Wiser! Recap: Deepfakes | Surveillance | Fake AI | NFT | AI Rejuvenation | Starbucks Odyssey
What's happening and what's coming next in tech, innovation and strategy.
Hello Wiser! readers, here’s your mid-week “in case you missed it” recap of the key stories from the tech economy.
For everything you need to know, check out the Wiser! website.
🔥 This issue of Wiser! is promoting Meco - the 21st century newsletter app
Meco app is a newsletter reader that enables the reading of newsletters outside the inbox.
“The best new app for newsletter reading”
Reading newsletters in the inbox is frustrating - it is noisy and easy to lose control of subscriptions. Now you can enjoy your newsletters outside the inbox with Meco, an app built for reading. Plus, it’s completely free.
👉 Try Meco
What’s happening in tech
Alphabet experiences second largest daily market cap loss ever after AI own goal.
Bing has played second fiddle to Google Search for years, is that about to change?
Reddit's NFT collectible avatars is a perfect web3 use-case
An AI-generated image on a magazine cover has raised questions of authenticity.
AI is making stars like Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford look younger in movies.
Shopify introduces blockchain tools & NFTs to 450 million buyers.
Language app Duolingo uses AI to personalise the learning experience.
Tractor maker John Deere's strategy is to generate at least 10% of its revenues from digital sources.
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com to launch ChatGPT-style product.
Apple Watches are apparently making unnecessary emergency calls.
BigTech has reported $10 billion in charges from job culls and cost cutting.
If you remember Y2K, then get ready for Y2K38.
Apple Services now generate more revenue than Nike and McDonald’s combined, according Finbold.
Serve Robotics and Nuro say they’re using robots to offer retailers cheaper and more sustainable delivery.
US Copyright Office tells judge that AI artwork isn’t protectable.
Paris Hilton and blockchain gaming platform, The Sandbox, have created Parisland, a romantic adventure game set on a tropical paradise island.
President Zelenskyy has called out the CEO of SpaceX after they said that the country has 'weaponised' the Starlink satellite internet.
A bunch of tech lawyers have filed a lawsuit challenging Stable Diffusion. Read all about it in this fantastically detailed blog called Stable Diffusion Frivolous.
Paris’s leading contemporary art museum, the Centre Pompidou, will display 18 NFT artworks by French and international artists. Learn more...
Brand Strategy Collection
A unique collection of use-cases and innovations in emerging technologies amongst 250 consumer brands. (Discover more.)
Brand Strategy Use Cases:
☕️ Starbucks Use Case: Building customer loyalty with NFTs.
✈️ How Airline brands are using emerging tech to increase customer engagement.
🥤Dr Pepper drinks brand, Snapple are using ChatGPT to increase customer engagement.
🎙️ Big Tech Little Tech Podcast: Spy tech, blue tick verification, NBA avatars, and f***ing Shrinking
Shaun and I talk about spy balloons, paranoia, and overreaction about China, as well as TikTok’s data-gathering motivation. Also, charging for blue tick verification, digital avatars, the NBA, robot chefs, pancakes, tight jeans, and an abundance of swearing on Apple TV+ shows.
Listen to the podcast on all major platforms, including:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Anchor
👓 Subscribe to the Substack newsletter here.
Wiser! Premium Content
📺 Are Deepfakes being used for state-aligned propaganda?
The use of deepfakes for the purpose of spreading state-aligned propaganda has recently been discovered. For the first time.
Graphika, a research organisation that studies disinformation, discovered two deepfake videos that seem to show anchors of an American news channel promoting the interests of the CCP and undercutting the United States. One video featured a reporter criticising mass shootings in America, and another showed an anchor praising the CCP’s foreign policy.
Sources of Insight to Make You Wiser!
Chartr
Level up your office small talk with the #1 visual newsletter from Chartr. Join 300,000+ who love snackable charts and easy-to-remember data insights on business, tech and society. Sign up for free.
For The Interested
A newsletter that shows creative entrepreneurs how to produce, promote, and profit from their creations based on how others have successfully done it. Read it for free here.
Web3 Daily
Every day, the team at Web3 Daily writes an email to your mom (metaphorically speaking). The email is full of the latest Web3 news, but it’s translated into plain English, which means everyone can understand it. Subscribe for free.
Morning Brew
Catch up on the latest hot news topics with Morning Brew, the free email you can read in five minutes. Join 4 million people that get Morning Brew for free every day.
🛠️ Tools, tips and tricks to save you time
Start speaking a new language in just three weeks with Babbel.
5 Reasons to build your integrated website, newsletter and membership on Ghost.
Job search made easy: Looking for work? 10 Million+ people have been hired through Smartr.
Add a new newsletter to your morning routine with the best stories the web has to offer, curated by Refind. Sign up for free here.
For writing: I’m loving NotionAI.
For music: I use Mubert
Wiser! newsletters are free thanks to the support of premium subscribers, clickable ads, and donations from readers just like you. To make a €2 donation to keep the hamster wheel turning, go here and support Wiser!.
🪧 Signpost
Website: rickhuckstep.com
Podcast: Big Tech Little Tech
YouTube: Wiser! Channel
BuyMeACoffee: Wiser!