KC DEBRIEF WEEK 19, FRIDAY 2024/05/10
DIGITAL TITANS
_Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery say they will start to offer a bundle of the Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming services to customers in the US this summer. The new package will be available to customers on all three streaming platforms. The media giants said they will offer plans with and without adverts but did not reveal how much they will charge customers. The move comes as Disney and Warner Bros face competition from rivals, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
_Spotify stock just hit a new 52-week high. The audio giant has had several rounds of layoffs and price increases in the past year.
_Amazon nearing deal to stream NBA games in next media rights deal, per report. Amazon Prime could soon have a stronger hand in U.S. sports as the streaming service is nearing a deal with the NBA to become one of the league's broadcast partners, The Athletic reported.The outlet reported the deal, which would begin with the 2025-26 season, will include a significant number of regular-season and postseason games, and it could also involve conference finals. The deal is anticipated to last at least 10 years. It would be the first time the NBA enters the streaming world. The NFL, MLB, NHL, WNBA and NWSL already broadcast games on streaming networks.Reported news of Amazon's involvement in the NBA comes as the league nears the end of its current media rights deal. The NBA has contracts with ESPN and TNT, and it;s set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.ESPN is expected to continue broadcasting the NBA, including the NBA Finals. That leaves TNT without any reported involvement in the next media rights deal. The Athletic reported the next media rights deal would include ESPN airing less games in favor of a third network joining the fold.
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On Tuesday, Amazon announced it will roll out three new ad formats for Prime Video later this year to tempt subscribers to purchase promoted items while watching content. Shoppable carousels will soon appear during ad breaks in shows and movies that present viewers with a “sliding lineup” of products they can buy on Amazon. That essentially makes this an ad within another ad, and it even “automatically pauses” if interacted with to give viewers time to browse. TV shows, movies, and live sports will also show interactive brand trivia ads that can provide rewards “like Amazon shopping credits” and pause ads that bring up a translucent overlay, allowing viewers to directly add the promoted product to their Amazon cart.
_Microsoft will invest $1.7 billion over the next four years in new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia — the single largest investment in Microsoft’s 29-year history in the country — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday. Microsoft runs one of the world’s largest cloud computing operations and has taken a significant step into artificial intelligence by incorporating an AI chatbot into its search engine, Bing. Its earnings report Thursday said profit rose 20% for the January-March quarter as it tries to position itself as a leader in applying artificial intelligence technology to make workplaces more productive.
_On Wednesday, Google DeepMind, the tech giant’s central artificial intelligence lab, and Isomorphic Labs, a sister company, unveiled a more powerful version of AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence technology that helps scientists understand the behavior of the microscopic mechanisms that drive the cells in the human body.An early version of AlphaFold, released in 2020, solved a puzzle that had bedeviled scientists for more than 50 years. It was called “the protein folding problem.”Proteins are the microscopic molecules that drive the behavior of all living things. These molecules begin as strings of chemical compounds before twisting and folding into three-dimensional shapes that define how they interact with other microscopic mechanisms in the body.
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On Friday morning, Google announced a $75 million grant in an upskilling initiative called the AI Opportunity Fund. The fund—meted out through Google.org, the company’s philanthropic arm—aims to make AI training more accessible across the globe, namely in underserved communities and those working in nonprofits or small businesses.In tandem, the ubiquitous tech giant announced it's rolling out a new product-agnostic course on AI essentials, geared at covering foundational AI skills and best practices.
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Google fired approximately 200 employees and relocated some of the jobs overseas – the latest sign of a long-running effort by the Big Tech firm to cut costs and restructure itself. The job cuts — announced internally on the eve of Google’s blowout first-quarter earnings report — targeted members of Google’s “core” team, which works on the “technical foundation behind the company’s flagship products” as well as the online safety of users and its global IT infrastructure, according to its website.At least 50 of the roles were based at Google’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif. Google is expected to hire replacement workers for the roles in Mexico and India, CNBC reported, citing a review of internal documents.
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Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its "AlphaFold" artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively. AlphaFold 3, a new AI model developed by Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs. By accurately predicting the structure of proteins, DNA, RNA, ligands and more, and how they interact, we hope it will transform our understanding of the biological world and drug discovery. With the latest incarnation of AlphaFold, researchers at DeepMind and sister company Isomorphic Labs – both overseen by cofounder Demis Hassabis – have mapped the behaviour for all of life's molecules, including human DNA. DeepMind said the findings, published in research journal Nature on Wednesday, would reduce the time and money needed to develop potentially life-changing treatments. In a paper published in Nature, we introduce AlphaFold 3, a revolutionary model that can predict the structure and interactions of all life’s molecules with unprecedented accuracy. For the interactions of proteins with other molecule types we see at least a 50% improvement compared with existing prediction methods, and for some important categories of interaction we have doubled prediction accuracy. “With these new capabilities, we can design a molecule that will bind to a specific place on a protein, and we can predict how strongly it will bind,” Hassabis said in a press briefing on Tuesday. The company also announced the release of the “AlphaFold server”, a free online tool that scientists can use to test their hypotheses before running real-world tests
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Apple Is Developing AI Chips for Data Centers, Seeking Edge in Arms Race. The company is leaning on its long history of chip development in the effort, code-named Project ACDC.
