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| Here's a look at today's AI briefing: - Apple cancels autonomous car project and shifts some team members to GenAI.
- EU competition watchdog to examine Microsoft's investment in Mistral AI
- Two major Apple shareholders want company to disclose AI use.
- AI work startup Glean raises over $200M at $2.2B valuation.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Apple has ended development on its long-rumored self-driving car, shifting many of its team members to work on generative AI projects instead, according to Bloomberg. Last month, Bloomberg reported Apple could release a less-autonomous version of the electric car in 2028, but it now appears to have scrapped the project entirely. Background: - Apple has been reportedly working on the autonomous electric car, known internally as Project Titan, for 10 years.
- The company worked on self-driving hardware and software, designs, and powertrains for the vehicle but never discussed it publicly.
- It also ran a program where sensor-equipped cars with safety drivers test-drove around the Bay Area.
- Apple was considering a $100,000 price for the car, similar to a high-end Tesla Model X, but had concerns over profit margins.
What's next: - Many of the project's employees will move to Apple's AI division, while engineers and designers can potentially apply to other divisions.
- The remaining employees could face layoffs, Bloomberg reported.
- Apple will release generative AI software features to users "later this year," CEO Tim Cook said.
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| 2 | | The EU's competition watchdog will examine Microsoft's investment in Mistral AI alongside its scrutiny of the company's close ties to OpenAI. Under the newly announced partnership, Microsoft will invest €15M ($16.3M) in Mistral, with the investment converting to equity in the French startup's upcoming funding round. More: - The EU is now looking into the partnership, part of a wider review of the generative AI sector, to see if it poses competition concerns.
- Some EU lawmakers have called for a deeper investigation into what's being viewed as a "concentration of power" by Microsoft.
- Under the partnership, Microsoft will launch Mistral's AI models to its cloud customers.
Zoom out: - The European Union is already looking into Microsoft's multibillion-dollar investment and relationship with OpenAI.
- That probe is exploring whether the deal should undergo further scrutiny under the EU's merger rules.
- Microsoft has poured billions into OpenAI, incorporating its technology into Office, Bing, and Windows.
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| 3 | | Two major Apple shareholders are expected to back a resolution asking the company to disclose more about AI in its business operations, according to FT. Norges Bank Investment Management and Legal & General, Apple's eighth- and 10th-largest shareholders, will ask Apple to disclose its AI ethical guidelines. More: - The AFL-CIO resolution demands Apple disclose its AI use and ethical standards for the technology.
- Apple is urging investors to vote against the measure, citing concerns about revealing strategic information that could harm its competitiveness.
- However, Legal & General and Norges plan to support the resolution at Apple's shareholder meeting on Wednesday.
- In its voting disclosures, Norges said Apple's board needs to account for "social consequences of its operations and products."
- Similarly, Legal & General said Apple reveals "very little" information on how it manages AI-related risks.
Zoom out: - In the U.S., shareholder proposals are typically non-binding, though those with over 30% investor support usually pressure the company to act.
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| 4 | | Glean Technologies, which offers an AI search platform for enterprises, secured more than $200M in funding at a valuation of $2.2B. Kleiner Perkins and Lightspeed Venture Partners led the Series D round, with participation from 10 other backers, including Sequoia, Coatue, Databricks Ventures, and Workday Ventures. More: - Glean offers an AI search tool with a ChatGPT-like interface, connecting to corporate repositories to answer employees' questions and more.
- Its platform includes over 100 prebuilt connectors for popular business apps, indexing data and taking into account workers' specific access permissions.
- The startup also offers an AI writing and coding assistant, along with tools to "build custom generative AI experiences grounded in company knowledge."
- Glean Assistant users make an average of 14 daily queries, versus Google's 3-4, and save 2-3 hours per employee weekly, according to CEO Arvind Jain.
Funding: | | | |
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| 5 | | AI and machine learning startups raised $22.3B across 1,665 deals in the last quarter of 2023, according to PitchBook's latest Emerging Tech Research report. During all of 2023, AI startups globally generated a combined VC deal value of $90.9B across 7,238 deals, marking a 4.7% decrease in deal value growth compared to the previous year. 
What the numbers show: PitchBook said it tracked $22.3B invested in AI in Q4 2023, led by a $2B deal for Anthropic backed by Alphabet. Tech giants' participation in generative AI deals boosted totals, with GenAI leaders securing $6B across just 194 deals in Q4. Despite the hype surrounding GenAI in recent quarters, deal counts have consistently fallen short of pre-downturn levels, PitchBook noted. | | | |
| 6 | | Who's hiring in AI: - AI Applied Research Scientist, Speech
- Meta | Seattle, Washington/Menlo Park, California
- Researcher — Large Language Models
- TikTok | San Jose, California
- AI Red Team Program Manager II
- Microsoft | Redmond, Washington
- Principal AI/ML Researcher
- CVS Health | Hartford, Connecticut
- Venture Lead, Conversational AI Experiences
- Adobe | San Francisco, California
- AI Strategist and Executive Advisor
- Microsoft | Redmond, Washington
- AI Research Tech Lead, Large Language Models
- Duolingo | New York, New York
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- Microsoft's GitHub has launched Copilot Enterprise, an advanced AI coding tool for developers. At $39 per user per month, the tool offers AI upgrades and the ability to answer programming questions based on a company's private code.
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- A lack of space at European data centers is intensifying due to surging AI demand and limited expansion options, Reuters reports. Vacancy rates in major European markets are projected to hit a record low of 8.2% this year, according to CBRE research.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Aaron Crutchfield | |
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