No Debate

If you didn’t hear about IBM’s Project Debater earlier in the year when it debated a real live (and really smart) human, here’s your chance to learn more about what you missed out on the first time around.

Reader’s D: Project Debater uses machine learning and AI to form arguments and rebuttals in debates with humans. The technology was developed over a 6 1/2-year period, and drew on expertise in fields ranging from philosophy to NLP.

One of my favorite must read emails, “Morning Brew,” has a derivative called “Emerging Tech Brew,” and they just added some more color to the Project Debater palate:

“Six months ago, Debater squared off with a top-ranked human counterpart on the merits of preschool subsidies. Though the AI system lost, it strung together minutes-long speeches, crafted a rebuttal, delivered its points persuasively, and even cracked some jokes.”

What’s next:

“IBM’s not scheduling any rematches soon. Now, it’s “pursuing other directions to commercialize the technology and further the science,” [IBM Researcher Noam] Slonim said. That means converting the advanced research into language-comprehension tech for large companies.

There’s no debate in my mind whatsoever it’s a big step up in the field of AI.

On Automattic

Happy Tuesday. While we let all those Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories just sit there and soak up the global contemplation, there are actual deals getting done in the world.

WordPress’ owner Automattic is said to be taking Tumblr off Verizon’s hands. Axios reports get deal costs less than $20M, perhaps even less than $10M. Which makes one laugh when one thinks about Yahoo having paid $1.1B for Tumblr in 2013, and then getting sucked into the Verizon vortex. Likely acqui-hire.

Meanwhile, back at the VC ranch, there’s lots of new deals getting done and rounds funded:

Pavilion Data Systems: Data center storage company raises $25M Series C, led by Taiwania Capital and RPS Ventures

Singularity 6: Stealth gaming startup said to be developing an AI-powered “virtual society” raises $16.5M Series A led by none other than Andreessen Horowitz.

Kasten: Offers a platform for policy-based backup, recovery, and migration for Kubernetes apps ($14M Series A led by Insight Partners)

Polarity: Uses AI to analyze text on employee screens to augment it with context overlays, raised $8.1M Series AA following 2017 $3.5M Series A

QFPay: Chinese digital payment firm and global partner of WeChat Pay and Alipay raised $20M (including from investors Sequoia Capital China)

Uniphore Software Systems: Uses AI in call centers for faster and more personalized customer support, $51M from March Capital Partners and Chiratae Ventures