This Week in AI: Is OpenAI a $100 Billion Company?

Investors may be worried how long it'll take some artificial intelligence companies to see profits from their efforts, but not all of them are holding back their money. And two reports this week underscored how much.

OpenAI is reportedly raising money for another funding round that would value the company at $100 billion, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. That funding could even include investments from Apple and NVIDIA, the New York Times reported , showing just how much attention AI tech is getting from the world's most highly valued companies. 

Speaking of NVIDIA, the company reported that its sales had more than doubled from the same time a year ago, to more than $30 billion. The heart of NVIDIA's success is its AI chips, which it says Fortune 100 companies are buying at a rapid clip. And that's despite chip manufacturing issues from over the summer that the tech giant says are now fixed. 

California's new AI bill

California lawmakers passed a sweeping AI bill this week, after much debate and posturing from tech industry executives who at times said it could stifle innovation. The law, which is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature, requires big AI companies to follow certain rules, including that they test their products for safety before making them publicly available. The bill could also ultimately hold AI companies responsible for harm caused by their products.

Silicon Valley executives aren't universally agreed on the issue, though. Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk said California should probably pass the law, which he called a "Safety bill." AI company Anthropic has voiced some support, while OpenAI has opposed the effort.

Google releases AI library

Google released a collection of AI prompts as part of the latest iteration for its AI Studio service. The library includes prompts to teach math, write blog posts in a more professional tone and even capture a  handwritten letter to Santa Claus.

Windows Remembers Recall

Earlier this year, Microsoft released its new Copilot Plus PC initiative, which included making Windows laptops built using ARM-based chips like Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus and Elite more appealing. 

As part of the launch, Microsoft had planned to introduce a feature called Windows Recall, which effectively took regular screenshots of your computer usage and made them easily searchable so you could, ahem, "recall" a project or website you'd visited. But the company backtracked after security and privacy experts warned the feature could cause serious issues. Microsoft didn't scrap the program for good though, promising it would be made available through the Windows Insider Program public testing service later this year.

Well, now Microsoft is following through, telling eager fans the feature will be made available for testing in October. While Microsoft has said it's committed to the feature, the company hasn't provided a timeline for its release to the wider public.

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Ian Sherr is a widely published journalist who's covered nearly every major tech company from Apple to Netflix, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and more for CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and CNET. His stories and their insights have moved markets, changed how companies see themselves and given readers a unique view into how some of the world’s most powerful brands operate. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.