EU Digital & Tech’s Post

🇫🇷 🥖 Vive la France 🥖 🇫🇷 "There's something going on with AI startups in France," wrote Romain Dillet recently in TechCrunch. I have to say I agree. Google and Meta both have their AI research labs in Paris. Mistral AI proved itself an investor darling by raising over $500M with the goal of building an open-source competitor to ChatGPT. Companies like Dust, poolside, and (woman-founded) Nabla are all taking advantage of the great talent pool surrounding the Ile de France to surge ahead in their areas of productivity, coding, and health care, respectively. And most recently, Publicis Groupe announced a $300M (!!!) commitment to developing its AI capabilities and becoming "the ad industry's first AI-powered intelligent system". Even better, Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun says they will fund the project through "internal efficiencies" and training its people as part of the initiative. France is establishing itself as a dominant force in the realm of AI, and it's almost as beautiful to see as Paris itself. #ai #france #technologynews #technologytrends #emergingtech Image via Dall-E

Six Ways the EU and US Support AI Startups In business we frequently see governments getting in the way of business and innovation, but when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), both the European Union and the United States Government are trying to help as well as legislate. For European start-ups and developers, the European Parliament adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) on March 13, 2024, (see bit.ly/3x2dYus) with the intention to have it go into effect in May at the end of the legislature. To balance the new rules, the European Union has announced measures to support homegrown AI developers and startups through six measures, including: 1.             The retooling of supercomputers to support generative AI model training. Providing privileged access to the network of European supercomputers. 2.             Establishing AI Factories as one-stop shops for startups to access resources. 3.             Offering financial support and access to supercomputing through programs like the Large AI Grand Challenge and Horizon Europe. 4.             The EU is focusing on accelerating the development and deployment of Common European Data Spaces 5.             Supporting the development of AI tools for city planning 6.             Establishing European Digital Infrastructure Consortiums to address challenges like linguistic diversity and city management. Although the US government has not yet passed similar legislation, AI startups in the US can receive support in six ways as well, including: 1.             Funding programs such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants 2.             Access to research facilities 3.             Tax incentives 4.             US sponsored competitions and challenges 5.             Partnerships with organizations like DARPA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) 6.             In addition, government agencies often collaborate with startups on contracts and projects by providing both financial support and opportunities for growth. Clearly governments are playing catch up with the immense speed of adoption of AI. Therefore, companies and developers in the AI space must keep a close eye on the ever-evolving regulatory environment both to ensure they are in compliance with the latest legislation, and ready to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by governments to foster competitiveness. #ai #artificialintelligence #eu #startup #regulations @isalesdynamics, @trustycore

I'm thrilled to announce the third company I set up with my outstanding partners Brian Chen and 林哲立. As an international accelerator for Asian software startups, we are nailed down to breaking the barriers that North American markets have for Asian software startups and strive to assist these startups in securing their first orders promptly. We are a Unicorn Facilitator, creating an AI-driven online matchmaking platform to connect Asian SaaS and AI startups with North American enterprises willing to engage in Proof of Concept (POC). Our platform operates through four distinct steps, each tailored to collect data and facilitate discussions for both startups and North American enterprises. We integrate our in-house developed AI model, utilizing a clustered knowledge framework, to address specific problems and scenarios by assigning suitable AI experts for responses or generating information reports. The four steps for startups include: 1. Current Situation Assessment 2. North American Expansion Plan 3. Target Collaboration Partners 4. POC Proposal The four steps for North American enterprises include: 1. CES Requirements (Demand from the outside party) 2. Processes, Regulations, and Conditions for Collaboration with Asian Startups 3. Future Market Plans and Business Models 4. Successful Cases (Industry, Market Positioning, and Value Proposition) Our AI model currently covers three fundamental technical aspects: * Conversion of unstructured text input into information labeled for the database, learning, and reassembling for responses. * Integration of external web scraping tools into large language models to provide the latest external information for OpenAI's learning. * Connection to specified platforms for real-time events, associations, and public data, dynamically displaying market conditions and facilitating the search for required information. #Brief Introduction by Gamma

