[AI One-Bite News] OpenAI Valued at 110 Trillion Won, Expanding into Semiconductors?

Editor's NoteSince the emergence of ChatGPT, the world has been buzzing with artificial intelligence (AI). Technology is evolving rapidly, and news is pouring in daily. Even industry experts are struggling to keep up. It's overwhelming to absorb everything, but ignoring it is not an option either. We bring you the key points from weekly AI issues, carefully selected and easy to digest.

OpenAI Becomes the World's 3rd Most Valuable Startup

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is having a conversation at the 'K-Startups meet OpenAI' event hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups on the 9th at 63 Square, Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has become the third most valuable startup globally. During the process of OpenAI employees selling their shares to other investors, the company was valued at $86 billion (approximately 117 trillion KRW). This makes it the third highest-valued private company in the world, following China's ByteDance, which operates TikTok, and Japan's SpaceX, the space exploration company founded by Musk. OpenAI has also hinted at the possibility of developing its own AI semiconductor. At a tech event, they stated they would "never rule out" developing AI chips. To achieve the ultimate goal of developing general-purpose AI, they might need to develop chips in the future. With the rise of generative AI, demand for AI semiconductors has surged, and Nvidia currently dominates this market. While OpenAI creates the technology, Nvidia profits financially. However, with OpenAI's valuation, raising investment funds to develop their own chips is not out of the question.

Amazon: "AI Robots Increased Efficiency and Reduced Accidents"

Amazon's bipedal robot Digit currently under testing
[Photo by Amazon website]

Amazon introduced AI robots into its warehouse organization system, resulting in a 25% increase in order processing speed. The AI robots assist warehouse workers. A robotic arm named 'Sparrow' uses AI (computer vision) technology to identify items and hand them to workers. This eliminates the need for workers to reach high places or squat to lift heavy objects, reducing injuries. Amazon emphasizes that the robots do not replace human workers but enhance workplace safety.

AI Taking Jobs... "30% of Employees Laid Off"

On the other hand, some companies have resorted to mass layoffs due to the emergence of generative AI. The US software company Stack Overflow laid off about 100 employees, one-third of its workforce. Stack Overflow operates a Q&A portal for developers. With the advent of generative AI that can code directly and answer programming-related questions, the company has not been immune to impact. Since the launch of ChatGPT, posts and traffic have significantly decreased. Ironically, Stack Overflow is also replacing the work previously done by its employees with generative AI.

Meta Develops AI That Reads Thoughts

Image seen by a person (left) and image predicted through brainwaves (right) [Photo by Meta Blog]

Meta has developed an AI that visualizes thoughts as images. Meta trained the AI using magnetoencephalography (MEG), which records brain neural activity. The AI reads objects a person sees through MEG and converts them into images. Although the AI-generated images are still not highly accurate, they resemble the actual images seen by people. If accuracy improves, people who have lost the ability to speak due to brain damage could communicate with the help of AI.

China's Baidu: "Ernie Bot Comparable to GPT-4"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

China's Baidu has released a fully upgraded generative AI, Ernie Bot 4.0. They confidently claim that its capabilities are on par with OpenAI's latest generative AI, GPT-4. With Ernie Bot 4.0, Baidu created multiple advertising copies and a marketing video within minutes. It also authored a martial arts novel featuring diverse characters and rich storytelling. Baidu introduced an AI-based home robot that can engage in conversations matching the user's mood and control home appliances based on lifestyle habits. It can also provide educational and entertainment services.