AI to the penthouse đź›—

Plus: How YouTube plans to stop fake celebs

December 20, 2024

Welcome back! What a year it’s been for AI and tech. I’ve loved parsing through all the big moments, big releases, and big ideas with you, right here. We’re taking the next week or so off for the holidays, but I’ll see you right back here in January with plenty more insights and updates. Have a great holiday season!

Writer takes on AI’s big problem: sameness

Writer, a startup known for its enterprise AI tools, has unveiled a model designed to break free from the repetitive, predictable content generated by traditional AI.

Why AI needs a creativity upgrade: Generative AI has been a boon for speed and efficiency, but its outputs can feel…well, robotic. Humans (like us) can spot the “AI stamp” a mile away. 

How Writer works: By fine-tuning how the AI interprets context, Writer’s model introduces variety and “differentness” into its outputs. This results in content that feels less machine-like and more authentic.

Use cases:

  • Advertising campaigns: Brands can diversify messaging across different demographics with creative, non-repetitive copy.

  • Content ideation: Writers and marketers can use the tool to spark fresh ideas and overcome creative blocks.

The big picture: As genAI matures, creativity is becoming the next frontier. Writer’s focus on humanlike content could pave the way for an industry standard where AI is less about shortcuts and more about collaboration.

MIT grows chips to meet AI’s demand

Via MIT

Could vertical chips change everything? Engineers at MIT have developed “high-rise” 3D chips that stack processing components vertically, packing more computational power into less space.

Why it matters: Current chip designs struggle to meet AI’s demands. Today’s processors spread horizontally, limiting how much data they can handle without overheating or slowing down. High-rise chips solve this by going vertical, maximizing power while minimizing space and energy use.

The breakthrough: MIT’s chips stack memory and processing units like floors in a skyscraper, allowing them to process massive amounts of data faster.

What’s next: If produced at scale, high-rise chips could revolutionize hardware and change the game for industries relying on AI, from cloud computing to mobile devices. This advancement may also reduce the environmental footprint of data centers—a critical concern.

Scrape just about anything with AI

What used to take hours with traditional scraping can now be done in seconds with FetchFox—the AI-powered web scraper that takes the raw text of a website, and uses AI to extract data you’re looking for.

Describe your desired data in plain English and watch FetchFox quickly get to work. It can help with things like building a list of leads, assembling research data, or scoping out a market segment.

FetchFox is available as both a web app and Chrome extension. No coding required. 🙅‍♂️Ready to try it for yourself?

YouTube fights AI celeb clones

Via PCMag

With deepfakes and AI-generated likenesses spreading misinformation and violating copyrights, YouTube is stepping up its game to protect creators and their content. It’s partnering with the talent agency CAA to help creators identify deepfakes and submit removal requests.

The problem: The rise of generative AI has made it easier to create convincing celebrity fakes. These videos, often used in scams or misinformation campaigns, harm trust and threaten creators’ work.

How it works: YouTube plans to use advanced algorithms to identify unauthorized AI-generated videos by comparing content against verified likenesses. Once flagged, these videos can be reviewed and removed if necessary.

The big picture: While AI has unlocked creative possibilities, its misuse erodes trust. YouTube’s move shows the importance of ethical safeguards in AI development. Balancing innovation with protection will be key to ensuring AI’s promise outweighs its risks.

  • Perplexity buys Carbon to connect AI search with work files

  • Microsoft brings real-time translation to more Windows PCs

  • Spotify boosts recommendations with personalized narratives

  • ElevenLabs launches Flash for instant text-to-speech conversion

  • Odyssey unveils AI world models for film and gaming

Google has eyes? 👀 Let’s explore.

This AI is a secret. Literally. Google flew me to London to test Project Astra. Here’s what I thought:

You thought Sora was good? Say hello to Google's Veo2 Video generator.

That’s a wrap for this week (and the year)! See you in 2025.

—Matt (FutureTools.io)

P.S. This newsletter is 100% written by a human. Okay, maybe 96%.