TLDR 2025-02-03

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OPENAI UNVEILS A NEW CHATGPT AGENT FOR ‘DEEP RESEARCH'

OpenAI has announced a new AI agent designed to help people conduct in-depth research. The new 'deep research' feature is designed for situations where users need to perform precise and reliable research using information from multiple sources. It is now available to ChatGPT Pro users, limited to 100 queries per month. OpenAI is targeting a Plus rollout about a month from now and support for Team and Enterprise users is planned. The release will be geo-targeted - there are currently no plans to release 'deep research' in the US, Switzerland, or the European Economic Area.

TIKTOK'S TRAFFIC BOUNCES BACK DESPITE BEING PULLED OFF APP STORES, FEARS OF SHUTDOWN

DNS traffic for TikTok-related domains is currently around 10% lower than pre-shutdown levels. The app briefly shut down in the US but came back online after President Trump said he would postpone enforcement of the ban. Traffic to TikTok alternatives peaked on the day TikTok returned online. Many creators are expanding their online presence to other platforms as TikTok's long-term future in the US remains uncertain.

CAN WE BUILD A FIVE GIGAWATT DATA CENTER?

AI labs will need data centers that require the power equivalent of some of the US' largest cities by 2030. Forecasts predict that training runs will require 5-gigawatt centers within five years - GPT-4 was reportedly trained with 30 megawatts of power. While tech leaders seem confident that they will be able to build data centers of unprecedented size, these plans are still in the planning and permission stages and actual sites that can support these projects are scarce for several reasons. The US currently doesn't have the power, funding, or permitting required to meet the forecasted AI data center infrastructure demands, but it might be possible by 2030 through permitting reform and substantial investment.

STABLECOINS ARE FINDING PRODUCT-MARKET FIT IN EMERGING MARKETS

SpaceX faced problems accepting payments in developing markets as its Starlink service expanded to more than 100 countries. This caused the startup to turn to stablecoins, which allowed it to accept cheap and near-instant cross-border transactions. Stablecoins are now a $205 billion market driven by real-world utility, particularly in emerging markets. They are becoming a core part of financial markets and it is possible they could replace outdated financial systems as adoption accelerates.

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD DESIGN DOCUMENT

This essay provides tips on how to write, organize, and edit an effective design document. A design document is a technical report that outlines the implementation strategy for a system in the context of tradeoffs and constraints. Its goal should be to convince the reader that the design is optimal given the situation. Writing a design document adds rigor to otherwise vague intuitions - it helps the author think better.

HOW TO HAVE A CAREER EVEN WHEN OPENAI'S O3 DROPS

There is a real anxiety among students and junior professionals regarding AI and its effects on their careers. The future will belong to people whose work cannot be easily reduced to a dataset and those who can use AI to become even better at what they do. Some jobs are currently vulnerable because we can create clear benchmarks for performance. AI will amplify the gap between high performers and the rest.

AMA WITH OPENAI'S SAM ALTMAN, MARK CHEN, KEVIN WEIL, SRINIVAS NARAYANAN, MICHELLE POKRASS, AND HONGYU REN (REDDIT THREAD)

Sam Altman, Mark Chen, Kevin Weil, Srinivas Narayanan, Michelle Pokrass, and Hongyu Ren from OpenAI recently held a Reddit Ask Me Anything session to talk about o3-mini and the future of AI. In the thread, the representatives answer questions about advanced voice mode, the upcoming 4o image generator, GPT-5, and more. OpenAI plans to cut API prices in half in August. It doesn't have a timeline for the release of GPT-5 yet - the company is still working on the 4o series.

META IN TALKS TO REINCORPORATE IN TEXAS OR ANOTHER STATE, EXIT DELAWARE

Meta is exploring its options as it plans to move its incorporation from Delaware. Texas has presented itself as a better destination for companies like Meta and the change wouldn't require that the company relocate its corporate headquarters. While a majority of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware, many have recently considered moving due to rulings that bolster the rights of minority shareholders. Texas has set up its own specialized business court system, but it is too early to tell whether it will be more friendly to businesses than the Delaware court has been.

SAM ALTMAN'S STARGATE IS SCIENCE FICTION

It is entirely possible that the Stargate project will be scaled back - we don't even know yet if raw computing power is the path to artificial general intelligence.

APPLE REPORTEDLY GIVES UP ON ITS AR VIDEO GLASSES PROJECT

Apple has reportedly pulled the plug on N107, a project that aimed to produce AR glasses similar to regular glasses but with added displays on the lenses that could connect to a Mac.

THE FAILED STRATEGY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DOOMERS

AI Doomers, concerned with the scenario where computer systems outreason, outcompete, and doom humanity to extinction, oppose AI and seek to cripple it via weaponized regulation.

OPENAI HITS BACK AT DEEPSEEK WITH O3-MINI REASONING MODEL

OpenAI's o3-mini is optimized for STEM functions and has lower operating costs and latency than o1-mini.

A VISION RESEARCHER'S GUIDE TO SOME RL STUFF: PPO & GRPO

This post presents a deep dive into Policy Optimization (PPO), one of the most popular algorithms used in RLHF for LLMs, and Group Relative Policy Optimization (GRPO), a method proposed by DeepSeek.

WHAT FULLY AUTOMATED FIRMS WILL LOOK LIKE

AI agents will be able to be copied, distilled, merged, scaled, and evolved in ways that humans simply can't, resulting in AI firms that will grow, coordinate, improve, and be selected-for at unprecedented speed.