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OpenAI’s new models, Apple Intelligence roll out updates and more – AI News That Matters

Microsoft Copilot upgrade, Amazon's AI sales strategy, Runway adds API, Slack unveils AI agents and more!

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Everyday AI
September 16, 2024

Outsmart The Future

Sup y’all 👋

Wild week in AI, right? 

Don’t waste your time trying to make sense of it all, and just take our insights below for the AI news that matters. 

Speaking of things that matter…. What matters most to you? 

Tomorrow’s episode will be based on the winner below. 

(Yeah, it’s kinda like we work for you.) 

What should tomorrow's episode be?

Vote to see live results!

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

See ya tomorrow!

✌️

Today in Everyday AI
8 minute read

🎙 Daily Podcast Episode: From OpenAI’s new AI models to Apple’s iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, here’s what you missed last week. Give it a listen.

🕵️‍♂️ Fresh Finds: Google funds AI wildfire satellite, Godmother of AI raises $230M and U.S. Air Force’s AI model usage grows. Read on for Fresh Finds.

🗞 Byte Sized Daily AI News: Copilot gets a major upgrade, Amazon’s new AI sales strategy, Runway gets an API for video generation and Slack adds AI agents. For that and more, read on for Byte Sized News.

🚀 AI In 5: This new Gemini feature lets you talk to your PDFs inside Google Drive. Is it any good? Find out here

🧠 AI News That Matters: What’s new with Apple’s AI features? How good are OpenAI’s new models? And what went down on Oprah’s AI special? Here’s our breakdown of the AI news that matters. Keep reading for that!

↩️ Don’t miss out: Did you miss our last newsletter? We talked about Oprah’s AI special recap, Meta updates AI labels and Salesforce launches AI agents. Check it here!

AI News That Matters - September 16th, 2024 📰

We'll tell you what everyone missed about OpenAI's new models.

Why you won't have any AI yet on Apple's new iPhones.

And the takeaways you need to know from Oprah's AI special.

Here's this week's edition of AI News That Matters.

Join the conversation and ask Jordan any questions on AI here.

Also on the pod today:

• Adobe's New Generative AI Video Tool 🎥
• US Senators Call for AI Tool Investigation 🇺🇸
• Google's Audio Overview in Notebook LM 🔊

It’ll be worth your 48 minutes:

Listen on our site:

Click to listen

Subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast platform

Listen on:

Here’s our favorite AI finds from across the web:

New AI Tool Spotlight – Cracked is an AI motion graphics copilot, Atlantix is an all-in-one ecosystem for discovering and developing innovations and Dymaxion AI provides AI-powered interior design tools.

OpenAI– OpenAI’s o1 model has surpassed human IQ according to the the Norway Mensa IQ test.

AI Models– A global initiative called "Humanity's Last Exam" has been launched to develop challenging questions for AI systems.

Google– Google is funding an AI-powered satellite that can spot wildfires faster.

Money in AI – World Labs, founded by the “Godmother of AI” Fei-Fei Li, has raised $230M in funding.

AI Video – Luma Labs has added its Dream Machine API for developers.

AI in Government - The U.S. Air Force’s AI model now has 80,000 users in its first months.

AI in Medical – A new Canadian study found that this AI tool cut unexpected deaths in hospital by 26%.

1. Microsoft Launches Major Upgrades for Copilot Wave 2 🤯

Microsoft has officially unveiled its latest enhancements to Copilot at a live-streamed event, showcasing impressive new features designed for both enterprise and personal users. The upgraded Copilot now boasts a Pages feature for real-time collaboration within Microsoft 365 applications, along with the ability to utilize Python in Excel for advanced data analysis—all without needing to write code.

Additionally, Outlook's new inbox prioritization will help users focus on important emails, while Teams will provide meeting summaries, making workplace communication smoother than ever.

2. Amazon's AI Sales Strategy Gets a Boost 🚀

Amazon Web Services is intensifying its AI sales efforts with a new initiative termed "Find One, Launch One, Ramp One," designed to enhance revenue from its AI assistant, Q, and platform, Bedrock.

The company is incentivizing its sales team with performance bonuses and unique rewards to motivate engagement and drive results. However, with Microsoft gaining ground due to its early investment in OpenAI, AWS is also strategically positioning itself against competitors to attract customers

3. Runway Launches API for Video Generation 🎥

Runway has officially launched its new API for video generation, allowing developers to integrate its Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model into their applications—pending access from a waitlist. While notable partners like Omnicom are already utilizing the technology, Runway's unique disclosure requirements mandate a "Powered by Runway" banner in all interfaces.

