Top Data Science and AI News in 2023 So Far

2023 has already proven to be a wild year when it comes to artificial intelligence and AI-related news. Though some might have thought it would have been difficult to outdo 2022, 2023 has already proven to be another year of breakout AI news. Here are some highlights so far in 2023. Moving forward, due to the sheer amount of news coming out of the AI space, expect monthly recaps on the biggest stories so you don’t miss a beat. 

Microsoft & OpenAI’s Extended Partnership

Let’s start off with Microsoft and OpenAI’s announcement that they’re going to extend their partnership. This came as no surprise as in 2022, Microsoft made it quite clear that they were going to invest heavily into artificial intelligence to enhance new and existing product offerings. One such case is with their search engine, Bing. The announcement via Microsoft Blog details a deeper partnership between the tech giant and AI startup which will see Microsoft invest $10 billion dollars with a 49% stake.

Mircosoft Bing to be Enhanced by AI

On the topic of Microsoft’s search engine, another big piece of news is their announcement of AI-powered technology in their search engine Bing. As part of their partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, the duo is focusing on a new AI-enhanced version of the search engine. This is of no real surprise as the current juggernaut of internet search is by and far Google. So Microsoft is looking to add utility value in Bing to draw more users. So far, the launch of this new version of Bing will be sometime next month. 

New App Developed to Combat AI-Powered Plagiarism

Since the release of ChatGPT and its shocking level of use by the general public, the fear of AI-generated school work has grown quickly. So much so that a Princeton senior, Edward Tian, created a new app to assist educators in discovering AI-powred plagiarism. According to Tian, his motives are simply the idea of “fairness,” which overall makes sense. If students are just inputting a prompt, and delivering it as their original work, what was learned? Soon they’ll be released into the workforce with little grasp on the knowledge they went to school for which will in turn have some serious consequences in the labor market. 

ChatGPT to Become Available in Microsoft Tools

Continuing with the Microsoft/OpenAI-related news, last month the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, announced that ChatGPT will become available in Microsoft’s suite of products. Now imagine, an AI-powered Excel program that can help a user layout macros, and formulas, or even suggest visualizations to bring some data to life. Or even a version of Microsoft Word that puts Grammarly to shame. To make clear how far Microsoft is looking to invest in AI, Satya painted a clear picture with the following comment, “Every product of Microsoft will have some of the same AI capabilities to completely transform the product.”

AI Comes To The U.S. House of Representatives

In a first, AI-generated speech was used in the U.S. House of Representatives. This was done by U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss in a bid to bring attention to the rapid advancements in the technology, as well as its fast integration into just about every industry. The way it worked is that he used the following prompt on ChatGPT, “write 100 words to deliver on the floor of the House of Representatives.” Though he had to regenerate the response a few times, it shows that at least there are a few members of Congress who are showing concern that the law isn’t keeping up with AI.

Courts Revolt Against AI in Law

Less than a month after DoNotPay made headlines that they were going to use their AI program to assist in a defense of a traffic violation, multiple courts, officials, and associations have come out strongly against the use of AI in the courtroom. The threats were levied so hard, that the CEO of the startup behind the AI pivoted again from AI legal defense, at least for now, and is instead focusing on helping people dealing with medical experiences, issues with credit reporting, and more.

Open AI Releases AI Detection Tool to Curb ChatGPT Abuse

In a bid to ease tensions and fear from academia, OpenAI released its own plagiarism tool to help detect the use of ChatGPT. But there is a catch, the tool still requires an overview by a human user as it has been found to turn up false positives, which, if an accusation of cheating is used against an innocent student, could mean the end of their academic career. OpenAI is still working on the AI Detection Tool and is hoping that over time, data and feedback from educators can help them better understand AI and the role it can play in the future. 

ChatGPT Plus Announced With Subscription Plan

As expected by many, early this month, OpenAI announced an upgraded version of ChatGPT called ChatGPT Plus. Under the new plan, users who subscribe would get additional benefits such as “General access to ChatGPT, even during peak hours, Faster response times, and Priority access to new features and improvements.” So far, the new premium version of the chatbot is available in the United States with plans on rolling out internationally later this year. For those worried, ChatGPT will still remain free for users to enjoy. 

U.S. Justice Department Requested Tesla’s Automated Driving Documents.

The U.S. Justice Department, in a bid to investigate the potential dangers of AI, and its possible impact on society, requested that the electric vehicle pioneer provide documents about their automated driving programs, “Autopilot” & Full Self-Driving.” This all comes after the department has made clear its concerns about the risks associated with AI-driven automobiles. Tesla for its part is pushing back and will likely take the matter to the courts as they claimed that this action could have a “material adverse impact on its business.”

Google Launches Bid To Usurp ChatGPT with Bard

Not to be outdone, Google is looking to compete against OpenAI’s wildly popular ChatGPT with its own chatbot, Bard. Though not exactly like ChatGPT, the goals of Bard, as described by Google & Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai wrote, “Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models.” So far, Bard isn’t available for public use. Google is testing it with a select group of external users to ensure the program runs well. To be clear though, Google isn’t behind any other company. That’s because currently, the company has around 20 AI-powered projects in different stages of development. 

Startup Behind Stable Diffusion Has Launched a Generative AI for Video

To round out the month, let’s talk about Runway and its generative AI program for video. Known as co-creators of Stable Diffusion, Runway released a paper on their latest offering, Gen-1. It promises to be a new step in generative AI as it can create new videos from existing videos, with either a text prompt or a reference image. This is quite different than Meta’s Make-a-video or Google’s Phenaki. The goal of Gen-1 is very simple, empower video makers with artificial intelligence so that their creativity isn’t hindered by costs. Runway CEO & co-founder Cristóbal Valenzuela stated that this is a program being made with them in mind, “This is one of the first models to be developed really closely with a community of video makers.”

What’s next?

Wild right? 2023 is already showcasing itself as the year of AI. And with everything that is going on, you should subscribe to our newsletter so you can keep up on the latest news from the AI world. And when you do, check out ODSC East, coming in May. There you can see for yourself the latest advancements in AI by those who are pushing the envelope. See how AI will shape our future in Boston.