Most Read: AI Appreciation Day, Senate Bill Takes on AI DeepfakesMost Read: AI Appreciation Day, Senate Bill Takes on AI Deepfakes

Also inside, a generative AI tool that improves database queries, plus general-purpose robots running on foundation models

Ben Wodecki, Jr. Editor

July 19, 2024

4 Min Read
Digital rendering of AI, including a pink and blue chip on a circuit board
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Here are the most-read stories on AI Business this week:

AI Appreciation Day: Industry Leaders Share Insights

July 16 marked AI Appreciation Day, a time to acknowledge the advancements and contributions of AI across various industries.

AI Appreciation Day was established in May 2021 by A.I. Heart LLC, initially to promote a movie called “A.I. EVE.” While its beginnings were rooted in commercial interests, the day has evolved into a broader opportunity to reflect on the impact and future potential of AI technology.

In conversations with AI Business, industry leaders discussed various aspects of AI, including its role in improving security, the importance of responsible AI practices and addressing the fear of missing out on AI innovations.

Read expert views on AI's role in security, responsible practices and the future of AI innovations

Senate Bill Aims to Combat AI Deepfakes, Protect Content Creators

A new bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Senate to establish federal transparency guidelines for AI-generated content, including deepfakes. 

The Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media (COPIED) Act would provide content creators with legal protections against unauthorized use of their work in AI systems.

Companies providing generative tools capable of creating images or creative writing would be required to attach provenance information or metadata about a piece of content’s origin, to outputs.

Related:5 Ways Intel’s 'AI Everywhere' Is Powering the 2024 Paris Olympics

Lawmakers say that forcing AI providers to include such data would let rightsholders detect whether their content was used to generate content without permission.

The bill would also introduce a law prohibiting anyone — including search engines and social media companies — from tampering with, altering or removing the data about a piece of content’s origin.

Find out more about the COPIED Act

MIT Researchers Develop Generative AI Tool to Boost Database Searches

MIT researchers have developed a generative AI tool for databases that lets users analyze data and make predictions about future data or fill in missing information.

GenSQL is an extension of the Structured Query Language (SQL) programming language that integrates probabilistic programming with traditional database searches.

It lets users analyze existing data, make predictions about future data and fill in missing information by combining SQL with probabilistic models of tabular data.

The generative AI-powered tool lets business users ask complex questions that combine actual data with probabilistic reasoning, providing them with more nuanced insights about a product or service.

Related:NATO Updates AI Strategy to Address Generative AI, Disinformation

It’s designed to let developers employ probabilistic modeling in databases without requiring prior expertise in probabilistic programming.

Uncover more about GenSQL and how it can improve database interactions

Robotics Startup Secures $300M to Develop Foundation Models for Robots

Robotics startup Skild AI has raised $300 million in series A funding to build foundation models to power general-purpose robots.

Founded in 2023 and split across Pittsburgh and the San Francisco Bay Area, Skild is developing AI models for robots to make them easily trainable for various tasks.

The funding road was led by SoftBank, Coatue, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Expeditions fund.

Amazon and Carnegie Mellon University also participated in the round, joined by Menlo Ventures, Sequoia and General Catalyst.

Skild plans to use the funds to scale its foundation model and related datasets ahead of future commercial deployments. The startup also wants to bring in new staff across engineering, operations and security.

Learn how foundation models could help robots learn to perform general-purpose tasks

AI Video Editing Startup Raises $60M, Expands New York Research Efforts

AI-powered video editing platform Captions has raised $60 million in series C funding to expand New York-based research efforts.

Founded in 2021, the startup developed an AI-powered creative studio that allows users to create and edit video content more intuitively using AI tools.

Index Ventures led the round, with Adobe Ventures and HubSpot Ventures joining previous investors Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital in backing the startup. Academy Award-winning actor and musician Jared Leto was a notable angel investor, bringing Captions’ valuation to $500 million.

The latest round brings the startup’s total capital to $100 million and the company plans to use the cash to expand its machine learning team and research efforts in the Big Apple.

Read more about Captions and its AI-powered video editing platform

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ChatGPT / Generative AI

About the Author

Ben Wodecki

Jr. Editor

Ben Wodecki is the Jr. Editor of AI Business, covering a wide range of AI content. Ben joined the team in March 2021 as assistant editor and was promoted to Jr. Editor. He has written for The New Statesman, Intellectual Property Magazine, and The Telegraph India, among others. He holds an MSc in Digital Journalism from Middlesex University.

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