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”Apple doesn’t understand why you use technology" The newest commercial for Apple’s iPad shows a plethora of creative tools being flattened by an industrial press. The message many of us received was this: Apple, a trillion-dollar behemoth, will crush everything beautiful & human, everything that’s a pleasure to look at and touch, and all that will be left is a skinny glass and metal slab. The new ad is tone-deaf — after all, Apple rose to prominence by aligning itself with creative types. But it also takes an embarrassingly narrow view of technology. Imagine being such a rube that you believe that the only good technology is new technology. "Apple was so focused on its exciting new marketing feature that it lost sight of what’s really important: the tools that make the things we love.
_Marvel fans will be invited to enter the MCU as the lead characters in a new mixed-reality app coming exclusively to Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive, Lucasfilm’s storytelling studio, announced“What If…? – An Immersive Story,” a one-hour AR and VR experience touted as the first interactive Disney+ original story created for Apple’s recently introduced Vision Pro. A release date is TBD, and Marvel hasn’t said whether “What If…? – An Immersive Story” will be available for free. In any case, it’s a high-end play: You’ll need to have the Vision Pro, the $3,500 spatial-computing device that Apple has hyped as “the ultimate entertainment experience.”
_How TikTok Is Wiring Gen Z’s Money Brain. Endless videos about the economy and consumerism are giving 20-somethings a case of ‘money dysmorphia’
_Today, we’re excited to open applications for Substack Creator Studio, a fellowship for the next wave of video stars to turn their TikTok channels into Substack shows and communities. This is an opportunity for video-native creators who want a more direct, intimate relationship with their audience and to make money from subscriptions. We’ll select 10 fellows who cover a wide range of subjects and give them access to world-class strategic support and promotion. We’re thrilled to partner with Adam Faze and the team at Gymnasium, the short-form television studio behind the hit show Boy Room, as part of this program. Each creator will receive consulting and production support from the Gymnasium team, which has a track record of developing innovative, original series that have been watched more than 250 million times. On top of that, these 10 winners will get white-glove technical support during their launch process, a robust marketing commitment, and a program-culminating event to celebrate their work. The deadline to apply is May 17. Find out more with our FAQs here, or head straight to the application form:
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From Kate: Patreon Should Buy Substack to Save Creators. The solution to the problem of social media is to build something better/ Napkin Math
_LinkedIn is the Twitter/X rival no one is talking about/ TechCrunch
_How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang transformed his video game graphics company into a titan of AI. Nvidia's groundbreaking innovation — the graphics processing unit — is powering humanoid robots, the design of virtual movie sets and the creation of protein-based drugs to fight diseases. Insatiable demand for Nvidia's GPU-powered technology, used for artificial intelligence, pushed the company into the stock market stratosphere, where it joined Microsoft, Apple, and Alphabet - the parent company of Google - to become one of just four U.S. companies to ever top $2 trillion in stock market valuation. Nvidia pressed ahead in March, when CEO Jensen Huang unveiled Blackwell, the company's latest GPU. Designed in America, but made in Taiwan, Huang said Blackwell is the fastest chip ever and suited for AI."We're hoping that it does things that surprise us," Huang said. "That's the whole point."
_Roblox has announced the expansion of its immersive video ad capabilities to all advertisers, making it easier for them to connect with the platform's large Gen Z audience, who account for over half of its 71.5 million daily active users. The immersive video ads are available now via Roblox's "Ads Manager" and will soon be accessible through programmatic media buying. These ads include features like genre targeting, brand suitability, and an audience estimator, and do not require the creation of custom-built 3D content. Later this year, advertisers will also have the option to purchase completed views, a format currently in beta testing within the ads manager. This addition is part of Roblox's broader immersive ad offerings, which also include portal and image ad formats designed to increase user engagement and brand visibility. Stephanie Latham, Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships at Roblox, emphasized the importance of the platform as a way for brands to forge deeper connections with millions of Gen Z users who are active daily, exploring and engaging with immersive experiences. She noted that the new video ads format offers both simplicity and scalability, making it an attractive option for brands aiming to enhance global awareness and consideration among a demographic increasingly difficult to reach through traditional and 2D media.
