WHAT IS GOING ON

Apple Glowtime event. Apple's annual event was a tech buffet, showcasing the iPhone 16, AI-centric iOS 18 updates, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch Series 10. The iPhone 16, designed “ground-up for Apple Intelligence”, boasts a side camera control and a new A18 chip, making it 30% faster than its predecessor. Apple Intelligence, first revealed at WWDC, is set to enhance user experience across apps and features. The AirPods 4 promises personalized Spatial Audio and machine learning-enabled Siri interactions. And let's not forget the Apple Watch Series 10, with its AI-curated photos and machine learning-boosted translation tools. More here.

Digital temples.  The Sri Mandir app is helping Hindus connect with their faith, offering virtual visits to over 50 temples in India. The app, launched by AppsForBharat, allows users to participate in prayers, offer donations, and access devotional content straight from their phones. It's a hit with the Trivedi family in the U.S., who use it for last-minute prayers and donations. However, the app isn't cheap, with the average monthly spend outside India being $100.  A small price to pay for divine connection.  More here.

Try Guys try subscription.  The Try Guys, YouTube's popular creator group, have ditched Google's unpredictable algorithms and ad revenue, opting for their own streaming service, 2nd Try. With YouTube's ad revenue growth slowing and potential TikTok ban threatening creators' income, the Try Guys have found success in a subscription model. Since launching 2nd Try, they've seen steady income from exclusive content behind a $5 monthly paywall. They're not alone, other creators are also exploring subscription models for more reliable income. Despite the shift, YouTube still remains a part of the Try Guys' business model, but the focus is on growing 2nd Try.  More here.

Qualcomm smart glasses.  Qualcomm is teaming up with Samsung and Google to create a mixed-reality pair of smart glasses, as revealed by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. This project is a departure from the bulky headset approach, like Apple's Vision Pro. Amon envisions these glasses as a companion to your smartphone, aiming to make them as commonplace as sunglasses. The mixed-reality tech, blending augmented and virtual reality, could offer new experiences. Meanwhile, the smart glasses market remains small compared to smartphones but could see growth with more practical, wearable designs.  More here.

Internet Archive's eBook lending is KO’ed.  The Internet Archive's Open Libraries Project has been dealt a serious blow. In a court appeal, book publishers successfully argued that lending digital scans of books for free online wasn't fair use, but copyright infringement. The court agreed, stating the Archive's digital copies didn't add anything new or transformative to the original works. The ruling has barred the Archive from distributing all books available for electronic licensing. While the Archive is disappointed, publishers are celebrating the decision as a win for authors' rights and a deterrent to future infringers.

AI CORNER

Apple AI arrives in October.  Starting October, Apple's AI tricks will be hitting your devices, with a supercharged Siri, Writing Tools, and prioritized notifications. The first wave of Apple Intelligence, introduced at WWDC in June, will roll out on iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Expect AI features that create language and images, streamline tasks across apps, and personalize your experience. Be ready for a Siri glow-up and Writing Tools that proofread, rewrite, and summarize text. It's available in English only to start, with more languages coming soon.  More here.

AI drug discovery. Chai Discovery, a six-month-old AI biology startup, just raised $30 million from big names like Thrive Capital and OpenAI. The goal is to revolutionize drug discovery with AI. Chai develops AI models that can predict and reprogram the structure of biochemical molecules, a crucial part of creating new meds. With its new seed round, Chai is valued at a cool $150 million. The AI drug discovery space is getting crowded with players like Google, but according to Chai's CEO, their models are consistently outperforming the competition.

SSI raises $1B.  OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever has bagged $1 billion for his new venture, Safe Superintelligence (SSI). Investors include big names like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and DST Global. Sutskever, who was OpenAI's chief scientist, left the company in May to focus on creating a "safe superintelligence". SSI's mission is to ensure AI doesn't pose a threat to humans, a philosophy that caused some friction with OpenAI's board. More here.

Cosmos Institute launch.  Cosmos Institute, a non-profit with big names like Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark in its founding fellows, is launching grant programs and an AI lab. Their goal is to cultivate techies and entrepreneurs who can navigate the AI age with deep philosophical thinking. The Institute plans to set up an AI lab at Oxford University, aiming to create AI tech that respects human dignity and avoids harmful disruption. They’re also launching Cosmos Ventures, a venture org supporting projects exploring fundamental questions around the philosophy of technology. More here.

AI writing drama.  NaNoWriMo, the nonprofit behind the annual National Novel Writing Month, is in hot water after endorsing AI writing tech. They called the outright rejection of AI "classist" and "ableist", arguing it could help those needing writing assistance or with different cognitive abilities. The tech world was quick to call foul, leading to board resignations and lost sponsorships. Critics argue AI writing tools essentially plagiarize existing works, and NaNoWriMo’s defense of AI as an accessibility tool didn't sit well with some disabled creators. Despite the backlash, NaNoWriMo stands by its position.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

AI-Powered VC dashboard.  TRAC, a four-year-old VC firm, is using artificial intelligence to pick its investments. Unlike its competitors, TRAC shares a piece of its AI algorithm with founders, creating a custom "intelligence dashboard" for each startup it invests in. The dashboard includes tools that help startups accurately value themselves and find new investors. TRAC's AI-powered approach seems to be working – one startup said TRAC's estimated valuation was within $3 million of what they actually raised.  More here.

