How AI is transforming industries and what you can learn from it

Hi Futurist,

It's becoming increasingly clear how companies are utilizing AI in their marketing campaigns. I'll highlight a few examples in this dip. It's good to take these in. Therefore, I am sending you insights, inspiration, and innovation straight to your inbox. Let’s dive into the depths of the digital future together and discover the waves of change shaping our industry.

In this post, we're dipping in:

• 📣 Byte-Sized Breakthroughs: Three (technological) developments in the digital landscape

• 🎙️ MarTech Maestros: one webinar, podcast, or interesting paper I believe you should watch, listen to, or read too

•  🧐 Last but not least: Things that I like

Do you have tips, feedback or ideas? Or just want to give your opinion? Feel free to share it at the bottom of this dip. That's what I'm looking for. Thursday came out as the winner as the favorite day in the last poll. Thanks everyone for the feedback. So, I'll stick with Thursday. :)

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📣 Byte-Sized Breakthroughs

'Byte-Sized Breakthroughs' briefly highlights (technological) developments in the digital landscape

Headstory: How AI is transforming industries and what you can learn from it

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, the key questions remains: What should you focus on? What technologies are worth integrating, and how can you leverage them within your organization? These are valid questions. It's always beneficial to observe how other companies are utilizing AI in their marketing, communication, and business processes. Let me give you a few examples.

The Dali Museum in Florida has taken a remarkable step by offering visitors an extraordinary experience: a phone call with Salvador Dali himself! Well, almost. Using ElevenLabs' voice technology, Dali can 'personally' answer visitors' questions about his artwork and thoughts. This brilliant implementation demonstrates how technology can bring us closer to historical figures and their creative minds, making art more interactive and engaging.

Or consider BlandAI, an AI customer service tool that can serve 500,000 people simultaneously. They advertise with a simple ad: a phone number on a large billboard. When you call the number, you engage with their own AI bot, which can converse about their services, how it works, or anything that comes to mind. This directly demonstrates the strength and possibilities of the tool itself, making it a fantastic ad. Try it yourself, call the following number: 415-480-0000.

Coca-Cola is taking a different approach. Of course, I understand that what I'm about to describe is out of reach for many organizations. They are investing $1.1 billion in a strategic partnership with Microsoft to explore generative AI use cases. But, what I find interesting is that they are also looking to deploy Microsoft Co-Pilot in the workplace. Or how they might use Azure OpenAI services in their production processes. I get it, Coca Cola can afford the firepower. But their way of thinking is free. And you can do that within your organization for free too. Which tasks or processes could be arranged differently or more smartly in your organization?

Another example of AI deeply integrated into business processes is United Airlines. They had already taken initial steps to make their company AI-ready by organizing their data processes. This is a prerequisite if you ever want to benefit from AI models tailored to your organization's activities. Nonetheless, since the arrival of ChatGPT, generative AI has also become their boardroom discussion.

Now, United Airlines is employing AI in various processes, such as communicating about flight delays, summarizing flight information for operational teams, or the AI chatbot on their website. In the future, they plan to use it for pilots, for instance, summarizing complex technical documents or automatically sharing flight information in the cabin to passengers. Research has shown that interaction with the pilot positively affects customer satisfaction.

I could give you more than 100 other examples of how companies today deploy AI to improve productivity, automate processes, and modernize the customer experience. Examples that touch on the core processes of businesses. They experiment, learn, and reinvent themselves. Whether it's on a basic level like BlandAI or the Dali Museum, or high-end AI solutions at United Airlines or Coca Cola. The commonality among them all: they do it. Big and small. And your organization could be next.

Meta introduces Llama 3, the most capable open source AI model to date

TL;DR

Meta has introduced its new AI model, Llama 3. It comes in two formats: one with 8B and 70B parameters. A third model is still in training. That model will contain more than 400B parameters. The model is comparable in capabilities to GPT-4 Vision. Best of all: it is completely open source. And that is quite bizarre.

Read it yourself?

Sentiment

The AI landscape is buzzing with excitement, with some dubbing this a historic move. We now live in a world where GPT-4 level AI models are open source and accessible to all. The real power, as many suggest, lies in Meta granting its massive user base—nearly 3 billion people—access to an AI with capabilities previously out of reach for most. This democratization of AI technology could significantly influence daily life, transforming how ordinary people interact with and utilize AI.

My thoughts

Meta truly sets the tone with its commitment to open source. This strategy not only fosters innovation but also invites the development of new products that Meta could potentially integrate. The accessibility provided to billions, and the potential it unlocks, is unprecedented. At the same time, businesses can now incorporate this powerful model into their products or software without cost, accelerating AI adoption and integration into everyday life—often without consumers even realizing it.

