Category: Young Turks

ChatGPT Turns One: A recap of breakthroughs, backlash, and billion-dollar bets

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

A year ago, on November 30, 2022, OpenAI introduced generative AI, heralded as the greatest technological leap of our times. ChatGPT, a marvel in machine intelligence, swiftly captivated the world, achieving 100 million monthly users within two months of its launch.

Big tech swiftly recognised the signs, and Microsoft boldly made its third and largest investment in OpenAI, pledging a staggering $10 billion, along with more to dare Google.

But not everyone was on board. An open letter, endorsed by Elon Musk and over 30,000 others, urged a halt on training AI systems surpassing GPT-4 for a minimum of six months, advocating a thorough assessment of risks and challenges.

As predicted in the letter, layoffs began and the global workforce stared at the danger of being replaced with AI—even Hollywood went up in protest.

It was clear that governments needed to build guardrails as the technology was too powerful to be left in the hands of corporations. Testifying before the Senate, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman agreed.

The message resonated, prompting the U.S. Senate to summon big tech leaders to talk policy. Meanwhile, Amazon entered the fray, placing a $4 billion bet on OpenAI competitor, Anthropic.

Read Here | View | One year of ChatGPT: The Hits, the misses, and the future

In the intensifying AI race, establishing a responsible framework gained prominence at the AI Safety Summit in Britain. The Bletchley Declaration, signed by over 25 countries, including India, the U.S., E.U., and China, marked a pivotal step forward.

A year since the launch of ChatGPT, regulatory uncertainty remains, but, OpenAI and other frontier AI labs suggest that what we’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

Since its launch last year, ChatGPT-like models have globally transformed the AI landscape. So while India ranks first in AI skill penetration, and boasts of a fifth of the world’s AI talent, as per NASSCOM, the country saw just about $3 billion flow into AI startups in 2022 compared to the US where a whopping $47 billion went into newly formed artificial intelligence firms.

To discuss how far we have come, and what our priorities need to be going forward, CNBC-TV18 spoke to Umakant Soni, Chairman at AIFoundry and Co-founder of AI and Robotics Technology Park; Dhrupal Shah, Co-Founder of STEMpedia and Anuruddh Mishra, Founder of August AI.

For full interview, watch accompanying video

Also Read | OpenAI pauses ChatGPT Plus sign-ups amidst soaring demand

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

OpenAI saga raises need for improved communication and disclosures, say experts

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The abrupt ouster of Sam Altman as the CEO of OpenAI on November 17 set off a series of events that have culminated in the return of Altman to the corner office at the company he founded and with a newly curated board of his choosing.

Sam Altman was ready to join Microsoft with co-founder Greg Brockman and most employees from OpenAI, which has left lawmakers wondering if they can rely on visionary leaders and influential companies to keep us safe without regulation.

Altman may have reclaimed his throne at the frontier of the AI world, while the whirlwind saga that played out on social media lasted five days has certainly left us with questions of governance at both the management and board level. The turmoil at OpenAI has also raised questions about complex corporate structures.

This has also cast a spotlight on the dynamics of founder power, the role of investors, and the significance of employees as equal stakeholders in the quest to build businesses of the future.

Read Here | Amid Sam Altman’s dramatic ouster and return to OpenAI, Robin Sharma lists the biggest mistakes leaders make

Dev Khare, Partner at Lightspeed, emphasised the key lessons emerging from this episode, citing the need for discussions on balancing innovation and safety in the AI sector

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Khare said, “The main lessons that we are drawing from this is—there are discussions to be had about innovation in the AI world versus safety. I think there are discussions to be had on corporate governance and structures, government regulation, and finally, the role of open-source models versus proprietary models. I think these are four areas that sort of got highlighted in these last few days.”

Sanjay Nath, co-founder of Blume Ventures, pointed out that the recent situation at OpenAI highlighted the relationship between the board, founders, and tech talent.

Nath said, “If you look at this dynamic between, let us say, the board and founders and the tech talent, it’s only come to the fore more because it is Sam. The fact that the stakes are so high and the employees were, let us say, loyal to Sam in this case was perhaps not seen in this chess move. So I think, like Dev rightly said, the lesson to draw is that when you make these decisions, it’s complex with many moving parts; there are conflicts and disclosures, so all this has to come to the fore and clear communication is needed. It’s a very important dynamic, but this will bring to the fore, even more importantly, the communication and disclosures that will be wanted in many future cases.”

Watch the accompanying video for more

Also Read | Sam Altman is back at OpenAI, but questions remain as to why he was fired in first place

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

D2C brands work well with a hero product and omnichannel route, say experts

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Every decade, a fresh protagonist emerges in the Indian consumer narrative. In the 1990s, it was foreign brands; then came the 2000s with the rise of supermarkets. The previous decade witnessed the dominance of large e-commerce marketplaces, and now, in the post-pandemic era, the spotlight shines on direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.

These new-age trendsetters have transformed the online shopping experience in India, tailoring choices for the country’s massive online consumer base of 200 million people, the third-largest in the world after China and the United States.

Amidst the pandemic surge, these online-first brands have reshaped fashion preferences, beauty regimens, skincare routines, and even snacking habits. In a relatively short span, India has witnessed the rapid ascent of more than 800 D2C brands, amassing a combined revenue of approximately $12 billion. This figure is projected to quintuple over the next five years, reaching a staggering $60 billion in market size, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

As market expansion often involves venturing into uncharted territories, the D2C trend in India is no exception. From home solutions to pet care, from smart sleep products to community-driven brands, and from plant-based foods to sustainable living options, India’s D2C e-commerce narrative continues to conquer new horizons, captivating the imagination of consumers.

To unravel the growth story of India’s D2C market, CNBC-TV18 spoke to Sukhleen Aneja, CEO of Good Brands (Good Glamm Group); Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-Founder of Wakefit; and Shashank Sinha, CEO of Drools Pet Food.

Watch accompanying video for entire discussion.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

G20’s Startup20 a game changer, industry experts weigh in

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

In a first under India’s Presidency G20 welcomed its newest engagement group called Startup-20. Catalysts of innovation-driven growth, job creation and economic recovery, the G20 startup ecosystem was given its own table.

Home to over 850,000 startups and more than 1,500 unicorns combined the G20 nations form the world’s new economy powerhouse. But, the proverbial “valley of death” with high chance of mortality rate remains a reality for startups and the ongoing funding winter is a fine example of how young companies need support to survive tough economic conditions.

And so, unlocking startup finance emerged as a key priority and the New Delhi Declaration has set an audacious target of raising G20’s investment in the global startup ecosystem to one trillion dollars by 2030.

The Startup-20 Comminuque—crafted by India with representatives of other G20 nations—clearly states there is “very little” harmonization in terms of policy framework, regulatory legacy and market maturity within the group.

Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Peak XV Partners said, “What this will hopefully do is create sort of a much higher level of awareness, appreciation and also commitment from every government in the G20 in each of the G20 Nations, to focus on startups. India is the third largest startup ecosystem, as we know, and actually government has been very focused on startups over the last seven, or eight years but that is not the case with most of the G20 countries.

Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM said, “The key thing we wanted to do as a group was ensured that every single government realises that startups today are no better to have, but they are a must-have for countries from an economic development perspective. Because if you can change that narrative, and if you can make governments realize the importance of startups as its engines of economic growth, I am so glad that the leader’s deliberation actually called out they use those words I think that was key and I think that was achieved to a very large extent.”

Watch the video for more.

Also Read | Startup Bridge: India and Saudi Arabia seal $3.5 billion deal with 53 MoUs

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow