Hello Weaviate Community, 🤗

Welcome to this week's edition of the Weaviate Newsletter! Get ready for the 45th issue filled with news, tutorials, demos, and other thrilling highlights we can't wait to share with you. Plus, we're thrilled to announce the new Weaviate 1.21 release, and we'll provide you with all the essentials to kickstart.

Let's jump right in!

Weaviate 1.21

Discover the latest features of Weaviate 1.21:

1. New operators ContainsAny and ContainsAll simplify complex queries.

2. Multi-Tenancy Boost: Experimental tenant deactivation for efficiency and performance.

3. New Vectorizer Modules: Introducing text2vec-gpt4all and multi2vec-bind modules for advanced data processing.

4. Performance Improvements: Faster search, indexing, and backup operations.

5. Hybrid Search Algorithm Refinement: Improved scoring stability for precise results.

Experience it on Weaviate Cloud Services (WCS).

Learn more

• ✍️ Weaviate 1.21 Release by Zain Hasan and JP Hwang

  • Weaviate 1.21 has arrived, bringing along new operators, performance enhancements, multi-tenancy improvements, and more exciting features!

• 🎥 Weaviate Air - Episode 11

  • Among other updates, we covered the highlights of the 1.21 release and had a very special guest on our episode: Ahmed Joudad, CEO and Founder of Beewant.

Vector Data Tips, Tricks, and Tech

How-To

• ✍️ Unlocking the Power of Hybrid Search - A Deep Dive into Weaviate's Fusion Algorithms by Dirk Kulawiak and JP Hwang

  • Learn how hybrid search works, and under the hood of Weaviate's fusion algorithms.

• 🎥 Chunking Methods to use Custom Data with LLMs by Erika Cardenas

  • Explore the significance of text data chunking for building Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications ✂️. Learn how this step enhances efficiency and accuracy in two key ways.

Introducing Our New Online Workshops!

Big news – our Online Workshops page is officially up and running on our website! 🚀

• 🎉 For Beginners: If you're starting out, these workshops are designed just for you. Check out upcoming workshop schedules on our Online Workshops page.

• 📈 Level Up: Don't worry; advanced topics are on the horizon! We're cooking up workshops that delve into more complex aspects.

  

Newest AI & Data Technology Developments

Podcasts

• 🎙 Ofir Press on AliBi and Self-Ask - Weaviate Podcast #65!

  • Conversation with Ofir Press, who has done incredible work pioneering AliBi attention and Self-Ask prompting.

• 🎥 Weaviate Air - Episode 11

  • Thanks to those who tuned in to this episode featuring a special guest, Ahmed Joudad, CEO and Founder of Beewant. From his insightful demo to exciting talks, we'll also talk about the highlights of the 1.21 release and other community updates.

• Shishir Patil and Tianjun Zhang on Gorilla - Weaviate Podcast #64!

  • Join Shishir Patil and Tianjun Zhang on the Weaviate Podcast as talk all about Gorilla. Discover how this project connects Large Language Models with expansive APIs. Learn about the APIBench dataset and evolving APIZoo. Explore innovative training methods like Retrieval-Aware Training. Tune in for insights into fine-tuning LLaMA-7B models and more.

• 🎙 Weaviate Demo – Retrieval Augmented Generation • Vector Search • Generative Feedback Loops

  • Watch Bob van Luijt showcase Weaviate Vector Database's power. See Retrieval Augmented Generation and Vector Search in action. Understand the potential of Hybrid Search. Explore Generative Feedback Loops. Witness AI and human collaboration.

• 🎙 Gorilla LLMs Explained!

  • Dive into Gorilla's potential with Connor Shorten. Explore APIBench, Self-Instruct, and Retrieval-Aware Training. Understand how Gorilla enhances Large Language Models.

New Unit: Weaviate Academy

Finished Unit 1, "Hello Weaviate," and hungry for more?

Introducing Unit 102 Queries 1 (Python), brought to you by JP Hwang. Ready to up your game with Weaviate?

• 🔍 What's Inside: Take a deep dive into efficient querying! Discover advanced vector search tricks like 'nearVector,' 'nearObject,' and 'nearText.' Plus, get savvy with filters to tweak your results.

• 🚀 What You'll Learn: Complete this unit to master 'Get' queries, dissect Weaviate's responses, and understand the nitty-gritty of different search methods. We're talking 'Aggregate' queries, filter superpowers, and a sneak peek into Weaviate's vector search magic.

• 📋 What You Need:

  • (Essential) A Python (3) playground with weaviate-client.

  • (Must-Have) Finished 101A Weaviate Academy Prep.

  • (Recommended) A quick stop at "Hello, Weaviate."

• 🌟 What's Next: Ready to level up? Dive into Unit 102 on Weaviate Academy now! And if you haven't checked out "Hello, Weaviate," it's your foundation for greatness.

Upcoming Events

On the Calendar

• 🤝 AI Deep Dive Meetup: Let's Talk LLMs and Vector Databases – September 6, 2023 | London Teaming up with AICamp and Google Developers Group. RSVP: https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2023090610

• 🤝 OSDI Meetup London - Vector Databases and Data Matching with AI – September 8, 2023 | London In collaboration with Aiven.

• 🌐 DevRelCon 2023 – September 7-8, 2023 | London Join us in London for some fun insights into Weaviate. Keep an eye on our socials for more!

• 🔗 EmP Hackfest: Build bulletproof generative AI applications with Weaviate and LLMs – September 9, 2023 | Redmond We're all about crafting Generative AI apps with Weaviate and LLMs. It's going to be hands-on and fun!

• 🎤 CogX Festival: Beyond stateless AI-models: Exploring vector databases for stateful knowledge representation – September 12-14, 2023 | London Join the conversation with speaker Bob van Luijt on September 12th.

• 🗓️ The AI Conference 2023 – September 26-27, 2023 | San Francisco On September 26th, with Etienne Dilocker’s talk: “Solving Multi-Tenancy In Vector Search Requires A Paradigm Shift.”

Stay connected with us on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and maybe even a surprise or two. Get ready for an awesome tech-filled September.

Remember to check out the provided links for all the details on how to sign up. We can't wait to meet you!

Welcoming New Faces

• Meet Alea Abed, our new Head of Marketing. We’re super excited to have her on board! 🙂 

Thank you for Reading

Do you have any questions about Weaviate, vector databases, documentation, or other topics? Feel free to explore the Weaviate Forum, where you can engage in community conversations. Looking forward to your participation over the next two weeks!

Best,

Femke