by Emmy Lucas — Forbes Staff –– Job seekers are applying to more roles than years prior. Some say generative AI tools are to thank. Six months ago, Anshita Verma was sending out a handful of job applications a day. Now, the 26-year-old data scientist is sending out 10 to 15 daily, and she says it’s all thanks to artificial intelligence tools. “Instead of taking 30 minutes to fill out an application, it might take me 10,” says Verma. Plug-in AI browser tools that autofill the fields in job postings have greatly sped up the time she spends on applications, she says, letting her apply to more jobs more quickly.

Others are using generative AI programs like ChatGPT to create resumes and cover letters on demand that match the skills and qualifications of the job. Some are using job search automation tools such as LazyApply and SimplifyJobs to apply to jobs en masse. And AI tools such as Pyjama Jobs and Talentprise, which help candidates identify jobs their skill sets match, could also be boosting application rates. Experts say the tools are one reason, coupled with a cooler labor market and inflation, that employers are getting inundated with more applications. Workers in the U.S. and the U.K. are applying to about 15% more roles compared to a year ago, according to recent data from LinkedIn. “Job seekers are being more aggressive” compared to years past, says LinkedIn’s chief economist Karin Kimbrough, with AI helping people submit applications to more postings.

“There’s a whole energy around AI right now, and if you have these tools that are going to help you craft that perfect message with personalized suggestions, it really gives you a little bit more confidence in applying.” It can also prompt job seekers to apply more broadly. “Not only are they applying to more jobs, they’re actually applying to jobs they normally wouldn’t apply to,” says Michelle Volberg, founder and CEO of recruiting firm Giledan 360. “AI is like LinkedIn’s ‘Easy Apply’ tool on steroids. It’s letting tech candidates apply to finance or healthcare roles if there’s some sort of overlap, or make their resume appear relevant when in reality it’s not.”

 by Shubham Sharma — venturebeat — 2023 was the year of generative AI. However, as every company moved to strengthen their AI strategy, they also realized the value of clean and high-quality data — circling back to the need for robust infrastructure into the mix. From Snowflake to Microsoft, data ecosystem vendors cashed on this opportunity and moved, sometimes even acquired notable players, to give their customers the ability to tap their data for various AI applications as well as implement various AI capabilities into their products.

These are VentureBeat’s top 5 data stories of 2023

1. Microsoft’s move to beat Amazon and Google in the cloud war

In May, Microsoft announced Fabric – an end-to-end, analytics platform that combines all the data and analytics tools organizations need, including Azure Synapse Analytics and Power BI, into a single unified product. We spoke with analysts to understand what makes this offering, which aims to unlock the potential of data and lay the foundation for AI, unique and might help Microsoft “leapfrog” Amazon and other cloud providers, such as Google. At least when it comes to serving large enterprise companies. “With all these capabilities coming together, Microsoft definitely has a slight advantage over the other hyperscalers at the moment,” Noel Yuhanna, an analyst at Forrester, told VentureBeat.

2. The rise of vector database, a new kind of database for AI era

With generative AI being the talking point for every business, Charles Xie, the CEO and founder of Zilliz, discussed the rise of vector databases, a new category of database management, and a paradigm shift for making use of the exponential volumes of unstructured data sitting untapped in object stores. Vector databases offer a mind-numbing new level of capability to search unstructured data in particular, but can tackle semi-structured and even structured data as well. Xie also talked about how companies should approach vector databases to target their respective use cases.

3. Databricks’ $1.3 billion acquisition of MosaicML

By Andrew Murfett, Editor at LinkedIn News — 2024 is shaping up as a make-or-break year for the driverless car industry. Companies that were hurtling toward expansion are watching the fallout from Cruise, GM’s driverless car arm, after several accidents prompted it to pause all driving operations. The public’s patience and the company’s margins for […]

The emergence of smart glasses is poised to be a pivotal moment in the mainstream adoption of the metaverse, particularly in 2024.

