Nous Research has released NousCoder-14B, a new open-source AI model specialized for code generation and understanding. The 14-billion-parameter model is positioned as a strong alternative to proprietary models like Claude Code, offering developers a free and customizable tool. It was trained on a large, diverse dataset of code and natural language to enhance its programming …
Listen Labs, an AI startup specializing in automating customer interviews, has secured $69 million in a Series B funding round led by Accel. The capital injection follows a widely publicized hiring stunt where the company advertised a job opening on a large billboard in San Francisco, which generated significant media attention and a flood of …
Cloud infrastructure startup Railway has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Altimeter Capital, with participation from existing investors. The company aims to challenge major cloud providers like AWS by offering a platform specifically designed for building and deploying AI applications. Railway's service simplifies the process of provisioning and managing the …
The North Atlantic right whale population, one of the world's most endangered large whale species, is experiencing a notable increase in births, with 19 calves documented in the 2024 season. This represents the highest number since 2015 and offers a glimmer of hope for a species with fewer than 360 individuals remaining. However, scientists and …
The article reports on the rapid adoption of Moltbot, a new AI assistant, within Silicon Valley's tech community. It describes how the tool, which began as an internal productivity hack, has gone viral, with developers and executives using it for tasks ranging from code debugging to drafting emails. The piece examines the reasons behind its …
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the symbolic Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to a global catastrophe. This adjustment reflects heightened risks from the ongoing war in Ukraine, the increased danger of nuclear escalation, and the persistent threats of climate change and disruptive technologies. The …
A surge in electricity demand from data centers, particularly those powering artificial intelligence, is driving a significant expansion of natural gas power plants in the United States. This trend marks a reversal from recent years of declining fossil fuel reliance for electricity generation. Utilities and power producers are planning dozens of new gas plants to …
The article reports on a new AI startup, Logical Intelligence, which is pursuing an alternative approach to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Co-founded by individuals connected to Meta's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, the company is developing a system based on 'energy-based models' (EBMs). This contrasts with the dominant transformer architecture used by most large …
A recent study suggests that the perceived benefits of microdosing psychedelics for depression may be largely due to the placebo effect. The research found that participants who believed they were taking small amounts of substances like psilocybin reported similar improvements in mood and well-being as those who actually microdosed. Notably, the study also compared these …
This article from MIT Technology Review covers two main topics. First, it explores the Vitalism movement, a growing trend that merges technology with a focus on enhancing human health and longevity. The movement advocates for using data and technology to optimize personal well-being. Second, the article addresses a significant privacy concern in artificial intelligence: the …
