OpenAI has introduced a new flagship AI model and broadened the availability of its AI tools, previously exclusive to premium users. During its Spring Update event, the Microsoft-backed company announced the democratization of ChatGPT access, allowing free users to build their own GPTs, explore the GPT Store, and use ChatGPT’s vision and voice capabilities. These features are powered by GPT-4o, OpenAI’s most advanced and fastest model to date.
“This is the first time that we are really making a huge step forward when it comes to the ease of use,” said Mira Murti, OpenAI’s chief technology officer. “This is incredibly important because we're looking at the future of interaction between ourselves and the machines.” Murti hinted at future updates, suggesting more advancements are on the horizon.
At Google I/O 2024, Google announced significant updates to its Gemini AI model lineup. The current flagship, Gemini 1.5 Pro, is now available to all developers globally, expanding from its initial limited release. This model has received enhancements in translation, coding, and reasoning, based on user feedback.
Gemini 1.5 Pro supports 35 languages and is multimodal, capable of understanding images, text, and visuals. It boasts a context window of up to 1 million tokens, allowing it to process vast amounts of text. Google also revealed plans to extend this window to 2 million tokens, making it one of the largest in the industry.
The UK's most powerful supercomputer, Isambard-AI, has been launched in Bristol to support AI training and research. Developed at a cost of $272 million and powered by Nvidia and HPE hardware, the supercomputer can perform 647 petaflops per second. This capability will significantly enhance research possibilities, especially for the UK's AI Safety Institute.
“With the launch of the first stage of the University of Bristol’s supercomputer Isambard-AI, we're witnessing a groundbreaking moment for UK science, innovation, and technology,” said Viscount Camrose, the UK minister for AI. Researchers can start utilizing this supercomputer later this month.
California has initiated new partnerships with leading technology vendors to explore generative AI solutions for state challenges such as highway congestion and health care efficiency. The state has announced five partnerships, offering companies a symbolic $1 to test their AI solutions over six months in cloud-based sandbox environments.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will collaborate with Deloitte Consulting and Accenture to address traffic congestion by developing a system to analyze and manage traffic patterns more effectively. These projects aim to evaluate the viability of generative AI solutions with human oversight at every step.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are increasingly recognized as crucial tools for businesses, with potential economic impacts estimated at $13 trillion by 2030. CFOs are emerging as key users of AI, which can help bridge talent gaps and enhance the capabilities of finance teams.
By integrating AI, CFOs can improve data recognition, interpretation, and classification, driving more informed decision-making and strategic planning. Collaboration between technology and human expertise is essential for CFOs to maximize the benefits of AI and maintain their pivotal role in an AI-driven business environment.
