The Comunicano for Wednesday November 27th 2024
Who You Gonna Call
Ah, the news. Today’ it’s more like a cluttered attic—you dig in, hoping for treasure, but often you just find cobwebs and a box labeled "High School Yearbooks." But every so often, you unearth a nugget worth pondering. Let’s dust off a few headlines and see what we’ve got today. Shall we?
First up, OpenAI’s video tool, Sora. They brought in artists to test it, and those artists, predictably, are unhappy. They say they weren’t paid enough and were turned into “PR puppets.” Well, isn’t that the modern art world for you? Always caught between inspiration and indignation. OpenAI, a company worth $150 billion, apparently thought “exposure” was payment enough. Let me tell you, exposure only works for photographers and polar bears. Everyone else needs a paycheck.
Then there’s Hugging Face, the AI platform, which leaked a letter from these same disgruntled artists. The artists accused OpenAI of “art-washing.” That’s a new term for me. Apparently, it’s when you clean up your corporate image by splashing it with unpaid creativity. If nothing else, this proves the old adage: The only thing harder than being an artist is being an artist who trusts a tech company.
Anthropic, meanwhile, is taking a different route with their Claude AI, letting you customize its tone. Want it formal, concise, or maybe explanatory? It’s like having a butler who adapts to your mood. But here’s the rub: when AI starts bending to your whims, who’s really in charge? You or the algorithm? It’s a bit like getting a dog that walks you instead of the other way around.
And speaking of races, the AI giants are sprinting for the future. Google, OpenAI, Meta—they’re all vying for dominance. It’s the tech equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, except instead of horses, it’s models, data sets, and billions of dollars. Yet, for all their competition, none have crossed the finish line marked "General Artificial Intelligence." They’re racing to build the smartest machine, but the real question is whether they’ll outsmart themselves in the process.
On a brighter note, AI is lending a hand—or rather, a microchip—to the energy grid. The U.S. government is using it to speed up renewable energy projects. They say it’ll fix a 90% error rate in applications. Ninety percent! That’s like trying to play darts blindfolded and hitting the bartender instead of the board. AI promises to make the process faster and smarter. Let’s just hope it doesn’t start suggesting wind turbines in places that get more tumbleweeds than breezes.
Meanwhile, TikTok is banning beauty filters for teens. Bold move. Those filters are like the funhouse mirrors of the digital age, distorting reality until you don’t recognize yourself. Good for TikTok—at least until they find another way to profit from insecurities.
Oh, and there’s a “LinkedIn for parents” now, called Visible. Because apparently, parents were clamoring for a way to network over nap schedules and soccer games. It’s a nice idea, but if you ask me, the last thing stressed-out parents need is another app. They already have kids—they don’t need another reason to lose sleep.
Finally, influencers are suing each other over “clean girl” aesthetics. One says the other stole her style. Here’s a tip, ladies: if your look is “minimalist,” it’s hard to argue over who copied whom. That’s like fighting over who invented the plain white T-shirt.
And that, my friends, is just some of the news. A little absurd, a little inspiring, and just enough to remind us that the world keeps spinning—whether we understand it or not. Which is why, you’ve got THE COMUNICANO!!!
Andy Abramson
OpenAI Watch
I Duth Protest—OpenAI has paused access to its video generation tool, Sora, following a protest by artists granted early access. These artists, who criticized OpenAI for leveraging their unpaid labor as "PR puppets," made the tool publicly accessible for a brief period. OpenAI had involved artists in its testing to refine Sora, but critics argued that the compensation—exposure and limited opportunities—was inadequate given OpenAI's $150 billion valuation. This incident highlights growing tensions around unpaid contributions in AI development. OpenAI defended the program as voluntary and paused access to investigate. The protest reignited debates about transparency and ethics in AI testing.
A Not So Friendly Hug—The leaked open letter on Hugging Face outlines artists’ frustrations with OpenAI's handling of Sora’s early access program. The artists claim they were recruited under the guise of collaboration but feel exploited for unpaid labor as bug testers and PR tools. They criticize OpenAI, a $150 billion company, for offering minimal compensation while gaining significant marketing and PR value. The artists temporarily made the tool public, challenging corporate practices of “art washing.” The letter advocates for open-source alternatives and fair compensation for artists. They call for broader access to tools, creative freedom without corporate constraints, and a more transparent, artist-centered approach.