From VentureBeat, the metaverse, often misconstrued as a fading trend, actually holds significant promise, especially in the enterprise sector. This futuristic digital landscape offers vast potential for immersive experiences and interactive platforms. As technologies evolve, the metaverse is becoming more accessible and practical for business applications, suggesting a bright future in various industries.

Wareable, on the other hand, delves into the world of smart glasses, highlighting the evolution of these devices. Gone are the days of bulky, robotic designs reminiscent of 1990s desktop computers. Today’s smart glasses embody diversity and style, combining advanced AR technology with aesthetically pleasing designs. These glasses offer a range of functionalities, from basic notification mirroring to more complex AR capabilities. The integration of smart glasses in the metaverse, especially in 2024, is not only about the advancement in technology but also about the accessibility in terms of cost. The latest smart glasses have evolved significantly, both in style and affordability. These devices now come in diverse and aesthetically pleasing designs, moving away from the cumbersome, robotic look of earlier models. This evolution makes them more appealing for everyday use and a vital tool for interacting within the metaverse.

Moreover, the pricing of smart glasses has seen a considerable shift. While earlier iterations of AR glasses were often prohibitively expensive, usually in the thousands, the current market offers options that are much more budget-friendly, with prices in the hundreds. This price reduction is a game-changer, making these advanced gadgets accessible to a broader audience.

Crunchbase News by Gené Teare –– Funding to the unicorn class of companies — those private startups valued at $1 billion or more — has fallen dramatically in 2023, to around 25% of what it was in the 2021 market peak, an analysis of Crunchbase data shows. So perhaps it’s no surprise that investments by leading investors in unicorn companies have dropped precipitously in 2023. For this analysis, we look at the nine most active venture and growth investors globally who have racked up the most investments in unicorn companies since 2018. We found that investments are mostly in the single digits this year for the most active investors in this asset class. These nine invested in a total of 44 unicorn companies in 2023 — or 13% of all unicorn companies that raised funding in the private markets this year. In 2022, they invested in 213 companies, or around 28% of unicorns funded that year. In 2021, that number was 471 companies, or 30% of this asset class. This slowdown is an indication of just how much this investor class has shifted its aperture in the past year.

Looking back

For the three most active investors — growth stage investors Tiger Global, Coatue and the SoftBank Vision Fund — investment counts in 2021 were up almost 3x or greater from 2020, as these firms made bigger bets as the IPO market for technology stocks took off in 2021. For the multistage venture capital firms that were the most active — Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Index Ventures — along with growth investor Insight Partners, investment counts were closer to doubling in 2021 compared to 2020. These firms tended to invest earlier in companies and kept investing through the growth in venture markets. Sequoia Capital was the single firm on this active list of investors in unicorns that increased its investment pace, but did not double year over year from 2020 to 2021.

By Ruiqi Chen, Editor at LinkedIn News —  More and more parents are dipping into their nest eggs to support their adult children, and it could risk their retirements, Bloomberg reports. Roughly half of America’s young adults live with their parents, according to Harris Poll — a trend exacerbated by the pandemic, inflation and an […]

By AFP — ODESA, Ukraine: Ukrainian Orthodox Christians attended services on Sunday as the country for the first time celebrated Christmas on December 25, after the government changed the date from January 7, when most Orthodox believers celebrate, as a snub to Russia. “All Ukrainians are together,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Christmas message released Sunday evening. “We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country.” In the southern Black Sea port of Odesa, churchgoers prayed and lit candles as priests in gold vestments held Christmas Eve service in the Cathedral of the Nativity, decorated with fir trees and a nativity scene. “We believe that we really should celebrate Christmas with the whole world, far away, far away from Moscow. For me that’s the new message now,” said one smiling parishioner, Olena, whose son is a medic on the front line. “We really want to celebrate in a new way. This is a holiday with the whole of Ukraine, with our independent Ukraine. This is very important for us,” she told AFP.

