Prezent’s Weekly AI Round-Up: AI executive rivalries, new media deals and teething problems with Meta AI

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Welcome to our latest round-up of the latest AI-related stories from across the globe. If, like us, you’re obsessed with how AI is impacting our world, particularly in communications for the enterprise, it can be hard to keep up with all the reports. Prezent’s weekly summary collects the biggest headlines from news outlets worldwide to keep you informed and up to date with all the breaking stories. 

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This week, the New York Times put a spotlight on the highly interesting and intertwined history behind two of AI’s most powerful tech executives. Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman both hail from London. After meeting at school, the two prodigies went on to found DeepMind, a seminal A.I. research lab created in 2010. Today, their paths have diverged significantly, with Hassabis at Google and Suleyman at Microsoft, with two camps in a race to build the next dominant computing platform. 

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Meanwhile, Meta AI is under fire after flooding both Instagram and Facebook with unhelpful, random prompts to use newly integrated AI tools, highlighting the importance of making sure AI tools support, not disrupt, the user experience. Finally, the Financial Times just became the latest media outlet to forge a deal with OpenAI. The deal will enable ChatGPT users to pull data from its articles while attributing the appropriate FT source and pay for the use of these professional materials. Although not all media outlets are so welcoming of AI tools, such partnerships could provide a blueprint for a future that supports both human journalism and the benefits of AI. 

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To close this week, here’s a final summary of our top 5 AI headlines. 

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The five AI announcements we’re watching

1. Pitbull Ventures closes new fund to back AI-backed SAAS startups: 

Early-stage startup founders will be interested to know that Pitbull Ventures has closed a $5M fund, providing welcome access to a new source of capital after the long years of drought. The LA-based VC fund is particularly interested in connecting with pioneering founders of AI-enabled vertical SaaS startups that can demonstrate a product market fit. 

Pitbull Ventures was founded by serial entrepreneur and investor Brad Zions who includes names like Harri, VidMob, and Embrace in his startup portfolio. To date, the fund has backed 15 vertical SaaS early-stage startups.

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2. UK Government allocates £7 million funding for SMEs to drive AI innovation: 

Moving from private to public funding, AI innovation in the UK is to receive a boost from the government thanks to a new £7 million source. The funding pot was created to help UK-based SMEs with a desire to integrate AI solutions into their operational workflows. 

In this way, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) hopes to stimulate the creation of AI solutions that focus on real, current business challenges within high-growth industries.

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3. Enterprise generative AI platform Orq.ai secures €2.3M in Pre-Seed funding:

In Europe, one AI startup has hit the headlines due to the impressive amount of funding raised at the pre-seed stage. The powerful idea from Orq.ai announced that the team secured €2.3M to support the growth of an enterprise-grade generative AI platform. 

Formerly known as Orquesta.cloud, the Amsterdam-based startup is on a mission to create an AI solution that stimulates AI experimentation while also adhering to EU security and data protection standards.

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4. AI Startups offer digital clones for executives and teachers: 

There has also been an interesting rise in the number of startups aiming to develop digital twin technologies across the professional and educational sectors. These solutions promise to help busy executives and teachers save time thanks to digital versions. 

These sophisticated doubles aim to mimic the way users speak, look and write through audio and video generators to answer questions, take meetings and even pitch to investors.

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5. ASTRID by Prezent featured on Product Hunt: 

Finally, Prezent’s powerful AI suite, ASTRID, was featured on Product Hunt, one of the largest tech platforms in the US. ASTRID AI supports multidisciplinary business communication with its powerful ability to create empathy with audiences, craft nuanced story arcs with a unique formula and adjust for industry insights. ASTRID is poised to redefine how businesses communicate, ensuring messages aren't just delivered but are truly impactful, making it the present and future of business communication.

ASTRID was built around Prezent’s founding belief that ‘everyone deserves a fair chance to bring their ideas to life.’ In an effort to help customers bring their ideas to life with great business communication—Prezent defied the six elements that make business communication ‘great.’ Those elements are:

• Audience Empathy (Understanding the audience is the hero)
• Structured Storytelling (beginning-middle-end, that corp. teams can follow) 
• Training (active engagement to learn and master)
• Relevance to Context (applying the broader picture)
• Insights by Industry and Function (speak to experts with deep knowledge)
• Design that is on brand (staying true to your corp. identity + voice)

Prezent made it much easier, for beginners and experts alike, to integrate these principles in their presentation with a click of a button—by building an AI that implements all 6 principles for users. That AI is ASTRID.

ASTRID offers features like the Compliance Checker, Synthesis, and Redesign, ensuring the brand's consistency and compelling storytelling. But beyond quantifiable metrics, the platform fosters behavioral change and receives positive qualitative feedback.

Be sure to upvote ASTRID here.