The Comunicano for Wednesday December 4th 2024

Wide World of Wednesday

Folks, let’s take a moment to take it all in—the stories, the progress, the lessons from our past, and the possibilities ahead. In today’s world, we’re not just building; we’re weaving together the threads of innovation, tradition, and responsibility.

Amazon has been busy charting new territories, rolling out their Nova AI models—a lineup so versatile it feels like a Swiss Army knife for the digital age. And while their AI supercomputer, Project Rainer, promises unmatched power, there’s a quieter revolution happening with their Q Developer tools. Streamlining coding? That’s progress with a human touch. But not all news shines as brightly. In Washington D.C., Amazon faces scrutiny for excluding predominantly Black neighborhoods from their fastest Prime services. It’s a reminder that progress must always carry fairness in its stride.

Meanwhile, over at Google, Gemini is raising the bar—giving smart devices a more human voice and a clearer sense of purpose. Their work reminds us that tech can feel like a good neighbor. But with a new site demonstrating how much AI can learn from our photos, we’re also reminded of the fine line between innovation and intrusion.

On the other side of the globe, Tencent’s text-to-video tool is breaking creative barriers, while Salesforce envisions AI as a partner, not a replacement. Marc Benioff’s dream of a “limitless workforce” speaks to a future where tech lifts us all.

Yet, not all is rosy in this digital frontier. A hacking group infiltrating U.S. telecoms serves as a wake-up call about the cost of connectivity. And the FTC’s ban on invasive location tracking by Venntel shows a line drawn in the sand: privacy matters.

But progress isn’t just about machines; it’s also about people. Uber’s Shikara boat rides on Dal Lake bring technology and tradition together, supporting local livelihoods. And while Airbnb’s gladiator experience at the Colosseum stirs debate, it’s clear that balancing history and commerce requires care.

Even in retail, innovation continues. Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio hints at a future where shopping and streaming intertwine. And up in Amasa, Michigan, the craftsmen at Connor Sports remind us that true excellence—whether on a basketball court or in life—comes from a blend of precision and passion.

It’s a big world, moving fast. But here’s the truth: in every breakthrough, every lesson, and every challenge, there’s an opportunity to build something better. Let’s not just keep up—let’s lead the way. And isn’t that why you read THE COMUNICANO!!!

Andy Abramson

Amazon Watch

Slow Down—Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the company of deceptively excluding two predominantly Black neighborhoods—ZIP codes 20019 and 20020 in Wards 7 and 8—from its fastest Prime delivery services. While charging residents the full Prime membership fee, Amazon secretly switched these areas to slower third-party delivery services in 2022, reducing two-day deliveries from over 72% in 2021 to less than 25% in 2023. The lawsuit alleges Amazon misled consumers and failed to disclose the change. D.C. seeks to halt the practice and secure restitution for impacted residents.

Go Big or Go Home—Amazon has launched its "Nova" AI models at AWS re:Invent 2024, marking a significant move in generative AI. The Nova lineup includes models like Nova Micro, Lite, Pro, Premier, Canva (image generation), and Reel (video generation). Amazon CEO Andy Jassy emphasized their multimodal capabilities—handling text, speech, images, and video—and teased future innovations. Positioned to expand AWS’s AI offerings and bolster its cloud leadership, Nova aligns with Amazon’s internal use and customer demand for diverse AI tools. This move underscores Amazon’s ambition to leverage AI for competitive advantage and reassert itself in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Call Agent Q—Amazon has expanded the capabilities of its Amazon Q Developer agent, enhancing its utility in software development. New features include generating detailed documentation (/doc), performing code reviews to improve security and quality (/review), and creating unit tests for better test coverage (/test). These tools integrate seamlessly with popular IDEs and DevOps platforms, streamlining the development lifecycle. Amazon Q's enhancements aim to automate tedious tasks, boost productivity, and align with modern software engineering practices. These capabilities, available in Free and Pro tiers, further solidify AWS’s position in the AI-driven development tools market.

