Researchers have highlighted concerns regarding hallucinations in LLMs due to their generation of plausible but inaccurate or unrelated content. However, these hallucinations hold potential in creativity-driven fields like drug discovery, where innovation is essential. LLMs have been widely applied in scientific domains, such as materials science, biology, and chemistry, aiding tasks like molecular description and drug design. While traditional models like MolT5 offer domain-specific accuracy, LLMs often produce hallucinated outputs when not fine-tuned. Despite their lack of factual consistency, such outputs can provide valuable insights, such as high-level molecular descriptions and potential compound applications, thereby supporting exploratory processes in drug discovery.Drug discovery, a costly and time-intensive process, involves evaluating vast chemical spaces and identifying novel solutions to biological challenges. Previous studies have used machine learning and generative models to assist in this field, with researchers exploring the integration of LLMs for molecule design, dataset curation, and prediction tasks. Hallucinations in LLMs, often viewed as a drawback, can mimic creative processes by recombining knowledge to generate novel ideas. This perspective aligns with creativitys role in innovation, exemplified by groundbreaking accidental discoveries like penicillin. By leveraging hallucinated insights, LLMs could advance drug discovery by identifying molecules with unique properties and fostering high-level innovation.ScaDS.AI and Dresden University of Technology researchers hypothesize that hallucinations can enhance LLM performance in drug discovery. Using seven instruction-tuned LLMs, including GPT-4o and Llama-3.1-8B, they incorporated hallucinated natural language descriptions of molecules SMILES strings into prompts for classification tasks. The results confirmed their hypothesis, with Llama-3.1-8B achieving an 18.35% ROC-AUC improvement over the baseline. Larger models and Chinese-generated hallucinations demonstrated the greatest gains. Analyses revealed that hallucinated text provides unrelated yet insightful information, aiding predictions. This study highlights hallucinations potential in pharmaceutical research and offers new perspectives on leveraging LLMs for innovative drug discovery.To generate hallucinations, SMILES strings of molecules are translated into natural language using a standardized prompt where the system is defined as an expert in drug discovery. The generated descriptions are evaluated for factual consistency using the HHM-2.1-Open Model, with MolT5-generated text as the reference. Results show low factual consistency across LLMs, with ChemLLM scoring 20.89% and others averaging 7.4213.58%. Drug discovery tasks are formulated as binary classification problems, predicting specific molecular properties via next-token prediction. Prompts include SMILES, descriptions, and task instructions, with models constrained to output Yes or No based on the highest probability.The study examines how hallucinations generated by different LLMs impact performance in molecular property prediction tasks. Experiments use a standardized prompt format to compare predictions based on SMILES strings alone, SMILES with MolT5-generated descriptions, and hallucinated descriptions from various LLMs. Five MoleculeNet datasets were analyzed using ROC-AUC scores. Results show that hallucinations generally improve performance over SMILES or MolT5 baselines, with GPT-4o achieving the highest gains. Larger models benefit more from hallucinations, but improvements plateau beyond 8 billion parameters. Temperature settings influence hallucination quality, with intermediate values yielding the best performance enhancements.In conclusion, the study explores the potential benefits of hallucinations in LLMs for drug discovery tasks. By hypothesizing that hallucinations can enhance performance, the research evaluates seven LLMs across five datasets using hallucinated molecule descriptions integrated into prompts. Results confirm that hallucinations improve LLM performance compared to baseline prompts without hallucinations. Notably, Llama-3.1-8B achieved an 18.35% ROC-AUC gain. GPT-4o-generated hallucinations provided consistent improvements across models. Findings reveal that larger model sizes generally benefit more from hallucinations, while factors like generation temperature have minimal impact. The study highlights hallucinations creative potential in AI and encourages further exploration of drug discovery applications.Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our70k+ ML SubReddit. Sana Hassan+ postsSana Hassan, a consulting intern at Marktechpost and dual-degree student at IIT Madras, is passionate about applying technology and AI to address real-world challenges. With a keen interest in solving practical problems, he brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of AI and real-life solutions. Meet 'Height':The only autonomous project management tool (Sponsored)

Jan 28, 2025Ravie LakshmananArtificial Intelligence / TechnologyDeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup that has captured much of the artificial intelligence (AI) buzz in recent days, said it's restricting registrations on the service, citing malicious attacks."Due to large-scale malicious attacks on DeepSeek's services, we are temporarily limiting registrations to ensure continued service," the company said in an incident report page. "Existing users can log in as usual. Thanks for your understanding and support."Users attempting to sign up for an account are being displayed a similar message, stating "registration may be busy" and that they should wait and try again."With the popularity of DeepSeek growing, it's not a big surprise that they are being targeted by malicious web traffic," Eric Kron, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, said in a statement shared with The Hacker News."These sorts of attacks could be a way to extort an organization by promising to stop attacks and restore availability for a fee, it could be rival organizations seeking to negatively impact the competition, or it could even be people who have invested in a competing organization and want to protect their investment by taking out the competition."DeepSeek, founded in 2023, is a Chinese upstart that's "dedicated to making AGI [artificial general intelligence] a reality," according to a description on its Hugging Face page.The company has become the talking point in the AI world, with its iOS chatbot app reaching the top of Apple's Top Free Apps chart in the U.S. this week, dethroning OpenAI's ChatGPT.The company has released a series of reasoning and mix-of-experts language models under an MIT license that it claims can outperform its Silicon Valley rivals while also being trained at a fraction of the cost, something of an achievement in the face of U.S. sanctions that prohibit the sale of advanced AI chips to Chinese companies."During the pre-training stage, training DeepSeek-V3 on each trillion tokens requires only 180K H800 GPU hours, i.e., 3.7 days on our cluster with 2048 H800 GPUs," the company said in a study."Consequently, our pre-training stage is completed in less than two months and costs 2664K GPU hours. Combined with 119K GPU hours for the context length extension and 5K GPU hours for post-training, DeepSeek-V3 costs only 2.788M GPU hours for its full training. Assuming the rental price of the H800 GPU is $2 per GPU hour, our total training costs amount to only $5.576M."That being said, the platform has been found to censor responses to sensitive topics like Tiananmen Square, Taiwan, and the treatment of Uyghurs in China.Its privacy policy also notes that users' personal information including device and network connection information, usage patterns, and payment details are hosted in "secure servers located in the People's Republic of China," a move that's likely to pose fresh concerns for Washington amid the TikTok ban."We are living in a timeline where a non-U.S. company is keeping the original mission of OpenAI alive truly open, frontier research that empowers all," said Jim Fan, senior research manager and lead of Embodied AI (GEAR Lab) at NVIDIA.OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman called DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model "impressive" and that it's "legit invigorating to have a new competitor."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

