News from the AI & ML world

DeeperML - #agi

@Google DeepMind Blog //
Google DeepMind is intensifying its focus on AI governance and security as it ventures further into artificial general intelligence (AGI). The company is exploring AI monitors to regulate hyperintelligent AI models, splitting potential threats into four categories, with the creation of a "monitor" AI being one proposed solution. This proactive approach includes prioritizing technical safety, conducting thorough risk assessments, and fostering collaboration within the broader AI community to navigate the development of AGI responsibly.

DeepMind's reported clampdown on sharing research will stifle AI innovation, warns the CEO of Iris.ai, one of Europe’s leading startups in the space, Anita Schjøll Abildgaard. Concerns are rising within the AI community that DeepMind's new research restrictions threaten AI innovation. The CEO of Iris.ai, a Norwegian startup developing an AI-powered engine for science, warns the drawbacks will far outweigh the benefits. She fears DeepMind's restrictions will hinder technological advances.

Recommended read:
References :
  • Google DeepMind Blog: We’re exploring the frontiers of AGI, prioritizing technical safety, proactive risk assessment, and collaboration with the AI community.
  • The Next Web: Google DeepMind’s reported clampdown on sharing research will stifle AI innovation, warns the CEO of Iris.ai, one of Europe’s leading startups in the space.
  • www.techrepublic.com: DeepMind’s approach to AGI safety and security splits threats into four categories. One solution could be a “monitor†AI.
  • AI Alignment Forum: DeepMind: An Approach to Technical AGI Safety and Security

Ryan Daws@AI News //
OpenAI is set to release its first open-weight language model since 2019, marking a strategic shift for the company. This move comes amidst growing competition in the AI landscape, with rivals like DeepSeek and Meta already offering open-source alternatives. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, announced the upcoming model will feature reasoning capabilities and allow developers to run it on their own hardware, departing from OpenAI's traditional cloud-based approach.

This decision follows OpenAI securing a $40 billion funding round, although reports suggest a potential breakdown of $30 billion from SoftBank and $10 billion from Microsoft and venture capital funds. Despite the fresh funding, OpenAI also faces scrutiny over its training data. A recent study by the AI Disclosures Project suggests that OpenAI's GPT-4o model demonstrates "strong recognition" of copyrighted data, potentially accessed without consent. This raises ethical questions about the sources used to train OpenAI's large language models.

Recommended read:
References :
  • Fello AI: OpenAI Secures Historic $40 Billion Funding Round
  • AI News | VentureBeat: In a move that surprised the tech industry Monday, OpenAI said it has secured a monumental $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, catapulting its valuation to an unprecedented $300 billion -- making it the largest private equity investment on record.
  • InnovationAus.com: OpenAI has closed a significant $40 billion funding round, led by SoftBank Group, pushing its valuation to $300 billion.
  • Maginative: OpenAI Secures Record $40 Billion in Funding, Reaching $300 Billion Valuation
  • www.theguardian.com: OpenAI said it had raised $40bn in a funding round that valued the ChatGPT maker at $300bn – the biggest capital-raising session ever for a startup.
  • The Verge: OpenAI just raised another $40 billion round led by SoftBank
  • SiliconANGLE: OpenAI bags $40B in funding, increasing its post-money valuation to $300B. The bumper funding round was led by SoftBank Group Corp. and saw participation from existing backers of OpenAI, including Microsoft Corp., Coatue Management, Thrive Capital and Altimeter Capital.
  • techxplore.com: OpenAI says it raised $40 bn at valuation of $300 bn
  • THE DECODER: OpenAI nears completion of multi-billion dollar funding round
  • Kyle Wiggers ?: OpenAI raises $40B at $300B post-money valuation
  • THE DECODER: Softbank leads OpenAI's $40 billion funding round
  • Verdict: OpenAI has secured a $40 billion funding round, marking the biggest capital raising ever for a startup, with a $300 billion valuation. The deal is led by SoftBank and backed by leading investors.
  • Crunchbase News: OpenAI secured $40 billion in funding in a record-breaking round led by SoftBank, valuing the company at $300 billion.
  • bsky.app: OpenAI has raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. For context, Boeing has a $128 billion market cap, Disney has a $178 billion market cap, and Chevron has a $295 billion market cap. So, OpenAI has been valued at something like Boeing plus Disney, or just some $5 billion more than Chevron.
  • Pivot to AI: OpenAI signs its $40 billion deal with SoftBank! Or maybe $30 billion, probably
  • TechInformed: OpenAI has raised more than $40 billion in a fundraise with Japanese telco SoftBank and other investors, valuing the ChatGPT company at more than $300bn.… The post appeared first on .
  • www.techrepublic.com: OpenAI Secures $40B in Historic Funding Round — But There’s a $10B Catch
  • venturebeat.com: OpenAI to release open-source model as AI economics force strategic shift
  • CyberInsider: OpenSNP to Shut Down and Delete All User-Submitted DNA Data
  • techstrong.ai: OpenAI has secured up to $40 billion in a record new funding round led by SoftBank Group that would give the artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer a whopping $300 billion valuation as it ramps up AI research, infrastructure and tools.
  • SiliconANGLE: OpenAI to launch its first ‘open-weights’ model since 2019
  • AI News: Study claims OpenAI trains AI models on copyrighted data
  • www.techrepublic.com: Find out how to provide OpenAI with your input about its upcoming open language model, which Sam Altman stated will be a "reasoning" model like OpenAI o1.
  • Charlie Fink: OpenAI raises $40 billion, Runway’s $380 million raise and its stunning Gen-4 AI model, Anthropic warns AI may lie, plus vibe filmmaking with DeepMind.
  • thezvi.wordpress.com: Greetings from Costa Rica! The image fun continues. We Are Going to Need A Bigger Compute Budget Fun is being had by all, now that OpenAI has dropped its rule about not mimicking existing art styles.
  • Pivot to AI: OpenAI signs its $40 billion deal with SoftBank! Or maybe $30 billion, probably
  • THE DECODER: OpenAI plans GPT-5 release in "a few months," shifts strategy on reasoning models