Six Ways the EU and US Support AI Startups In business, we frequently see governments getting in the way of business and innovation, but when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), both the European Union and the United States Government are trying to help as well as legislate. For European start-ups and developers, the European Parliament adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) on March 13, 2024, (see bit.ly/3x2dYus) with the intention to have it go into effect in May at the end of the legislature. To balance the new rules, the European Union has announced measures to support homegrown AI developers and startups through six measures, including: 1.             The retooling of supercomputers to support generative AI model training. Providing privileged access to the network of European supercomputers. 2.             Establishing AI Factories as one-stop shops for startups to access resources. 3.             Offering financial support and access to supercomputing through programs like the Large AI Grand Challenge and Horizon Europe. 4.             The EU is focusing on accelerating the development and deployment of Common European Data Spaces 5.             Supporting the development of AI tools for city planning 6.             Establishing European Digital Infrastructure Consortiums to address challenges like linguistic diversity and city management. Although the US government has not yet passed similar legislation, AI startups in the US can receive support in six ways as well, including: 1.             Funding programs such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants 2.             Access to research facilities 3.             Tax incentives 4.             US sponsored competitions and challenges 5.             Partnerships with organizations like DARPA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) 6.             In addition, government agencies often collaborate with startups on contracts and projects by providing both financial support and opportunities for growth. Clearly governments are playing catch up with the immense speed of adoption of AI. Therefore, companies and developers in the AI space must keep a close eye on the ever-evolving regulatory environment both to ensure they are in compliance with the latest legislation, and ready to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by governments to foster competitiveness. #ai #artificialintelligence #eu #startup #regulations @isalesdynamics, @trustycore

Happy New Year from Dutch EdTech! 🌟 Let's start 2024 with a bang with a discussion on the game-changing EU AI Act! 🌐✨ Leave a comment below: The AI Act finalized in December brings in a number of measures, including regulatory sandboxes to test AI innovation in Europe. These initiatives aim to ensure a diverse range of voices, especially from startups. On the flip side, the EU considers certain AI systems, including those in education and vocational training, as “high risk”, requiring them to be registered in an EU database. Yet, not everyone's celebrating this decision, fearing this might hinder startups progress in the global AI race. 🔮 What's your bold prediction for 2024 in light of these developments? How will the AI landscape in the Netherlands and Europe evolve this year for startups in EdTech? Comment your insights below! Let's spark a conversation that shapes the future of AI in education and beyond. ✨💡 #dutchedtech #educationinnovation #ai #euaiact #edtech #2024predictions #discussion

Is the European AI dream dead? It seems that Microsoft has taken a stake in Mistral, the French AI startup known for its fantastic open-source foundational models. However, the latest model ‘Large’ and associated chatbot “LeChat” are set to be closed source and available on Azure, raising the questions of whether European innovation is being stifled, or at the very least co-opted, by American tech giants. The European AI Act, was recently watered down due to lobbying from the French government, highlighting the challenges European startups face in competing with their American counterparts. While it may be necessary for survival, it’s a shame to see one of the shining examples of European AI fall under the control of a larger American conglomerate so quickly. It’s time for the European tech scene to receive the support it needs to truly take on the giants of America. No-one was ever going to get rich pumping out free models that cost a fortune to build, but it would have been nice to see one of the large European software companies (and we do have a few still), pick up the baton and monetize it responsibly. Let’s hope for a future where European innovation can stand on its own two feet on a global stage. https://lnkd.in/eYKaB8ip #EuropeanAI #Innovation #Technology #FrenchAI  

