🕶️ AI in 2025: what’s next after the hype?

Six bullets of updates

1. 🚀 SpaceX secret docs reveal big investor deals; employees sell shares at $70 vs. $270 in primary sales.

2. 🛠️ Open source faces more turbulation in 2025, with consolidation, licensing shifts, and security concerns on the rise.

3. ⚖️ California's ban on "addictive feeds" for minors gets judicial go-ahead; age checks start in 2027.

4. 🔐 Startups, avoid breaches in 2025: utilize multifactor authentication and encrypt backups to fend off hackers.

5. 📈 Robinhood plans to embrace prediction markets and crypto in 2025, with assets growing 40% year over year.

6. 🌐 2024 saw online culture explode, from AI mishaps to viral hippos and a memecoin rug pull - all with plenty of memes.

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SB 1047: the bill that lived and died in 2024

In recent years, warnings about catastrophic risks from advanced AI—ranging from societal collapse to mass extinction—have gained traction. However, in 2024, the tech industry shifted focus toward a lucrative and practical vision of generative AI, sidelining concerns raised by so-called "AI doomers."

While early 2023 saw high-profile calls for caution, including open letters from tech leaders and an AI-focused executive order by President Biden, 2024 witnessed a rollback in safety measures. AI investment skyrocketed, and regulatory efforts like California’s SB 1047, which aimed to mitigate risks of advanced AI, were vetoed amidst opposition from influential Silicon Valley players.

Prominent figures like Marc Andreessen championed an optimistic "move fast and break things" approach, emphasizing innovation over regulation. Meanwhile, researchers and safety advocates struggled to maintain momentum, as public and political sentiment grew skeptical of catastrophic AI warnings.

Looking to 2025, policymakers hint at revisiting long-term AI risk regulations, but tech leaders opposing such measures maintain significant influence. The debate highlights a critical crossroads: balancing innovation with the need to address emerging societal risks.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. Pitch and Run Friday | Jan 3 | NYC

2. Fabrik's Mastermind Monday: Navigating Overwhelm | Jan 6 | NYC

3. VC & Bootstrapped Female Founder Stories | Jan 6 | NYC

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Copyright chaos: OpenAI’s missing “Media Manager” tool

Seven months after announcing its Media Manager tool, OpenAI has yet to deliver on its promise to help creators manage how their works are included in AI training. Designed to address copyright concerns and mitigate lawsuits, the project has seen little progress, with insiders suggesting it was never a priority. OpenAI has missed deadlines and provided no updates, leaving the tool’s future uncertain.

Critics argue Media Manager would shift copyright protection burdens onto creators and struggle with legal complexities. While OpenAI implements filters and relies on fair use defenses in lawsuits, the lack of robust solutions highlights ongoing tensions between AI innovation and creator rights.

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The Forbes 30-under-30 Curse is FAKE

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