In today’s newsletter:

• News - 💡 Why Women Are Using AI Less

• Culture - 🌍 Using AI to Preserve Indigenous Culture

💡 Why Women Are Using AI Less

Women are adopting generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot at lower rates than men, with only 37% of women reporting use compared to 50% of men. This gap, driven by lower tech confidence and risk aversion, risks widening inequalities like the gender pay gap as AI reshapes industries and boosts productivity. Roles predominantly held by women, such as administrative jobs, are especially vulnerable to automation, making AI adoption crucial for career resilience.

Encouragingly, women’s use of generative AI tripled in 2024, outpacing men’s growth, according to Deloitte. With more training programs and workplace support, women in some countries are projected to overtake men in AI adoption by next year, unlocking new opportunities for career advancement and economic mobility.

🗞️ In Other News…

• Tesla's new Optimus hand features realistic tendons and improved dexterity, shown in a teleoperated demo as development progresses.

• Amazon unveils "Olympus," an AI model analyzing text, images, and videos to rival competitors.

• OpenAI seeks a trademark for its "o1" reasoning model, aiming to protect its IP and expand into AI systems designed for complex tasks.

• Elon Musk’s xAI plans to launch a consumer app for its Grok chatbot after a $5 billion funding round doubled its valuation to $50 billion.

• Apple has ordered M5 chips from TSMC, leveraging advanced 3nm and 3D chip-stacking technology for enhanced performance, with production set for late 2025 and new devices launching by 2026.

• Alibaba’s QwQ-32B-Preview challenges OpenAI’s o1, blending advanced reasoning with partial openness under China’s regulations.

🌍 Using AI to Preserve Indigenous Culture

Indigenous technologists are leveraging AI to preserve endangered languages and cultural heritage, addressing the rapid disappearance of Native languages—one dies every two weeks globally. Programs like First Languages AI Reality and Tech Natives train Indigenous students to create AI tools, such as speech recognition models and culturally relevant apps, ensuring that communities maintain ownership and ethical use of their data.

Beyond language, Indigenous creators are using AI to reconnect with their heritage. Projects range from virtual reality maps of ancestral lands to translating dream knowledge into traditional art forms. These initiatives aim to bridge technology with Indigenous traditions, fostering cultural revival while promoting ethical AI development.

VC Fundraising Rounds

• Radium, a company that augments GPT to tackle the complexity of precision medicine, has raised €16M in its seed round. (11/28/2024)

• FiVerity, dedicated to creating solutions for cyber fraud detection in financial institutions, has raised $8.5M in its funding round. (11/27/2024)

• Wherobots, a spacial intelligence cloud, has raised $21.5M in Series A funding. (11/26/2024)

• Sirona Medical, a company that develops software solutions for healthcare providers that support patient care and clinical workflows, has raised $42M in Series C funding. (11/26/2024)

• Cradle, a biotech company that uses prediction algorithms and AI design recommendations to assist biologists in designing proteins, has raised $73M in Series B funding. (11/26/2024)

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