AI Watch
Claude Gets Personal—Anthropic has introduced a new feature for Claude AI that allows users to customize responses to suit their unique communication preferences. Users can choose from preset styles like "Formal," "Concise," and "Explanatory," or upload content to create personalized styles. These options are designed to enhance workflow adaptability for various professionals, including developers, marketers, and product teams. Early adopters like GitLab have praised the feature for improving consistency and versatility across different tasks, such as documentation and marketing. Users can get started by defining their preferences in the Claude chat box, aligning the tool with their specific needs. Read more from The Verge.
The AI race is a multi-faceted competition involving developing advanced models, attracting users, and building robust infrastructure. Key players include:
OpenAI: Leading with GPT-4 and ChatGPT's 200M+ active users, backed by Microsoft’s cloud services. However, its advancements are slowing, with a new model delayed to 2025.
Anthropic: Gaining ground with Claude 3.5 Sonnet and strong backing from Amazon and Google. Smaller user base but growing partnerships.
Google: Despite foundational contributions to AI, it’s catching up with its Gemini model integrated across search and Android.
Meta: Promoting open-source models like Llama, focusing on adaptability and integration with its massive social media user base.
Other contenders like Microsoft, Amazon, and xAI are building unique strategies, while AGI remains the ultimate, elusive goal.
AI To Power The Grid—The U.S. Energy Department is deploying AI to address the backlog of renewable energy projects waiting to connect to the grid, which reached 2,600 gigawatts by late 2023. The Biden administration's Grid Deployment Office is offering $30 million to accelerate interconnection reviews using AI.
AI will automate application reviews, flag deficiencies, and notify developers quickly.
This initiative targets a system where 90% of applications are deficient, causing major delays.
AI is framed as a tool for innovation amid rising concerns about its energy demands from utilities.
This effort highlights AI’s potential to streamline renewable energy integration and ensure grid reliability.
TikTok Watch
No Filter—TikTok will ban teenagers from using beauty filters in an effort to address concerns over mental health and unrealistic beauty standards. Filters like "bold glamour," which drastically alter appearance, have been criticized for pressuring young users to conform to unattainable ideals. This change is part of TikTok’s broader initiative to enhance safety, particularly for younger users, amidst the introduction of the UK's Online Safety Act. Critics argue that TikTok’s measures are driven by regulatory compliance and call for more systemic changes to reduce harmful content. The platform aims to balance user safety with authentic creative expression.
Social Watch
The Parent Trap—Seattle tech leader Jennifer Wong, founder of the Seattle NFT Museum, has launched Visible, a networking app for parents of young children. Dubbed the "LinkedIn for parents," the app helps users connect through profiles searchable by schools and organizations, fostering advice-sharing and discovery of activities. Unlike most parenting apps, Visible emphasizes networking for insights and decision-making over social interaction. Currently serving Seattle families, the app is free and aims to expand geographically in 2025, with monetization through subscriptions and ads. Wong, inspired by her own parenting experience, self-funded the project with a small team and is seeking external funding to scale.
Influencer Watch
Just Sue Me—The Verge article delves into a groundbreaking legal dispute between Amazon influencers Sydney Nicole Gifford and Alyssa Sheil. The lawsuit centers on accusations of copyright infringement and misappropriation of Gifford's likeness, stemming from their eerily similar "clean girl" aesthetics and overlapping Amazon product promotions. Both influencers operate in the competitive affiliate marketing space, curating minimalist, neutral-toned lifestyles to attract followers and commissions. This case spotlights the influencer industry's lack of legal clarity, as Gifford argues for creative ownership in a genre defined by uniformity. The lawsuit could set a precedent, questioning how much of an influencer’s brand is legally protectable.
