney, a generative image creation tool known for running inside a Discord server, plans to introduce a "text-to-video" model in the coming months.
Midjourney, despite trailing behind competitors in terms of speed, emphasizes quality and user experience. The company has a history of rolling out enhancements later than other platforms but aims to stay relevant through updates, such as the recent v6 version, which includes improved prompt following and more realistic images.
The developments in generative AI, including Midjourney's entry into video generation, have broader implications for the creative and media industries, potentially ushering in a transformative era with new possibilities for content generation and interaction through AI.

Agility Robotics’ Digit

Several well-funded companies, including Agility Robotics, are planning to deploy humanoid robots commercially in 2024. Agility's robot, called Digit, is designed for logistics tasks, specifically moving e-commerce totes in warehouses.
Amazon is testing Digit at its robotics research and development site, exploring its capabilities in tasks like empty tote recycling. The goal is to determine whether Digit can efficiently perform specific jobs in environments where traditional automation solutions may face challenges.
Agility Robotics is not alone in its goal, with at least seven other companies, including Tesla, working towards deploying commercial humanoid robots in 2024.

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A Doudna. GETTY IMAGES

Over the past decade, gene therapy, especially CRISPR-based gene editing, has undergone a renaissance. The recent approval of Casgevy marks a significant milestone, being the first CRISPR-based gene therapy for treating blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia.
The next wave of gene editing tools, including base editing, prime editing, and NICER, aims to minimize the risk of unintended mutations and enhance precision in gene therapies.
The future of gene therapy is viewed optimistically, with numerous clinical trials underway globally. The focus is expanding beyond rare genetic diseases to common health problems.

Image from Mozilla

Mozilla's latest corporate manifesto, outlined in the State of Mozilla for 2023, indicates a significant shift in focus away from its flagship open-source browser, Firefox.
The document highlights a move towards investing in AI algorithms and open data services to counter the dominance of Big Tech corporations and build a better internet.
The organization aims to prioritize user trust over profit, emphasizing its commitment to putting people first while taking risks and moving quickly in the evolving AI market.

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