📢 Sponsor | 🐦 Twitter | 📸 Instagram | 📰 Past Editions 

Howdy! You're reading Big Brain, your one-stop shop for all the coolest, under-the-radar happenings in the ever-evolving AI landscape.

Here’s what we’ve got for you this Friday…

Today's AI spotlights:

• Wall Street is bullish on AI 🐂

• Baidu bets big and invests $145 million in AI fund 🤑

• Character.ai gives ChatGPT app a run for its money 📈

 🐂 WALL STREET IS BULLISH ON AI

Wall Street's smitten with AI and JPMorgan's head over heels, scooping up AI roles like they're half-priced Ben & Jerry's.

In fact, they've advertised for a whopping 3,651 AI-related roles from February through April. That's double the effort of their nearest rivals.

And these companies aren’t just stopping at recruiting, they’re also using AI to “upgrade” their current employees. Klarna Bank AB, is even going as far as to purchase a ChatGPT-4 account for every employee.

But here's the plot twist. Along with the dreamy perks, AI's got its flaws. Think regulatory nightmares and operational costs that would make a Wall Street fat cat wince.

Using large language models for complex finance documents can cost up to $14 per query, versus $6 via a human lawyer. Ouch.

Despite the potential road bumps, the AI race is on. JPMorgan's leading the pack, but only time will tell who'll really cash in on this tech bonanza.

📰 Read the full article here

🤑 BAIDU BETS BIG AND INVESTS $145M IN AI FUND

Baidu is throwing down a cool $145 million for its AI fund.

For those who aren't familiar, "the Google of China" has been in the AI game for several years now, with a special focus on autonomous driving.

It's all part of China's plan to play catch-up in the AI self-reliance race, and shrug off the U.S. tech co-dependency. In other words, they're not just going for participation points...they've set their sights on OpenAI's GPT crown.

And here's the kicker: this isn't a basement startup. Baidu, a tech behemoth, flexed its ChatGPT equivalent in March, and now they're hungry for more.

CEO Robin Li, making waves at a JPMorgan summit, announced they're backing generative AI companies.

With an investment cap of around $1.4 million per project, it’s clear they’re hunting for early-stage AI prospects. And why not? Chinese AI startups haven't hit the mainstream yet, and seed stage investments are rife.

But it's not just about startups. The fund aims to boost Baidu's language model, Ernie Bot.

With China’s knack for spawning novel business models, Li predicts an AI renaissance led by Chinese companies.

📰 Read the Full Article Here

📈 CHARACTER.AI GIVES CHATGPT APP A RUN FOR ITS MONEY

And we thought ChatGPT's iOS app download count was impressive...

Meet Character.AI, a rising star in the world of AI apps. In its first week, the a16z-backed startup saw over 1.7 million installs.

For comparison, OpenAI’s app reached half a million downloads in six days.

So what does Character.AI even do? The app offers unique AI companions that users can customize.

There's a lot of support for applications like this, given that it garnered a $150 million in Series A funding along with a billion-dollar valuation.

The startup was founded by AI veterans Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who previously led a Google team responsible for LaMDA. They left Google to pursue a more public-focused approach to AI chatbot technology.

Since its global launch, Character.AI outpaced major entertainment apps on Google Play. The startup owes its success to popularity in markets like Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, and the U.S.

Curious of what's behind the download count? Well, over 10 million custom AI characters have been created so far. Doesn't sound too shabby to us.

📰 Read the Full Article Here

📰 OTHER HEADLINES & STORIES

• The Elephants in the Room at Computex

• While Parents Worry, Teens are Bullying Snapchat AI

• Will Google’s AI Plans Destroy the Media?

• C3.ai Stock Plummets After Forecast Disappoints

🛠️ AWESOME AI TOOLS

• Speechki ChatGPT Plugin: Transform any generated texts into audio right in ChatGPT

• Rep AI: Convert more traffic, sell more stuff, and support customers

• Folio: All-in-one product demo tool for diverse teams

• Table Backend: A backend for your simple projects

💼AI JOBS

• Research Analyst for Brandwatch

• Generative AI Research Manager for Runway

• Researcher for Artificial Neural Computing

• AI Software Engineer Intern for The Cigna Group

🖼️ AI ART PIECE

Watchful Sentinels — u/WizKidWord

🤖 CHATGPT PROMPT OF THE DAY

A little early 2000s throwback for you all