Michael Nuñez@AI News | VentureBeat //
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has announced a significant strategic shift by planning to release its first open-weight AI model since 2019. This move comes amidst mounting economic pressures from competitors like DeepSeek and Meta, whose open-source models are increasingly gaining traction. CEO Sam Altman revealed the plans on X, stating that the new model will have reasoning capabilities and allow developers to run it on their own hardware, departing from OpenAI's cloud-based subscription model.

This decision marks a notable change for OpenAI, which has historically defended closed, proprietary models. The company is now looking to gather developer feedback to make the new model as useful as possible, planning events in San Francisco, Europe and Asia-Pacific. As models improve, startups and developers increasingly want more tunable latency, and want to use on-prem deplouments requiring full data control, according to OpenAI.

The shift comes alongside a monumental $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, which has catapulted OpenAI's valuation to $300 billion. SoftBank will initially invest $10 billion, with the remaining $30 billion contingent on OpenAI transitioning to a for-profit structure by the end of the year. This funding will help OpenAI continue building AI systems that drive scientific discovery, enable personalized education, enhance human creativity, and pave the way toward artificial general intelligence. The release of the open-weight model is expected to help OpenAI compete with the growing number of efficient open-source alternatives and counter the criticisms that have come from remaining a closed model.

Recommended read:
References :
  • Data Science at Home: Is DeepSeek the next big thing in AI? Can OpenAI keep up? And how do we truly understand these massive LLMs?
  • venturebeat.com: OpenAI to release open-source model as AI economics force strategic shift
  • WIRED: Sam Altman Says OpenAI Will Release an ‘Open Weight’ AI Model This Summer
  • Fello AI: OpenAI has closed a $40 billion funding round, boosting its valuation to $300 billion. The deal, led by SoftBank, is one of the largest capital infusions in the tech industry and marks a significant milestone for the company.
  • www.theguardian.com: OpenAI said it had raised $40bn in a funding round that valued the ChatGPT maker at $300bn.
  • SiliconANGLE: OpenAI to launch its first ‘open-weights’ model since 2019
  • techxplore.com: OpenAI says it raised $40 bn at valuation of $300 bn
  • SiliconANGLE: OpenAI bags $40B in funding, increasing its post-money valuation to $300B
  • techxplore.com: OpenAI says it raised $40 bn at valuation of $300 bn
  • www.tomsguide.com: OpenAI is planning on launching its first open-weight model in years
  • THE DECODER: OpenAI plans to release open-weight reasoning LLM without usage restrictions
  • www.it-daily.net: OpenAI raises 40 billion dollars from investors
  • bsky.app: OpenAI has raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. For context, Boeing has a $128 billion market cap, Disney has a $178 billion market cap, and Chevron has a $295 billion market cap. So, OpenAI has been valued at something like Boeing plus Disney, or just some $5 billion more than Chevron.
  • THE DECODER: SoftBank and OpenAI announced a major partnership on Monday that includes billions in annual spending and a new joint venture focused on the Japanese market.
  • The Tech Portal: OpenAI has closed a record-breaking $40 billion private funding round, marking the…
  • www.techrepublic.com: Developers Wanted: OpenAI Seeks Feedback About Open Model That Will Be Revealed ‘In the Coming Months’
  • bdtechtalks.com: Understanding OpenAI’s pivot to releasing open source models
  • techstrong.ai: OpenAI to Raise $40 Billion in Funding, Release Open-Weight Language Model
  • Charlie Fink: OpenAI Raises $40 Billion, Runway AI Video $380 Million, Amazon, Oracle, TikTok Suitors Await Decision
  • Charlie Fink: Runway’s Gen-4 release overshadows OpenAI’s image upgrade as Higgsfield, Udio, Prodia, and Pika debut powerful new AI tools for video, music, and image generation.

