Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday indicated his openness to Sam Altman rejoining OpenAI, despite an earlier announcement that Altman would join Microsoft's artificial intelligence innovation division. Nadella is fine with either option, for, he thinks that the decision ultimately rests with the OpenAI board, management, and employees. The recent upheaval at OpenAI saw Altman's abrupt firing, leading to protests from employees and the resignation of OpenAI's president, Greg Brockman. Microsoft, a significant investor in OpenAI with a $13 billion stake, announced Altman's hiring, contributing to a surge in Microsoft's stock.However, reports surfaced suggesting Altman was contemplating a return to OpenAI. Nadella underscored Microsoft's commitment to both OpenAI and Altman, irrespective of the specific configuration. He expressed the desire for Altman and Brockman to find a suitable professional home. Nadella acknowledged the need for changes in governance at OpenAI, reflecting on the fluid leadership situation. While affirming Microsoft's commitment, he hinted at the necessity for adjustments in the organization's structure.In a separate interview on Kara Swisher's "On" podcast, Nadella was non-committal about Altman potentially becoming the CEO of Microsoft in the future. He emphasized the wealth of capable individuals who could assume the CEO role at Microsoft, maintaining a cautious stance on the matter. The unfolding events underscore the intricate dynamics between OpenAI, Microsoft, and the key figures involved, hinting at potential shifts in the landscape of AI and innovation.

Amazon has formed a dedicated team to train a massive AI model called "Olympus," according to a Reuters report.Amazon is making a significant financial investment in this large language model (LLM) with the hope that it can compete with leading models developed by OpenAI and Alphabet, according to insider information.The "Olympus" model is said to possess a staggering 2 trillion parameters, potentially making it one of the largest models under development. In comparison, OpenAI's renowned GPT-4 model is reported to have one trillion parameters.Rohit Prasad, the former head of Alexa, is leading the team responsible for "Olympus" and now reports directly to CEO Andy Jassy. In his role as the head scientist for general artificial intelligence (AGI) at Amazon, Prasad has brought in researchers who were previously engaged with Alexa AI and the Amazon science team to collaborate on model training, thus consolidating AI efforts across the company with dedicated resources.Already Amazon has trained smaller models, such as Titan, and has also established partnerships with AI model startups like Anthropic and AI21 Labs, making these models available to users of Amazon Web Services (AWS).The insiders indicate that there is no specific timeline for the release of the new model.LLMs serve as the foundational technology for AI tools that learn from extensive datasets to generate responses akin to those of humans. Training larger AI models is a costly endeavor due to the substantial computing power required. In an earnings call in April, Amazon executives expressed their intention to increase investments in LLMs and generative AI while reducing expenditures in their retail business related to fulfillment and transportation.

Four of the world’s leading authorities on Artificial Intelligence are gathering in Dubai to debate how AI will shape the future of business and economy in the Middle East.The event, hosted by Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) and in partnership with the global management consultancy Oliver Wyman, will present a specially invited audience of senior business leaders from the UAE with actionable insights on how this disruptive technology is set to affect societies and industry in the regionThe event will progress a robust debate at the recent GITEX conference in Dubai, where G42 signed an agreement with OpenAI to deliver its generative AI models across sectors spanning financial services to energy and healthcare – further cementing the UAE’s global position as a country at the forefront of AI adoption. Representing a regional voice on the expert speaker panel will be Jad Haddad, a Partner at Oliver Wyman, who leads the global consultancy’s Digital Practice in the Middle East, Africa and India and who has advised governments and private organisations on the digital economy, digital investments and smart cities.According to Oliver Wyman analysis, the acceptance of AI technology is notably high among people in the GCC. Our research reveals that only 18% of respondents in the UAE express reluctance to use AI, in contrast to 38% in the UK. This openness can be attributed to various factors, including the relatively youthful population of the GCC. Opportunities abound, and as Gulf countries actively invest in diversifying their economies they stand to benefit significantly from the numerous opportunities presented by AI. However, as is the case with any technological shift, it is also crucial to acknowledge and address the associated risks and limitations in order to identify the best path forward.Joining Jad, will be Michael Bayler, an acclaimed author and a sought-after strategy consultant who has led tech-driven change programmes for the world’s biggest brands across multiple sectors, including RBS, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Diageo, the BBC and Discovery, among others.As well as a Professor of Digital Creativity at City University’s world-renowned Bayes Business School, Professor Neil Maiden has been at the forefront of AI and creativity research for over a decade, with more than 250 peer-reviewed papers published in leading industry journals. They will be joined by Jessica Groopman, a respected Silicon Valley-based analyst who specialises in unpacking the human, business and societal impacts of emerging technologies such as AI, and has advised companies such as Coca-Cola, Technicolor, Pandora, Intel, Microsoft and Cisco.James Drummond, Editor-in-chief of AGBI, said: “The whole world is focused on AI and the transformative effect it will have on so many industries in the future. To help our audience of business leaders understand better what AI’s adoption will mean for the region’s key economic sectors, we have assembled an expert international panel.“Their unparalleled experience and insights related to this very important field will ignite a dynamic discussion that explores the regional impact and opportunities of AI. I am looking forward to introducing them to our invited guests at November’s special event.”Arabian Gulf Business Insight’s AI reception is the first in a series of events that will encourage open dialogue and knowledge-sharing to the benefit of all guests and speakers.

