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Friends,
Pivotal moments in technology and society hit us every single week at the moment, and, in case you were having a little snooze, this week was another step up. For OpenAI fanboys, this was the iPhone moment for AI:
The tldr on this was that AI in our lives is escalating at pace. It’s getting quicker, cheap. We will all be able to create our own GPTs in a sort of App Store. This is a moment.
Some thoughts:
Keynotes are back: This felt like the first real Tech keynote worth watching live. As we speak, people are creating GPTs, without code in
The shift away from Smartphones: The focus has shifted from platform development (iOS and Android) to marketing strategies such as product segmentation and brand building. The agent (see Bill Gates article below) becomes the power.
Rise of AI as the Next Big Thing: Generative AI is the central focus of the tech industry - it’s where everyone is spending time. However, the enthusiasm around AI seems more subdued compared to previous tech revolutions. What companies are doing are gradually infusing AI to their product, to make them better, quicker, faster, smarter. And there is more of the unknown that we just don’t know.
AI Integration: There are integrations happening with all of the different LLMs. As you’ll see below, AI Pin is groundbreaking one and you’ll also see Meta's integration of AI characters into its social networks and the introduction of AI-powered Smart Glasses. There are going to be more significant steps in bringing AI into more practical and consumer-focused applications because of integrations. This AI Bot Fills Out Job Applications for You While You Sleep
Turbo: Speed and cost make AI accessible to the massess. GPT-4 Turbo includes increased context length, more control over model inputs and outputs, updated knowledge base, new modalities (including DALL-E 3, Vision, TTS), customization options, and higher rate limits. These enhancements make the API more user-friendly and efficient. Microsoft is key to this infrastructure and OpenAI announced a significant reduction in API costs, which allows for efficient scaling and optimization. This will be a win for consumers, Microsoft in being a part of the innovation, and OpenAI - being able to scale. This partnership benefits both companies, with Microsoft gaining from OpenAI's innovations and OpenAI leveraging Microsoft's infrastructure.
Customizable GPTs: Many of us didn’t know what GPTs were a year ago and now we have GPTs that are customizable designed for specific purposes. They offer tailored instructions, expanded knowledge, and actions, allowing for more effective and controlled use in various contexts. Potentially the app store of the future.
It’s clear that AI, driven by a few companies, are changing how we live and work.
And as we think about how we live - imagine, the end of the smartphone - or at least a transition in how we interact. Humans (as I’ve detailed before) has re-imagined the interface of what we might need - a pin device that sits on our lapel. Is it the finished product? No. This is version 1. Is it gamechanging? Potentially. We will see all the big players create products that are similar - but as a launch - this moves your mind to the future. Watch the video:
The AI Pin, developed by Humane, is a screenless wearable device that functions like a smartphone. Priced at $699, it represents Humane's vision of a post-smartphone world. The device is scheduled for launch in the US first this week
The Pin is a square-shaped device that attaches magnetically to clothing or surfaces. It includes a clip that doubles as a battery pack, allowing for battery swaps throughout the day. The device also features a "personic speaker" for audio output and supports Bluetooth headphone connectivity. Interaction with the Pin is primarily voice-based with a green laser projector for displaying information on surfaces like a hand and you can also make gestures. It's powered by GPT-4 and can perform tasks like message writing, email summarizing, language translation, nutritional information provision, and possibly features AI-centric photography. It includes support for Tidal music streaming with an "AI DJ".
Conceptually, Humane envisions the Pin as a standalone device, not merely an accessory to smartphones. I really see this as a new device that might actually see us through this next era. I’m not sure it’s quite this product, but it’s going to be
This is very much the smartphone passing the baton to AI.
Stay Curious - and don’t forget to be amazing,
PS. How long have you got left?
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Here are my recommendations for this week:
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AI is about to completely change how you use computers: Bill Gates: In the near future, anyone who's online will be able to have a personal assistant powered by artificial intelligence that's far beyond today's technology. This type of software—something that responds to natural language and can accomplish many different tasks based on its knowledge of the user—is called an agent. (must read)
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Israel-Gaza war explained - as an infographic: Gaza, a narrow strip of land wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea is home to more than 2.3 million people. The Palestinian enclave has become a focus of the conflict between Israel and Hamas after the militant group’s fighters launched a cross-border attack from there on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,400 Israelis and taking more than 240 hostages. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel unleashed the heaviest air strikes ever on Gaza, killing thousands, before launching ground operations in what it called “stage two” of the war. Here is a closer look at Gaza and the latest war between Israel and Hamas. Also: The Tunnels of Gaza
Inside an OnlyFans empire: Sex, influence and the new American Dream
The fast-growing platform represents the creator economy at its most bluntly transactional, where sex is just another unit of content to monetize.
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First taxi rides in autonomous flying vehicles move a step closer after China approval: Chinese startup EHang has received the world’s first airworthiness certificate for an autonomous flying taxi.
Humanoid Robot CEO Takes the Lead at Rum Company: In what’s being called a “world’s first,” the humanoid, AI-powered robot was appointed for its lack of bias and ability to make data-led decisions. Related: An AI just negotiated a contract for the first time ever — and no human was involved
Bill Gates backs novel device promising wind energy at 1/3 the cost: It looks nothing like a typical "fan on a stick" wind turbine, but this oval track with evenly spaced wing blades could be an enormously disruptive addition to the renewable energy mix, since it slashes the cost of wind power to unprecedented lows.
Scientists Are Researching a Device That Can Induce Lucid Dreams on Demand
The startup behind Halo is aiming for a future where a wearable headband can give people the experience of awakening in a lucid dream.
Meditation Is Big Business. The Science Isn’t So Clear.: For years, mindfulness has been promoted as a near panacea. But just how much does the brain affect the body?
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