The Robotics GPT-3 Moment Is Coming

TECH IN THE NEWS

The Fund Finance Unit - Goldman Sachs is pushing deeper into a risky bet on lending to private funds that has helped drive record revenues in fixed-income financing.

Tracking AGI Progress - OpenAI has unveiled a set of five levels to track its progress toward superintelligent AI and to help us better understand it.

EV Support - The Biden admin unveils a $1.7b plan to boost EV production at U.S. auto factories including funds for legacy automakers.

“A Media and Tech Company“ - New Paramount owner, David Ellison plans to adapt to tech shifts disrupting Hollywood like AI and streaming.

GOP AI Policy - The GOP 2024 election platform includes repeal of Biden’s AI Executive Order and support for AI ‘rooted in free speech and human flourishing’.

Crypto D.C. - 1. A senior Biden adviser met with crypto industry leaders Wednesday. | 2. Donald Trump to speak at the Bitcoin Conference in July.

#BUZZCHALLENGE
Tackle your credit card debt with 0% interest until nearly 2026

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances.

Our credit card experts identified top credit cards that are perfect for anyone looking to pay down debt and not add to it

Click through to see what all the hype is about.

THE HOTTEST THING IN TECH
The Robotics GPT-3 Moment Is Coming

Robotics just won’t stop. There are new announcements daily and the pace of adoption is astonishing. The news this week alone will blow your mind - Brain-controlled Teslabots and robotaxis, 100% automated factories, massive robotics raises, and even a Robot WWIII? While it may be scary at times, ultimately the combination of AI and robotics presents some great opportunities to radically transform our world for the better.

The Headlines

In a Neuralink presentation yesterday Elon Musk claimed Neuralink’s coming Telepathy product will allow patients to control Teslabot humanoid robots with their minds. Tesla stock surged recently after news it has two Optimus bots working autonomously in its factories and on further news of its Robotaxi plans (which are now delayed from August until October).

Pittsburgh robotics startup Skild AI just raised a substantial $300M to build a “General Purpose" Robot Brain led by Lightspeed, Coatue, SoftBank, and Jeff Bezos with input from major VCs like Sequoia and Menlo. Skild’s generalist AI model can be used in various robots and scenarios.

In Defense AI, German startup Helsing has raised a $487M Series C led by General Catalyst at ~$5.4b valuation to expand its presence in nations bordering Russia. Helsing is similar to Anduril in the US in that it creates AI software to power weapons capabilities in drones and jet fighters.

So the future of robotics in the west is shaping up with humanoid robotics, robotaxis and military uses, but is China already living in it.

China Living in the Future

Last week Beijing unlocked the use of autonomous robotaxis by online ride-hailing services nationwide. Then, news broke that there are now no humans on Xiaomi’s 100% automated production lines. The world’s 3rd largest smartphone maker’s new facility can diagnose and fix its own problems and even evolve by itself. Oh, and they are also building EVs robotically.

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference took place in China last week showcased ~25 robots including some new advanced humanoid models. A Brookings report states the Chinese military and defense industry is also making significant investments in robotics, swarming, and other AI & ML applications. It has already fielded a growing number of robotic and unmanned systems, as well as advanced missiles with precision guidance.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The military uses of robotics risk dragging us into a robotics arms race, or worse, a robotics WWIII. It may well be time to focus instead on global agreements to limit this aspect, and focus on the more positive applications of robotics that can improve everyday life for all of us.

FOR EMPLOYERS
Job Candidates

Request an intro to candidates -  [email protected].

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.

FOR INVESTORS
Open Deals

Request an intro to founders - [email protected]

1. 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)

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

3. 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)

TRENDING TOOLS AND BUZZY TECH
Tools

Wearable Rings - 1. Oura Adviser AI health coach helps users take action| 2. Samsung Galaxy Ring begins with sleep metrics with other AI features.

Samsung Unpacked - Galaxy Watch, “AirPods’-like earbuds, new foldables.

Scale x AWS - Tools to boost enterprise and government AI adoption.

Tech

Google - 1. Self-replicating life created from digital 'primordial soup' of random data. | 2. AI-assisted 3D map of human brain tissue.

Neuralink - To offer Telepathy and then Brain Control of Teslabots.

OpenAI x Los Alamos National Lab - Studying value of AI in science labs.

DEALS WE’RE WATCHING
Closed Deals:

“General Purpose" Robot Brain - Pittsburgh robotics startup Skild AI raised $300M at $1.5b led by Lightspeed, Coatue, SoftBank, & Jeff Bezos, backed by Sequoia, Menlo, General Catalyst, CRV, Amazon, & SV Angel.

Thrive AI Health - Arianna Huffington and Sam Altman’s OpenAI Startup Fund, backed this startup building "AI health coach" assistant tech with an undisclosed seed amount. Partners include Stanford Medicine.

Deals to Watch:

Groq - The AI Chip startup expects to finalize a $300M raise led by BlackRock in the next two weeks, at ~$2.2b pre-money, over 2x its $1.1b valuation in 2021. The deal pends a BlackRock financial audit.

Funding Buzz Watch:

Pershing Square USA - Bill Ackman is raising a $20b closed-end US fund offering lower fees, and quicker capital access than traditional hedge funds.