Mistral AI Says No to IPO
Mistral AI has once again shut down rumors of an upcoming IPO. CEO Arthur Mensch stated in an interview with Fortune that the company intends to remain independent and is not currently looking towards an IPO. This decision comes despite previous speculations and expectations from the press. Mistral continues to focus on its open-source strategy and recently unveiled a new model, Mistral Small 3.1, which it claims surpasses the performance of OpenAI.
Sources: Fortune, VentureBeat
Meta AI Launches in Europe
Meta has finally introduced its AI assistant, Meta AI, in Europe after facing delays due to the region's regulatory complexities. While the tool was initially rolled out in the U.S. in 2023 with various capabilities, the European version is currently limited to text generation and has not been trained on European user data. Meta's expansion in Europe includes 41 countries and 21 overseas territories, offering services in six languages. The company aims to increase its user base to over one billion this year and has announced substantial investments in AI infrastructure.
French Advocacy Against Data Centers
Privacy advocacy association La Quadrature du Net is leading a campaign against France's proposed "Simplification" bill, specifically targeting Article 15. The bill aims to expedite the construction of large data centers by bypassing local regulations and reducing public involvement in decision-making processes. La Quadrature du Net and other groups are calling for the deletion of Article 15 and a two-year moratorium on new data center constructions. Their goal is to establish democratic control over these digital infrastructures to address concerns about environmental impact and public service erosion.
Source: La Quadrature du Net (LQDN)