Adobe Premiere empowers everyone with new AI tools

TL;DR

Adobe has unveiled significant updates to Premiere, introducing features like object addition, removal, and generative extend. The integration of third-party platforms such as Runway, Pika, and even OpenAI's Sora into Premiere will soon allow anyone to generate videos with a simple click.

Read it yourself?

Sentiment

While the much-anticipated Premiere 2024 release is yet to arrive, excitement is already sky-high. With the ability to try out Sora, AI enthusiasts agree: the era of exclusive high-quality content production by major brands is ending. By late 2024, high-end video creation will be accessible to all.

My thoughts

Adobe is making phenomenal strides with AI, embracing rather than competing against generative models. By making advanced tools accessible, Adobe smartly opens the door to new user demographics, fostering inclusivity in the creative domain. This strategic embrace ensures Adobe not only adapts to technological advancements but thrives by enhancing user empowerment in digital creativity.

More byte-sized breakthroughs:

• Tick-Tock for TikTok: Biden signed legislation to ban TikTok
  In a significant step, President Biden has signed legislation that may ban TikTok unless ByteDance divests within the given timeline. While this decisive move aims to safeguard data integrity, TikTok vows to contest what it calls an unconstitutional law. As other nations watch closely, could this herald a broader backlash against the app?

• Adobe unveils massive updates to Photoshop & Firefly 3
  Photoshop introduces significant updates, empowering you with enhanced power, precision, and control to craft custom content. This upgrade is powered by the recently released update to their image generation model, Firefly, boasting higher quality images, improved prompt interpretation, and more accurate text in images.

• Snowflake introduces Arctic LLM for robust business AI applications
  Snowflake recently introduced Arctic LLM, an "enterprise-grade" generative AI model designed to revolutionize business applications. Arctic LLM specializes in tasks like generating database code, promising its role as a foundational tool for businesses to harness AI. It’s free for research and commercial use.

🎙️ MarTech Maestros

In 'MarTech Maestros,' I share one webinar, podcast, or interesting paper I've encountered, which I believe you should watch, listen to, or read too.

Mustafa Suleyman's perspective on AI's direction

Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, shares his perspective in a Ted Talk about the future direction of AI and what technology companies are actually creating. He describes it as a new 'digital species'. Personally, I always find it intriguing to hear from those deeply embedded in the sector about how they contextualize developments, making it easier to understand where the future is headed.

 🧐 Last but not least: Things that I like

• Google seems to be developing a GPT store: Inside these GPTs, it is also possible to add actions, allowing you to build your own AI agents.

• OpenAI releases an update in ChatGPT: They call it the 'Dynamic Model'. But actually, it's a combination of GPT 3.5 and 4. GPT It looks like soon it will be possible to connect your Google Drive or Microsoft 365 account with ChatGPT, and load files from there.

• Microsoft announced VASA-1: Microsoft has published a model that creates a hyper-realistic video with a single portrait photo and an audio file. This video includes lip-sync, head movements, and facial expressions. Check out these examples.

• Microsoft announces Phi-3: New AI model announcements are once again flying around. Microsoft publishes Phi-3, offering similar quality to GPT 3.5, but with the capability to run locally on your phone, making it one of the best AI models available for mobile phones so far.

• Claude 3 is now available within Amazon's Bedrock: This is Amazon's platform where you can develop AI applications, on top of large language foundation models like Claude 3 now.

• Amazon launched ‘Maestro’: Following Spotify, Amazon's music service also introduces the option to generate playlists.

• Meta launching their own version of ChatGPT: Alongside the major release of Llama 3 by Meta, they are now also launching their own version of ChatGPT. This includes linking to Google Search and the ability to generate images. However, Meta AI is still not available in Europe.

• Meta opens its AR/VR platform to external applications: While Apple is seeing a decrease in the number of third-party apps, Meta is opening its AR/VR platform for external applications. Meta plans to collaborate with brands including Lenovo and Xbox to boost its ecosystem. I am curious to see the adoption figures in a few weeks. At the same time, Meta is launching its multimodal version in RayBan’s.

• Groq now also offers Llama 3 within its platform: A few Dips ago, we discussed Groq. A platform where various large language models are available. Llama 3 is now also available within Groq.This means that GPT-4 quality answers are given almost immediately after you hit enter. Blink twice and you have your output.

• Apple acquired the French AI company Datakalab at the end of 2023: This news has only recently come to light. Datakalab specializes in computer vision models on devices that understand emotions and attention. Additionally, Apple has announced a new AI model that is developed to run locally on small devices. Expectations are growing for the release of the new iPhone 18.

• The number of apps for Apple Vision Pro is decelining: The number of apps launched weekly for the Apple Vision Pro is declining. For the adoption of Apple's AR/VR glasses, this is obviously not a positive development.

