Each week, Quartz rounds up product launches, updates, and funding news from artificial intelligence-focused startups and companies.
Here’s what’s going on this week in the ever-evolving AI industry.
Adobe (ADBE) released a beta version of its Firefly Video Model to the public this week — the market’s first commercially safe generative AI model for video, according to the company. The AI video model is available through Adobe’s new Firefly app and Premiere Pro with Generative Extend.
The Firefly app integrates with Adobe’s other applications such as Photoshop and Express, so creators can use it for text-to-video generation, video storyboards, and more.
“Firefly is designed for creative professionals looking for unmatched creative control and IP-friendly tools that can be used safely and effectively in both ideation and production,” David Wadhwani, president of Adobe’s digital media business, said in a statement. “We’ve been thrilled to hear from beta customers who’ve found it a game-changer for ideating concepts and producing stunning videos, and we can’t wait to see how the creative community uses it to bring their stories to the world.”
Personal AI startup PIN AI launched a mobile app this week with a native large language model that allows users to protect their data.
By having a personal data bank with PIN AI, users can have control over their data, while allowing AI developers access to insights on their behavior, such as their shopping and investing habits, to create personalized AI experiences across apps such as Gmail and social media platforms.
“Unlike Big Tech monopolies that hoard data and suppress competition, PIN AI empowers users to protect and control their data,” PIN AI co-founder Bill Sun said. “It’s a revolutionary alternative to the exploitative practices of the current AI landscape represented by Big Tech and rising AI native monopolizers. We’re laying the groundwork for the agent economy where your Personal AI interacts with the external AI agent ecosystem interconnecting individual intent with a world of services.”
Chip startup Positron announced a $23.5 million funding round this week for U.S.-made, energy-efficient chips that can be an alternative to Nvidia’s (NVDA). The round was backed by Flume Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, Atreides Management, and Resilience Reserve.
The startup is already shipping chips to data centers and neoclouds throughout the U.S.
“With this funding, we’re scaling at a pace that AI hardware has never seen before–from expanding shipments of our first-generation products to bringing our second generation accelerators to market in 2026,” Mitesh Agrawal, CEO of Positron, said in a statement. “Our solution is growing rapidly because it outperforms conventional GPUs in both cost and energy efficiency, while delivering AI hardware that eliminates reliance on foreign supply chains.”
AI video creator Synthesia launched Selfie Avatars this week as part of its AI avatar service. Users can create custom, talking avatars by uploading images of themselves.
The Selfie Avatars are experimental, the company said, adding that it has done testing to prevent harmful content such as non-consensual deepfakes.
“This feature marks an exciting milestone for Synthesia as we continue to innovate and shape the next generation of AI avatars coming later this year,” the company said in a statement.
Chipmaker Groq announced this week that it secured a $1.5 billion commitment from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to expand its partnership and deliver advanced LPU-based AI inferencing infrastructure.
In December, Groq built the largest inference cluster in the Middle East, and brought it online in eight days. Saudi Araba is working on its Vision 2030 goal of having an AI-powered economy.
“It’s an honor for Groq to be supporting the Kingdom’s 2030 vision,” Jonathan Ross, CEO and founder of Groq, said in a statement. “We are excited to work alongside Saudi innovators to shape the next chapter of AI.”
Read More
Britney Nguyen