OpenAI Academy, Daylight $6M, Kia API Breach

The API Changelog issue 2024.40

Oct 02, 2024

This is issue 2024.40 of the API Changelog, a mix of API news, commentary, and opinion. In this issue, you'll get to know the most relevant API-related information from the week of September 23, 2024. Subscribe now, so you never miss an issue of the API Changelog.

News highlight

OpenAI has launched OpenAI Academy to support developers and organizations in low-income countries with AI training and resources. The program provides $1 million in API credits and aims to drive economic growth across healthcare, agriculture, and education sectors.

The initiative wants to distribute the potential of artificial intelligence across disadvantaged communities globally. The company will host incubators and contests, and invest in organizations from these communities in partnership with philanthropists. Additionally, OpenAI has funded the translation of the Massive Multitask Language Understanding benchmark into 14 languages, including Arabic, Bengali, and Swahili, to aid non-English speaking communities.

See additional coverage on 24Matins and CEOWorld Magazine.

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Announcements

Confluent, Inc. has enhanced its Confluent Cloud to support Apache Flink® Table API for Java and Python streaming applications and introduced private networking for secure data streams. The new features simplify stream processing for developers and provide enterprise-level security for sensitive use cases, with private networking available on AWS and more cloud support forthcoming. See additional coverage on CXO today.com.

CableLabs launched Bryte IQ, a B2B NaaS platform fostering consistent service deployment and faster development. Bryte IQ, an API framework, aims to ease interoperability for developers with tools, support, and collaboration to innovate on Charter's network. See additional coverage on Charter Communication.

Airbyte, a low-code/no-code open-source data integration platform, is launching Airbyte 1.0, focusing on AI. The platform's model can automatically create connectors based on API documentation, allowing users to leverage their existing pipelines without additional tools.

AllTrack has introduced APIs to support creator platforms with features like one-click PRO registration and real-time rights clearance. TIDAL is the first to integrate these APIs, facilitating songwriter royalty management and enhancing creator services. See additional coverage on Musically.

pdfRest has launched a solution for converting XFA forms to Acroforms, enhancing PDF compatibility and user experience. The new tool promises to streamline operations and ensure future readiness for PDF documents. See additional coverage on Kxan.

Canva has launched new APIs and a monetization program for developers, expanding opportunities to build on its platform. The updates, introduced at the Canva Extend conference, aim to grow Canva's interoperable workspace and its 300-application marketplace. See additional coverage on TechCrunch, techAU, and StreetInsider.

Funding

Daylight, an API for blockchain transactions, secured $6 million to grow its services and increase monthly active addresses. The firm aims to expand its team and introduce a new transaction category in Q4.

AI

F5 NGINX One integrates multiple features into a single solution, simplifying management and enhancing AI deployment efficiency. The unified platform offers cost benefits, ease of deployment, and a console for global policy compliance. See additional coverage on CXOtoday.com.

Uber developed GenAI Gateway, a unified platform for serving LLMs, ensuring consistent application and security across multiple use cases. The system, supporting PII reduction and mirroring the OpenAI API, has improved customer support efficiency with AI-generated summaries.

Google released updated Gemini 1.5 models with performance improvements and a more concise response style. They also announced pricing cuts, increased rate limits, and an experimental Gemini-1.5-Flash-8B model. See additional coverage on Medium and Cointelegraph.

Together AI releases Llama 3.2 with free vision models and new lightweight options, becoming a Llama Stack API provider. Meta partners with them to showcase the integration, leveraging these models for AI development.

Elastic's new Elasticsearch Open Inference API now incorporates Google AI Studio, allowing devs to build generative AI apps swiftly. The integration permits experimentation with Google models, enhancing Elastic's advanced search capabilities. See additional coverage on MorningStar.

Fintech

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and Plaid have signed a data access agreement for secure financial data sharing. PNC leverages Akoya's API to grant data access while maintaining customer control and privacy. See additional coverage on Fintech Global, Finovate, Open Banking Expo, and Microsoft Start.

TreviPay enhances its B2B payments system for fleet service dealers, promising a seamless payment experience with real-time data. The platform's upgrades boost buyer loyalty and efficiency with easy onboarding and flexible payment options. A major OEM scaled its $50 million program using TreviPay, achieving 42x growth and a 90% increase in invoice accuracy. See additional coverage on AFP.

Fincra has unveiled its Multicurrency Account API designed to facilitate international transactions throughout Africa. This new service aims to streamline cross-border payments for businesses operating on the continent.

CRIF and Ozone API have formed a partnership to enhance decision-making and banking experiences for clients of financial institutions. The collaboration is aimed at improving personalization in banking services and supporting financial inclusivity through better access to credit information.

Security

A security flaw in Kia vehicles' API protocols allowed attackers to control key functions using just license plate info until it was fixed in August. Researchers demonstrated the vulnerability by remotely operating vehicles and extracting personal data, raising broader cybersecurity concerns in connected cars. See additional coverage on The Express Tribune.

Salt Security, an API security leader, integrates with Google Cloud’s Apigee to enhance API protection via discovery, protection, and management. The partnership combines Salt's AI-powered API discovery and runtime protection with Apigee's API gateway and traffic management capabilities. The combined solution offers proactive threat prevention, enhanced visibility, improved incident response, and forensic analysis of API attacks. It also enables a more secure environment for API deployment and management. See additional coverage on NBC4i.com.

CISA warns of a critical 6.6-severity flaw in Versa Networks' Versa Director that could lead to broader security breaches. Cyble recommends upgrading, using WAFs and API gateways for protection against potential unauthorized API access.

Edgio announced new security features for robust API protection and automated attack mitigation, including JWT authentication and improved rate limiting. These enhancements offer improved performance, granular traffic control, and advanced attack detection capabilities. See additional coverage on businesswire.

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