https://www.alephbeta.org/jobs/tech-leadHello! My name is Eitan and I'm the current Technical Lead at Alephbeta.org. Due to personal reasons, I'm stepping down. I absolutely love Aleph Beta and want to ensure it is left in good hands. So Im doing something unconventional: Im taking responsibility to find my successor. I'm actively searching for a passionate, driven individual to take the reins of this exciting role. This isnt your typical job description; I'm here to give you an inside look at exactly what you'll be doing, just as I have been doing to this day.Core Technologies You'll Work With:TypeScript/Node.jsJavaScript and ReactNext.jsDockerPostgreSQL and RedisOpenSearch/ElasticsearchBullMQ (job queue)Infrastructure You'll Manage:Our systems mostly run on AWS and are managed through Terraform, incorporating services like ECS, Lambda, Cloudwatch, and RDS.We use CircleCI for our continuous integration and deployment pipeline.Mobile Apps:Android app built with KotliniOS app developed using SwiftYour Daily Routine:Reviewing pull requestsPair programming and designing solutions with direct reportsManaging your team's work/tickets and providing status updatesTaking on DevOps tasks like releasing, debugging, and scalingSeizing opportunities for individual contributions, including hands-on codingOccasionally diving into data analysisLess Frequent but Crucial Tasks:System architecture designRoadmap planning to align on future goalsSync meetings to foster leadership alignmentParticipating in the hiring processFeedback and team buildingWhy This Position is Exceptional:Full Ownership: Youll own the tech stack top to bottom. Your decisions will steer our course.Collaborative Excellence: Your manager and partner in crime will be a former Palantir product manager that has been, for me, one of the most exceptional teammates I've ever known.Wide Range of Technologies: Youll support our five senior engineers, getting hands-on across all platforms and technologiesNext.js, React, Node.js, Android Kotlin, iOS Swift, Postgres, AWS infrastructure, and more.Strategic Position: Be part of strategic planning meetings where you'll help shape the direction of the company and product at the highest level.Fully Remote: Our organization is fully remote, allowing you the freedom to work from anywhere that is most comfortable for you.Ideal candidates will be adept at leading a team of developers, a masterful software architect, and an excellent communicator. In our startup environment, you'll wear many hats, and no two days will look the same.During the onboarding process, I'll pass on all my knowledge to you and remain available for any one-off queries even after my departure.About Aleph Beta: Aleph Beta is a growing non-profit media company producing high quality animated Torah videos and podcasts for teenagers and adults. We believe that Torah is meant to be our guide, but we dont always know exactly how. No one reads the Bible like its a self-help manual, right? Aleph Betas mission is to read the text closely, and to discover, in surprising ways, how the Torah isnt just a rulebook, but a guidebook, one that has profound wisdom that is relevant and meaningful in our everyday lives.Aleph Beta is unique in that it is technically a non-profit, but we are run as a startup. Our operating budget comes from over twelve thousand paying subscribers, who we commit to providing an excellent learning experience. Working here affords you unique opportunities to hone your skills in a lean environment, focus on growth in what is essentially a SaaS business, and feel good about what you do for a living.At Aleph Beta, we believe that a phenomenal product experience is key to unlocking exponential growth in usage. We are looking for a tech lead who can partner with our product management lead to build and drive that vision to reality.To succeed in this role, you should have the following skills and experience:5+ years of SW development experience (Preferred full stack experience, preferred familiarity with Typescript/Javascript and React, familiarity with mobile app development, a plus)Excellent English communication verbal and writtenMS or Bachelors degree in software engineering/computer science/information systemsExperience in management, a plusReady to Lead Our Technical Vision? If you're excited about combining technical leadership with meaningful impact, we'd love to talk. Share your CV with us at [emailprotected], including a note on your approach to technical leadership and why you're interested in leading our team at Aleph Beta. We're looking forward to meeting the person who will help shape the future of Torah education through technology.

