Google's Gemini AI Ecosystem Takes Shape

TECH IN THE NEWS

SSN Data Open Sourced? - Hackers may have leaked the Social Security Numbers of every American after a breach at broker, National Public Data.

Political Suppuku - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced he will step down next month over political scandals and rising living costs.

Preventing "AI Catastrophe" - A California Bill to implement AI industry guardrails was weakened with a number of key amendments in response to lobbying from AI industry leaders ahead of its final vote.

Biggest Fine Yet - CFIUS issued a $60M penalty to T-Mobile to settle alleged national security violations, over protecting sensitive data. 

Crypto Dems 4 Harris - Mark Cuban, Anthony Scaramucci, congressman Adam Schiff and other crypto advocates launched a campaign to push for a democratic party crypto policy revamp ahead of November’s election. 

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THE HOTTEST THING IN TECH
Google's Gemini AI Ecosystem Takes Shape

Google is finally making its AI presence felt. It just unveiled Gemini Live, a mobile conversational AI with advanced voice capabilities rivaling ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode. Voice Mode remains in limited alpha and has had some highly publicized glitches (like cloning a users voice without consent), while Gemini Live is already available to over 3 billion active users and now integrated in the Pixel range and Android OS. For once the roll out has been smooth as Google's catchup to OpenAI begins to look more realistic.

A Conversation Starter

Gemini Live boasts impressive features, including:

• In-depth, hands-free conversations with 10 human-like voices

• Natural conversation flow with interruptions and follow-ups

• Context-aware answers within the G-ecosystem, no app switching

• Seamless integration with Pixel 9 and for all Gemini Advanced users

Integrated AI Ecosystem

This week, Google also launched the Pixel Buds Pro 2, featuring enhanced noise cancellation and Gemini AI integration, and the Pixel 9 lineup, including the impressive Fold 9, which incorporate Gemini AI-powered photo editing and virtual assistant capabilities.

DeepMind published a paper on its new state-of-the-art AI image generation model, Imagen 3. It claims to have beaten the other top 3 tools in human performance evaluations. This is a major step forward. It has a new rival now in xAI’s Grok 2 which features a Flux.1-powered image model which is right up there with the best models - and is almost fully unfiltered.

Antitrust Concerns Loom

Antitrust scrutiny is a major concern for Google as reports suggest the US might seek a breakup following last week's antitrust verdict. The potential divestiture of Android or Chrome could have significant implications as they are key distribution vectors for Gemini AI products. Apple will also be watching with interest as a forced Android sale could weaken its key competitor, potentially extending its monopoly. Unless it faces breakup too!

Vertical Integration

Vertical Integration across an ecosystem of tools and formats and on device processing are emerging as key factors in the mobile AI battle. But breakup of the giants could hinder those plans. The industry will be closely watching how the companies balance their integrated AI ecosystem ambitions with the demands of a changing regulatory landscape.

FOR INVESTORS
Open Deals

Request an intro to founders - invest@thetech.buzz

1. 🔥 Robotics for Agricultural Efficiency - Pittsburgh - Built & deployed robotic hardware for the largest U.S. tree nurseries, reducing costs and increasing efficiency by 50x. Hardware and AI data layer. Beginning to scale globally. Post-revenue, at capacity. (Seed+)
   

2. 🔥 Quant Trading Software Company - New Jersey - Large-scale automated day-trading algorithm designed for volatile U.S. equity markets. Profitable through extensive backtesting and live simulation. Seeking equity investment for software company.

3. Cricket for the Modern World - India - Physical and virtual ecosystem fostering cricket experiences for enthusiasts and upcoming pros. Data-driven, locally proven, globally scaling. (Seed)

4. ⏱️ AI Agent Employees - New York - Sophisticated workflow automation for businesses towards fully autonomous organizations. Previously-exited founder. Backed by Tribe & Kenetic. (Seed)

5. Outbound B2B Campaign AI Co-Pilot - Lexington, MA - Turn any CRM into an AI optimized sales agent for personalized customer campaigns. Founder previous exit to PE. Notable Angel on board. Top Hubspot App. Post revenue. (Seed)

6. Therapy for Baldness - Los Angeles, CA - Developed by ex-Kythera R&D Leader. Virtual development model and world class team seeking to fund POC study. (Seed)

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FOR EMPLOYERS
Job Candidates

Request an intro to candidates - jobs@thetech.buzz.

1. Struck Capital Venture Associate, ex-West2East (Russell Wilson) Director of Special Projects, ex-Phoenix Holdings Investment Associate. Harvard BA. Vietnamese pro basketball player.

2. Lockheed Martin Software Engineer, ex-Rutgers Junior Full Stack Developer. Secret clearance. Expertise in C++, PHP, SQL. Rutgers BA in Computer Science.

TRENDING TOOLS AND BUZZY TECH
Tools

xAI - Grok 2 is live in beta mode, with Flux image generation. Beats Claude and GPT-4 on some benchmarks.

Google - 1. Try Gemini Live | 2. Unveiled Pixel Buds Pro 2 with A1 chip + Gemini AI integration + Pixel 9 Fold Phone. | 3. Opens Google Imagen.

Apple - 1. Developing a $1000 tabletop robotic arm smart home device. | 2. To open Apple Pay by NFC to other digital wallets.

Tech

MIT - 2 inch silicon wafer to power microscopic robots with high energy.

Huawei - Ascend 910C AI Chip rivals Nvidia’s H100 skirting US sanctions.

Material Science - Fabric generates electricity from body heat and sun.

DEALS WE’RE WATCHING
Closed Deals:

Data Protection Compliance - San Mateo data cybersecurity startup Kiteworks raised $456M at $1b+ valuation to do M&A deals and expand.

Zepto - The Indian quick-commerce startup raised a $340M round at valuation of $5B led by General Catalyst and Mars Growth. (40% up on its $3.6B value in June based on improved unit economics and profitability.

AI-powered ‘Android of Robotic Surgery’ - Boston health robotics Saas startup Caresyntax raised a $180M Series C extension + debt financing round backed by Symbiotic, BlackRock Innovation and Optum.

Deals & Companies to Watch:

R1 RCM - The revenue cycle management company was acquired by two PE firms for $8.9b. The third in this sector to take a buyout this summer.

AMD - Acquired Silo AI for $665M. The European AI lab specializes in smart devices, autonomous vehicles, and its customers include Allianz, Philips, Rolls-Royce, and Unilever.

Black Forest Labs - Powers xAI’s Grok image generator via FLUX.1 model surpassing Midjourney. Came out of stealth in August with a $31M seed led by a16z and joined by YC CEO Garry Tan and ex-Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe.

Funding Buzz Watch:

Breakthrough Energy - Bill Gates-founded Kirkland WA climate VC fund has raised $839M for its third fund towards a $1b+ final target.

Radical Ventures - The Canadian AI-focused VC firm that backed Cohere & Covariant has raised a new $800M fund to focus on later-stage deals. Backers included Fei-Fei Li, Geoffrey Hinton and Canada pensions.