Ellie Ramirez-Camara@Data Phoenix //
References: RunPod Blog , Data Phoenix , eWEEK ...
The ARC Prize Foundation has launched ARC-AGI-2, a new AI benchmark designed to challenge current foundation models and track progress towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). Building on the original ARC benchmark, ARC-AGI-2 blocks brute force techniques and introduces new tasks intended for next-generation AI systems. The goal is to evaluate real progress toward AGI by requiring models to reason abstractly, generalize from few examples, and apply knowledge in new contexts, tasks that are simple for humans but difficult for machines.

The Foundation has also announced the ARC Prize 2025, a competition running from March 26 to November 3, with a grand prize of $700,000 for a solution achieving an 85% score on the ARC-AGI-2 benchmark's private evaluation dataset. Early testing results show that even OpenAI's top models experienced a significant performance drop, with o3 falling from 75% to approximately 4% on ARC-AGI-2. This highlights how the new benchmark significantly raises the bar for AI tests, measuring general fluid intelligence rather than memorized skills.

Recommended read:
References :
  • RunPod Blog: The race toward artificial general intelligence isn't just happening behind closed doors at trillion-dollar tech companies. It's also unfolding in the open—in research labs, Discord servers, GitHub repos, and competitions like the ARC Prize. This year, the ARC Prize Foundation is back with ARC-AGI-2
  • Data Phoenix: The ARC Prize Foundation has officially released the ARC-AGI-2 to challenge current foundation models and help track progress towards AGI. Additionally, the Foundation has opened the ARC Prize 2025, running from Mar 26 to Nov 3, with a $700K Grand Prize for an 85% scoring solution on the ARC-AGI-2.
  • THE DECODER: The new AI benchmark ARC-AGI-2 significantly raises the bar for AI tests. While humans can easily solve the tasks, even highly developed AI systems such as OpenAI o3 clearly fail. The article appeared first on .
  • eWEEK: The newest AI benchmark, ARC-AGI-2, builds on the first iteration by blocking brute force techniques and designing new tasks for next-gen AI systems. The post appeared first on .

Chris McKay@Maginative //
Google co-founder Sergey Brin is pushing the company's AI team to work 60-hour weeks in an effort to accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Brin believes that the intense competition in the AGI race, particularly from companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic, requires a "turbocharge" of Google's efforts. He emphasized that the increasing competition in the AGI race, particularly from companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic.

Brin's call for increased working hours and a return to the office comes as Google faces pressure to maintain its leadership position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. In an internal memo, he stated that 60 hours a week is the "sweet spot of productivity," urging engineers to dedicate more time to building AI models. This push highlights the growing importance of AGI within the tech industry and the pressure Google faces to stay ahead.