The AJs Architects Working Details were first published in 1953. Originally written by Colin Boyne, they ran to a series of 15 classic black-bound volumes. After a long lull, the series was revived in 1988 by the AJs then editor Peter Carolin, in a series of spiral-bound volumes edited byDavid Jenkinsand then continued later by Sue Dawson, in an occasional series that appeared up until the early 2000s. Consisting of a selection of details originating from the building studies published in the AJ at the time,Louis Dezart, the AJs in-house Drawings Editor and then laterDawson re-drew and re-scaled the drawings many by hand to fit the pages of the AJ, with constituent components clearly annotated.Almost 20 years on, were very pleased to be bringing the series back, with the first edition published in December featuring a round-up of details published in AJ Specification case studies over the past five years. They have been organised in five sections: faades and cladding; doors and windows; kitchens and bathrooms; roofing and drainage and, finally, walls, ceilings and partitions.The buildings werent especially chosen on their aesthetic merits, but more to demonstrate a range of typologies and scales across the country. And, as with previous versions, this first series is intended to offer a collation of ideas about detailing.AdvertisementEach detail most previously published but some never seen before has been re-edited so the drawings look consistent throughout. They are accompanied by project data and the issue of AJ Specification that the building appeared in for reference, together with some images and a short description authored by the designers of each building.In total we present 28 projects across five sections, which, while not a comprehensive primer, are intended to offer a good comparative range of approaches to key areas of construction. Although some details chosen demonstrate relatively new techniques, the majority refine tried-and-tested methods of making buildings.The overarching aim remains the same as before, however: to enable and encourage those working in the built environment to share information on solving problems in design.Each of the five sections are being published over five weeks with this week the focus being on roofing and drainage. Check out the three previously published sections too on faades and cladding,doors and windows and kitchens and bathrooms.Fitzwilliam College Central Building refurbishment by Cullinan StudioLantern roof refurbishmentPhoto: John RA CleaverThe Central Building (1963) was the first piece of Denys Lasduns masterplan for the expansion of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, to be completed. The building is the social heart of the campus, providing dining and social areas and is the principal venue for conferences and ceremonies.AdvertisementThe highlight of the design is a precast concrete scalloped lantern, which hovers over the brick elevations and admits light into the dining hall. Refurbishing the lantern roof was part of a phased makeover of the entire building which was completed in 2017. The brief called for a new roof build-up with additional insulation, replacement ventilators, a lightning conductor system and man-safe systems, the concrete shells to be stripped back and retreated and a waterproofing system to be applied to the shells, fascia and roof. The building had to remain operational throughout works.The main technical challenge was how to waterproof the lantern without visually altering or compromising the original design. Cullinan Studio worked closely with the college, roofing contractors and waterproofing specialist supplier Sika Sarnafil, performing many tests before they reached an approach to waterproofing this complex shape.The team determined that it would be impractical to apply a sheet membrane to the shells and arrived at an approach combining Sika Sarnafils single-ply membrane with large areas of Sikalastic 621, a liquid-applied product typically used for complex detailing, plus Sika Refurbishments SikaFloor 420, providing a complete building envelope solution. The efficacy of these systems was enhanced by a finish coat for the shells and fascia.Multiple tests ensured the most effective seals were achieved between each product. Sarnametal was specified to create a strong bond between the liquid-applied waterproofing and the single-ply roof membrane. The mastic joints between each shell needed to be able to breathe and allow movement, which called for the order of treatments, number of coats and where each was applied or overlapped to be carefully co-ordinated.Read more hereLocation: Cambridge| Completion: October 2017| Gross internal floor area: 400m | Structural engineer: Peter DannConsulting Engineers| Main contractor: Roofing Contractors Cambridge| AJ Specification issue: May 2019Wentworth Woodhouse by Donald Insall AssociatesConservation and repairPhoto: Damian GriffithsDonald Insall Associates was commissioned to rescue the Grade I-listed Wentworth Woodhouse, near Rotherham, whose roof had failed. The structure, begun c1630 and enhanced from 1725 to 1735, boasts a 187m-long east front. The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, owners