The Scarlett Johansson-OpenAI Debacle

Plus Microsoft's AI PCs

Author

Nathaniel Whittemore
May 21, 2024

The AI Breakdown First Five - Tue May 21, 2024

Today on the First Five:

  • 5. OpenAI Disbands Superalignment Team

  • 4. Dell Pushes AI PCs & Nvidia Partnership

  • 3. Microsoft Shows Off AI PCs

  • 2. Microsoft’s New Recall Feature is Generating Very Mixed Responses

  • 1. Scarlett Johansson Goes After OpenAI

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5. OpenAI Disbands Superalignment Team

In the wake of the departures of Jan Leike and others involved with the less-than-a-year-old Superalignment team, insiders report that the team has been disbanded and employees reassigned to other areas.

4. Dell Pushes AI PCs & Nvidia Partnership

Dell is hosting a big event this week and the two headliners are 1) a new line of AI-enabled PCs, and 2) an expanded partnership with Nvidia designed to allow businesses to start their own “AI factories” — which Nvidia sees as a key vector for growth.

3. Microsoft Shows Off AI PCs

Microsoft Build is happening this week and they’re leading off with a new generation of deeply AI-integrated PCs. The company says their new models beat the M3 Macbook Air and feature a screen-viewing assistant similar to what we say from OpenAI last week.

2. Microsoft’s New Recall Feature is Generating Very Mixed Responses

One AI PC feature announced by Microsoft yesterday is generating tons of buzz. That’s their “Recall” feature which watches everything you’ve done and allows for natural language search. Some see it as unbelievably useful. Others see it as unbelievably dystopian. What do you think?

1. Scarlett Johansson Goes After OpenAI

Talk about an own goal. After many people (including Sam Altman himself) pointed out similarities between the Scartlett Johansson’s Samantha voice in “Her” and the “Sky” voiced used in OpenAI’s demos last week, it turns out ScarJo had been contacted about her voice being used and turned OpenAI down (only to have them use something very similar anyway).

Bonus: Apple’s Got Their Work Cut Out

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