🏴‍☠️ Baidu Just Shook up AI

The AI race just got more intense.

Baidu has stepped up, launching a model that reportedly outperforms GPT-4.5 at just 1% of the cost.

Meanwhile, OpenAI and Anthropic are making big moves in the space, and startups are redefining AI applications across industries.

Let’s dive in.

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NEED TO KNOW

Baidu’s AI Breakthrough: A GPT-4.5 Killer?

• Chinese tech giant Baidu has released ERNIE 4.5, claiming it outperforms GPT-4.5 while costing just a fraction to operate.

• Alongside it, Baidu’s ERNIE X1 challenges DeepSeek’s R1, promising top-tier reasoning capabilities at half the price.

• A chatbot featuring both models launches April 1—OpenAI and DeepSeek have just weeks to respond.

Y Combinator Startups Go All-In on AI

• 80% of the latest Y Combinator batch feature AI-driven products.

• Standouts include:

  • Revise Robotics: AI-powered laptop refurbishing.

  • Browser Use: Autonomous browsing agents.

  • Miyagi Labs: AI-powered interactive course creation.

  • Artificial Societies: AI-simulated social interactions.

OpenAI & Anthropic Updates

• Claude Code introduces a “think harder” feature, enhancing deep reasoning for developers.

• OpenAI’s Prompts Playground gets a refresh, improving prompt iteration and testing.

• Microsoft Copilot expands to Xbox, offering AI-generated gaming tips and insights.

REGULATORY & ETHICAL ISSUES

Musk vs. OpenAI: A Legal Standoff

• A federal judge denied Elon Musk’s injunction against OpenAI, allowing its for-profit transition to continue.

• Court documents suggest Musk once proposed merging OpenAI into Tesla—a contradiction to his current stance.

• The lawsuit’s outcome could reshape OpenAI’s trajectory, with billions at stake.

AI in Medicine: Harvard’s Personalized Treatment Agent

• Harvard & MIT researchers introduced TxAgent, an AI system that tailors medical treatments using real-time biomedical data.

• The agent evaluates drugs at molecular, pharmacokinetic, and clinical levels, offering safer, more personalized healthcare recommendations.

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AI IN POPULAR CULTURE

Hollywood & AI: The Russo Brothers Bet Big on AI

• The directors of Avengers: Endgame are launching an AI-driven film and gaming studio.

• The goal? Reduce production costs and democratize filmmaking for new creators.

AI in Entertainment: Pika 2.2’s Stunning Transitions

• The latest Pika 2.2 update allows seamless video transitions. Here’s how to try it:

  1. Sign up on Pika AI’s website.

  2. Click “Get started with Pikaframes”, selecting Pika 2.2.

  3. Upload first & last frame, set video duration, add a prompt (e.g., "smooth transition from [scene A] to [scene B]").

  4. Download your AI-generated video.

ETCETERA: AI TIDBITS

• Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash is reportedly used to remove watermarks, sparking ethical debates.

• Figure AI announces mass production of humanoid robots—12,000 per year, scaling to 100,000.

• OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil predicts AI will surpass humans in programming by year’s end.

• Y Combinator CEO reports that nearly 25% of new startups now use AI to write 95% of their code.

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