Recommended read:
References :
  • futurism.com: Google Cofounder Exhorts Employees to Work 60-Hour Weeks to Create AI Designed to Replace Them
  • PCMag Middle East ai: Google Co-Founder Says 60-Hour Weeks Needed to Achieve AGI
  • bsky.app: " “I recommend being in the office at least every weekday…60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity†â€� - Sergey Brin Quite the vibe shift from tech employees asking about four-day workweeks. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/technology/google-sergey-brin-return-to-office.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0U4.A8Eb.6hfgL-MPLsba∣=url-share&utm_source=tldrnewsletter
  • TechCrunch: Google co-founder Sergey Brin sent a memo to employees this week urging them to return to the office “at least every weekdayâ€� in order to help the company win the AGI race, The New York Times reports. Brin told employees that working 60 hours a week is a “sweet spotâ€� for productivity. While Brin’s …
  • bsky.app: Sergey Brin nudging staff: highlighted the need for Google’s employees to use more of its A.I. for coding, saying the A.I.’s improving itself would lead to A.G.I.
  • www.computerworld.com: Google co-founder: Be in the office every weekday, work 60 hours a week
  • NEW SAVANNA: Google executive Sergey Brin made it clear that he wants his peons to focus even harder on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) — the point where AI is said to become "superintelligent."
  • Tekedia: Google co-founder Sergey Brin has made a rare public move, asking engineers at the tech giant to return to the office five days a week to help improve AI models that could ultimately replicate their own jobs.
  • Pivot to AI: Twenty years ago, Google was the hottest company with the smartest people. In 2025, Google is making the products it still has actively worse with AI. Fortunately, co-founder Sergey Brin has the answer: work harder, you slackers. Be in the office “at least every weekday.â€� Remember: “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of […]
  • www.windowscentral.com: Google co-founder Sergey Brin calls for the end of remote work, urging engineers to pick up 60-hour weeks building AI models that may render them jobless.
  • AIwire: The emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT ignited an AI race in late 2022, with tech giants scrambling to keep pace. Microsoft doubled down on its AI ambitions, Meta pushed its open-source approach, and Google has fought to reclaim its dominance. Now, Google appears ready to push the envelope even further.  In an internal memo first reported by The New York Times, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said that for the tech giant to be a leader in the artificial general intelligence (AGI) industry, the company's employees need to work harder.
  • AI & Machine Learning: Use Gemini 2.0 to speed up document extraction and lower costs
  • Maginative: Google Introduces “AI Modeâ€� in Search, Expanding AI Overviews with Gemini 2.0
  • techstrong.ai: Google’s New AI Mode Gives Search a New Look Amid Stiff Competition

@oodaloop.com //
References: oodaloop.com , ReadWrite , eWEEK ...
Alibaba's CEO, Eddie Wu, has announced that the company's primary objective is now the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). This strategic shift was communicated to investors during an earnings call where Wu emphasized that Alibaba aims to develop models that "extend the boundaries of intelligence." The decision highlights the increasing influence of AI within the technology sector, particularly in the context of Alibaba's traditional e-commerce business, which includes services like AliExpress and Taobao.

This focus on AGI, a type of AI that matches or surpasses human cognitive capabilities, signifies Alibaba's commitment to innovation in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Wu believes that if AGI is achieved, the AI industry could potentially become the world's largest. The company has already been active in AI development with its Qwen large language models, with the latest version unveiled in January. Alibaba's revenue has seen an 8% year-over-year increase, marking progress in its AI-driven strategies.

Recommended read:
References :
  • oodaloop.com: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s chief executive officer said the pursuit of artificial general intelligence is now the company’s “primary objective.â€�
  • ReadWrite: The CEO of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba is reported to have told investors that the “primary objectiveâ€� and focus…
  • www.eweek.com: Alibaba CEO’s focus on theoretical technology comes after a good few years for the e-commerce giant and Qwen maker.
  • eWEEK: Alibaba Commits to AGI, Making AI “The World’s Largest Industryâ€�
  • OODAloop: Alibaba CEO Wu Says AGI Is Now Company’s ‘Primary Objective’
  • readwrite.com: The CEO of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba is reported to have told investors that the “primary objectiveâ€� and focus…

@www.artificialintelligence-news.com //
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup focused on artificial general intelligence (AGI), has announced plans to open-source five repositories next week. This move, according to the company, is a commitment to transparency and community-driven innovation. The repositories are said to include the fundamental building blocks of DeepSeek’s online service. The company believes that by sharing its tools, it can contribute to broader AI research, fostering collaboration and accelerating progress in the field.

This announcement comes amid growing scrutiny and controversy surrounding DeepSeek. The company has faced allegations of data misuse and geopolitical entanglements, drawing comparisons to the challenges faced by TikTok. US lawmakers are reportedly pushing for a ban on DeepSeek due to concerns about data transfers to a banned state-owned company, and Microsoft and OpenAI have launched a probe into a potential system breach allegedly linked to DeepSeek. Despite these challenges, DeepSeek's commitment to open-source technology is viewed by some as a strategic move to address criticism and demonstrate its intentions.

