NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

Mark Zuckerberg Plans to Kill the Smartphone

At Meta Connect 2024, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled two significant advancements in AI and AR technology that ‘will likely replace smartphones one day.’

1. Enhanced Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Highlighted by Zuckerberg as “the perfect form factor for AI” interactions, these glasses are designed to integrate AI capabilities into daily life, with features like real-time translation and remote assistant integrations.

2. Orion AR Glasses with Neural Interface: These are a more advanced prototype that incorporates a neural interface via a wrist-worn device. This allows users to control the glasses using their brain's electrical activity.

   • Holographic AR: Orion offers holographic AR capabilities with a 70-degree field of view. The glasses use micro LED projectors and waveguides in the lenses to project visuals directly in front of the user's eyes.

   • Future Vision: Zuckerberg described Orion as a "time machine" into the future emphasizing its potential to revolutionize how we interact with technology.

   • Commitment: He didn’t change his company’s name from Facebook to Meta for nothing. The device is still in its prototype phase but demonstrates Meta's commitment to pushing the boundaries of AR technology (and yes, the much derided but still very relevant, in my opinion, metaverse).

Orion is expected to come sometime in 2027. Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available today at $299 for the base model. I’m super tempted to get one! I’ve literally run into people at conferences wearing them, and they look awesome.

Plus, I’m getting a bit tired lugging around my mobile phone everywhere. I agree it’s time for a more seamless digital interface. 😎

Sources: Verge, Skift

Novartis bets on AI in deal with Generate: Biomedicines

Big news in healthcare: AI-driven biotech startup Generate: Biomedicines and Novartis have entered into a collaboration to discover and develop protein therapeutics across multiple disease areas.

Here’s why I’ve been following Generate for a while: having raised approximately $700M in funding, it utilizes Generative AI to expedite drug discovery and to develop new proteins, potentially revolutionizing the development of novel therapies for diseases like cancer.

Its AI platform Chroma, for example, is trained on a vast dataset of known protein sequences and structures and uses diffusion models, a type of generative AI, to design novel proteins not found in nature.

It has partnerships with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on developing novel therapies for small-cell and non-small-cell lung cancer, and with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center on developing therapies for ovarian cancer.

Key features of the deal with Novartis

• The collaboration combines Generate's proprietary AI platforms with Novartis' expertise in target biology and clinical development.

• Generate's generative biology platform can be applied across various protein modalities, such as antibodies, enzymes, and gene therapies. Generate will be responsible for developing the molecule, which will then be transferred to Novartis for further research and development.

• With this partnership, Generate: Biomedicines could receive over $1 billion in performance-based milestone payments in addition to royalty payments.

Watch out for more increased collaboration between AI-powered biotech firms and traditional pharmaceutical companies. We are witnessing an industry shift towards "programmable biology," enabling faster, cheaper, and more precise drug discovery. I’m all for it.

WOMAN IN TECH

Meet Clara Chappaz, France’s First AI Minister

Celebrating this week's Woman in tech 🥳: Clara Chappaz, France’s first-ever Minister for AI & Digitalization.

The appointment underscores France's ambition to become a global leader in AI technology and aligns with President Emmanuel Macron's vision to transform Paris into the 'city of AI'.

Born in France, Chappaz, 35, got her Master's degree in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from ESSEC Business School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Prior to her appointment in Michel Barnier's new cabinet, she held key leadership positions, contributing significantly to France's tech landscape:

• Chief Business Officer at Vestiaire Collective (2019-2021): She contributed to the growth and expansion of the luxury second-hand clothing website.

• Director of La French Tech (2021-2024): She led the government-backed initiative to support the French startup ecosystem, focusing on enhancing tech growth. She signed up 700 startups and fostered a dynamic ecosystem that raised over €10 billion in 2021.

Fun fact: Chappaz grew up in a small village in Seine et Marne and traveled a lot with her parents, which influenced her desire to live abroad. She is proficient in French and English and knows a bit of Chinese, Japanese, and German.

Bottom line: Chappaz's appointment also highlights France's focus on ethical standards and inclusivity in AI, as evidenced by her work on diversity and anti-discrimination practices during her tenure at La French Tech.

Many congratulations to Chappaz on her new role. 😎 

Food for Thought

Would you trust AI to give you a massage?

AI is making its way into the world of wellness, offering fully automated, customizable massage experiences. Recently, a beauty writer tested Aescape, an AI-driven massage table, after a hectic Fashion Week.

The table scans your body, allows pressure control, and lets you immerse yourself in visual landscapes—all while you lie back in solitude.

Aescape focuses on recovery and offers precise control at your fingertips, all at a price of $60.

People often ask me how to think about the future of work in an AI world.

Here’s my recommendation: Be light on your feet when it comes to job specs. Be married to the value you bring, not the job you have. Keep an eye out for tasks that are going to be automated with AI, and pivot your job scope to one in which you add value with AI.

As CEO of Addo AI, a well-known AI and Data consulting firm, my team and I are constantly building solutions for clients that use AI to help them become more competitive.

And we also do the exact same thing ourselves: we use AI to help us make prototypes, generate content, do research and debate ideas!

Be a 21st century firm and a 21st century business leader!

Until next time! The future awaits.

Ayesha ♥️