😳 Scarlett Johansson Calls Out OpenAI

‎ ‎

Hey Waivly Crew! 🌊 In today’s edition, Scarlett Johansson reacts as OpenAI pulls a controversial ChatGPT voice resembling her. Plus, Neuralink gets FDA approval for a second brain chip implant after issues with the first trial.

‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎

Here’s what’s on the horizon today:

• Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI copied 'Her' voice

• CyberArk to acquire Venafi for $1.54 billion

• FDA clears Neuralink test on second patient

• Microsoft debuts 'Copilot+' PCs with AI features

Let’s dive in!

STORIES MAKING A SPLASH

^_AI
Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI copied 'Her' voice

Scarlett Johansson has issued a statement after OpenAI pulled a controversial ChatGPT voice, 'Sky,' over claims it imitated her. 'Sky' was intended to allow ChatGPT to communicate via speech, one of several voice options. Criticism and mockery arose over its similarity to Johansson, even prompting a skit by her husband, Colin Jost, on Saturday Night Live.

Many believed the voice referenced Johansson’s role in the film Her, where she plays a virtual assistant. Johansson revealed she was approached by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in September to lend her voice to the system, aiming to bridge the gap between tech and creatives and make AI more comforting to consumers.

OpenAI has denied that 'Sky' was meant to mimic Johansson, stating the voice was created with independent casting directors and producers. They said the voices were selected from over 400 submissions from voice and screen actors.

^_TECH
CyberArk to acquire Venafi for $1.54 billion

CyberArk, a major Israeli security company, is acquiring machine identity specialist Venafi for $1.54 billion. The deal involves $1 billion in cash and $540 million in shares, with approval from both companies' shareholders. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2024.

Venafi, primarily owned by Thoma Bravo, was valued at $1.15 billion when Thoma Bravo bought its controlling stake in 2020. The current selling price reflects a moderate increase since then, confirming recent rumors of a deal between the two companies.

CyberArk’s acquisition of Venafi comes as security teams seek a holistic view of their threat landscape due to the rise of mobile tech, cloud services, and distributed work. This has led to a surge in computing endpoints and a growing market for identity security companies.

^{_{EDITION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH}}
Simple.AI. Learn how to grow with Artificial Intelligence

^_TECH
FDA clears Neuralink test on second patient

The FDA has given Elon Musk's startup Neuralink permission to implant its brain chip on a second patient, the Wall Street Journal reports. This comes after Neuralink encountered issues in its initial clinical trial, where some of the implant's threads retracted from the first trial participant's brain.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that the FDA and Neuralink were aware of this possibility based on previous animal testing. As a result, Neuralink will now embed the threads deeper into the brain, specifically eight millimeters inside the motor cortex, to address the problem.

The company aims to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows individuals with full-body paralysis to control external technology using their thoughts. The recent FDA approval allows Neuralink to proceed with further testing and modifications of their innovative brain chip technology.

^_AI
Microsoft debuts 'Copilot+' PCs with AI features

Microsoft is introducing a major push to integrate AI into laptops with its new "Copilot Plus PCs" branding, highlighting Windows laptops with built-in AI hardware and OS-wide AI features.

All major laptop partners, including Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Acer, and Asus, will offer Copilot Plus PCs, as announced by CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft will also launch two Surface models with this branding. Despite a push for Arm chips, Intel and AMD laptops will support these AI features too.

The laptops will feature a neural processor, enabling capabilities like "Recall," an AI-powered searchable memory. Running over 40 AI models on Windows 11, these laptops will support OpenAI’s GPT-4 model. According to Yusuf Mehdi, the Microsoft executive over Windows, these new laptops will be 58% faster than a MacBook Air with an M3 processor and offer all-day battery life.

VENTURE SPECIAL

^_VENTURE
StartKit.AI

StartKit.AI is a boilerplate designed to speed up the development of AI projects. It offers pre-built REST API routes for all common AI tasks: chat, images, long-form text, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, translations, and moderation.

^_VENTURE
BlogFox

BlogFox is an AI-powered blogging tool that simplifies the creation of high-quality, SEO-optimized content. Whether you have a YouTube video or a list of keywords, BlogFox can generate blog posts that sound like they were written by you.

EXCLUSIVE WAIVLY+ STORY

^_WAIVLY+
Members-Only Story of The Day

As a Waivly+ member, you can enjoy today’s exclusive story as well as a huge lineup of other exciting perks including:

• Members-only Web3, AI, and tech content, insights, and news

• A bonus weekly newsletter to recap on everything in the week

• Private Discord channels, first-looks on new projects, and more

Not a member yet? Join Waivly+ now by clicking here 🎊 Enjoy a 50% saving on your membership by joining today!

THE WAVES

^{_{OTHER NEWS}}
More Stories Surfing The Web

😬 OpenAI dissolves its existential AI risk team

🏢 UK AI Safety Institute to open San Francisco office

💸 ‎Google invests €1B in Finnish data centre to drive AI growth

📱 The Motorola Razr is doubling down on big cover screens

‎‏‏‎Discover more Waves in the Waivly Community. Click here to get onboard and join the community! 🌊

SAIL INTO A NEW CAREER

^{_{NEW JOB OPPORTUNITIES}}
Waivly Work Highlights

👩‍💻 Communications Manager LATAM at Worldcoin

👩‍💻 Content Writer and Strategies at iVisa

👩‍💻 German Content Curator at Duolingo

👩‍💻 Growth Ops Lead at WOO

BACK TO THE SHORE

^{_{THANKS FOR READING}}
That wraps up today’s newsletter

We hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter 🙌 Let us know what you thought of it by sharing your opinion on the poll below. Want to share feedback or suggestions? Respond to this email‏ - We read every reply! Make sure to follow us on X, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn for even more content throughout the day - We’re @Waivly everywhere!‎‎

*Waivly+ is the premium Waivly membership. Join at anytime by clicking “Subscribe” and cancel anytime by heading to your account on Waivly.

*simple.ai is an advertiser working with Waivly. The simple.ai section of this newsletter is an advertisement. 

*Want to advertise with Waivly? Click here to see our Advertisement packages.