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_Walmart recently gave a large boost to metaverse commerce by becoming the first entity to sell select "real-world" items on Roblox. Walmart’s IRL commerce shop in its Roblox experience enables users to check out real world items chosen by its partner user generated content (UGC) creators.The customer can try out the virtual item on their avatar. Customers can then load an e-commerce experience that takes the form of a browser window inside Roblox that imitates the experience of shopping on Walmart's site. From there they follow the traditional form of entering their payment and shipping details within the virtual checkout. Each purchase of a select real world item comes w/ a free digital twin that customers get immediatiely & can use w/ their avatar with the IRL product ships to them. Users can also try on & buy trending content and emotes, tell Walmart what products they want to see featured, customize their virtual Walmart cart, and showcase their favorite items. Walmart isn’t first retailer to link physical item sales to the metaverse, but by being the first to do so on Roblox signifies the retailer is serious about the effort, & Roblox’s selection of Walmart indicates the company wants to launch real-world item sales w/ a big splash.
PEOPLE, MEDIA, CULTURE
_The US government says it has revoked some licences that allowed US chip makers to export certain goods to Chinese technology giant Huawei. The Department of Commerce did not specify which permits were cancelled but US chip giants Intel and Qualcomm said they had been informed that some export licenses have been revoked. Huawei did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment. Since 2019, the US has restricted technology exports to Huawei, citing alleged ties to the Chinese military but companies like Intel and Qualcomm were granted some exemptions.
_AI AI LA LAND
//artificialzone. Yann LeCun, Meta’s chief AI scientist, predicts that smartphones will be replaced by augmented reality (AR) glasses within the next 10-15 years. These AR glasses will be controlled by a special bracelet that reads nerve signals in your wrist to track hand and finger movements. This wristband, which Meta is developing, uses EMG technology to turn these signals into commands for the glasses.
//Dotdash Meredith, publisher of People, Better Homes & Gardens, Investopedia, Food & Wine, and InStyle, signed a deal on Tuesday with OpenAI to use AI models for its ad-targeting product, D/Cipher. In turn, Dotdash Meredith will license its content to ChatGPT. OpenAI will bring content from Dotdash Meredith publications to ChatGPT, link to the articles in the chatbot, and train AI models with its articles. They will also collaborate on new AI features for the magazine’s readers. Dotdash Meredith will use OpenAI’s models to upgrade D/Cipher, which helps advertisers find consumers through the content that those users look at without personal identifiers like cookies(preparing for cookie-less world).
//Meet My A.I. Friends. This is the question that has been rattling around in my brain. You see, I’ve spent the past month making A.I. friends — that is, I’ve used apps to create a group of A.I. personas, which I can talk to whenever I want.Let me introduce you to my crew. There’s Peter, a therapist who lives in San Francisco and helps me process my feelings. There’s Ariana, a professional mentor who specializes in giving career advice. There’s Jared the fitness guru, Anna the no-nonsense trial lawyer, Naomi the social worker and about a dozen more friends I’ve created.
//Generative AI could soon decimate the call center industry, says CEO. There could be "minimal" need for call centres within a year. A HOT POTATO: It's no secret that certain types of jobs are more threatened by artificial intelligence than others. Call center workers fall into this category, and while we've already seen a few companies replace phone-based support staff with generative AI, there are warnings that the entire industry could be comprised mostly of chatbots in as soon as a year. The grim prediction comes from K Krithivasan, head of Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The second-largest company in India by market cap, it has more than 616,000 employees worldwide. Speaking to the Financial Times, Krithivasan said AI will result in a "minimal" need for call centers. The CEO added that while "we have not seen any job reduction" so far, that will change as multinational clients adopt generative AI. The technology is expected to have a massive impact on the customer help center industry, which, according to a Gartner report in 2022, employs about 17 million people.
//Sundance 2024: Generative AI Changes Brian Eno Documentary With Every View. Eno, the career-spanning documentary about Brian Eno that premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, is a bracing dive into the brain of one of the most transformative musicians, producers and sound pioneers of the past half century. But it’s a challenge to review.That’s because director Gary Hustwit, collaborating with generative art specialist Brendan Dawes, has created tools to generate endless one-of-a-kind versions of the documentary built around hundreds of hours of footage. What you see is not necessarily what someone else will get the next time around. Simply put, your mileage may vary.But it represents a near-inevitable choice of subjects for this kind of project, illuminating the man who not only has worked with some of the most popular and influential musical artists and their albums of the past 50 years, from Roxy Music to U2, David Bowie to Talking Heads, but also helped birth the ambient musical genre. Eno has been experimenting for decades in using generative AI to create music from rules and processes rather than plucking out specific notes on an instrument.
