ChatGPT turns 2, AI shopping revolution, Nebius raise $700m

Today’s Briefing

Here’s what to expect in today’s issue

• ChatGPT's second anniversary and its market impact

• Nebius secures major AI infrastructure funding

• AI-powered retail transformation for holiday shopping

• White House tech advisor's AI policy insights

• Enterprise AI adoption shifts

Markets

• ChatGPT Anniversary Impact: Two years after ChatGPT's launch, the tech sector has seen remarkable growth, with the six largest tech companies gaining over $8 trillion in market cap. McKinsey projects 40% of its business will be AI-related this year. Read more

• Nebius Funding Success: AI infrastructure company Nebius raised $700M in strategic equity financing from Accel, NVIDIA, and Orbis Investments, projecting $750M-$1B in annualized revenue by 2025. Read more

• AI Shopping Evolution: Major retailers deploy AI chatbots for holiday shopping assistance, with Amazon's Rufus and Walmart's experimental chatbot leading the way. Perplexity AI launches new shopping features. Read more

• Enterprise AI Shifts: OpenAI's enterprise market share decreased from 50% to 34%, as CIOs focus on ROI over novelty. Read more

Analysis

The AI landscape is showing clear signs of maturation. ChatGPT's second anniversary marks a transition from initial excitement to practical implementation, evidenced by the substantial market gains and McKinsey's business projections. The significant funding for infrastructure companies like Nebius suggests a shift toward building robust foundations for AI deployment. Meanwhile, the retail sector's adoption of AI chatbots for holiday shopping represents the mainstreaming of AI applications, while enterprise focus on ROI indicates a more pragmatic approach to AI implementation.

Investment Intelligence

• Nebius: $700M strategic equity financing led by Accel and NVIDIA

• 9fin: €47.5M Series B funding for AI-driven debt capital markets analytics Read more

Company Spotlight: Genesys

Genesys stands out as a leader in AI-powered customer experience solutions, with impressive growth metrics:

• Exceeded $1.5B in annual recurring revenue

• 40% YoY growth in CCaaS business

• 200%+ increase in new AI product bookings

• 40% of 6,000+ customers using native AI capabilities

Key innovations:

• AI-powered workforce optimization

• Proactive customer communications

• Intelligent call routing

• Advanced performance analytics

Their $300M+ investment in Genesys Cloud research has yielded cutting-edge tools like agent copilot and next-gen virtual agents, positioning them at the forefront of AI-driven customer experience transformation.

Mini-Guide: Navigating the Maturing AI Landscape

1. Infrastructure Investment

   • Focus on scalable AI infrastructure solutions

   • Consider hybrid cloud-GPU architectures

   • Plan for long-term computing needs

   • Evaluate emerging storage solutions

2. ROI-Driven Implementation

   • Develop clear metrics for AI project success

   • Focus on practical business applications

   • Monitor and optimize AI system performance

   • Regular assessment of cost-benefit ratios

3. Consumer-Facing AI Integration

   • Deploy AI chatbots with specific use cases

   • Ensure seamless customer experience

   • Implement robust testing procedures

   • Monitor user engagement and satisfaction

4. Market Positioning

   • Identify specific industry pain points

   • Develop targeted AI solutions

   • Build strong partnerships with tech providers

   • Focus on demonstrable business value

Expert Insight

Upcoming Events

Devworld Conference

• Date: February 27-28, 2025

• Location: RAI Amsterdam

• Overview: Leading AI and software development conference focusing on practical implementation of AI technologies. Features expert-led workshops on LLMs, MLOps, and AI infrastructure scaling. Includes networking sessions with industry leaders and hands-on training in emerging AI frameworks.

• Keynote topics: Next-gen AI architecture, responsible AI development, and enterprise AI integration

  Register here

SuperAI

• Date: June 18-19, 2025

• Location: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

• Overview: Premier Asia-Pacific AI summit bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. Showcases cutting-edge AI applications in finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. Special focus on AI's role in sustainable development and regional innovation.

• Key tracks: AI in emerging markets, sustainable AI infrastructure, and cross-border AI collaboration

  Register here

Data + AI Summit

• Date: June 9-12, 2025

• Location: Hybrid - San Francisco, CA & Online

• Overview: Comprehensive conference covering data engineering, AI implementation, and machine learning operations. Features technical deep dives, case studies, and certification workshops. Hybrid format allows global participation with interactive virtual sessions.

• Highlights: Advanced analytics workshops, AI governance frameworks, and real-world implementation strategies

  Register here

Founder Spotlight: Shiv Rao, MD - Abridge

Dr. Shiv Rao exemplifies the intersection of healthcare expertise and AI innovation as the Founder and CEO of Abridge. As a practicing cardiologist at UPMC, his unique perspective has shaped Abridge's mission to transform healthcare through AI-powered conversation analysis.

His vision: "With purpose-built AI, we're giving agency back to clinicians, creating clarity for patients, and establishing radical efficiencies to transform healthcare from the conversation up."

Key achievements:

• Successfully led UPMC's provider-facing investment portfolio

• Instrumental in establishing the Machine Learning in Health program at Carnegie Mellon University

• Combines medical practice with technological innovation

• Bridges the gap between clinical needs and AI solutions

Dr. Rao's journey from Carnegie Mellon graduate to healthcare AI innovator showcases how domain expertise can drive meaningful technological advancement. His background as both a physician and investor gives him unique insights into healthcare's technological needs and opportunities.

Community Spotlight

Each week, we feature a startup story from our community. This week, we want to hear from you! How has AI impacted your business?

Want to be featured next week? Contact us at [email protected]

Resources

Tools & Services:

• Writesonic - Advanced AI content platform that generates high-quality blog posts, articles, and marketing copy. Features include multilingual support, SEO optimization, and custom voice training. Perfect for content marketers and businesses scaling their content production.

• Humanloop - Enterprise-grade platform for building and deploying LLM applications. Offers active learning, data labeling, and model fine-tuning capabilities. Includes robust monitoring and evaluation tools for production AI systems.

• Adrenaline - Revolutionary AI development environment that automates coding tasks and debugging. Features real-time code analysis, automated testing, and intelligent code completion. Designed to boost developer productivity across all major programming languages.

• Gitfluence - AI-powered code review and analysis platform that integrates with GitHub. Provides automated code quality checks, security vulnerability detection, and performance optimization suggestions. Includes team collaboration features and detailed analytics.

• Creatie - Comprehensive AI creative suite for designers and marketers. Offers AI-powered image generation, design customization, and brand asset creation. Includes templates, style transfer capabilities, and brand consistency tools.

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