• Devin got debunked: A few weeks ago, Devin, the first AI software engineer, was announced with much fanfare. Although the introductory video seemed promising, it has now been debunked, much like last year's announcement video of Google's Bard. An example is the claim in the introduction that Devin could find and fix bugs. However, it was not mentioned that it had created these bugs itself. Ouch. Okay, Devin might have been debunked, but the fact remains that this type of software is under development, as evidenced by other competitors I shared in earlier Dips. And yes, beginner's mistakes are still allowed.

• Roblox opens its marketplace to the public: Roblox has made its marketplace publicly available for creators and brands. Now, everyone can offer their items on the marketplace.

• Generate 3D models via text or images: This tool makes it easy to generate 3D models via text or images. You can then use the generations on the web, in Apple’s iOS, or the Apple Vision Pro.

• AI Agent tool that lets agents pay people: I might be taking this too lightly now, but is this simply what our future looks like? It’s a tool that essentially creates a marketplace for tasks that an AI agent cannot perform and then finds people to do them. Okay, again: an AI agent tool that pays people to perform tasks or work that only humans can do. This is basically the reverse of the current times.

• Midjourney has released two new updates: Now it's possible to create ‘Rooms’, and invite other people to each room where you can generate images but also chat with each other. And the ‘style random’ function. Midjourney then works with your prompt and indeed gives you random results back. Ideal for when you need inspiration.

• Generate avatars that mimic various emotions: With this tool, it is possible to generate avatars that can mimic various emotions like happiness, sadness, and optimism in a single video.

• Krea launches their own AI video generation capabilities: I currently use Krea to upscale my AI-generated images. However, they are also planning to launch their own AI video generation capabilities soon.

• Slack AI updated to summarize daily channel activities: Slack AI has been updated to provide daily summaries of activities within selected channels, making it easier to find answers to questions, as Slack now generates answers to specific queries.

• Generate various videos from a single photo: With this tool, you can generate various types of videos from a single photo, such as fun dances like Psy's Gangnam Style.

• Drake released a song with the help of AI: I am staying away from the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Drake has released a so-called diss track aimed at Lamar, utilizing the vocals of Snoop Dogg and Tupac with the help of AI.

• High-resolution 3D models in your environment with this AR/VR tool: Talking about AR/VR and 3D generations, with this tool, it is possible to place high-resolution 3D models in your own environment, like this car. There's renewed hope when you view this through an Apple Vision Pro.

• Adobe has been busy dropping one AI development after another: Over the past few months, Adobe has not been idle. They continue to drop one AI development after another, like an AI model that can provide up to 8x better video resolution.

• New development in UX-development by this tool: A new development from this tool in the area of UX development automatically completes UX design.

• Wendy's AI-driven drive-through: Fast food chain Wendy's now operates a drive-through that is serviced by... AI. You can order your hamburger 'just' at the pole from your AI-powered restaurant worker.

• This TED video was made with OpenAI's Sora: This is a must-watch.

• You might think NFTs are dead: Yet, Manchester City is releasing a new collection of NFTs centered around the current season's match shirts. The NFTs are available at no cost and the edition is limited. NFT holders can win special prizes such as tickets, a stadium tour, or even playing in the stadium.

• Film contest winners announced by ElevenLabs and Pika: ElevenLabs and Pika have announced the winners of their film contest.

• Your new AI-powered personal assistant: Imagine carrying a personal assistant in your pocket—The Pendant makes it a reality, enhancing every interaction with intelligent, personalized feedback. Designed to seamlessly integrate with any device, this AI-enhanced accessory offers real-time transcription, summarization, and responsive communication.

• xAI (Twitter) rolls out updated AI model Grok 1.5: xAI has announced Grok 1.5V, or Grok 1.5 Vision, its inaugural AI model capable of processing video in addition to text. This advancement enables Grok to process visual information such as documents, photos, and diagrams, positioning it as a competitive multimodal platform akin to GPT-4 Vision.

• X (Twitter) and Truth Social develop their own TV apps: X (Twitter) and Truth Social are both developing their own TV apps. X will display videos uploaded to the platform, which increasingly include lengthy documentaries, films, or podcasts, challenging YouTube's dominance. Truth Social will showcase videos that are purportedly censored on other platforms.

• Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt backs a rival to GitHub's Co-Pilot: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has financed a counterpart to GitHub Co-Pilot, Augment, also developed by a former Google employee.

This was it. Our tenth digital dip together. It might seem like a lot, but remember; this wasn't even everything that happened in the past few weeks. This was just a fraction.

The examples from the Dali Museum, Blend, or United Airlines demonstrate that AI can have a direct impact on campaigns, customer journeys, or sales across various sectors and company sizes. If you'd like to discuss how it can make a difference in your organization, hit reply!

Looking forward to what tomorrow brings! ▽

-Wesley