Sunday, July 28, 2024

Image Credits: AerialPerspective Images

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg each made arguments this week about the future of AI.

Their timing lined up with major releases from their respective companies — in Altman's case, a search product called SearchGPT, and in Zuckerberg's, the latest version of Meta's AI model Llama. And while the two execs weren't exactly debating each other, their pieces suggested different priorities as competition intensifies and the possibility of AI regulation looms.

Altman had his mind on geopolitics. He wrote that for the United States to maintain its lead over Russia and China, and for "the democratic vision of AI" to prevail, there will need to be "a U.S.-led global coalition of like-minded countries." He also suggested that some sort of international agency could create norms around AI development and deployment.

For his part, Zuckerberg argued for an open approach to AI (like Meta's, of course). He also acknowledged AI's global context, arguing that against rivals like China, "the United States' advantage is decentralized and open innovation."

Keep reading to see what TechCrunch has been covering this weekend.

Weekend news and opinion

Image Credits: Max Space

Max Space brings a 17th-century twist to space habitats: Devin Coldewey profiles a startup bringing a new approach to space habitats (with some ideas borrowed from 17th-century French mathematician Jacob Bernoulli). Max Space plans to launch its first mission in 2026, aboard a SpaceX rideshare vehicle. Read more

Ghostery CEO talks ad blocking, privacy and regulation: With the popular ad blocker Ghostery turning 15 this month, I spoke with CEO Jean-Paul Schmetz about how online tracking and ad blocking continue to evolve. He said neither Big Tech nor government regulation will ever do enough to protect your privacy. Read more

A tale of two foldables: Brian Heater compares two new foldable phones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and the Motorola Razr+. Although Samsung is the foldable world's 500-pound gorilla, Motorola may offer the most compelling competitor. Read more

What else we're reading 📖

Sequoia Capital has been one of the most prestigious firms in Silicon Valley for decades, but recently, it's had some high-profile missteps (like backing crypto company FTX). To find out whether the firm can stay at the top, Fortune profiled Roelof Botha, who assumed the leadership role of "steward" two years ago. Read more

Meanwhile, Bloomberg has the latest on Apple's streaming strategy — apparently executives are trying to rein in spending. Read more