since 2017, appointed Donald Insall Associates the same year. We made urgent repairs to the expansive roof (14,000 slates covering 3,250m2) and its decorative stone and addressed the effects of considerable water ingress into the interiors.Strict adherence to conservation principles meant restoring and repairing where possible, replacing only where necessary. Modern improvements including a breathable roof insulation layer and better guttering and reservoir rainwater management were inserted with great sensitivity. Non-vapour-open materials were removed and new materials specified for their thermal performance, breathability and renewable source, as ventilation was a key requirement. The specification of perimeter and ridge vents to the lead and slate roofs enabled this to happen above the new thermal insulation layer. Failed modern copper standing seam flat roofs were returned to the original design of lead sheet, detailed in a traditional way.The opportunity was taken to redesign the roofs where possible to reduce the risk of water ingress. Gutters were widened and slopes configured to attenuate rainwater. Historic Westmorland slate was removed from the main central block roof and sorted for use in future repairs. New Westmorland slate was specified, in traditional diminishing courses.Under the new roof finishes we specified the maximum amount of breathable wood fibre insulation in a warm-roof configuration to improve thermal performance. On the outside of the insulation a ventilation gap of a minimum of 50mm has been installed to protect the building and materials from condensation. At strategic points fire breaks have been installed using mineral wool to protect the building.Read more hereLocation: Wentworth, Rotherham| Completion: January 2021| Gross internal floor area: N/A | Structural engineer: Mason Clark Associates | Plaster conservation: Cliveden Conservation| Main contractor: Robert Woodhead| AJ Specification issue: December 2021John Morden Centre by MSteep zinc-clad roofsPhoto: Jim StephensonThe 2023 Stirling Prize-winning John Morden Centre is a day care centre and health facility for residents of the Morden College retirement community in Blackheath. Situated in a conservation area and alongside the original Grade I-listed college buildings attributed to Sir Christopher Wren and built by his master mason, Edward Strong the centre responds to its surrounding heritage and landscape to create a stimulating environment for high-quality elderly living.Internally, the centre provides new facilities and services as well as bringing together elements formerly spread across the site: workshops and arts space, a caf, library and a medical centre. A series of social lounges and informal social spaces complete the buildings important function as a hub to bring residents together, tackling loneliness and isolation.The new building reorders the public face of Morden College and interprets its layers of history with contemporary echoes of the older buildings cloister, steep roofs and chimneys. The cloister is a fundamental architectural element, serving not only as an internal circulation space offering simple wayfinding and connecting the functions along its route, but also as an informal social space for residents to enjoy year-round, overlooking a series of courtyards and mature landscaping beyond.The centre was designed with an ambition to utilise contemporary materials, such as CLT, for the superstructure, alongside materials that would work sensitively in the context of the neighbouring college. Brick blend was chosen to complement the brick on the historic building and a zinc roof chosen to give a more contemporary expression to the roofs and to work with the complex geometry of the pavilions.The John Morden Centre is arranged as a series of brick pavilions, connected by a lightweight cloister, beneath a striking and varied zinc-clad roof. Traditional and contemporary materials have been brought together: the red brick references that used by Edward Strong for the original Morden College almshouses and chapel, while those buildings steep roof pitches are echoed by the John Morden Centres distinctive roofline, here made possible thanks to a lightweight CLT frame.CLT insulated panels were used for both the structural walls and the pavilion roofs. The roofs are formed as back-to-back triangles, their steep pitches forming lofty and airy internal spaces where the exposed timber also lends warmth and texture. The structure assists stack ventilation through tall brick chimneys that pierce the roofline and articulate the buildings high points. Alongside the zinc roof, which provides a tonal echo with the slate roofs of the older college buildings, a green roof was introduced to support biodiversity, adding to the greenery of the landscaped courtyards and Morden Colleges mature gardens.Read more hereLocation: London SE3| Completion: March 2021| Gross internal floor area: 911m | Structural engineer: Michael Hadi Associates| Main contractor: Clive Graham Associates| AJ Specification issue: December 2023Central Foundation Boys School by Hawkins\BrownSubterranean sports hallPhoto: Jack HobhouseCentral Foundation Boys School, one of the