Wiser! Recap #119: What's happening in Tech this week
Drones | Biometric Payments | Virtual Models | Deepfakes | NFT Tickets...and more!
Wiser! is a twice-weekly newsletter that makes sense of what’s going on in the tech economy; from BigTech to Emerging Tech, from Strategy to Innovation, from Trends to What’s Coming Next. Paying subscribers get extra content every week and full access to the Brand Strategy Collection of 250 consumer brands in emerging tech.
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Wiser! Recap - what’s happening in the tech economy
Drew Carey and AI
Drew Carey, comedian and TV host, experimented with an AI replication of himself to DJ a recent episode of his radio show, Friday Night Freakout. While the experiment shows that hosting a radio show with AI is possible, it had some kinks and fans didn't like it. However, with the development of AI-driven radio stations, the creation of AI radio personalities may be just around the corner.
Italy Bans ChatGPT
Italy has banned the use of ChatGPT due to concerns over data privacy and the safety of minors. The country's data regulators have ordered OpenAI to stop processing data from Italian users or face a fine of up to 4% of the company's global annual revenue or $21.8 million.
AI-Generated Vocals
AI engineer Roberto Nickson used AI to demonstrate how it can used for deepfakes. His target was Kanye “Ye” West. Nickson used AI to transform his voice into Kanye West's and then record himself singing an apology track in Ye's unique and unmistakeable style. Nickson believes that in the future, every artist will be able to use AI to record their own vocals.
Companies are hiring prompt engineers for generative AI systems like ChatGPT
Companies are hiring prompt engineers to test, tweak, and collect prompts for generative AI systems like ChatGPT. Google-backed startup Anthropic is offering $335,000 for a “Prompt Engineer and Librarian,” while document-review firm Klarity is offering $230,000. The job is in high demand, with companies paying top dollar for prompt engineers. However, some experts warn that the new push for AI experts may be another bubble, similar to the crypto and metaverse roles.
UNESCO Calls for Implementation of Ethics of AI Recommendation
UNESCO has called for countries to implement its "Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" immediately, following a letter proposed by Elon Musk and other tech leaders. The recommendation sets safeguards for AI, addressing discrimination, disinformation, privacy, personal data protection, and human and environmental rights. As the first global framework for ethical AI use, UNESCO aims to maximise AI's benefits while minimising risks, providing countries with essential guidance.
Midjourney has ended its free trials due to "extraordinary demand and trial abuse"
Midjourney, a generative-AI platform, has ended its free trials due to "extraordinary demand and trial abuse" after fake images of the pope and Trump went viral. The company will now charge at least $10 per month to better moderate AI outputs and prevent the spread of misinformation. For examples of the viral deepfakes, read this.
Major companies are cutting back on metaverse-related projects and investments
Major companies such as Meta, Microsoft, and Disney are cutting back on metaverse-related projects and investments.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg talked more about AI on an earnings call in February than the actual metaverse.
Microsoft recently shutdown AltSpaceVR.
Disney just eliminated the department that was developing its metaverse strategies under Bog Iger’s restructuring plan.
ByteDance is launching a new social platform in the US called Lemon8
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is launching a new social platform in the US called Lemon8, despite the potential ban of TikTok. The app is focused on fashion and health & wellness, and uses the TikTok algorithm. It is currently only available for download and is inviting creators to become launch partners.
Twitter's Verification and Visibility Changes
Twitter's overhaul of blue checkmarks (and gold for businesses) has caused confusion and controversy. This is Elon Musk’s strategy to boost revenue as advertisers desert the platform. The Twitter algorithm now makes tweets from verified accounts more visible at the expense of those from unverified accounts. Meanwhile, it’s reported that Twitter is also boosting the visibility of 35 VIP users, including Elon Musk, bypassing the platform's own rules. This was revealed after it was discovered that Musk requested Twitter's code be changed to boost his posts and "make my posts more visible than anyone else's" after President Biden's Super Bowl tweet had more engagement than Musk's.
Apple Pay Later Service Rolled Out to Select iOS Users
Apple Pay Later, a "buy now, pay later" service similar to those offered by Affirm and Klarna, is finally being rolled out to select iOS users. The service allows users to pay for items in four equal payments over six weeks with no interest or late fees, and loans between $50-$1,000 can be applied for directly in the Wallet app.
Netflix is planning to turn mobile devices into game controllers
Netflix is planning to turn mobile devices into game controllers to increase adoption of its gaming service. Despite less than 1% of users currently playing Netflix games, the company has released over 55 titles and plans to release 40 more this year.
Zipline is an autonomous delivery drone that has completed over half a million deliveries across 40 million commercial miles
Zipline is an autonomous delivery drone that has completed over half a million deliveries across 40 million commercial miles, including delivering vaccines to remote locations in Africa. Zipline operates in several countries and has recently been authorised by the FAA to enable its autonomous Detect and Avoid technology, which is a key step towards long-range drone deliveries in the US. The drones reduce carbon emissions by 97% compared to gas cars and are 7x faster than motor deliveries, covering a 10-mile journey in 10 minutes.
Panera Bread plans to use Amazon's palm scanning technology, Amazon One
Panera Bread is to use Amazon's palm scanning technology, Amazon One, to allow customers to make cashless payments and access their loyalty accounts with a wave of their hand. However, there are growing concerns about Amazon's data collection practices and the security risks of uploading biometric information to the cloud.
Levi Strauss is partnering with Lalaland to create virtual models wearing their clothes
Levi Strauss is partnering with Lalaland.ai, a digital fashion company that specialises in AI-generated fashion models, to create virtual models wearing their clothes. Levi's claims the tech will be used to supplement human models rather than completely replace them, but it remains to be seen if the AI-generated images can create a significant enough personalised shopping experience.
Ticketmaster has announced the launch of NFT tickets
Ticketmaster has announced the launch of NFT-gated services that allow artists to reward fans with special presales, prime seats, and exclusive concert experiences using NFTs. The first artist partnering with Ticketmaster is Avenged Sevenfold, and NFT holders will get to buy their tickets before anyone else in an exclusive presale.
Wiser! Reading
What's happening in Brand Strategy?
This week's I've added the following updates to the Brand Strategy Collection (of 250 consumer use cases in emerging tech):
Coca-Cola are to use OpenAI's GPT-4 and Dall-E in a consumer campaign called "Create Real Magic" to generate art.
Sony has filed patents to use NFTs in video games
Panera Bread to use Amazon's biometric palm reading tech for cashless payments and the loyalty programme.
Levi Strauss to use AI to generate personalised images of models
New pages have been created for Vans, Under Armour and Vodafone.
To find out more about the use-cases of over 250 consumer brands in emerging technologies, read this...
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