Most eastern Christian churches use the Julian calendar, where Christmas falls on January 7, rather than the Gregorian calendar used in everyday life and by Western churches. Zelensky signed a law in July moving the celebration to December 25, saying it allowed Ukrainians to “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on January 7.” The date change is part of hastened moves since the invasion to remove traces of the Russian and Soviet empires. Other measures include renaming streets and removing monuments. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine formally broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. The political rift has seen priests and even entire parishes swap from one church to another, with the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine growing fast and taking over several Russia-linked church buildings, moves supported by the government.

By Malek el Khazen — 2023 marked a pivotal year in technology, especially in generative AI “Gen AI”, symbolizing a transformative leap in human potential and capabilities. This year wasn’t just about incremental tech advancements; it was a quantum leap in our technological evolution. Gen AI, exemplified by tools like Microsoft Copilot, went beyond traditional search engines, becoming a dynamic, multifaceted tool that revolutionized work and productivity. The technological journey from basic landline phones to today’s advanced messaging apps, from rudimentary typewriters to high-performance computers with 3nm chips, reflects not just progress but a monumental shift towards a more sustainable, efficient future. Innovations like photonic networking and immersive cooling technologies are pioneering greener data centers.

While Gen AI raises concerns of an unregulated ‘wild west,’ it’s a continuation of our technological story. The transformation from the basic computers of the 1990s to today’s powerful machines has been significant, driving unprecedented progress. Initially, there could have been concerns in the 1990’s that computers might eliminate jobs, yet in reality, they have led to the creation of thousands of new roles and significantly enhanced job efficiency. Gen AI, therefore, isn’t a threat to human relevance in my opionion but a tool that enhances and augments our capabilities..

Specialized AIs like IBM’s Watson have shown task-specific superiority, but Gen AI represents a broader, more influential wave, akin to the advent of electricity or the internet. This technology is reshaping the job market, creating new roles and transforming existing ones, as seen in industries like film, transport, and accommodation..

Word of the Year

hallucinate [ huh-loo-suh-neyt ] (of artificial intelligence) to produce false information contrary to the intent of the user and present it as if true and factual.

verb: Example: When chatbots hallucinate, the result is often not just inaccurate but completely fabricated.

Dictionary.com lookups +46%

Media use +85%

General AI search interest +62%

How AI chatbots work—and why they sometimes don’t

The short list of other words:

by Bill Gates — The road ahead reaches a turning point in 2024 This year signaled the start of a new era. Here’s why I believe next year is an opportunity to shape the world’s next chapter for the better. By Bill Gates — When you think back on 2023, how will you remember it?

For me, this will always be the year I became a grandparent. It will be the year I spent a lot of precious time with loved ones—whether on the pickleball court or over a rousing game of Settlers of Catan. And 2023 marked the first time I used artificial intelligence for work and other serious reasons, not just to mess around and create parody song lyrics for my friends. This year gave us a glimpse of how AI will shape the future, and as 2023 comes to a close, I’m thinking more than ever about the world today’s young people will inherit. In last year’s letter, I wrote about how the prospect of becoming a grandparent made me reflect on the world my granddaughter will be born into.

Now I’m thinking more about the world she will inherit and what it will be like decades from now, when her generation is in charge. I can begin to picture it: the tools she will use, the ways she will stay in touch with her loved ones, the problems these innovations will help solve. We now have a better sense of what types of jobs AI will be able to do by itself and which ones it will serve as a copilot for. And it’s clearer than ever how AI can be used to improve access to education, mental health, and more. It motivates me to make sure this technology helps reduce—and doesn’t contribute to—the awful inequities we see around the world. I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of innovation to offer every child an equal chance to survive and thrive. AI is no exception.

The early years of a new age are often marked by lots of changes. If you are old enough to remember, think back to the beginning of the internet. At first, you probably didn’t know many people who were using it. But it became more common over time until, one day, you realized most people had email addresses, bought things online, and used search engines to answer their questions.