top-performing non-selective comprehensive schools in the country, completed a thoroughgoing transformation of its inner-city London campus in 2023. Over the preceding 150 years, seven buildings (including the Tabernacle Chapel and Grade II-listed former County Court) had been brought together into one school around a central courtyard. The result was an ad hoc collection of spaces that were not fit for purpose, with two buildings identified as among the worst educational buildings in the UK by the Department for Education. Through a decade-long partnership, Hawkins\Brown supported the school in unlocking significant financial and logistical challenges to provide 13,000m2 of much-needed upgrades to this unique site.New facilities included science laboratories and a subterranean sports hall buried in the central courtyard. The Tabernacle Chapel was transformed for drama, art and music. Existing buildings were refurbished where possible with new-build infills only considered where it was not possible to provide specialist learning spaces in existing structures. The school remained open and fully operational throughout the works.Green roofs top all the new buildings, with the space directly above the sports hall landscaped to provide amenity space. Integrated planters and seating are formed around the rooflights that bring daylight into the space below.Targeted investments were made where they would have the most impact, with a focus on working sensitively with heritage assets. All new-build elements were designed to high fabric performance, while the refurbishment scope included specialist repairs to the glazed brick, terrazzo and stonework to revive and reinstate the character of existing spaces. Traditional conservation techniques were used alongside bold adaptations to clearly distinguish between new and old. Existing materials, such as salvaged brick, were re-used on site and complemented by contemporary additions, such as copper mesh, glass and anodised aluminium fins.Read more hereLocation: London EC2| Completion: July 2023| Gross internal floor area: 13,000m | Structural engineer: BDP| Main contractor: Gilbert-Ash| AJ Specification issue: December 2023Tottenham Green Phase 2 by Adams & SutherlandPatterned paving surfacePhoto: Anthony ColemanThe first phase of work at Tottenham Green saw an underused and tired green space transformed into a civic destination. It established the green as a civic heart for Tottenham, enhancing local identity, hosting events and becoming a catalyst for adjacent activity.Tottenham Green Phase 2 extended this work to create a precinct where people, cycles and service access successfully coexist in a clearly defined urban space. An area that was dominated by car parking, with hostile boundaries and a poor public realm, is now both safer and more pedestrian-friendly, with an improved and legible route from the west.A new childrens library garden bounds the space. This, as well as rain gardens and a new setting for a magnificent swamp cypress tree, introduce green infrastructure and sustainable drainage capacity. A strongly patterned paving surface ties together the irregular shaped space. Timber enclosures to bin stores, a curved screen to the garden and new wayfinding all add animation and texture. Lighting to the historic chimney and additional illuminated signage for the arts centre supplement existing lights to bring the space alive in darkness, helping reduce fear of crime. Access and fire escape to the surrounding buildings have also been improved.The monotony of a durable and basic concrete block paving, specified to accommodate vehicles and both permeability and non-permeability, has been relieved with the inlaid granite pattern and careful detailing.The priority in specification for this project was creating a balance between economy, sustainability, robustness, and long life, while assembling a material palette that worked together both visually and in terms of performance. Geometry was also a way of bringing sense to an over-complex and leaky existing space. It allowed the use of bond alignments to further enrich the surface texture.The material palette, therefore, balances a robust landscape sensitivity (Cor-ten/timber screens/wild native planting) with a more refined urban language (precise granite geometry) to extend the informal character of Tottenham Green into a more civic context.Read more hereLocation: London N15| Completion: July 2021| Gross internal floor area: 3,650m | Civil engineer: Civic Engineers| Main contractor: Marlborough Highways| AJ Specification issue: December 2022

In this six part tutorial series Ryan King creates this studio microphone product visualization animation in Blender.Source

submitted by /u/SEMMPF [link] [comments]

