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The new GPT-4o-2024-08-06 model update slashes API costs while boosting performance, reclaiming top spots on AI benchmarks. This upgrade reinforces OpenAI’s relentless drive to maintain its leadership. Let’s explore...

Today’s Summary:

• 🏆 Cheaper GPT-4o tops benchmarks

• ✒️ WordPress introduces AI writing analyzer

• 🍓 Sam Altman teases strawberries

• 🚫 No watermarks for ChatGPT text

• 💸 Groq secures $640M for AI

• 🌍 Llama 3.1 grants for social good

• 🔍 Reddit trials AI search results

• 2 new tools

TOP STORY

Cheaper GPT-4o leads again AI benchmarks

The Summary: OpenAI released a new GPT-4o API model update with performance improvements and cost reductions. The new model, gpt-4o-2024-08-06, cuts input costs by 50% and output costs by 33%. It supports 16,384 output tokens, up from 4,096. The update also introduces reliable JSON outputs and tops again AI performance leaderboards which were recently led by Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Gemini 1.5-2024-08-01. Claude 3.5 Sonnet still holds the lead in coding tasks.

Key details:

• Input token cost reduced to $2.50/Million, output to $10/M

• Quadrupled maximum output tokens from 4,096 to 16,384

• Ranks #1 on Allen AI ZeroEval leaderboard for reasoning tasks

• Performs within 3% of Claude 3.5 Sonnet on LiveBench.ai contamination-free evaluations

• Compatible with vision inputs and available in API

Why it matters: This update from OpenAI is a new move to maintain its competitive edge, after Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Gemini 1.5 recently claimed the top spot in AI rankings. These performance boost and price cuts are tactics to retain the top position. This ongoing rivalry continues to drive rapid advancements, ultimately benefiting end-users.

TOOLS

WordPress unveils AI assistant for bloggers

The Summary: Automattic has released Write Brief with AI, a new tool for WordPress.com that helps bloggers improve their writing. Instead of generating text, it analyzes human-written text for readability, sentence length, and word choice complexity. The tool started as an internal hack project and quickly gained popularity.

Key details:

• Provides readability scores based on complexity, sentence length, and confidence

• Highlights long sentences and suggests simplifications

• Identifies weak language and offers more assertive alternatives

• Flags complex words and recommends simpler options

• Available exclusively in English during initial free beta phase

Why it matters: As the company behind much of the web’s content management infrastructure, Automattic’s AI tool could significantly impact online content quality. By focusing on analysis rather than content generation, this tool complements human writing rather than replacing it.

OPENAI

Garden photo sparks buzz about OpenAI plans

The Summary: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a mysterious photo of strawberries on social media, igniting speculation about the secretive codenamed "Strawberry" project rumored in July, which aims to develop AI with advanced reasoning. Despite executive departures and industry challenges, Altman’s tease hints that OpenAI may be on the verge of major announcements.

Key details:

• Project Strawberry, previously known as Q*, focuses on AI reasoning

• Aims for "deep research" capabilities via autonomous web navigation and planning

• Involves post-training optimization and fine-tuning techniques

• Competing labs like Google have made progress in similar areas

Why it matters: If successful, Project Strawberry could represent a significant advancement in AI capabilities. However, the AI community remains cautious given the project secrecy and Altman’s history of making bold claims. This development will nevertheless intensify the race among tech giants to achieve more sophisticated AI reasoning capabilities.

QUICK NEWS

Quick news

• OpenAI won’t watermark ChatGPT text

• Groq raises $640M to meet demand for fast AI inference

• Llama 3.1 impact grants offer $500k for social good projects

• Reddit to test AI-powered search result pages

TOOLS

🥇 New tools

• Rosebud - Therapist-backed AI Journal & Diary

• Upmetrics - Business plan & financial forecast using AI