Dubai: G42, the leading UAE-based technology holding group, has announced a partnership with OpenAI, the AI research and deployment company behind ChatGPT, to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions to the UAE and regional markets.This partnership will focus on leveraging OpenAI’s generative AI models in domains where G42 already has deep expertise including financial services, energy, healthcare and public services. OpenAI will work with G42 to accelerate the solution development process, ensuring that organizations can best leverage the power of generative AI in their specific use cases.Through solutions built by G42, organizations in the UAE and the region will be able to simplify the process of integrating these advanced AI capabilities into their existing enterprise landscapes, unlocking the potential of OpenAI’s models.To drive this expansion across the entire region, significant AI-ready infrastructure is imperative. G42 will prioritize its substantial AI infrastructure capacity to support OpenAI’s local and regional inferencing on Microsoft Azure data centers.Commenting on the partnership, Peng Xiao, Group CEO, said: “At the core of our mission lies the pursuit of AI as a transformative force for good, fueling innovation and progress. Our partnership with OpenAI transcends technological synergy; it's a convergence of value and vision. We are excited to join OpenAI on the journey to shape a future where AI benefits all of humanity.”Sam Altman, Co-Founder and CEO of OpenAI, stated: “Our partnership with G42 is a significant commitment to further harnessing AI's transformative power. Leveraging G42's industry expertise, we aim to empower businesses and communities with effective solutions that resonate with the nuances of the region. This collaboration lays the foundation for equitable advancements in generative AI across the globe.”Both organizations will continue to explore ways to accelerate generative AI innovation and adoption globally.G42's efforts in the field of generative AI are currently on full display at GITEX Global in Dubai where its portfolio companies are showcasing a wide range of offerings that span across multiple industries.

A group of prominent authors has taken OpenAI to court in federal court in Manhattan, accusing the company of unlawfully utilizing their literary works to train its widely popular AI conversational model ChatGPT.The group comprises writers such as John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, George Saunders, Jonathan Franzen, and George RR Martin, the writer of "Game of Thrones."  This class-action lawsuit, filed by the Authors Guild on Tuesday, is the latest in a series of similar suits filed by writers, visual artists, and source code owners against providers of generative AI technologies. In addition to the Microsoft-backed OpenAI, there are parallel lawsuits in progress against Meta Platforms and Stability AI, centered around the data utilized for training their respective AI systems.OpenAI and its defenders of AI argue that their utilization of data gleaned from the treasure-trove of the internet falls under the gambit of fair use, as per the US copyright law.The lawsuit alleges that the datasets deployed by OpenAI to train its large language model in response to human prompts comprised of text from the authors' books which may have been taken from online "pirate" book sources.An OpenAI spokesperson stated that it 'respects' authors' rights and is having productive conversations "with many creators around the world, including the Authors Guild."