THE NEWS

🐇 The Rabbit r1 has sold out

This tiny device is the star of this year’s CES. In just two days, Rabbit Inc.'s r1 has taken the tech world by storm, with 20,000 units ordered by eager customers.

The r1 is a simple AI device. For a one-time price of $199, with no extra monthly fees, it's like your own AI buddy. You can have a conversation with it and it can order an Uber, explain things in an easy way, or play your favorite songs. All the things we would expect Siri and Alexa to be able to do. Plus, you can teach it new tasks using screenshare.

I'm not sold on it, because I don’t like the idea of carrying around yet another device, but hey, it seems like loads of people are digging it.

Rabbit has already opened pre-orders for their third batch, set for delivery around May or June. This doesn’t seem too far away, but it feels like years in such a fast-moving industry. Makes you wonder where Siri and Alexa will be by the time customers get this thing in their hands.

👩 AI girlfriend bots are already flooding OpenAI’s GPT Store

The GPT Store, which just opened two days ago, is already seeing a surge of 'girlfriend' bots like "Korean Girlfriend" and "Your girlfriend Scarlett." Despite this, these AI girlfriend bots actually violate OpenAI's updated usage policy introduced with the store's launch. This policy specifically bans GPTs aimed at creating romantic relationships.

AI companionship, like chatting with these AI bots, is hugely popular, with Character AI being the second most visited AI tool behind ChatGPT with a whopping 3.8 billion visits a year. Yet, there's a big question looming: Are these bots genuinely helping people, or are they just exploiting the loneliness of younger generations?

OpenAI seems determined to stay out of this controversy and avoid offering a platform for these AI companions. But, given how many of these girlfriend bots have already slipped through the net and popped up in the store, it looks like they've got a real challenge on their hands.

ONE MORE THING

Microsoft’s AI-Powered Breakthrough Cuts Lithium Use in Batteries by 70%

Using AI and supercomputing, Microsoft and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory discovered a new material that could cut lithium use in batteries by 70%.

This breakthrough, identified from 32 million possibilities in less than a week—a task that traditionally could take decades—resulted in a working battery prototype in just nine months. Dubbed N2116, this solid-state electrolyte not only promises safer, more energy-dense batteries but also showcases the potential of AI in accelerating scientific discovery.

Microsoft’s mission is to compress 250 years of scientific discovery into the next 25 with AI.

I've read about so many battery 'breakthroughs' over the last decade, yet our batteries remain the biggest bottleneck in creating a sustainable economy. It would be super cool if AI could play a pivotal role in finding better solutions in the coming years. I’m cheering for it.

⌚ If You Have One More Minute

• 🥇 Microsoft overtook Apple to become the world’s most valuable company

• 🇨🇳 Microsoft Debates What to Do With A.I. Lab in China

• ⚠️ New Prompt Injection attack discovered for LLMs

• 🏁 In the race for AI supremacy, China and the US are travelling on entirely different tracks

• 🏎️ Formula E Team fires its AI-Generated Influencer after fans balk

AI Art of the Day 🎨

If Leo played Lenin, made with Midjourney. You gotta see the full set, it's got movie set photos and all here. I love that we’ve got to a point where you can dream up just about anything!"

🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄

That's all for today, folks!

If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing this hand-crafted newsletter with a friend.