Navigating the Ebb Boom and Flow of AI in 2023

2023 was marked by significant technological advancements, strategic business moves, and a deeper focus on the ethical implications of AI. This year-in-review aims to encapsulate the pivotal developments, month by month, that shaped the AI landscape.

Q1: The Adventurous Start of AI in 2023

• January 🚀

  • OpenAI introduced DALL·E 2, an AI model for generating images from textual descriptions, showcasing the advancement in generative AI.

  • DeepMind's AlphaFold 2 was used to predict the structure of nearly every protein known to science.

  • Shutterstock integrated generative AI features, a big leap in digital media.

  • Getty Images took legal action against Stability AI for copyright issues.

  • 11 Labs Text-to-Speech: Unveiled a beta version of their realistic-sounding voice tool.

  • ChatGPT's Record MAUs: Surpassed 100 million monthly active users, a historic achievement.

  • Nvidia at CES 2023: Introduced new generative AI technologies for faster virtual world creation in its Omniverse platform

• February 🚀

  • Meta (formerly Facebook) unveiled Project CAIRaoke, an AI-powered karaoke feature, demonstrating the use of advanced audio and video processing in AI tools. They also released Llama-1 under a research license.

  • Microsoft announced the integration of OpenAI's language models into its Bing search engine.

  • Stability AI released Stable Diffusion, a generative AI model capable of generating photorealistic images.

  • Google introduced Bard, its own AI chatbot, shaking up the AI world. Also, they announced investment in Anthropic at the tune of $300 million deal, focusing on transparent and trustworthy AI.

  • Snapchat's "My AI": Debuted an AI chatbot powered by GPT technology for Snapchat Plus subscribers.

  • Spotify's AI DJ: Became a significant part of the listening experience for users.

• March 🚀

  • NVIDIA launched Omniverse Avatars, an AI-powered virtual collaboration system, highlighting the development of realistic virtual humans for interactive applications.

  • Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, and Salesforce Einstein GPT were among the top AI tools and products of 2023

  • OpenAI released GPT-4, a more advanced version of its language model with improved capabilities.

  • Google announced its own language model, Bard, as a competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

  • Adobe and Canva rolled out AI-driven design tools, revolutionizing graphics.

  • Open Letter for AI Pause: Prominent scientists and tech leaders called for a halt in AI development.

Q2: Midyear Marvels

• April 🚀

  • IBM released Watson 2.0, an enhanced AI platform with improved natural language understanding and advanced analytics capabilities, contributing to the evolution of AI tools.

  • OpenAI introduced DALL-E 2, a generative AI model capable of generating complex images from text prompts.

  • Microsoft announced the integration of GPT-4 into its Azure cloud computing platform.

  • Midjourney v5 amazed the world with its photorealistic AI images.

  • Snap extended "My AI" chatbot access to all Snapchat users.

  • Alibaba unveiled its AI chatbot, Tongyi Qianwen, a significant move in AI chatbots.

  • • Segment Anything: A tool for editing images and videos using AI.

  • AI-Generated Song Hits 20M Views: "Heart on My Sleeve" by Ghostwriter.

  • EU Regulatory Framework for AI: The European Commission proposed the first regulatory framework.

• May 🚀

  • DeepMind, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., revealed AlphaCode, an AI system proficient in programming tasks, signifying a significant milestone in AI research.

  • Businesses began to leverage AI tools like Synthesys and HitPaw for video and image enhancement capabilities

  • Nvidia announced the Isaac Sim, a platform for training and testing AI models for robotics applications.

  • OpenAI introduced Whisper, a powerful speech recognition model that can transcribe speech in multiple languages with high accuracy.

  • Databricks Funding: Raised $500 million in Series E.

  • Snapchat's AR Lens with AI: Introduced a new form of AR Lens incorporating generative AI.

  • Anthropic's 100k Token Context: Announced for AI models.

• June 🚀

  • Microsoft expanded Azure AI services, offering new capabilities for computer vision, speech recognition, and language understanding, empowering businesses with advanced AI tools.

  • Google announced the integration of its Bard language model into Google Search, providing users with more conversational search results. Google Sheets Launched an AI-powered feature for data analysis.

