This Week's Most Read: OpenAI's Tips for Writing Better Prompts

Here are this week's top stories:

1. OpenAI’s Six Steps to Improving Your Prompts to Get Better Results

When using AI tools like ChatGPT, the right prompt will get you the best results. Now, OpenAI has gifted the world a guide on how to improve your prompts.

Quietly published under its website’s documentation section, the prompt engineering guide shares tactics and tips you can use to get better results from large language models like GPT-4.

OpenAI offers six steps, noting that some of the methods can be combined “for greater effect.”

Users can also explore various prompt examples to get the best out of their inputs.

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2. Mistral AI’s New Language Model Aims for Open Source Supremacy

French AI startup Mistral AI has unveiled its latest language model, Mixtral 8x7B, which it claims sets new standards for open source performance.

Released with open-weights, Mixtral 8x7B outperforms the 70 billion-parameter model of Llama 2 on most benchmarks with six times faster inference, and also outpaces OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 on most metrics, according to the startup.

Mixtral 8x7B model employs a unique architectural approach that has been a topic of discussion for many decades, yet it is only now being implemented on a large scale in large language models. Its internal architecture comprises a limited number of experts, each specialized in certain tasks.

Called Mixture of Experts (MoE), this blend of expert techniques produces smooth, human-like responses. This method contrasts with the conventional LLM approach, which typically relies on a single, comprehensive expert. The analogy is akin to decision-making by a well-informed and diversely skilled committee instead of relying on a sole decision-maker in an organization.

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3. What Happens if Russia Catches Up in the AI Race?

Even as he fights a grueling war in the Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin nevertheless is stepping up his country’s efforts in the global AI race because he believes the technology is fundamentally important for the efficiency and well-being of their society.

"The implementation of AI in fields such as science, education and public health, and indeed, every area of our lives, opens a new chapter of human existence. ... How can we make our country more efficient and ensure the happiness of our people? This is a question for artificial intelligence," he said at the recently held Artificial Intelligence Journal conference in Moscow.

To that end, "a presidential bill will soon be signed approving a new national strategy for AI development,” Putin said.

The strategy will focus on broadening fundamental and applied research in the field of generative AI and large language models. He also called for scaling up existing Russian supercomputing capacity “at least by an order of magnitude,” which he deems is “critically necessary for the further development of generative AI.”

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4. AI Startup Roundup: OpenAI Expands Startup Fund Program

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is expanding its Converge AI startup program.

First launched in December 2022, Converge is a six-week program for startup founders, offering them business help as well as $1 million.

The program is open to founders from all backgrounds, disciplines and experience levels. Additionally, the startups do not have to use OpenAI’s APIs to get in the program.

The program has space for 10 to 15 companies and runs for six weeks from March 11 to April 19, 2024. OpenAI will also cover travel costs for the first and last week of the program, with other weeks able to be completed remotely.

To apply, fill out the form on the Converge website before Friday, January 26, 2024, at 11:59 pm Pacific.

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5. FICO EVP of Software: Building an AI Platform in Financial Services

Stephanie Covert, executive vice president of software at FICO, joins the AI Business podcast to discuss the credit-scoring giant's transition to an AI-enabled platform in a highly regulated industry.

She also leads a unique women’s leadership program at the company that has seen 70% of its members achieve expanded roles, with a third also getting promoted. Covert shares with listeners the special approach she uses for this program.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript