Everybody Says “I Love You” reads the title of a 1996 Woody Allen comedy. Almost three decades later, everyone wants their own generative AI. OpenAI set the example with ChatGPT, launched last November.
Many followed her. In recent days The Information revealed how Google, which already relies on Bard, would have worked on Gemini in the summer months, a generative AI that would appear to be five times more powerful than GPT-4.
There is another giant in the tech sector that is not sitting idly by. Amazon has in fact invested in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup. What do we know about Andy Jassy’s company’s move?
Amazon investe in Anthropic
The news was published by the Financial Times on Monday 25 September: Amazon invests in Anthropic. And it is not a rumor, because the confirmation came from the two companies directly involved.
The agreement is very recent, and involves an initial investment by Amazon of 1.25 billion dollars. The total sum that the company will allocate will be 4 billion dollars.
Anthropic is a major artificial intelligence startup. Amazon’s objective is therefore clear: to rival Microsoft and Google in a relatively short time regarding generative artificial intelligence. And just as Microsoft struck a deal with OpenAI, so Amazon did with Anthropic.
The agreement involves Anthropic’s use of Amazon’s cloud computing platform. In addition to its chips, which are necessary for the development of large language models.
Anthropic
Anthropic, funded by Amazon for the development of generative AI, is an American artificial intelligence startup, recently valued at almost $5 billion. It is one of OpenAI’s main competitors.
And it is curious to note that as recently as last February, Google had invested $300 million in Anthropic. For its part, the startup had made it known that it would use Google’s cloud and chips. The Italian-American Dario Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic in 2021 together with his sister Daniela, insisted that “nothing has changed” with respect to the agreement with Google, because the relationship with Amazon will not be exclusive.
To date, Anthropic has developed the Claude chatbot, and Claude 2 is in full development.
The next virtual assistants
In all likelihood Amazon’s investment in Anthropic will help Andy Jassy’s company develop the virtual assistants of the future, much more ready, rapid and competent than the current ones. And which, in addition to providing detailed answers to users, will perhaps be able to anticipate requests and wishes.
On the other hand, Anthropic has raised several hundred million in funding this year and Dario Amodei is considered among the most experienced entrepreneurs in the world in the sector.
The new Alexa
In the meantime, In recent days, Amazon presented the latest version of Alexa, closely linked to artificial intelligence.
In fact, as far as the software is concerned, the latest large language model (LLM) has been implemented, which makes conversations with Alexa even more natural and intuitive.
For example, the assistant will be able to understand indirect commands (“Alexa, there is too much light here” will be considered as an invitation to lower the intensity of the smart light bulbs) and multiple commands (“Alexa, close all the shutters, turn off all the lights and start the vacuum cleaner.”)
Meta e Gen AI Personas
The world of generative artificial intelligence, still very young, is in constant turmoil.
Meta, according to a preview from the Wall Street Journal, will present Gen AI Personas at the Meta Connect event (which will open on Wednesday 27 September)the new AI chatbot that will have the task of entertaining young and very young people.
He will have a changeable personality, also inspired by pop culture personalities, and is partly modeled on the character of Bender in Futurama.
The most likely idea is that Gen AI Personas will be used to test the possibility of creating chatbots that interact in the image and likeness of influencers and personalities from the world of entertainment.