  • OpenAI released DALL-E 2 for commercial use, enabling businesses to generate custom images for marketing and other purposes.

  • AI-Generated QR Code Art: Became a popular form of AI-generated art.

  • LinkedIn Deepfake Detection: Began using AI to detect and remove deepfake content.

Q3: AI in Full Flight

• July 🚀

  • Adobe unveiled Sensei 2.0, an updated AI platform integrating advanced machine learning and computer vision technologies, enhancing creative and marketing solutions.

  • Stability AI introduced DreamBooth, a tool that allows users to train AI models on custom datasets to generate personalized images. Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 released, enhancing AI-generated image quality.

  • Microsoft announced the integration of GPT-4 into its Office suite, providing users with AI-powered writing and analysis tools.

  • Meta released Llama 2, an open-source language model.

  • Elon Musk's xAI Funding: Announced plans to raise $1 billion.

• August 🚀

  • Tesla introduced Autopilot 4.0, featuring advanced neural network architectures for autonomous driving, representing a significant leap in AI-powered transportation systems.

  • OpenAI released a new version of ChatGPT with improved conversational abilities and the ability to remember past conversations.

  • Google announced the development of a new language model, LaMDA 2, with improved conversational abilities and a greater ability to understand context. Google's Duet AI for Workspace: Announced a $30 per month charge.

  • IBM and Salesforce partnered for enhanced AI tech integration.

  • Zoom AI Controversy: Faced accusations of misusing user content.

  • Adobe Firefly Global Launch: Made available worldwide.

• September 🚀

  • Huawei unveiled MindSpire 2.0, an upgraded AI computing framework, offering enhanced support for diverse AI workloads and reinforcing AI infrastructure.

  • OpenAI released a new version of DALL-E 2 with improved image generation capabilities and the ability to create animated images.

  • Google announced the development of a new natural language processing model, BERT 2, with improved language understanding capabilities.

  • Microsoft announced AI "copilots" and AI-powered Surface laptops.

  • Getty Images launched its AI image platform, a major step in digital media.

  • Anthropic Series C Funding: Raised $450 million.

  • Stack AV Funding: Raised $1 billion for self-driving truck technology.

  • Hollywood Writers Strike Resolution: Included terms on AI use.

Q4: Year-End Antics and Surprises

• October 🚀

  • Samsung announced the development of NeonAI, an artificial human project aimed at creating lifelike digital avatars with advanced conversational abilities, advancing human-AI interaction.

  • Stability AI introduced a new generative AI model, Stable Diffusion 2, with improved image generation capabilities and the ability to create 3D images.

  • Microsoft announced the integration of GPT-4 into its Xbox gaming platform, providing gamers with AI-powered chatbots and personalization features.

  • Qualcomm showcased new AI capabilities at the Snapdragon Summit.

  • Universal Music Group vs. Anthropic AI: A lawsuit over copyright infringement.

  • LLaVA AI Model release by a Microsoft-affiliated research team

• November 🚀

  • OpenAI's board drama with Sam Altman's brief exit and return. They also released a new version of Whisper with improved speech recognition capabilities and the ability to transcribe multiple speakers simultaneously.

  • Salesforce introduced Einstein Vision 2.0, an enhanced computer vision platform with improved object detection and image recognition capabilities, empowering businesses with advanced visual AI tools.

  • Google announced the development of a new multimodal AI model, Multitask-2, capable of generating text, images, and other media.

  • Amazon introduced a new AI chatbot, Q, for enterprise solutions.

  • DOD AI Adoption Strategy: Released by the U.S. Department of Defense. Builds upon and supersedes the 2018 AI Strategy and the 2020 Data Strategy,

  • Google DeepMind Material Prediction: Used AI to predict the structure of new materials.

• December 🚀

  • Apple launched CoreML 4, a major update to its machine learning framework, offering improved performance and new features for developers building AI-powered applications on Apple's platforms.

  • Stability AI introduced a new AI model, DreamFusion, capable of generating 3D models from text prompts.

  • Microsoft announced the integration of GPT-4 into its Teams collaboration platform, providing users with AI-powered meeting summaries and other productivity features.