Epic Systems mythic headquarters.  Tucked away in Verona, Wisconsin, Epic Systems, a leader in electronic medical records software, boasts a 1,670-acre campus that looks like it's straight out of a sci-fi novel. With offices inspired by "The Wizard of Oz" and "Harry Potter", the company's whimsical approach extends to its business model too. It's never accepted venture capitalist investment, made zero acquisitions, and insists on staying private. Epic's software is used across hospitals and clinics, storing medical records of over 280 million people in the U.S. Despite its fantastical surroundings, Epic has serious responsibilities and critics, with calls to streamline patient data exchange.

Bridging AI and corporate data.  Ragie, a startup offering a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) as a service platform, is officially launching today. The platform connects enterprise data with generative AI large language models to provide updated and relevant information. Ragie is also announcing a $5.5 million seed round of investment led by Craft Ventures, Saga VC, Chapter One, and Valor. Ragie's technology is already in use as a core element of the Glue AI chat platform. The platform offers a simple, turnkey approach to enabling a data pipeline for RAG applications, simplifying the process for developers and organizations.

Apple’s ChatGPT prompts.  Apple's latest developer betas come with some intriguing AI features, and guess what, the prompts for these are stored right on your Mac!

On macOS, instructions programmed into the Apple Intelligence model can be read, showing up as default prompts that precede user inputs to a chatbot. A member of the macOS 15.1 beta subreddit discovered the files containing these backend prompts. Although these files can't be altered, they offer insights into the AI's functionality and operations.  Snippet above.

Apple Intelligence developer beta.  Apple's iOS 18.1 developer beta is giving us a sneak peek of the new Apple Intelligence features. Only a few features are available, and you have to join a waitlist to get a taste. Once you're in, you can enjoy a new Siri animation, text proofreading tools, and a smarter Mail app. But, expect some bugs and missing features; it's still a work in progress.  More here.

COOL NEWS

Founder Mode" frenzy.  Memes are flooding the internet about "founder mode," a concept coined by Y Combinator founder, Paul Graham. The debate was sparked by an essay called "Founder Mode" by industry veteran Paul Graham. His argument? There are two ways to run a growing company: Founder Mode (hands-on) and Manager Mode (hands-off). While some tech leaders are all for rolling up their sleeves, others argue that managers play a crucial role. The tech world seems to be buzzing about this concept, with countless memes and hot takes making the rounds. More here and here.

Fish bot makes waves. Researchers at ETH Zurich have created Eve, a robotic fish designed to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) from aquatic ecosystems without causing a disturbance. Eve's design, complete with a silicone tail and noiseless internal pumps, allows it to blend in with other sea creatures. The bot navigates with sonar and an algorithm, and uses a camera to record underwater footage. Its main job is to collect DNA samples shed by marine life into the water, providing valuable data on species present without direct observation. This tech could revolutionize how we learn about our largely unexplored oceans.

DNA decoded with AI.  Researchers at Dresden University of Technology have developed GROVER, an AI model that reads human DNA like a language. By treating DNA as text, GROVER can decode the complex genomic information hidden within our genome. This tech tool is set to revolutionize genomics and fast-track personalized medicine. GROVER can also predict DNA sequences and extract biological meaning from them. So, in essence, GROVER has learned to 'speak' DNA. This could be a game-changer in unlocking the layers of genetic code that dictate our disease predispositions and responses to treatments – AI in genomics, folks.

Jackets swapped, tomatoes sliced.  At the SIGGRAPH 2024 conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had an unusual fireside chat. The discussion began with tech talk, but quickly devolved into a jacket swap, inspired by a viral meme. The CEOs also shared anecdotes about Zuckerberg's precise tomato slicing habits and mutual compliments on their physiques. Huang's playful roasts of Zuckerberg were also a highlight, possibly reflecting Meta's reliance on Nvidia for model-training hardware. The chat was filled with unexpected turns, from F-bomb drops to Zuckerberg's style makeover.  Check it out here.

Zuckerberg's raccoon face. For some strange reason, Mark Zuckerberg's recent sun-tanned look sparked speculation that he might be hinting at a new product, per Business Insider. The Meta CEO's peculiar tan lines were thought to be from Orion, Meta's yet-to-be-revealed augmented reality device. However, Zuck quashed the rumors, confirming that his tan (actually raccoon tan) was just that - a tan. So, no sneak peeks or secret product hints, just some good old sunshine on Zuck's face.  Go figure.