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Image: Level-5After ongoing delays, we've got another update about the long-awaited Switch release Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and it might not be what you expect...As highlighted by Gematsu, it seems the sequel may no longer be a Nintendo-only release, with a listing popping up on the PlayStation Store overnight for PS4 and PS5 versions of the game before being removed.The last update we had for the Switch version of this title revealed an April 2025 launch window, with the PlayStation version potentially narrowing this down to 23rd April 2025.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kWatch on YouTube A PlayStation Store page for FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time was published before being quickly removed last night. It lists PS5 / PS4 versions, and an April 23 release date (or April 24time zones). Currently only *officially* announced for Switch release in April. Gematsu (@gematsu.com) 2025-01-27T13:39:13.501ZFantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has been delayed multiple times since it was originally announced in 2023. Once again, it's the anticipated follow-up to the 3DS classic Fantasy Life and will blend life sim elements with role-playing action.If the above listing is correct, this would be the first time the series has been released on the PlayStation. The Level-5 game was delayed last NovemberGet ready for springThe CEO hopes 2025 will be a "breakthrough year"If we hear any other updates about this game's Switch release date, we'll let you know.[source bsky.app, via pushsquare.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:400 Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesRandom: Donkey Kong Country's Artist Reacts To Nintendo's Redesign"Everything changes!"Nintendo Expands Switch Online's SNES Library With Three More TitlesIncluding a special Super Famicom release...Opinion: My Daughter Made Me Realise That Mario Wonder's Difficulty Options Need WorkYoshi or Nabbit, make your choiceSega Launches Its Own Free Account Service With Unique Member RewardsSign up! Y'know, if you wantXenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Metal Poster Pre-Order Bonus RevealedAvailable now in the US

Seattle-based spam and fraud protection Hiya has launched an AI-powered assistant that it claims can ... [+] stop deep fake scams in real time.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesSeattle-based spam and fraud protection Hiya has launched an AI-powered assistant that it claims can stop deepfake scams in real time. Hiya says its Hiya AI Phone app acts like a personal assistant, saving time by screening unwanted phone calls, safeguarding against phone scams and taking notes during calls.Picture the scene. You see a random number appear on your phone screen; reluctantly you answer it, only to find its an obvious scammer. People can often detect these, but the time spent fielding these calls is very annoying. According to Hiya, Americans spend 40 minutes each month screening 13 unwanted spam calls.It gets worse with AI-enabled deepfakes, which can be very convincing. So much so that CEOs have been known to part with vast amounts of cash as a result.These attacks are starting to happen more broadly, too. A survey of 2,000 US consumers conducted by Hiya and Censuswide in January found that in 2024, one in three Americans received at least one deepfake scam call. The impact is substantial: 45% of those targeted report falling victim, leading to financial loss, with 34% of those targeted losing an average of $7,200.MORE FOR YOUIt is with this in mind that Hiya says its AI Phone app offers tools to streamline communication, detect synthetic voices and safeguard users from scams.Features include intelligent call screening, whichThe app also detects scam calls in real-time to shield users from malicious hackers and impersonation attacks. ItDetecting Deep FakesThe Hiya App detects AI-generated voices and deepfakes, using advanced AI models trained to analyze your calls in real-time, detecting subtle patterns in the audio that indicate a voice is AI-generated or AI-modified. When an AI voice is identified, the app alerts you by vibrating your phone and displaying a warning.According to Patchen Noelke, vice president at Hiya, the new app builds on the technology the firm already offers telecom carriers and consumers. Were taking it a step further by bringing these capabilities into the whole phone call experience, he says.Using the Hiya AI Phone app is pretty straight-forward, according to Noelke. After downloading, users complete a quick onboarding process, including subscribing to the app. Once set up, they can access all features immediately, with no additional enablement required.But AI tools such as Hiya do need data to operate, which Noelke says the firm has kept in mind when creating the app. All call transcripts, summaries and voicemails are immediately deleted from Hiya's services seconds after they are downloaded onto the users device, he says.On the device, this data is encrypted and stored securely, ensuring that conversations remain private and fully under the user's control, he says. At the same time, Hiya does not have access to this data and doesnt use it for training unless a user explicitly reports and shares it. No personal or call data is stored on Hiyas servers without the user's clear consent, he adds.Hiya AI Phone is free to download for Android and iPhone users, with premium features available via subscription for $9.99 per month. You can access a free two-week trial and cancel anytime through your app store settings.

