Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gone mainstream, but implementing it is still a major challenge according to a new report by the government-funded National AI Centre (NAIC). The report, Australia’s AI Ecosystem Momentum report, spoke to more than 200 business decision-makers and AI service providers about how they were using the technology to grow their revenues… Read more »
A new study published in The Lancet by artificial intelligence ethicist Dr Stefan Harrer has argued for a strong and comprehensive ethical framework around the use, design, and governance of generative AI applications in healthcare and medicine, because it has the potential to go catastrophically wrong. The peer-reviewed study details how Large Language Models (LLMs) have… Read more »
Last week, I explained why, in my first few weeks working in deep-tech VC, I decided to scan the Australian AI ecosystem and talk to more than 50 founders building inspiring and impactful companies in the AI space. If you have not done so, have a read here. In today’s instalment, I will run through… Read more »
Most people are familiar with the deluge of artificial intelligence (AI) apps that seem designed to make us more efficient and creative. We’ve got apps that take text prompts and generate art, and the controversial ChatGPT, which raises serious questions about originality, misinformation and plagiarism. Despite these concerns, AI is becoming ever more pervasive and… Read more »
A healthcare startup that simulates real life patient conversations to help doctors and nurses communicate better has raised $1.5 million in Seed funding. The round in SimConverse was led by Folklore Ventures, with support from Artesian. SimConverse was founded by Aiden Roberts and Will Pamment after they met at uni, studying medicine. They has set out… Read more »
The five largest tech giants may be using ‘dark patterns’ to prevent consumers from adopting online services from competitors, the ACCC has warned as it solicits feedback on a new issues paper exploring the companies’ entrance into a diverse range of markets. Recent years have seen Amazon, Apple, Facebook parent company Meta, Microsoft, and Google… Read more »
In my first few months working in deep-tech venture capital, I found and spoke to more than 50 founders building ‘AI’ companies. From climate to workflow to healthcare to transports and logistics to aged care, I canvassed the AI startup space in Australia, meeting incredible founders and gaining useful insight about the Australian AI ecosystem.… Read more »
One day in mid-2013, four people, including two police officers and a social worker, arrived unannounced at the home of Chicago resident Robert McDaniel. McDaniel had only ever had minor run-ins with the law – street gambling, marijuana possession, nothing even remotely violent. But his visitors informed him that a computer program had determined that… Read more »
Last month, Microsoft integrated its Bing search engine with Open AI’s GPT-4 chatbot, a large language model designed to interact with users in a conversational manner. Users interacting with Bing have reported flashes of emotion, ranging from sadness and existential angst through to depression and malice. The chatbot has even revealed its name: Sydney. Such… Read more »
Generative AI is having a moment. ChatGPT and art generators such as DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney have proven their potential, and now millions are wracking their brains over how to get their outputs to look something like the vision in their head. This is the goal of prompt engineering: the skill of crafting… Read more »
Two tech startups, TalkVia AI and a2b Transformation have joined forces to tackle Australia’s job shortage with Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT)-powered digital workers for customer service roles. Queensland-based TalkVia AI streamlines customer service conversations using artificial intelligence and helps businesses engage with customers on a larger scale. Victorian tech co a2b Transformation provides businesses with… Read more »
Today, if you want to find a good moving company, you might ask your favourite search engine – Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo perhaps – for some advice. After wading past half a page of adverts, you get a load of links to articles on moving companies. You click on one of the links and finally… Read more »
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Within two months of its release, it reached 100 million active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application ever launched. Users are attracted to the tool’s advanced capabilities – and concerned by its potential to cause disruption in various sectors. A much less discussed implication is the privacy… Read more »
The generative AI industry will be worth about A$22 trillion by 2030, according to the CSIRO. These systems – of which ChatGPT is currently the best known – can write essays and code, generate music and artwork, and have entire conversations. But what happens when they’re turned to illegal uses? Last week, the streaming community… Read more »
Biotech startup 23Strands is planning to take genomics into mainstream healthcare through its cutting-edge research and innovations in bioinformatics, scientific literature analysis, and clinical insights based on whole genome sequencing (WGS). A human body contains around 3 billion pairs of genes. But the function of every gene is still not known. Genome sequencing links genes… Read more »
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Tassie carbon accounting startup banks $5.3 million Seed round 
Smart hotels get even smarter: 72 Byte to launch in Australia with AI expert backing 
Eucalyptus head of growth Matt Rossi departs to launch his own marketing startup, Oodle 
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