⚡️ This Week AI Breaks the Internet

Hello Smartpreneurs ⚡️

This week's newsletter explores the latest in AI, from new text-to-video models and massive chip funding plans to job changes at UPS and the first Ivy League AI degree. We also cover creative AI tools and tutorials to help you learn and have fun with artificial intelligence!

Let’s get to it!

⚡️ TODAY’S AGENDA

• OpenAI Announces 'Sora', a Cutting-Edge Generative Video Model

• Sam Altman Seeks $7 Trillion to Supercharge Chip Production

• The US Patent Office States Only Humans, Not AI, Can Hold Patent Rights.

• UPS Uses AI to Lay Off 12,000 Managers and Make Other Radical Changes

• University of Pennsylvania Launches the First Ivy League AI Undergraduate Degree

• 5 AI Tools To Boost Your Creativity, Productivity, and Efficiency in Minutes

• How To Use Perplexity AI For Beginners

• Crafting Apple Carvings with AI

AI TECHNOLOGY
OpenAI Announces 'Sora', a Cutting-Edge Generative Video Model

OpenAI has introduced a new AI model called Sora that is able to generate realistic videos directly from text prompts. Sora was trained to understand language and how the physical world works so it can bring text descriptions to life as videos. Some examples shown include a stylish woman walking through Tokyo at night, woolly mammoths walking through snow, and waves crashing against cliffs in Big Sur.

The videos generated by Sora can be up to a minute long and maintain visual quality while accurately reflecting the details described in the prompt. Sora understands things like how characters and objects should move and interact realistically. It can also create multiple shots within a single video that consistently portray the same characters, locations, and visual style described.

OpenAI hopes that Sora can help solve problems that require interactions with the real world by training models to understand physical simulations. They are sharing their progress early to get feedback from people outside the company on how to advance the model.

Sora is now available for researchers to assess any risks or harms, and for artists and filmmakers to provide input on how it could be useful. The goal is to develop AI that can assist creatives in generating new visual content directly from descriptions.

In summary, OpenAI's new text-to-video model uses its understanding of language and physics to automatically create realistic videos matching written prompts, demonstrating progress toward AI that can simulate the real world.

AI BUSINESS/INVESTING
Sam Altman Seeks $7 Trillion to Supercharge Chip Production

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has a very ambitious plan to help address the global chip shortage. He is trying to raise a staggering $7 trillion to invest in increasing chip production worldwide. 

The demand for computer chips, especially those used in artificial intelligence like Nvidia's H100 chip, is growing rapidly as companies develop more AI applications. However, there just aren't enough chips being made right now. This shortage has caused prices to rise and delayed many projects.

To solve this, Altman wants to raise money from investors around the world including countries like the United Arab Emirates. If successful, this funding could be used to build many new factories to make computer chips. This would dramatically increase the supply of chips and drive prices down over time.

Raising $7 trillion would be an incredibly difficult task. To put it in perspective, that's more money than the total value of the two biggest tech companies, Apple and Microsoft, combined.

While talks are still early, Altman believes this massive investment is needed to avoid chip shortages slowing progress in AI for years to come. His goal is to bring together chip makers and investors on a global scale to tackle this important issue.

AI ETHICS
The US Patent Office States Only Humans, Not AI, Can Hold Patent Rights.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued guidance clarifying that only human inventors can receive patents, not AI systems. While AI can assist in the invention process, it cannot be listed as an inventor on a patent. 

There were questions around whether an AI model that independently designs something patentable could be a "joint inventor." However, the USPTO said AI systems are not legal "individuals" and cannot be inventors. At least one human must be named as an inventor on any patent application. 

The guidance discusses what type of human involvement would constitute inventor-ship when AI is involved. Simply recognizing a problem or using an AI system does not qualify someone as an inventor. However, significantly contributing to how an AI system is prompted to solve a problem, or meaningfully building on the AI's output could be enough to be an inventor. 

Merely appreciating an AI's output as an invention is also not enough. Humans must show they "significantly contributed" to the invention. The guidance aims to provide clarity, as no one was sure previously if maintaining "intellectual domination" over an AI meant its output was automatically the inventor's inventions.

Going forward, humans will need to demonstrate their inventive role when AI assists.