The VC vs Bootstrapping Decision: Decide on how you want to live your life as a founder.This decision is about how you want to live your life as a founder. The path you choose will define ... [+] your day-to-day reality for years to come.Photo by Holly FoggAs an investor who has seen startups take both paths, I want to share a deep dive into how the choice between venture capital and bootstrapping affects every aspect of your startup's growth strategy. This isn't just about where the money comes fromit's about fundamentally different approaches to building a startup.At its core, this decision is about how you want to live your life as a founder. The path you choose will define your day-to-day reality for years to come. Bootstrapping might mean slower growth but more control over your destiny, while VC funding could accelerate your trajectory but comes with intense pressure to scale rapidly. Be mindful when designing your company's path - this isn't just a financial decision, it's about aligning your business strategy with your personal goals and values. The earlier you make this choice intentionally, the smoother your journey will be.Innovation and category creationWith bootstrapping, you're constrained to smaller, more focused innovation steps. You need to find hacks and take calculated risks rather than making huge leaps. This limitation actually becomes a strength - it forces you to stay focused and pragmatic.In contrast, VC funding enables truly disruptive innovation and the creation of entirely new categories. The extra capital gives you the runway to fail a few times before finding the right approach. VCs expect and encourage this kind of ambitious market creation.MORE FOR YOUGo-to-marketBootstrapped companies often rely heavily on partnerships, white labeling, and sales partners. While this approach can work well for steady growth, it sends immediate red flags to VCs. Why? Because VC investors want to see companies that own their customer relationships directly.This extends to marketing channels as well. Bootstrapped companies typically depend on organic channels like SEO, where growth is more predictable but slower. VC-backed companies need to show they can control their growth trajectory through predictable, scalable channels - even if they're more expensive. The VC wants to hear that youve built a machine that eats capital to generate growth.Growing the teamThe hiring approaches differ dramatically between these paths. Bootstrapped companies often rely on outsourcing and freelancers, providing flexibility to scale up or down as needed. This makes perfect sense when you're watching every dollar.VC-backed companies, however, need to hire talent in-house, particularly in key positions. You're expected to grow from 10 to 50 to 100 to 200 people over a very short period, which can only be done with talent hires. More importantly, you need to attract top-tier talentideally, people who have experience scaling companies from seed to unicorn status.For Series A companies, your ability to recruit becomes a key metric VCs measure. They want to see that you can attract people from successful startups and scaleups to join your mission. Having the capital to make these hires is crucial.Equity and controlBootstrapping allows you to maintain control and flexibility in how you distribute equity. You can bring on multiple co-founders over time and offer them substantial equity positions. With VC funding, you're more constrained - typically working with a 10% option pool at the seed stage, maybe adding another 5-10% at Series A.This doesn't mean you can't incentivize key hires in a VC-backed company, but it requires more careful planning and structure. Every equity grant needs to be strategic, particularly when giving out significant stakes (around 10% or more) you need to make sure they are committed co-founders.The two scenarios for startup strategy and what to expect depending on what choice you make. Melinda ElmborgThe path forwardThese approaches aren't completely rigid - there is a lot of nuance to take into account as every startup and investor is unique. A typical situation would be if you raise capital from angel investors only. In that case, you can stay bootstrapped but have some freedom to adapt a few of the strategies that require capital.You can also transition from bootstrapping to VC funding if the opportunity arises. However, this requires that you have historically achieved venture-level growth (3x YoY or more) without the extra capital. If you havent proven fast growth historically, it is difficult to convince VCs that it will happen in the future.It's much harder to switch from a VC trajectory back to bootstrapping. The reason is that you have investors on your captable that expect a unicorn within five years. It will be a tough discussion when you inform your investors that you are switching gears.If you are deciding on the VC route, the above strategies will be your guide on what you should say to your prospective VC investors. All the small signals about your growth intentions matter so much to VCs - they need to believe you're committed to building a venture-scale company.The key is aligning your funding strategy with your goals early. If you present a financial plan showing $5 million in revenue after seven years and talk about paying dividends, VCs will immediately pass. They need to see the potential for a billion-dollar outcome.The choice between bootstrapping and VC funding ultimately comes down to how you want to live your life and build your company. Be mindful when designing your startup's path as early as possible, and make sure your early investors and co-founders understand what kind of company you're building. This alignment will make your journey much smoother, regardless of which path you choose.