Recommended read:
References :
  • www.artificialintelligence-news.com: DeepSeek to open-source AGI research amid privacy concerns
  • AI News: DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup aiming for artificial general intelligence (AGI), announced plans to open-source five repositories starting next week as part of its commitment to transparency and community-driven innovation.
  • composio.dev: Grok 3 vs. Deepseek r1

Carl Franzen@AI News | VentureBeat //
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has recently shared his predictions about the advancements expected in the field of AI, specifically regarding GPT-5 and the next two years of AI development. During a panel discussion, Altman stated that the progress from February 2025 to February 2027 will be even more impressive than the advancements of the last two years. He expressed strong confidence in AI's potential to accelerate scientific discovery, predicting AI systems will compress 10 years of scientific progress into a single year, potentially leading to breakthroughs in climate change and disease treatment.

Altman also made a point of explicitly referencing GPT-5 and its capabilities. Altman posted on X that OpenAI is working toward a "magic unified intelligence," a single reasoning engine, rather than multiple AI models. No more choosing between GPT-4, GPT-4o, o3-mini, or any other variant. One model to rule them all. In a recent blog post, Altman outlined three observations about the economics of AI, and warned that AI could lead to economic inequality. He suggested exploring ideas like giving everyone a 'compute budget' to use AI or relentlessly driving down the cost of intelligence.

Recommended read:
References :

@lemonde.fr //
References: www.lemonde.fr
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently highlighted the economics of artificial intelligence, particularly Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), emphasizing its potential to benefit all of humanity. He noted the correlation between a model's intelligence and the resources invested in it. This includes training compute, data, and inference compute, observing that continuous gains can be achieved with increased spending in these areas, following predictable scaling laws.

Altman also pointed out the rapid cost reduction in using AI, estimating a 10x decrease every 12 months. This price drop leads to increased adoption. He emphasized the super-exponential socioeconomic value derived from linearly increasing AI intelligence. Altman acknowledges AI might increase inequality. He is advocating for solutions like providing a "compute budget" to everyone, and relentlessly driving down the cost of intelligence.

Recommended read:
References :
  • www.lemonde.fr: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI: 'On AI, France has created a playbook that other European nations should follow'

Alex Kantrowitz@Big Technology //
References: Techmeme , Big Technology , Techmeme ...
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has stated that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is likely still 3-5 years away. In a recent interview, Hassabis discussed the progress in AI and noted that while current models are capable, they still lack several attributes for AGI. These include robust reasoning, hierarchical planning, and long-term memory. He also highlighted the need for consistent performance across all cognitive tasks, pointing out that current systems are inconsistent, strong in some areas but weak in others. A key benchmark he identified for AGI was the ability to generate its own hypotheses and conjectures about science.

Google is actively exploring various applications of AI. One area of focus is integrating Google's AI assistants into smart glasses, and the company has also been making advancements with its Gemini AI model. The recently launched Samsung Galaxy S25 now supports the multimodal Gemini Nano AI, which powers image descriptions in its TalkBack accessibility app. This marks the first time a non-Google app is using this AI model. Google also continues to invest in other AI companies, recently adding another $1 billion to Anthropic, bringing its total investment to $3 billion.

Recommended read:
References :
  • Techmeme: An interview with Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on why he doesn't believe we will have AGI in 2025, putting Google's assistants in smart glasses, and more (Alex Kantrowitz/Big Technology)
  • Big Technology: An interview with Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on why he doesn't believe we will have AGI in 2025
  • www.techmeme.com: Q&A with the Google AI head and Nobel laureate on the state of artificial intelligence today, and where it's heading.
  • Techmeme: An interview with Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on why he doesn't believe we will have AGI in 2025, putting Google's assistants in smart glasses, and more

Brian Wang@NextBigFuture.com //
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has adjusted his expectations for the timeline of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). In his 2025 essay "Reflections," Altman suggests that AI takeoff, the point at which AI systems rapidly improve and potentially achieve AGI, is more likely to occur within a few years, rather than months or a decade. This indicates a shift from his earlier perspective, expressing increased confidence in the potential for rapid advancements in AI technology.

He also attempted to lower expectations of OpenAI's next moves. This comes amidst much vague AI hype, where he noted on Twitter that the hype is out of control. There are many unknowns and many things that are still not understood.

Recommended read:
References :
  • e-Discovery Team: Sam Altman’s 2024 Year End Essay: REFLECTIONS
  • the-decoder.com: OpenAI CEO Altman tells followers to "chill and cut expectations 100x" amid AGI hype
  • NextBigFuture.com: Sam Altman Says AI Takeoff in Small Number of Years Not Months or a Decade