However, the company faces scrutiny over its training data sources, with lingering questions about potential copyright violations that could lead to legal challenges.

4. Slack Unveils AI Agents Feature 👥

Slack is enhancing productivity with its latest feature, Agents, designed to simplify the integration of AI agents for users. This update is available to paying users and allows seamless access to Salesforce’s AI tools as well as third-party agents, enabling a more efficient workflow within the chat platform.

Additionally, the new Agentforce feature allows users to interact with data from Salesforce by simply typing questions, leading to actionable insights right from their Slack interface.

5. Oracle Co-Founder Envisions a Future of AI-Powered Surveillance 👁

Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle and one of the world's wealthiest individuals, recently shared his striking vision for the role of AI in surveillance during an investors meeting. He suggested that AI will ensure citizens are on their best behavior by constantly monitoring activities through various surveillance systems, including police body cameras and drones.

Ellison stated, "We're going to have supervision," highlighting the potential of AI to oversee police conduct and even replace police cars in high-speed pursuits.

6. Supermaven Secures $12 Million in Funding from OpenAI and Perplexity 💸

Jacob Jackson, co-founder of Tabnine, is making waves again with his new AI coding platform, Supermaven, which has just raised $12 million in a funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with notable investors including OpenAI co-founder John Schulman and Perplexity co-founder Denis Yarats.

This innovative platform features its proprietary generative AI model, Babble, designed to enhance developer workflows with a substantial 1 million-token context window. With over 35,000 developers already on board and a rapidly growing user base, Supermaven is positioning itself as a formidable player in the AI coding tool market.

New Gemini AI Feature: Chat with your PDFs in Google Drive

There’s a new Gemini AI feature inside Google Workspace!

You can now talk to your PDFs inside Drive with Gemini.

Lately, Gemini features have been a hit or miss. So is this one any good?

New models. 

New investigations. 

And…. Oprah? Lolz 

Welp, that was dizzying. 

The past week in AI developments has not disappointed. 

Apple's playing the long game, OpenAI just dropped a new breed of AI, and Oprah's brought the whole convo to your living room. 

Oh, and U.S. senators are eyeing those AI content summarizers like they're sus.

What’s it all mean? 

We got you. 

Almost every Monday, we bring you the AI news that matters. 

We cut through the fluff and focus your eyes on what you need to know to grow your company and career. 

Let’s get it!

1 – Apple's iOS 18: The AI Waiting Game ⏳️

Apple's rolling out iOS 18 today, but don't hold your breath for any AI features just yet. 

The real AI enhancements are coming in stages, and it's quite the slow burn.

Late October will bring iOS 18.1 with an improved Siri that can understand follow-up questions, AI-powered notification summaries, and suggested replies in messaging apps. 

December's iOS 18.2 will introduce Image Playground for creating cartoonish photos and Genmoji for generating emojis from text or photos.

But the truly personal-sounding Siri? 

That's not coming until March 2025 with iOS 18.4, which might also support additional languages.

Why it matters: 

Apple's taking a cautious approach, rolling out AI features over a year and a half after competitors like Microsoft and Google. 

This slow rollout could cost them in the short term, but it might pay off if they deliver more polished features. 

The question is: will users patiently wait for Apple's AI renaissance, or will they jump ship to more AI-equipped platforms? 

2 – Google's Notebook LM: The Sleeper Hit 👀️

This is probably Google’s best AI product in disguise. 

Google has quietly updated its Notebook LM with a new audio overview feature that transforms documents, slides, and charts into audio discussions. 

This AI-powered tool facilitates a dynamic exchange between two AI hosts, making it particularly appealing for students and professionals who need to digest information quickly.

The feature allows users to generate audio discussions by clicking a new generate button within their notebooks.

Why it matters: 

This could be one of the most useful consumer AI tools since the introduction of ChatGPT Plus.

Buuuuuut, Google's subdued rollout might prevent it from gaining the traction it deserves.

 

3 – White House Wakes Up to AI's Power Hunger 🇺🇸

Let’s talk…. Power? 

One overlooked aspect of an AI-first world is the amount of energy needed to make Generative AI a reality. 

That’s one of the reasons why the White House just formed a task force to tackle AI's growing appetite for energy. They're worried about all those data centers popping up like mushrooms. 