AI JOBS/ECONOMY
UPS Uses AI to Lay Off 12,000 Managers and Make Other Radical Changes

UPS, the package delivery company, has laid off 12,000 managers as part of an effort to make the company more efficient through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The layoffs represent about 14% of UPS's 85,000 managers.

UPS CEO Carol Tomé explained that AI technologies now allow jobs previously done by managers to be automated, making the laid-off positions redundant. Tomé said the goal of the cuts is to save $1 billion for the company. 

In addition, UPS will now require employees to work in the company offices five days a week, rather than having flexible remote work policies. This is another major change being implemented. 

The layoffs have been difficult for many managers who began their careers as package deliverers at UPS. Revenue and profits declined last year for UPS as shipping volumes fell amid high inflation. 

Time will tell if the job cuts and policy changes help UPS financially or end up causing other unforeseen issues for the business. The company is facing challenges from the economic downturn and needs to adapt to remain competitive.

AI IN EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania Launches the First Ivy League AI Undergraduate Degree

The University of Pennsylvania has announced that it will offer the first undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence (AI) from an Ivy League university. Starting in fall 2024, Penn will offer a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence. 

This new program recognizes the growing importance of AI across many fields like healthcare, transportation, robotics, and more. With AI becoming more advanced, there is a need for engineers who understand AI principles and how to apply them ethically. 

The degree will provide students with a strong foundation in machine learning, algorithms, data analytics, and robotics. Courses will be taught by top Penn faculty in the new Amy Gutmann Hall building. 

Raj and Neera Singh, pioneers in innovation, established this new AI program through a donation to Penn Engineering. They hope this program will help shape the future of the AI field. 

Students can apply for the new AI program starting this fall for the 2024-2025 academic year. Applications for the following year, 2025-2026, will open next fall. Upon graduating, students will be well-positioned to help develop and apply AI technologies responsibly.

AI TOOL MAGIC
5 AI Tools To Boost Your Creativity, Productivity, and Efficiency in Minutes

LEARN AI
How To Use Perplexity AI For Beginners

Learn about Perplexity AI, a platform that can be used like a search engine or in a conversational flow. Corbin Brown covers the different features of Perplexity AI, including:

• Focus: This feature allows users to laser in on the prompt they are about to input, depending on the context. For example, users can specify whether they are looking for a YouTube video, an academic article, or something else.

• Discover: This tab is similar to a search engine, where users can type in a query and Perplexity AI will provide a summarized answer along with relevant sources.

• Collections: This feature allows users to categorize their chats and searches within a collection. Users can also format the outputs within a collection, such as bullet points.

• Settings: Users can adjust the underlying models used within the chat, as well as turn off the ability for Perplexity AI to train on their data.

Overall, the video provides a good overview of Perplexity AI and its various features. It is important to note that the video is focused on the free version of Perplexity AI, and there may be additional features available in the paid version.

AI ART CORNER
Crafting Apple Carvings with AI

AI aficionado Umesh shares a fun and creative AI prompt for generating images of apples with playful carvings. Here's how you can create your own:

Prompt Details:

Photorealistic image of a red apple with a carved shape of [object] on its side. The carving should be simple, removing the apple's outer red layer to reveal the pale inner flesh in the shape of [object].

• Customization: Feel free to replace "[object]" with any shape or figure you like. For more intricate designs, change "simple" to "intricate."

• Tools to Use: This prompt works best with DALLE·3. If you don't have a ChatGPT Plus subscription, you can use Microsoft Copilot for free to generate your images.

• Experiment and Have Fun: Try different fruits and colors for a variety of creative carvings.

Whether you're an artist looking for inspiration or just someone who loves to experiment, this prompt offers a unique way to create stunning visuals.

THE WRAP UP

And that wraps up another incredible edition of The Smarter Sunday ⚡️

This week's newsletter covered some truly incredible advances in AI. OpenAI's new text-to-video model called “Sora” is just blowing me away with its ability to automatically create realistic videos directly from written descriptions.

To think that simply writing a prompt could result in a high-quality video coming to life is simply amazing. I'm excited to see how Sora might be used by filmmakers and artists going forward.

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition as much as I did!

Can't wait to share more with you next Sunday!

Harvey H.
Creator & Editor
The Smarter Sunday ⚡️