OpenAI drama unrolled ⋆ AI of the week ⋆ Strategic Eating & Fasting for Better Focus

There's been a decade of events in a weekend. Here's how it transpired.

Plus some cool stuff in the other AI updates and strategies to increase focus with diet.

Thing 1 - OpenAI drama

OpenAI fired their CEO Sam Altman out of the blue implying that he lied to them about stuff.

Greg Brockman (chairman and the number 2 guy) was removed as chairman in the same sweep. He then quit soon after in solidarity (or for other reasons).

OpenAI got decapitated. Nobody knows why and we're all observing as the story unfolds.

New info keeps rolling in as I'm typing all this...

Microsoft owns 49% of the for-profit part of OpenAI. Satya Nadella (MS CEO) and other investors were pissed because they were in the dark about the whole thing.

Tech world and a large majority of the OpenAI team supported Sam in public.

Satya started a negotiation frenzy to get Sam back. That failed.

Mira, the interim CEO supported Sam in public and tried to negotiate for him and Greg to come back in some capacity.

The board doubled down on its decision. They replaced Mira with Emmett Shear, ex-Twitch CEO

xAI and other competitors are already starting the poaching OpenAI talent...

Microsoft hires Sam and Greg to lead a new AI division. All before the Monday market bell rings.

Ilya Sutskever - chief scientist and the one remaining founder on the board, who delivered the board's decision - tweets he regrets his participation.

Microsoft promises everyone at OpenAI positions if they choose to join the new AI division.

500+ OpenAI employees, Mira and Ilya included, sign a letter to the board saying they will resign and join MS unless current board members resign, put new people in, and reinstate Sam and Greg.

OpenAI approached Anthropic (their top competitor) about a merger.

Instead of accepting it, Anthropic launched Claude 2.1 - their new and improved model.

And this isn't over yet...

Thing 2 - AI of the week

• Meta disbanded their responsible AI division - interesting timing!
• Virbo - Convert your video (with lipsync and all!) to other languages
• LLaMA Factory for training and evaluating LLMs with minimal effort
• Meta's Emu Video & Emu Edit
• tldraw's "make real" - Draw a UI and get the code for it
• Deepmind announced Lyria - their most advanced music generation model
• Microsoft Teams can clean and decorate your background

Thing 3 - Strategic Eating & Fasting for Better Focus

🌟 Fuel Your Brain with Glucose

Neurons thrive on glucose.

• Do: Opt for balanced meals with a good mix of nutrients. Think whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
• Don't: Overload on sugary snacks. They spike your blood sugar, leading to a crash.

🍽️ Manage Big Meals

If you eat too much, you get sleepy and can't focus.

• Do: Enjoy your meals but keep them moderate. A well-portioned lunch can keep you alert and focused.
• Don't: Indulge in super heavy meals. They make your energy and focus take a nosedive.

🚫 Embrace the Clarity of Fasting

When you eat your body activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This can lead to sleepiness and reduced mental alertness.
Fasting minimizes parasympathetic activity, and can lead to a state of increased alertness and focus.

• Try This: Consider experimenting with skipping meals. Notice if you feel more alert and focused during fasting periods. Try intermittent fasting.
• Stay Hydrated: Even while fasting, keep drinking water to maintain your brain's peak performance.

☕ Caffeine: Timing is Everything

• Wait a Bit: Delay your morning coffee until about 90 to 120 minutes after you wake up. It's more effective that way!
• Notice the Difference: Observe how this delay enhances your focus compared to immediate caffeine intake.

(source)

'Till next week!

Cheers, Zvonimir