In today’s newsletter:

• News - 📱🚨 Apple AI Says "Luigi Mangione Shoots Himself"?!

• Culture - 🥃🤖 AI Sniffs Out Whisky Origins Better Than Experts!

📱🚨 Apple AI Says "Luigi Mangione Shoots Himself"?!

Apple’s new generative AI feature, Apple Intelligence, is under fire after it misrepresented headlines from major news outlets, prompting the BBC and Reporters Without Borders to call for its removal. The AI, designed to summarise and group notifications, falsely claimed that BBC News reported Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself—when no such event occurred. This mishap, along with similar issues involving the New York Times, has sparked criticism about the immaturity of AI tools for producing reliable information. Experts warn that these mistakes harm media credibility and misinform the public, raising concerns about the risks of automating news summaries.

The BBC and others have urged Apple to address the issue, but the tech giant has remained silent. The controversial feature, available on newer iPhones, iPads, and Macs, aims to reduce notification clutter but has instead created misleading summaries for articles, emails, and messages. Critics argue that Apple must act responsibly to avoid spreading false information, with one expert describing AI as “probability machines” that shouldn’t gamble with facts. While users can report errors, it’s unclear how Apple is responding to these concerns, leaving questions about the feature’s reliability and future.

🗞️ In Other News…

• AI experts, including Demis Hassabis, warn of a potential slowdown in chatbot advancements as the industry faces "peak data," requiring new techniques like synthetic data to sustain progress.

• Arizona approved Unbound Academy's AI-driven charter school model, offering students just two hours of daily academic instruction through personalized learning software, replacing teachers with "guides" and focusing the rest of the day on life-skills workshops.

• The Biden administration is exploring making federal land available to help tech companies build clean energy-powered data centers to support AI development and maintain U.S. leadership in the sector.

• Apple is exploring partnerships with Chinese tech giants like Tencent, ByteDance, and Baidu to integrate AI features into iPhones sold in China, aiming to comply with local regulations and boost competitiveness in a key market.

• The Take It Down Act, bipartisan congressional bill, aims to combat the rise of AI-generated deepfake nudes, highlighting stories like Elliston Berry's to push for swift removal of non-consensual explicit content and greater accountability for tech platforms.

🥃🤖 AI Sniffs Out Whisky Origins Better Than Experts!

Artificial intelligence has taken a sip of whisky science, helping researchers predict the distinct aromas of different drams and pinpoint whether they’re from the US or Scotland. By analyzing the molecular makeup of 16 whiskies, including familiar names like Jack Daniel’s and Laphroaig, AI algorithms outperformed human experts in consistently identifying the five major aroma notes and the spirit’s origin, boasting over 90% accuracy. While not a replacement for the human nose, this tech offers a reliable, efficient tool for ensuring consistency across whisky batches, cutting down on the subjectivity of taste panels.

Beyond whisky, the AI’s potential is vast—it could sniff out counterfeit goods or even tackle odorous challenges in recycling plastics. The study highlights chemical markers like menthol and citronellol for caramel-like US whiskies and smoky scotch-defining compounds like methyl decanoate. However, questions remain about how well the AI will handle aging flavors or the many external factors that influence whisky perception. As one expert put it, this tech is a promising addition to the whisky world, but the environment where a dram is enjoyed may always be part of the flavor equation. Cheers to innovation!

VC Fundraising Rounds

• Perplexity AI Inc., an AI startup developing a search product to rival Google, has raised $500 million in funding, tripling its valuation to $9 billion. (12/18/24)

• SandboxAQ has raised over $300 million at a valuation exceeding $5.6 billion to advance its AI and quantum sensing technologies, focusing on specialized AI model development. (12/18/24)

• Nuitee, a technology solution provider founded in 2017, has raised $48 million in a Series A funding round to expand its travel and hotel connectivity technology solutions. (12/18/24)

• Databricks is securing an enormous $10 billion in additional funding, a move that will catapult its valuation to $62 billion. (12/17/24)

• Basis, a startup focused on creating AI software for accounting firms, has secured $34 million in early-stage funding. (12/17/24)

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