Bigger, Better, Cheaper—Amazon, in collaboration with Anthropic, is developing a mega AI supercomputer, "Project Rainer," aimed at being the world's most powerful. Announced at AWS re:Invent 2024, it leverages Amazon's advanced Trainium 2 chips, promising cost-efficiency and scaling AI capabilities beyond Nvidia's dominance. AWS also introduced generative AI tools like Model Distillation to create efficient AI models and Bedrock Agents to manage AI workflows. Amazon is intensifying its AI strategy with innovations in custom silicon and accessible generative AI, cementing its position as a leader in cloud-based AI solutions while targeting real-world applications.

Bye Bye Hallucination—AWS announced major updates to its Bedrock platform, introducing multi-agent capabilities and enhanced guardrails to tackle AI hallucinations. The multi-agent system allows businesses to deploy specialized agents for complex workflows, coordinated by an orchestrator agent, streamlining processes like financial analysis or customer retention. Enhanced Bedrock Guardrails now include automated reasoning checks to ensure factual accuracy, crucial for industries like healthcare and finance. These updates, alongside advancements like Amazon Nova and SageMaker upgrades, emphasize AWS’s commitment to enabling responsible and scalable AI applications, reinforcing its leadership in cloud-based generative AI solutions.

Gemini Watch

What Do You Know—A new website, TheySeeYourPhotos.com, demonstrates the depth of information Google's AI can extract from your images. Developed by Ente, an encrypted photo storage service, the site allows users to upload photos and receive detailed, three-paragraph descriptions generated by Google's Cloud Vision AI. These analyses can identify specific objects, infer personal details, and even deduce contextual information, highlighting the extensive capabilities of AI in image analysis. This initiative aims to raise awareness about data privacy and the potential insights AI can glean from personal photos.

Look Who’s Talking—Google is rolling out a Gemini-powered voice for its Assistant, enhancing conversational abilities and natural tone. This new voice is selectively activated for in-depth queries, while simpler requests still use the traditional voice. It’s designed to offer richer responses, improved pacing, and better engagement through follow-ups. This evolution aligns with Google’s ambition to make Assistant smarter and more intuitive, capable of handling complex topics and conversational nuances. Gemini’s integration represents a step forward in delivering more interactive and human-like digital assistants for Nest and other smart devices.

AI Watch

It’s a Best of List—In 2024, AI tools have significantly advanced, offering enhanced capabilities across various applications. Notable AI chatbots include OpenAI's ChatGPT, renowned for its conversational proficiency, and Google's Gemini, which provides comprehensive responses and is integrated into Google's services. In the realm of AI art generation, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion stand out, each offering unique features for creative projects. For video editing, tools like Adobe Premiere Pro have incorporated AI to streamline the editing process. These advancements reflect the growing integration of AI into everyday tools, enhancing efficiency and creativity across industries.

How Work Is Changing—Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff envisions AI agents as tools companies use to improve customer service and productivity. Rather than personal assistants, these agents will integrate with business systems, streamlining tasks like healthcare scheduling or financial management. Benioff believes AI won’t replace jobs but will enhance productivity, creating a "limitless workforce." Salesforce's "Agentforce" exemplifies this approach, reallocating employees to strategic roles. While acknowledging risks of workforce reduction, Benioff emphasizes AI’s potential to expand industries and reshape business. This shift, he argues, reflects a historical moment in combining human ingenuity with technological scalability to address labor shortages and boost economic productivity.

New Player To Watch—Tencent Holdings has unveiled HunyuanVideo, a text-to-video generation tool built on its Hunyuan AI foundation model. This free service for both enterprise and individual users boasts over 13 billion parameters, making it the world's largest open-source model for video generation. HunyuanVideo produces high-quality, hyperrealistic videos with convincingly rendered camera angles and reflections. Demonstrations include a surfer riding a wave and hot air balloons ascending into the sky. This launch positions Tencent alongside other Chinese tech firms, such as Kuaishou and Alibaba, in the competitive AI-driven video generation landscape.

