Welcome to Daily Zaps, your regularly-scheduled dose of AI news ⚡️ 

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🐈 AI has the IQ level of a cat

• 🏃‍♀️‍➡️ AI health coach

• 💻 Sales of AI-optimized PCs

• ❌ OpenAI’s China ban loophole

Let’s get right into it!

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TECHNOLOGY

AI has the IQ level of a cat

The CEO of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, compared the intelligence of contemporary AI agents to that of domestic cats, noting that AI is not yet at cat-level intelligence but is progressing rapidly with significant investments. Speaking at the Future of Britain Conference 2024, Hassabis emphasized that while AI excels in specific areas like gaming, it remains far from human-level intelligence.

He highlighted the potential of AI to revolutionize fields such as energy, healthcare, and climate science, comparing its future impact to the Industrial Revolution. Hassabis introduced Project Astra, a DeepMind initiative aiming to create a universal AI agent with enhanced situational awareness. Despite the advancements, achieving human-level AGI still faces challenges in planning, memory, and tool use.

STARTUPS

AI health coach

OpenAI and Arianna Huffington are funding Thrive AI Health to develop an “AI health coach” using peer-reviewed science and user-shared medical data. DeCarlos Love, a former Google executive, is CEO, and the company has partnered with institutions like Stanford Medicine. While similar AI health coaches are emerging from companies like Fitbit and Whoop, Thrive AI Health aims to provide accessible insights for those in need, such as a single mother or an immunocompromised person.

The bot encourages small lifestyle changes in sleep, nutrition, fitness, stress management, and social connection. Despite potential privacy concerns and the risk of misinformation, AI advancements in drug development and diagnostics show promise. The challenge for Altman and Huffington will be building trust in this sensitive area.

BUSINESS

Sales of AI-optimized PCs

Despite the hype, only 3% of PCs shipped this year will meet Microsoft's criteria for AI PCs, and adoption is slow due to limited software support beyond Microsoft. Companies like Adobe and Salesforce have yet to optimize their software for these new devices.

Qualcomm's new AI chips, used in these PCs, promise better battery life, but compatibility issues with older software persist. The AI PCs are priced about 48% higher than non-AI counterparts, and while initial sales show some traction, widespread consumer and business adoption is expected to be gradual, with AI PCs projected to make up just 20% of new PC shipments by 2026.

GLOBAL TECH

OpenAI’s China ban loophole

OpenAI will block API access to its AI models in China starting July 9, but this ban does not affect Microsoft Azure customers in the country. Azure operates in China through a joint venture and continues to provide access to AI models for eligible customers via deployments outside China. OpenAI's decision is part of broader efforts to restrict access to its software in unsupported regions, aligning with existing policies.

While ChatGPT is not available in mainland China, companies have used OpenAI's API platform to develop their own applications. The Biden administration has proposed regulations to monitor foreign AI development on U.S. cloud platforms and has worked to limit China's access to advanced semiconductors, viewing Beijing as a strategic competitor. China leads in generative AI patents, filing significantly more than the United States, according to a recent WIPO report.

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