ChatGPT's Ghibli Effect Goes Viral, OpenAI Secures $40B, and Qualcomm Acquires VinAI

Welcome to design with AI 🤖: A weekly newsletter that helps you solve problems that matter with AI - through AI automation, AI-coding tutorials, design, and weekly prompts

What’s in Store Today

• ChatGPT's Ghibli-style AI art generation feature leads to record surge in users

• OpenAI finalizes $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank at a $300 billion valuation

• Qualcomm expands generative AI capabilities with acquisition of VinAI Division

• Rice University launches AI Venture Accelerator in collaboration with Google

• UX design in 2025 focuses on AI integration, AR/VR experiences, and accessibility

• Construct Capital raises $300M to back industrial tech startups in manufacturing and logistics

& so much more

Daily Picks

• ChatGPT Usage Hits Record After Rollout of Viral Ghibli-Style Feature
  The frenzy to create Ghibli-style AI art using ChatGPT's image-generation tool has led to a record surge in users for OpenAI's flagship product.

  The feature, which generates images in the distinctive style of Studio Ghibli animations, has gone viral across social media platforms, attracting both existing users and newcomers to the platform.

  This phenomenon demonstrates how specialized creative tools can drive mainstream AI adoption.
  Read More

• OpenAI Closes $40 Billion Funding Round, Valuing ChatGPT Maker at $300 Billion
  OpenAI has raised $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group, valuing the ChatGPT maker at $300 billion.

  This massive investment will be used to advance AI research and development, particularly in areas requiring substantial computational resources.

  The funding solidifies OpenAI's position as one of the most valuable private companies in the world and highlights the extraordinary investor confidence in generative AI's future.

  Read More

• Qualcomm Expands Generative AI Capabilities With Acquisition of VinAI Division
  Qualcomm has announced the acquisition of VinAI, a leading AI research and development division based in Vietnam.

  This strategic move enhances Qualcomm's generative AI capabilities and expands its global AI talent pool.

  The acquisition is part of Qualcomm's broader strategy to integrate advanced AI capabilities into its mobile and edge computing platforms, strengthening its position in the competitive AI hardware market.

  Read More

• Rice Launches AI Venture Accelerator to Fuel Industry Innovation 
  Rice University has announced the launch of the Rice AI Venture Accelerator (RAVA) in collaboration with Google.

  The program is designed to drive early-stage artificial intelligence innovation and entrepreneurship, providing resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities for AI startups.

  This initiative highlights the growing role of academic institutions in fostering AI ecosystem development and commercialization.

  Read More

Featured Startup

🛠️ Company Name: Sturdy

💡 What They Do:

• Sturdy provides an AI-powered platform that analyzes customer interactions across various channels to identify patterns, sentiment, and actionable insights that help businesses improve customer relationships and reduce churn.

📚 Why They’re Notable:

• The Portland-based startup stands out for its innovative approach to customer success intelligence, using advanced natural language processing to extract meaningful insights from unstructured data.

  Unlike traditional customer analytics tools that focus on quantitative metrics, Sturdy's platform can understand context, emotion, and subtle signals in customer communications that often predict future behavior.

  The company has already demonstrated impressive results for early clients, with some reporting up to 30% reduction in customer churn.

🚀 Funding Status:

• Just raised $6 million in funding to expand its AI-powered customer interaction analysis platform.

🔨 Link: Learn more about Sturdy