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Robots are replacing chefs in restaurants

Robots are replacing chefs in restaurants

January 02, 2025

Welcome! Here’s what you need to know about AI today:

👉 Chinese AI is getting very cheap

👉 Big tech companies believe AI is not dangerous

👉 Robots are replacing chefs in restaurants

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Read time: 4.7 minutes

ALIBABA
AI competition is getting intense in China

Source: Tech Wire Asia

What’s going on: Alibaba, Chinese multinational tech company, has made a big announcement by cutting the price of its visual reasoning AI model, Qwen-vl-max, by 85%. This price drop is part of an intense competition among tech companies in China to attract more users. Now, it costs only about $0.00041 for every thousand uses of the model. This is the third time this year that Alibaba has lowered its prices.

What does it mean: The AI market in China is extremely competitive. By lowering prices, Alibaba hopes to gain more customers and compete better against rivals. Many businesses are looking for affordable AI solutions, and this move makes it easier for them to access advanced technology.

More details:

Other companies like ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, and Baidu are also reducing their prices to stay competitive.
Over 90,000 businesses are already using Alibaba's AI models.
Chinese regulators have already approved a total of 252 generative AI services for public use.

AI POSITIVITY
Silicon Valley's shift: The rise of AI optimism over doom in 2024

Source: Qualcomm

What’s going on: In 2024, the conversation about the dangers of AI changed a lot. While many experts had warned that AI could lead to serious problems, like harming people or causing oppression, the tech industry focused more on the benefits of AI. This shift happened because companies wanted to make money and promote a positive view of AI instead of worrying about its risks. Important figures like Elon Musk and scientists had called for caution, but by 2024, the excitement around AI investments grew, and safety concerns seemed less important to many people.

What does it mean: The tech industry is prioritizing profit over safety and that is a bit scary. The debate over AI safety is crucial as it affects how we regulate technology that could impact our lives in many ways. But overall, more regulations and restrictions will eventually result in slower progress of AI and less profits, which is obviously unpleasant for big AI players like OpenAI and Microsoft.

More details:

In 2024, a California bill (SB 1047) aimed at regulating AI to prevent disasters was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Some supported it, but many in Silicon Valley argued against it, claiming it would hurt innovation.
In 2023, Elon Musk and over 1,000 technologists called for a pause on AI development due to its risks.
Marc Andreessen, one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, published an essay titled “Why AI will save the world” advocating for minimal regulation and rapid development of AI technologies.

💬 The rise of AI tools for generating online reviews has led to an increase in fake reviews across various industries, prompting concerns from public protection groups and legal actions from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

SandboxAQ, a Quantum AI startup led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, is seeking to raise funds that would elevate its valuation to $5 billion, building on its previous $500 million round in early 2023, as it aims to integrate quantum computing with AI across various industries.

👨‍🍳🤖 Robots are increasingly taking over kitchen roles in restaurants, with companies like Botinkit developing AI-driven chefs that can autonomously cook, clean, and follow recipes, potentially leading to a future where human involvement is significantly reduced and operational costs are lowered by up to 30%.

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