Weekly AI Report: Summary of Advances and Insights

Elon Musk launches AI bot “Grok”

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence start-up xAI has introduced its first AI model, called Grok, a sassy chatbot closely integrated with X, formerly Twitter. Grok has "real-time access" to information from X, giving it an edge over other models that rely on older internet data. This chatbot has a love for sarcasm and humor, with the capability to answer spicy questions. It can be tested by X users and will be part of the Premium+ service, costing around $16 a month. The move comes as Musk seeks to boost engagement and revenue for X, following concerns about content moderation.

Musk's xAI has managed to release a capable model with just two months of training, challenging the lead established by OpenAI. However, experts warn that the chatbot could display biases and spread harmful or false information. Grok's capabilities are said to rival those of Meta and Inflection, and it can respond to mathematical queries and demonstrate reasoning. Still, it lags behind OpenAI's GPT-4 model, which has demonstrated "human-level performance."

In the competitive AI chatbot space, building one for business customers differs from creating a consumer-friendly chatbot, as enterprise customers prioritize safety, reliability, and performance.

Microsoft Introduces AI-Powered 365 Copilot for Enterprise Document Transformation

Microsoft's 365 Copilot AI assistant is now accessible for select enterprise clients at a monthly cost of $30 per user. However, businesses must commit to at least 300 users and contact Microsoft to gain access to this AI-powered assistant. Microsoft 365 Copilot aims to revolutionize document creation and editing within Office.

This premium service enables users to summarize documents, draft emails, create plans from notes, and enhance Excel analysis. Over 600 enterprise customers have tested the service during a paid early access program.

Microsoft hopes for wide adoption, despite the initial high cost. Forrester Research predicts that 6.9 million US knowledge workers will use Microsoft 365 Copilot by 2024.

While Microsoft 365 Copilot is officially available, it operates as more of a preorder event, requiring customers to contact their Microsoft account representative to purchase. The launch primarily targets Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 commercial subscribers, leaving Office 365 and some Microsoft 365 subscribers waiting.

Several parts of the Copilot experience are still in preview, with various features becoming available in the coming months. This represents a soft launch of Microsoft's ambitious AI-powered plans for transforming Office documents.

LinkedIn Introduces AI Job Coach for Premium Users

LinkedIn has introduced an AI career coach for its Premium users to aid them in their job search. This new AI integration helps job seekers assess job suitability, research companies, optimize their profiles for job applications, and get ready for interviews. The tool offers AI-generated insights alongside job listings and profile suggestions. It's currently in beta and accessible to a limited number of LinkedIn Premium members. In addition to the AI job coach, LinkedIn is also incorporating AI-powered tools that analyze users' feeds to provide actionable insights from content. This is part of LinkedIn's broader effort to integrate AI into its platform, which includes features like AI-generated chat for Premium users and AI-assisted search tools for recruiters.