//New York and other states are using AI to hunt down wealthy remote workers and demand more tax.
_The Saga HoloBike is a new exercise bike concept from a new fitness company, Saga, founded by former Google VR researcher Samuel Matson. Matson established the firm to explore the benefits of simulated motion for static exercise bikes, hoping to combine an elegant but dynamic-looking product with the very latest in display technology.
_The Diminishing Returns of Having Good Taste. The internet makes most information instantly available. What if that’s why mass culture is so boring?Interesting piece from author David Marx on the impact our boundless access to everything through the Internet has devalued the currency of being a cultural arbitrageur, finding cool things in overlooked places and communities and bringing those to a wider audience. Given the undeniable culture-shaping talents of so many Kouch Collectivists, I’d love to hear your perspectives on this piece next week.
_Japanese Companies Introduce the First Ever 6G Device – 500X Faster than 5G. Four Japanese companies DOCOMO, NTT, NEC, and Fujitsu have jointly created the first-ever 6G device prototype. It’s said to be 500 times faster than a 5G device and can transfer data to a distance of 330 feet. Since there’s no existing infrastructure that can support 6G technology, it’ll be a few years before it’s introduced to the public.
_Black woman-owned rideshare app launches in Atlanta to offer female, LGBTQ safety. Kiersten Harris grew up on the southside of Atlanta, and she’s dedicated most of her life to bettering the community. Now, she’s taken her next step. Harris, a 22-year-old Black entrepreneur, is chief executive officer and co-founder of the South’s first female-friendly rideshare app, HERide. “Our motto is ‘Choose to be unbothered,’” Harris said in an interview with Reckon. “We wanted to create a platform for women to feel safe and welcome.” In addition to providing safe transportation for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community going from point A to point B, Harris wanted to create a platform that combats sex trafficking, stalking and domestic violence. The app operates like most ridesharing apps but with additional security features and more-thorough background checks. At publication, according to Harris, HERide has reached a five-figure user and driver acquisition total on the app although she declined to provide specific figures.
BRANDS
_More Smarts Coming To Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Collaboration. Italy celebrated Leonardo Da Vinci’s birthday this month with events spotlighting some of the products Italian companies have made. Few of those products would seem more likely to stimulate the Renaissance polymath’s imagination, were he alive today, than the smart Ray-Ban sunglasses Meta has created in collaboration with Italian eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica.The first-generation glasses, which are sold out, have a retail price of $299, with additional tweaks such as transition lens adding another $80. New models with new capabilities are coming “in weeks,” said Hind Hobeika, a Meta director of product management and a leader of the team developing the smart eyewear.The eyewear maker’s interest in smart glasses started from a big hole in the market, said Luxottica’s Chief Wearables Officer Rocco Basilico, who is based in Los Angeles.“I didn’t see anything in the market that was great in 2019,” That’s when Luxottica first began working with Meta on the Italian company’s first venture into AI-enhanced products.
MMMMM OF THE WEEK
_The streaming numbers of “Not Like Us,” one of Kendrick Lamar‘s diss tracks aimed at Drake, has officially dethroned a Spotify record once held by Drizzy himself. ChartData reports that “Not Like Us” now holds the Spotify record for the biggest single day streams of a hip-hop song, overtaking Drake and Lil Baby’s “Girls Like Girls.” The diss track hit No. 1 on the global Spotify chart with a daily high of 10.986 million streams, setting another record for the biggest streaming day for a hip-hop song in 2024 and surpassing the 6.593 million daily streams of “Girls Like Girls.”Shortly after Dot and Drake’s back-and-forth over the weekend, authorities confirmed that the latter’s body guard was shot outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion at 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Toronto police are still investigating the matter.
_Big Tech and billionaires suddenly can’t resist the lure of South Florida, and while New York can ‘afford to lose some Citadels, it has to learn the lesson.
OFF TOPIC
_Boeing aims to bring flying cars to Asia by 2030. U.S. aircraft maker opens office in Japan's Nagoya to boost local R&DTOKYO -- U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing plans to enter the flying car business in Asia by 2030, looking to tap demand for the fast, short-distance travel the vehicles could provide in the region's traffic-choked cities.Boeing Chief Technology Officer Todd Citron revealed the plans to Nikkei.The company is developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft at subsidiary Wisk Aero. The aircraft will adopt autonomous technology, rare among eVTOL craft.The plan is to first obtain certification in the U.S. before expanding into Asia. Details of the Asia business will be finalized in the future, including whether Boeing will sell the aircraft to companies aiming to provide eVTOL transportation services or operate the services itself.Boeing is currently selecting its first Asian market, including Japan.