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OpenAI’s ‘Operator’ agent is coming
PLUS: AI research agents design Covid-fighting proteins
Rowan Cheung
November 14, 2024
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Welcome, AI enthusiasts.
The next evolution of AI isn't just about conversation; it's about action — and OpenAI's upcoming ‘Operator’ agent is ready to take control of your real-world tasks.
But in a market quickly being flooded with similar tools, will OpenAI's agent be able to stand out above the crowd? Let’s get into it…
In today’s AI rundown:
OpenAI’s ‘Operator’ agent is coming
AI research agents design new COVID-fighting proteins
Transform product photos into ad campaigns
OpenAI presents U.S. AI roadmap
5 new AI tools & 5 new AI jobs
More AI & tech news
Read time: 4 minutes
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LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
OPENAI
Image source: Midjourney / The Rundown
The Rundown: OpenAI is planning to launch ‘Operator’ in January, a new AI tool that can actively complete tasks like booking flights or writing code on a user’s behalf, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
The details:
Operator will be capable of controlling a web browser to complete real, multi-step process tasks with minimal human oversight.
CEO Sam Altman said during a recent Reddit AMA that agentic capabilities will “feel like the next giant breakthrough” over simply improving models.
Operator joins a flurry of agent competition, with Anthropic (computer use), Microsoft (Copilot Agents), and Google (Jarvis) working on similar tools.
The tool is reportedly set for a January release as both a research preview and developer API.
Why it matters: Agents continue to be all the rage in AI and mark a shift from increasingly smarter chatbots to systems that can actually navigate the real world on our behalf. OpenAI’s agent execution will be interesting to watch — with so many similar offerings, what differentiator will make the tool stand out above the rest?
TOGETHER WITH EIGHT SLEEP
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AI RESEARCH
Image source: Stanford University
The Rundown: Stanford researchers just introduced the Virtual Lab, an AI research platform where specialized AI agents collaborate with human scientists to tackle complex scientific challenges — successfully designing and validating new nanobodies against recent COVID variants.
The details:
The system uses multiple AI agents with distinct specialties (immunologist, ML specialist, computational biologist) coordinated by an AI Principal Investigator.
The AI team members hold structured "meetings" to discuss and refine their work, requiring only light guidance from human scientists.
Over 90% of the AI-designed molecules were stable and worked as intended when produced in the lab.
Lab testing identified two promising candidates from 92 designed proteins that can attach to both new COVID variants and the original virus.
Why it matters: AI superteams are now tackling scientific research — and soon, we’ll all be having check-ins with an expert panel of our subject of choice. As AI reaches Ph.D.-level intelligence and beyond, the thought of what can be accomplished by groups of genius agents with an endless array of specialties is staggering to consider.
AI TRAINING
The Rundown: Ideogram lets you turn product photos into custom-sized marketing assets with legible text.
Step-by-step:
Upload your product photo to Ideogram Canvas.
Use "Extend" to adjust the image to your desired marketing format.
Select "Magic Fill" and choose your preferred selection tool (brush, lasso, or rectangle).
Add AI-generated text effects and export your marketing-ready asset.
Pro tip: Create templates by saving your favorite aspect ratios and styles for consistent branding across all your product marketing materials.
PRESENTED BY SECTION
The Rundown: Join Section and Mark Daley, Chief AI Officer of Western University, to explore how AI is impacting universities — from classroom teaching to university governance.
Join Section’s free event on Dec. 3 for insights into:
How AI will change the landscape of teaching and learning
Ensuring responsible AI usage within educational institutions
Addressing the risks of becoming reliant on AI in academia
OPENAI
Image source: Midjourney / The Rundown
The Rundown: OpenAI just presented a comprehensive blueprint for American AI infrastructure and international cooperation, proposing sweeping changes to power, regulations, and partnerships to compete with China's growing AI capabilities.
The details:
The plan calls for creating special ‘AI Economic Zones’ where states can fast-track permits and approvals for AI infrastructure projects.
OpenAI envisions a "North American AI Alliance" that could eventually expand to include other democratic allies globally.
The blueprint also advocates modernizing the power grid with a National Transmission Highway Act that prioritizes transmission, fiber, and natural gas.
The company reportedly spoke with the government about a potential $100B, 5-gigawatt data center that is five times larger than any existing facility.
Why it matters: With a new incoming U.S. administration having significantly different views for the country’s AI initiatives, OpenAI is wasting no time in upping the pressure to address the massive energy and compute demands needed to continue accelerating — and staying ahead of rival Chinese AI giants.
NEW TOOLS & JOBS
📚 Learn About by Google - AI-powered companion for educational research
📰 Particle - AI-powered news coverage organized to see the full picture of every story
🗣️ Vocera - Launch AI voice agents faster with testing, simulation, and monitoring
🍐 PearAI - Open-source, extendable AI code editor with native integration
🌉 Arch - Build fast, hyper-personalized agents with intelligent infrastructure
✍️ The Rundown - Content Writer
💰 Together AI - Senior Accountant
🖥️ Waymo - Backend TLM, TaaS
🚛 Figure AI - Director, Fleet Operations
🔍 Perplexity AI - Product QA Tester
QUICK HITS
Formation Bio, OpenAI, and Sanofi unveiled Muse, an AI system that drastically accelerates clinical trial recruitment, with Sanofi already implementing it in Phase 3 trials to streamline drug development timelines.
Chinese robotics firm Deep Robotics started commercial sales of its X30 quadruped robot, featuring a $54,000 price tag with industrial use cases like site inspections, security patrol, and more.
GEMA became the first performing rights organization to sue OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement of song lyrics, filing a lawsuit in Munich, Germany.
AI safety advocate Dan Hendrycks is joining Scale AI, becoming an advisor for with $14B data labeling company alongside his roles at The Center For AI Safety and xAI.
Microsoft launched adapted AI models, offering specialized small language models to address sector-specific challenges in manufacturing, automotive, and agriculture.
DeepL introduced Voice, a real-time translation service supporting 13 spoken languages and 33 written languages, initially focusing on text-based output for Teams meetings and in-person conversations.
THAT’S A WRAP
That's it for today!Before you go we’d love to know what you thought of today's newsletter to help us improve The Rundown experience for you. |
See you soon,
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