#212 - AI, AI, AI. All the AI announcements from Google IO 2023

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Today,

1. Google reveals its global AI pivot

2. Pudgy Penguins raises $9 million in funding

3. US exchanges feel the squeeze from the SEC

Plus, all the web3 headlines, memes, and Tweets of the day.

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A smorgasbord of AI updates from Google I/O

This week, Google held its annual developer conference, IO. It’s for the company’s techy internal teams to show off their latest projects. And predictably, this year was all AI.

By our count, Sundar said the word AI about 69,420,690 times.

So how is the world’s internet gateway pivoting towards an AI future?

Here are all the major announcements:

1. Google has a new LLM

2. Bard rollout

3. AI Google search

4. AI Maps

5. AI Gmail & Docs helper

6. Gemini

7. Loads more like text-to-music, Adobe-powered AR, and AI Pixel wallpapers…

A new LLM

Google unveiled its new large language model called PaLM 2. It’s good at math, software development, and being patronizing in a bunch of languages.

PaLM 2 powers most of Google’s recent AI updates, and will also be available as a cloud service for b2b customers.

For example, Wendy’s is testing out a Google-powered drive-thru bot this summer in Ohio.

Bard rollout

Google has moved Bard, its version of Chat GPT, to PaLM 2. It’s also now out of waitlist mode and available in over 180 countries.

In the next few months, Google says it will enable image prompting through Lens. And over time, Bard will be able to use info from Maps, Docs, and your Gmail.

Also: Bard will integrate with Firefly (Adobe’s image creator), Spotify, Walmart, Uber, and ZipRecruiter. 👀

AI Google search

Google previewed more about how it plans to kill an entire global economy of content creators and eCommerce marketers, with AI search!

“Search Generative Experience” synthesizes search results and provides an instant detailed answer, so users don’t need to visit other sites.

When The Verge was shown a demo of this next-gen Google Search, they noted how the SGE results box took up their entire mobile screen.

Aside from capturing more user attention, Google’s big idea here is to use AI to make Search useful for personal or open-ended queries, not just fact-seeking questions.

For example, SGE might make Google better at answering questions like, “Based on next weekend’s weather, what should I do on Saturday night in Vancouver if I have no friends?”

Then, you can ask a follow-up question and it will remember your original search:

AI map view

Google’s new AI-powered Maps fuses “billions of Street View and aerial images” to create a kind of fly-over effect, where you can preview your journey as if a drone was filming it.

The visualization also integrates air quality information and weather. I actually like this one!

AI Docs and Gmail

Google’s AI-powered “Help Me Write” feature is rolling out across your Workspace apps.

Prompt email replies, essays, job ads, or basically any type of common document inside Docs, Gmail, and Sheets.

Duet AI is also a new Clippy-like widget, popping up to help you collaborate with AI as you work.

And finally, Gemini…

Right now, Google is training different versions of PaLM2 for specific uses – such as medical imaging and online security.

But at IO, they also officially confirmed the existence of a bigger, better, scarier, and more generally intelligent A(G)I model, which will be capable of activities that require “memory and planning.”

It’s called Gemini, and it will usher in the singularity and destroy all life as we currently know it.

Get more on this story:

Here’s a 16-min highlight video of the IO Keynote, from The Verge.

Also, this Google blog: 100 things we announced at I/O 2023.

Notable Tweets ✅

On the web3 wire

US exchanges list more than a dozen coins the SEC calls illegal 🪙
16 of the 76 cryptocurrencies defined as unregistered securities by the SEC since 2017 are still available for trading on at least one major crypto exchange.

Goldman Sachs, Microsoft & Deloitte team up to make a blockchain ⛓️
Canton Network will be a big blockchain designed at a “scale that is fitting for financial institutions.”

Blend has now processed more loan volume than all other NFT lenders combined 😮
Blur has once again leveraged a combination of minimal trading regulations and $BLUR incentives to dominate another area of DeFi.

As other NFT collections lose money, Pudgy Penguins gets some runway

This week, Pudgy Penguins raised $9 million in investments for its seed round.

The raise was at an undisclosed valuation.

That might not be Doodles or Yuga Labs money, but it’s a sign that Pudgy Penguins is now firmly in the Luca Netz era.

Netz took over the IP collection a year ago after the founding team was voted out by the community for allegedly draining treasury funds.

Under his leadership, Penguins has prioritized mainstream attention, with GIFs, soft toys, books, live events, and a focus on accessible content (less blockchain, more cute animals).

The funds, which came from 12 investors led by firm 1kx, will be used to “build the next great IP company.”

In other words, push Penguins further into consumer markets and distribute the benefits across the community.

It’s worth noting:

That Pudgy Penguins now describes itself as a “Web3 IP company and NFT collection.”

The fundraising round comes as the project trails its next big update, due to be revealed next week.

More licensed physical collectibles? Or an interactive online experience maybe?

More on this story:

Listen to a community Twitter Spaces about the fundraising round.

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