Need to Know News - August 15th, 2024
In this week's Need to Know News edition...AI art comes to Grok...what went wrong with the Humane AI pin...why studying children's minds could be the key to building better AI...plus, a whole lot more!
AI In Action
"I'm a Google technical program manager. This is how AI has transformed my job."
Get an inside look at how a technical program manager at Google harnesses AI to supercharge productivity and streamline workflows. From efficiently assigning tasks to hundreds of engineers to crafting polished emails in Gmail, AI is revolutionizing project management.
But the real game-changer? AI's ability to anticipate and mitigate risks months in advance. By feeding historical data into AI models, Google can map issue themes and proactively prepare for future problems - ensuring projects stay on track.
As AI continues to evolve, Google is embracing it strategically. While AI boosts productivity, it doesn't replace critical thinking or leadership skills.
Grok-2 Is Out in Beta, Now With Added AI Image Generation
The second version of the AI chatbot integrated into X (formerly Twitter), Grok-2 is now being made available in beta to users who pay for X Premium and Premium+. The slowly ingrained AI model, much touted by X owner Elon Musk, comes in two versions: Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, the latter being described as "our small but capable model that offers a balance between speed and answer quality."
In a post on its website, Musk's AI company xAI says Grok-2 has been developed with startup Black Forest Labs to incorporate its FLUX.1 model, which specifically creates AI-generated images.
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Google Rolls Out Pixel 9 Phones Earlier Than Usual as AI Race With Apple Heats Up
Google on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of Pixel phones, providing the maker of Android software a head start on the next iPhone in the race to bring more artificial-intelligence services to devices that have become people’s constant companions.
“We are obsessed with the idea that AI can make life easier and more productive for people,” Rick Osterloh, a Google senior vice president who oversees the Pixel phones, said Tuesday.
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AI Business Agent Startup Bardeen Pulls in Strategic Investment From Dropbox and HubSpot
Every day, employees across the world spend incalculable hours performing tediously repetitive tasks, such as converting documents into PDFs and then uploading them to a drive, from where they are sucked into a database and emailed to a team. Now a startup, Bardeen, is launching a service that automates such work for businesses on the heels of a new round of funding.
Bardeen’s platform uses a natural language interface to automate repetitive knowledge work. The company has secured $3 million in this new round, taking its total funding raised to $22 million.
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Sam Altman-Backed Humane Wanted to Be the Next Smartphone. Now It Has $1 Million Worth of Returned AI Pins
Earlier this year, Humane was a promising AI wearable startup intent on creating a device that would replace the smartphone. It raised over $200 million from big names, including Microsoft, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, to develop a device that can make calls, send texts, answer questions, and translate from one language to another. The Pin has a laser projector that beams a screen onto your palm, which can then be manipulated by a user tilting their palm or pinching their index finger and thumb together.
Now, more customers are returning Humane's flagship product, the $699 Ai Pin, than buying it.
Meta Reportedly wants to Pay Top Actors Millions to Clone Their Voices for AI
How much would Meta have to pay you to clone your voice for AI?
Meta is offering to pay celebrities millions in exchange for the right to capture their voices and use them for AI, according to separate reports from Bloomberg and The New York Times last week. Judi Dench, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key have all reportedly been asked to be used for an AI chatbot or other unspecified AI product.
At the Frontier of AI
Chief Marketers are Warming Up to Generative AI: Report
There is a renewed confidence in creativity among global chief marketing officers, with 83% believing that creative ideas can transform businesses, according to Dentsu Creative’s 2024 CMO Report.
Additionally, more CMOs view generative artificial intelligence as an enhancement to their business rather than a threat, per the report. Over three quarters of respondents would be interested in training AI on their brand’s look, feel and tone of voice.
Recent Google Ruling May Open Door to More AI-Powered eCommerce
Google's search monopoly faces a legal blow that could usher in an AI-powered eCommerce revolution. Experts predict:
• Lower digital ad costs from increased competition
• Personalized product discovery via AI search engines
• Innovative businesses gaining ground by optimizing for AI
• More spontaneous purchases from AI shopping assistants
• Reduced marketing costs leading to better eCommerce deals
As Google appeals, the online shopping landscape braces for an AI shakeup that presents both disruptive challenges and innovative opportunities.
92% of IT Jobs Will Be Transformed by AI
No doubt artificial intelligence will be a paradigm shift for society. But the extent to which AI will replace human workers in the future remains up for debate.
To get a better idea how AI will change the labor market for technology professionals, the recently formed AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium has published its inaugural report, “The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs,” which reveals that 92% of IT jobs will see a high or moderate transformation due to advances in AI
Why Studying Children’s Minds Could Help Us Build Better AI
UC Berkeley psychology professor Alison Gopnik studies how children learn. She also studies artificial intelligence systems. That might sound counterintuitive, but as she explains in this video about her work for UC Berkeley News, there’s much overlap between what we are learning about how babies explore the world and how we might create better AI systems.
“Even very young children are the best learners, and they do it in record time and with very little teaching,” says Gopnik. “So the question is, how do they manage to learn as much as they do?”
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The AI Marketers