Privacy Watch

So Much for Privacy—A Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, Salt Typhoon, has infiltrated major U.S. telecommunications networks, accessing private communications of numerous Americans, including high-profile political figures. The FBI and CISA have urged telecom companies to enhance security measures to prevent further breaches. The hackers targeted systems facilitating court-authorized wiretaps, potentially compromising sensitive law enforcement data. Major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile were affected, though T-Mobile reported no customer data was accessed. The full extent of the breach remains under investigation, with concerns about ongoing access and data exploitation.

Stop Watching Us—The FTC has banned Venntel, a key location data broker, from selling or disclosing sensitive location information used in surveillance tools. This data includes visits to medical clinics, places of worship, shelters, and other protected sites. Venntel, through parent company Gravy Analytics, provided data for tools like Locate X, which was controversially used to track phones at abortion clinics. The ban mandates the deletion of historically sensitive data and limits its use to national security or law enforcement in exceptional cases. The decision reflects growing concerns over privacy violations and misuse of location tracking by governments and private entities.

UBER Watch

Come Sale Away—Uber has introduced "Uber Shikara," its inaugural water transport service in India. It allows users to pre-book traditional Shikara boat rides on Srinagar's Dal Lake via the Uber app. Reservations can be made between 12 hours and 15 days in advance, with each one-hour ride accommodating up to four passengers and departing from Shikara Ghat No. 16. Uber will not charge any commission, ensuring that the full fare goes directly to the Shikara operators. This initiative aims to blend technology with tradition, enhancing the tourism experience while supporting local boatmen.

Airbnb Watch

Be A Gladiator—Airbnb's plan to host immersive gladiator experiences at Rome's Colosseum has ignited significant controversy among local officials and cultural advocates. The initiative, designed to promote the release of "Gladiator II," allows selected participants to don historically accurate armor and engage in simulated combat within the ancient amphitheater. However, critics argue that this event commodifies a UNESCO World Heritage site, transforming it into a "theme park" and undermining its historical integrity. Enzo Foschi, a Democratic Party politician, emphasized that "we are not in Disneyland; we are in Rome." Despite the backlash, the Colosseum Archaeological Park defends the collaboration, stating that it aims to enhance the site's historical and cultural heritage through immersive activities based on rigorous historical research.

No More Self-Check-In—Italy has announced a nationwide ban on self-check-ins at Airbnb and short-term rental properties, citing safety concerns and the need to combat potential terrorism. The new law requires all renters to be registered in person at local police stations, moving away from the practice of sharing digital copies of identification. Authorities will remove key boxes and keypads to enforce the rule. The measure, driven by Italy’s Interior Ministry, aims to enhance public safety ahead of major events like the 2025 Vatican Jubilee and 2026 Winter Olympics. While Airbnb expressed support for responsible hosting, it emphasized the flexibility self-check-ins provide.

Retail Watch

WalMart Makes a Buy—Walmart has finalized its $2.3 billion acquisition of Vizio, aiming to enhance its advertising capabilities through Vizio's SmartCast operating system. This strategic move allows Walmart to integrate its retail media business, Walmart Connect, with Vizio's platform, offering advertisers innovative ways to engage customers. Despite privacy concerns due to Vizio's past data tracking issues, both companies will continue to operate independently, with Vizio's CEO, William Wang, remaining in his role.

Sports Watch

A New Definition of Courting—The NBA’s hardwood courts tell a story of craftsmanship rooted in Amasa, Michigan, home to Connor Sports. This tiny town in the Upper Peninsula is the epicenter of hardwood court production for the NBA, NCAA, and more. Courts are built using northern hard maple, a durable wood harvested locally. Connor’s 800 annual courts are crafted with precision—logs are kiln-dried, cut, planed, and assembled into portable or permanent floors. With a five-year NCAA contract and high NBA demand, Connor remains a leader. Courts, finished with elaborate designs, embody both tradition and innovation, making them central to basketball’s global appeal.