Lots has happened this past week in the tech world! With Harvard announcing free AI training, the United States discussing the possibility of banning TikTok once again, and more, there’s much to catch up on. So, let’s get started!
Harvard Announces Free AI Training
Harvard University announced on Thursday the release of a high-quality dataset comprising nearly 1 million public-domain books, designed for use in training large language models and other AI tools. Developed by Harvard’s newly established Institutional Data Initiative with funding from Microsoft and OpenAI, the dataset includes books originally scanned through the Google Books project that are no longer under copyright protection.
The dataset is approximately five times larger than the controversial Books3 dataset, which was used to train models such as Meta’s Llama. It spans a wide array of genres, eras, and languages, featuring works by Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Dante, as well as lesser-known resources like Czech mathematics textbooks and Welsh pocket dictionaries.
US TikTok Ban Being Discussed Again
Last Friday, a federal appeals court upheld a law that could lead to the app being banned nationwide as soon as next month. Even if President Joe Biden grants a 90-day extension, TikTok is under immense pressure to find a tech resolution quickly.
TikTok now faces three possible paths forward. First, the company could win an appeal, allowing it to move past this legal turmoil and eventually resume business as usual. Second, the app could face a ban in the United States next year. Lastly, a deep-pocketed buyer could step in to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations from ByteDance.
Startup Sublime Gaining Traction in the Market
The email security sector continues to attract significant investment as cybersecurity threats evolve.
Most recently, on Thursday, Sublime Security secured $60 million in funding. The company was co-founded by Josh Kamdjou, a former U.S. Defense Department cybersecurity expert and now its CEO. Kamdjou previously spent his career exposing vulnerabilities in corporate networks, demonstrating how attackers could bypass email security systems. His transition to creating solutions reflects his deep understanding of the field and a commitment to addressing the gaps he once exploited.
ChatGPT Outages for Thousands of Users
OpenAI’s services, including the widely used ChatGPT, Sora video tech generator, and its developer programming interface, were back online early Thursday after experiencing several hours of downtime.
ChatGPT has become a mainstream tool, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealing on December 4 that the platform now boasts 300 million active users weekly. This popularity was further underscored on Wednesday when Apple released updated software for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, featuring integrations with ChatGPT.
General Motors Stops Funding Cruise Operations
After investing over $10 billion into its robotaxi division, General Motors is abandoning its Cruise driverless ride-hailing service. On Tuesday, GM announced that it would cease funding Cruise’s robotaxi development and integrate the unit into its broader tech team.
GM CEO Mary Barra explained during a call that while Cruise was making progress toward a robotaxi business, the operational challenges of deploying a fleet were significant. As a result, GM will shift its focus to developing autonomous systems for personal vehicles instead.
