Hard Numbers: France forges ahead, Crushing consulting, Say hi to my AI avatar, OpenAI’s big buy, Stability finds some cash

June 25, 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the Global Forum on Artificial Intelligence for Humanity (GFAIH) at the Institut de France in Paris, France October 30, 2019.

Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

2.29 billion: France is Europe’s leader in generative AI, raising more in venture capital — $2.29 billion to date — than the next three countries combined. Those are the UK ($1.15 billion), Israel ($1.04 billion), and Germany ($636 million). In France, startups like Mistral, H, Poolside, and Hugging Face lead the way, and President Emmanuel Macron has been trying for years to establish a lucrative tech sector.

21 billion: Accenture’s generative AI business is booming. The consulting firm’s practice, which helps companies use AI technology to become more efficient, now has $21 billion worth of contracts, up from $17 billion this time last year. It’s a business that’s booming as companies try to cut their costs.

500 million: An AI video startup called HeyGen raised a new funding round, valuing it at $500 million. The company offers AI avatars and voice-cloning services, giving people a photorealistic online version of themselves for virtual meetings, marketing, or whatever they can dream up. And it can translate their speech into various languages. Should we test it out for a future edition? Email us here if you like the idea.

105 million: OpenAI bought a search and analytics startup called Rockset for $105 million, the biggest purchase to date for the ChatGPT maker. Rockset is an enterprise-focused company and, as such, OpenAI said it wants to use its software to improve its data offerings for business customers.

80 million: Stability AI, the beleaguered company behind the popular image generator Stable Diffusion, has secured an $80 million recapitalization with existing investors, which they hope will help set the company back on stable footing.

The World Economic Outlook is rosy … on the surface at least

Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen speaks about her key priorities for the 2024 Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank during a press conference in Washington DC, USA, on October 22, 2024, at the Department of Treasury Headquarters.

(Photo by Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto)

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank released their much-watched World Economic Outlook on Tuesday, projecting that the world economy will grow by 3.2% in 2025 as inflation cools to an average of 4.3%.

Another BRIC in Vladimir Putin’s wall

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a welcoming ceremony for participants of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia October 22, 2024.

REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

For an “isolated” world leader with a global arrest warrant to his name, Vladimir Putin is throwing a pretty decent party this week. Russia is hosting a summit of the BRICS+, a loose grouping of Global “South” countries led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Complex, challenging, and increasingly dangerous: Findings from the 2024 Microsoft Digital Defense Report

Microsoft

In the last year, the cyber threat landscape continued to become more dangerous and complex. The malign actors of the world are becoming better resourced and better prepared, with increasingly sophisticated tactics, techniques, and tools that challenge even the world’s best cybersecurity defenders. Microsoft published its 5th annual Microsoft Digital Defense Report sharing insights and trends from cyberattacks between July 2023 and June 2024. Explore the findings here.

"Walmart has helped us lead the trend of non-alcoholic beer"

Walmart

Walmart is fueling American jobs and strengthening communities by investing in local businesses. Athletic Brewing landed a deal with Walmart in 2021. Since then, co-founders Bill Shufelt and John Walker have hired more than 200 employees and built a150,000-square-foot brewery in Milford, CT. Athletic Brewing is one of many US-based suppliers working with Walmart. By 2030, the retailer is estimated to support the creation of over 750,000 US jobs by investing an additional $350 billion in products made, grown, or assembled in America. Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to US manufacturing.

Hard Numbers: France forges ahead, Crushing consulting, Say hi to my AI avatar, OpenAI’s big buy, Stability finds some cash

GZEROMEDIA

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The World Economic Outlook is rosy … on the surface at least

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank released their much-watched World Economic Outlook on Tuesday, projecting that the world economy will grow by 3.2% in 2025 as inflation cools to an average of 4.3%.

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When Americans head to the polls on Nov. 5, they’ll vote for more than just the next president.

Blinken urges Netanyahu to ‘capitalize’ on Hamas leader’s death

The FBI on Tuesday announced it’s investigating a leak of US intelligence documents that offer details on Israel’s potential plans for retaliation against Iran over its missile attack earlier this month.

Hard Numbers: UK prisons hit capacity, Lula’s head injury keeps him home from BRICS, South Korea mulls sending weapons to Ukraine, Peru’s former president convicted

1,100: About 1,100 inmates were released early in England and Wales on Tuesday as part of the government’s policy to free up prison space.

GZEROMEDIA

Another BRIC in Vladimir Putin’s wall

For an “isolated” world leader with a global arrest warrant to his name, Vladimir Putin is throwing a pretty decent party this week. Russia is hosting a summit of the BRICS+, a loose grouping of Global “South” countries led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Complex, challenging, and increasingly dangerous: Findings from the 2024 Microsoft Digital Defense Report

"Walmart has helped us lead the trend of non-alcoholic beer"

What Sinwar's death means for the war in Gaza

BRICS Summit: A "new world order" or already a relic of the past? Is Sinwar's death the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza? Yankees versus Dodgers. Who's winning? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

US takes a close look at TSMC and Huawei

The US Commerce Department is looking into whether Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, is — knowingly or unknowingly — producing computer chips for the Chinese technology giant Huawei.

Hard Numbers: France forges ahead, Crushing consulting, Say hi to my AI avatar, OpenAI’s big buy, Stability finds some cash

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank released their much-watched World Economic Outlook on Tuesday, projecting that the world economy will grow by 3.2% in 2025 as inflation cools to an average of 4.3%.

When Americans head to the polls on Nov. 5, they’ll vote for more than just the next president.

The FBI on Tuesday announced it’s investigating a leak of US intelligence documents that offer details on Israel’s potential plans for retaliation against Iran over its missile attack earlier this month.

1,100: About 1,100 inmates were released early in England and Wales on Tuesday as part of the government’s policy to free up prison space.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

For an “isolated” world leader with a global arrest warrant to his name, Vladimir Putin is throwing a pretty decent party this week. Russia is hosting a summit of the BRICS+, a loose grouping of Global “South” countries led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

BRICS Summit: A "new world order" or already a relic of the past? Is Sinwar's death the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza? Yankees versus Dodgers. Who's winning? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

The US Commerce Department is looking into whether Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, is — knowingly or unknowingly — producing computer chips for the Chinese technology giant Huawei.