Changing Places—The era of influencer houses is fading, replaced by dedicated production studios as creators prioritize professional-grade content over communal living. Influencers like Alan Chikin Chow, Dude Perfect, and MrBeast have invested in expansive facilities tailored to content creation, with features like custom sets, high-tech cameras, and large-scale filming spaces. These studios allow for greater independence and efficiency, reflecting the growing maturity of the creator economy. This shift marks a departure from the collaborative "collab houses" popular in the 2010s, which housed multiple influencers for shared content creation. Today, creators operate more like media executives, focusing on scalability and professional output.
Money Watch
Wimpie Was Right—A recent study reveals how Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services like Afterpay and Klarna are reshaping consumer spending behaviors. Analyzing 275,000 consumers, researchers found that BNPL adoption significantly increases spending. Consumers were 9% more likely to make a purchase, and basket sizes grew by 10%, with lasting effects for six months.
Key Findings include:
Financially constrained consumers, especially credit-reliant ones, saw the biggest spending increases.
BNPL installments reduce perceived financial strain by splitting payments into smaller, more manageable amounts.
While BNPL boosts retailer revenue, concerns include overborrowing risks for consumers and growing regulatory scrutiny. Retailers must balance revenue gains with responsible implementation.
Marketing Watch
A Senior Moment—Youth brands are increasingly partnering with older icons, marking a shift in marketing strategies. Mature figures like Willem Dafoe, Jerry Seinfeld, and Whoopi Goldberg now appear in campaigns for youth-focused labels, signaling a broader cultural embrace of aging. This trend reflects a desire among younger audiences to connect with the liberation and confidence often associated with older generations. Movements like "grandpa-core" and "coastal grandmother" aesthetics dominate TikTok, highlighting a shift from fleeting trends to timeless appeal. The approach signifies a psychological change: youth now see their future selves as integral, not distant. Brands using mature icons assert that age equals relevance, aligning with a narrative of joy in aging.
T-Mobile Watch
A Higher Calling—The FCC has approved a landmark partnership between T-Mobile and SpaceX's Starlink to provide supplemental internet coverage from space. This collaboration marks the first time a satellite operator and a cellular provider will use spectrum bands designated for terrestrial services to expand connectivity. The initiative aims to eliminate "dead zones," offering coverage in remote areas where traditional cell towers can't reach. With Starlink's direct-to-cell technology integrated into T-Mobile's existing network, this venture could redefine connectivity standards. This approval also aligns with the FCC's push for innovation in the space economy, encouraging competition and expanded access. Read the FCC decision here.
AV Watch
Oh Driver—Singapore is leveraging self-driving vehicles (AVs) to address labor shortages and optimize land use. With its strong government backing and clear regulatory framework, the city-state has become an ideal testing ground for autonomous technology, attracting global firms like China’s WeRide and local players like Moovita. AV applications in Singapore include public transport, street cleaning, and freight delivery. Recent advancements include self-driving buses for schools and autonomous goods transport for supermarket chains. Singapore's high safety standards and consumer acceptance have made it a model for AV integration, positioning it as a leader in autonomous innovation globally.
Learning To Drive—Researchers at the University of Waterloo are using human brain-inspired models to enhance the efficiency and performance of self-driving technology. Led by Dr. Chris Eliasmith, the team leverages neuromorphic computing, mimicking the brain’s ability to process complex tasks efficiently, to reduce power consumption in autonomous vehicles (AVs). Collaborating with Mercedes Benz, they aim to improve AV responsiveness, safety, and environmental impact, achieving up to 100x power reductions in simulations. Applications include enhanced scene understanding, like interpreting pedestrian cues, to boost safety. This research exemplifies interdisciplinary innovation, extending to low-power AI systems for other industries, promising transformative advancements in technology.
Robot Watch
Can You Smell The Money—Scientists in Cornwall, in partnership with the University of Plymouth and robotics company Robotriks, are trialing robots equipped with gamma ray detectors to improve soil analysis for farmers. The technology provides faster and more comprehensive soil health mapping than traditional methods, which rely on manual sampling and laboratory tests. This could significantly enhance farm profitability by improving efficiency and decision-making. In addition to tracked robots, four-legged "robot dogs" are being tested for accessing difficult terrains like hills and hedgerows. The detectors measure natural radiation levels in the soil, offering precise, actionable data while reducing costs and wait times for farmers.