Big names like OpenAI's Sam Altman are in on the talks.

Why it matters: 

Finally, someone noticed AI isn't just a software issue. 

These models are power-hungry beasts. But let's be real - government task forces aren't exactly known for their speed. 

By the time they decide anything, we might be powering AIs with fusion reactors.

And imagine how much power something like OpenAI o1 takes? 

Sheeesh. 

4 – Adobe's AI Video Magic 🪄

Adobe's teasing new AI video updates built on their Firefly model. 

Soon you'll be able to make videos from still images, generate clips from text, and even fake different camera angles and motions. 

They swear it's all above board, trained on legit Adobe stock and public domain content.

Why it matters: 

This could be huge for creators, but it's giving Hollywood the jitters. 

VFX artists, editors, and cinematographers might be sweating. Plus, when anyone can whip up a pro-looking video, how do we tell what's real anymore? 

We're entering a world where seeing isn't believing.

Also, why haven’t we heard any update on the Adobe/Sora collab?

5 – Oprah's AI Chat: Tech Bigwigs Talk AI 🗣

Didn’t have Oprah on your 2024 AI bingo card? 

Same shorties. 

Oprah hosted an AI chat with Bill Gates, Sam Altman, and even FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

Gates thinks AI is outpacing expectations and we'll all be working less soon (dream on). 

Altman warned about economic shake-ups. 

Wray brought up AI crime, because someone had to be the buzzkill.

Why it matters: 

This is AI hitting prime time. 

Great for introducing the topic to your aunt who still prints her emails, but it barely scratched the surface. 

We need deeper dives into AI's impact, not just celeb soundbites about robot overlords and shorter workweeks.

But, if you have the spare time, it’s worth checking out. 

6 – Senators call for investigation into AI Summarizers 🕵

More potential investigations? 

Yup. 

U.S. senators want the FTC and DOJ to investigate AI tools that sum up online content. 

They're worried these tools are keeping eyeballs (and ad money) away from original publishers. 

Yet, it’s kinda become impossible for content publishers to make their content available to search engines, yet restrict those search giants from also training their models on those sources or just summarizing their site without sending users their way. 

It's a “danged if you do, danged if you don't" situation for content creators.

Why it matters: 

This fight's been brewing. 

These AI summarizers are handy when you're drowning in open browser tabs, but they're potentially killing original content creators. 

We need to figure out how to keep the internet running without turning it into a copyright lawyer's nightmare.

Also, the internet is a straight up wasteland of unusability, TBH. 

We covered that a while back. 

7 – Salesforce's Agent Force: AI Minions for Your Business 🏢

Is this a trend of business moves to come? 

Salesforce unveiled Agent Force, a suite of low-code tools for making AI assistants that can actually do stuff in sales, service, marketing, and e-commerce. 

These aren't your average chatbots - they can make decisions based on your company's data. 

They're charging $2 per chat, with volume discounts available.

Yikes? 

Why it matters: 

Salesforce is going all-in on AI, ditching its old CRM-first identity. 

Its CEO has said the company is essentially doing a hard 180 pivot from CRM company to AI company. 

This could change how businesses operate, but that pricing model? 

It's bold. 

If it works, it's brilliant. 

If not, it'll be an expensive lesson in AI hype. Either way, it shows AI is moving from buzzword to business essential.

Also… how many companies are actually gonna pay $2 PER CONVERSATION!? 

8 – OpenAI's O1: The Thinker 🧠

Yeah, we’re saving the big one for last. 

OpenAI dropped o1 and o1 Mini, new reasoning-based AI models that take their sweet time to answer - sometimes up to 2 minutes. 

Why? 

They're actually “thinking”, not just spitting out pre-baked responses. 

The full o1 model scored a mind-bending 92.3 on the MMLU benchmark, leaving other AIs (and all humans, obviously) in the dust. 

Right now, only ChatGPT Plus and Teams users get to play, and even they're limited to 30-50 messages a week.

We covered this more in-depth with a bonus episode last week! 

Why it matters: 

This is AI that reasons, not just regurgitates. 

It's a big step towards AGI, and you can bet Google and Anthropic are taking notes. 

Expect an AI arms race as everyone scrambles to keep up. 

What do you think? 

⌚

Numbers to watch

$24 million

11xAI has raised $24 million to build AI digital employees.

(Or your fave LLM like Claude, Gemini, Copilot, etc)

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