PolyAI secures a $500 million valuation and boost UK ambition in the AI market London-based #PolyAI, a leading developer of AI voice assistants for call centres, has achieved a near $500 million valuation following its latest funding round. The company raised $50 million in this round, led by Hedosophia and nVentures, the venture capital arm of NVIDIA. Notable existing investors such as Khosla Ventures and Steve Cohen’s Point72 Ventures also participated. Founded in 2017 by Nikola Mrkšić, Tsung-Hsien Wen, and Pei-Hao (Eddy) Su, who met at Cambridge University’s Dialogue Systems Group, PolyAI leverages its proprietary large language model and technology from OpenAI to create advanced voice assistants. These assistants are designed to address the growing shortage of call centre workers by guiding customers through complex inquiries in a conversational manner, even mimicking human speech patterns. CEO Nikola Mrkšić, who previously worked on Apple’s Siri, highlighted the importance of voice interaction, noting that it remains a primary way people engage with businesses despite digital transformations elsewhere. PolyAI’s clients span diverse industries, including casinos, utility companies, logistics firms, and banks. The company made over $10 million in revenue in 2023 and is on track to triple that figure this year. This funding is a significant boost for the UK’s AI sector, reinforcing its potential to become a global hub for AI research and development. The investment aligns with recent large-scale AI deals in the UK, such as Wayve’s $1 billion raise from investors including Japan’s SoftBank. Despite the promising advancements, one of PolyAI's biggest challenges remains overcoming consumer skepticism towards automated customer support. According to a January report from the UK’s Institute of Customer Service, customer satisfaction has declined, partly due to dissatisfaction with automated chatbots. PolyAI’s growth also places it in competition with other conversational AI startups, such as Germany’s Parloa and San Francisco-based Rasa Technologies, which have raised significant funds to expand their own platforms. Want to stay up to date with the market? Here my newsletter: - Linkedin: https://t.ly/s541W   - Substack: https://lnkd.in/dzfGJzmW

#LowCodeDay 2023 in Hanover was like a class reunion for platform and service providers. 💡 Current insights from use cases across SME, corporate and public sector proof that #LowCode is both: 1. state-of-the-art 2. inevitable for the #digitalization challenges ahead "Low-code on steroids" (#LowCode X #AI) can speed up technology development like never before, says Jan Berger at Themis Foresight. Well, this sounds like what we need to catch up digitalization in Germany! 💪🏻 Therefore, we should be careful not to strangle the emerging ecosystem with #bureaucracy. Yet, the #EU wants to enforce an #AIact that could kill local #innovation. Do we really want to go this way?

Introducing the High Growth AI Accelerator for BridgeAI! This 14-week programme is tailored to support startups, scaleups, and SMEs in the UK as they validate and enhance AI and ML solutions within the creative sector 🚨 They're calling on innovators to take on specific commercial challenges in partnership with industry leaders: - Digital Media Challenges with the LADbible Group - Leisure Industry Challenges with Merlin Entertainments - Radio Media Challenges with Bauer Media Group - Music Industry Challenges with Music Technology UK Businesses will benefit from cloud credits, technical support, and guidance to speed up their product development. Applications for this programme will close on July 21st. Find out more and apply at: https://hubs.ly/Q02Fc-zp0 BridgeAI is a collaboration between Innovate UK Business Connect, Digital Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute, BSI and the Hartree Centre SME Hubs. Image description: A man wearing glasses looks intently at a screen displaying financial data charts and graphs, illuminated by a blue and purple glow.

🚀 Platform Leaders is on this week! 🚀 Join us on Thursday July 11th between 3.30 and 5:30PM BST We have a fantastic programme focusing on 👇 - the impact of Generative AI 🤖 - the app economy 📱 - new platform and AI regulations 📐 with AI and platform experts Arka Dhar, OpenAI, Ben McOwen Wilson, MD EMEA, Google Play, Paulo Trezentos, CEO & Co-Founder, Aptoide, Jennifer Schenker, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Innovator, Andrea Pezzoli, Vice Secretary General, Autorità Antitrust, Elodie Vandenhende, Deputy Head, Digital Economy Unit Autorité de la concurrence, Maître Fayrouze Masmi Dazi, Founding Partner Dazi Avocats and Benoit Reillier, Co-Founder & CEO Launchworks & Co💡🌐 Platform Leaders is the place where experts share insights, best practices and shape the future of AI, digital platforms and ecosystems 🤝 There's still time to register for FREE! See comments for the registration link 👇 #PlatformLeaders #generativeai #appeconomy #airegulation #platformregulation #platformstrategy