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Amazon is investing $4 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic. The strategic partnership will leverage advanced generative AI, with Anthropic primarily utilizing Amazon's robust cloud services and cutting-edge custom chips for enhanced system training and deployment.
This investment is a testament to the increasing interest of tech giants in AI and their eagerness to capitalize on its potential. Amazon and Anthropic plan to collaborate on developing foundation models, which serve as the backbone for generative AI systems.
These models have gained significant global attention for their ability to create text, images, and videos that closely resemble human work. They are trained using vast amounts of online information, including blog posts, digital books, scientific articles, and popular songs.
Under the agreement, Anthropic will primarily use Amazon's cloud computing service and benefit from their custom chips. This integration will greatly aid in training and deploying their generative AI systems.
Anthropic, based in San Francisco, was founded by former employees of OpenAI, the company behind the famous ChatGPT AI chatbot. Anthropic has developed its competitor, Claude, which boasts advanced capabilities such as sophisticated dialogue, creative content generation, complex reasoning, and detailed instruction.
This move by Amazon reflects the intense competition in the AI landscape as it seeks to catch up with rivals like Microsoft. Microsoft had invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 and made further multibillion-dollar investments this year.
Amazon has been introducing new services to stay ahead in the AI arms race. For instance, they recently updated their popular virtual assistant, Alexa, to enable more human-like conversations. Additionally, they now offer AI-generated summaries of product reviews for consumers.
Amazon reinforces its commitment to AI development with its substantial investment in Anthropic and strengthened collaboration. The partnership aims to leverage foundation models and generative AI systems, bringing them to new heights and unlocking their potential in various domains.
Photo: Nik/Unsplash