  • Google revealed its AI model Gemini, a significant AI milestone.

  • EU AI Act Agreement: Reached a provisional agreement on AI legislation.

  • Hugging Face and AMD Partnership: Announced a collaboration to accelerate AI models.

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Funding

In 2023, the AI industry saw significant investments from various sources, including capital, venture capital (VC), and private equity firms. Some of the most notable investments in AI during that year were: (Based in US)

Notable Investments

![Image](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GDj3smCbgAAYQ6k?format=png&name=small align="center")

| Company | Amount | Lead investors | Valuation | Industry | Date announced | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | OpenAI | $10,000,000,000 | Microsoft | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 1/23/23 | | Anthropic | $4,000,000,000 | Amazon | | Artificial intelligence | 9/25/23 | | Anthropic | $2,000,000,000 | Google | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 10/27/23 | | Inflection AI | $1,300,000,000 | Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Nvidia | $4,000,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 6/29/23 | | SandboxAQ | $500,000,000 | n/a | n/a | Artifical intelligence | 2/14/23 | | Anthropic | $450,000,000 | Spark Capital | $4,100,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 5/23/23 | | Adept AI | $350,000,000 | General Catalyst, Spark Capital | $1,000,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 3/14/23 | | Anthropic | $300,000,000 | Google | | Artificial intelligence | 02/03/2023 | | OpenAI | $300,000,000 | n/a | $2,800,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 4/28/23 | | Hugging Face | $235,000,000 | Salesforce Ventures | $4,500,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 8/23/23 | | Imbue | $200,000,000 | n/a | $1,000,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 09/07/2023 | | Character.AI | $150,000,000 | Andreessen Horowitz | $1,000,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 3/21/23 | | AlphaSense | $150,000,000 | Bond Capital | $2,500,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 9/28/23 | | Runway | $141,000,000 | n/a | $1,500,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 6/29/23 | | Pony.ai | $139,000,000 | GAC Toyota Motor | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 08/07/2023 | | X.AI | $135,000,000 | n/a | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 12/05/2023 | | D-Matrix | $110,000,000 | Temasek | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 09/06/2023 | | Insider | $105,000,000 | Qatar Investment Authority, Esas Private Equity. | $1,900,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 5/24/23 | | Together | $102,500,000 | Kleiner Perkins | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 11/30/23 | | Humane | $100,000,000 | Kindred Ventures | n/a | Artifical intelligence | 03/08/2023 | | Celestial AI | $100,000,000 | IAG Capital Partners, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Temasek’s Xora Innovation | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 6/28/23 | | Typeface | $100,000,000 | Salesforce Ventures | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 6/29/23 | | Anthropic | $100,000,000 | SK Telecom | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 8/13/23 | | Modular | $100,000,000 | General Catalyst | $600,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 8/24/23 | | Writer | $100,000,000 | Iconiq Growth | $500,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 9/18/23 | | Pryon | $100,000,000 | US Innovative Technology Fund | $625,000,000 | Artificial intelligence | 9/19/23 | | Prins AI | $100,000,000 | AAB VC | n/a | Artificial intelligence | 10/03/2023 |

These investments highlight the growing interest and confidence in the AI industry in 2023, with major players like Microsoft, Google, and other VC firms pouring billions of dollars into promising AI startups.

Top AI Startup Funding Recap

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1704939126159/56d8823a-7b46-4e9b-b7c2-3c78edb6f010.png align="center")

References:

https://twitter.com/MoshehP/status/1737981628859740456

https://news.crunchbase.com/biggest-us-vc-startup-funding-deals-2023/

2023 Recap of AI developments | Digital Watch Observatory

Join the Conversation: Your Insights into AI's Future

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As we reflect on a year of unparalleled innovation and challenge in the AI domain, we invite you, the professionals, enthusiasts, and observers, to join this ongoing conversation. What were the most impactful developments for you in 2023? How do you see these advancements influencing the future of AI in 2024 and beyond? Share your insights, experiences, and predictions with us. Your perspectives are not just valued; they are essential for navigating and shaping the continually evolving AI landscape. Join us in this dialogue to ponder over the past and envisage the future of artificial intelligence.