AI Innovations Post-Olympics: What’s Next?

Citius, Altius, Fortius, AI enthusiasts! 🥇

Oki everyone, relax and calm down – no need to try a backflip any more as the Olympics are over 🤾‍♀️ (well done for trying, though, hope all your bones are safe 🙏🏻).

Coming back to the AI reality, I’m here again. My name is Max 🧔🏻‍♂️, and here’s your 3-minute update on ongoing innovations in the world of artificial intelligence. Take a deep breath, reader, and dive into this newsletter – it will be rewarding, pinky promise 🫰

1. Try It On 🛍️

Paris is not only the capital of the Games 2024 but also the capital of fashion. Alibaba, an official partner of the Olympics since 2017, knows about it well and took on a more prominent role at the Paris Games by installing a "Wonder Avenue" pavilion 🛒 on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Picture this: four rooms, open-air space, 1,600 to 2,000 visitors daily and a new step into shopping.

The “Wonder Avenue” perfectly showcased the company's advancements in AI 🤖 and its vision for the future of e-commerce, particularly in the beauty and fashion industries. Powered by Alibaba's proprietary Qwen LLM, visitors could create avatars, try on virtual outfits, and receive personalised shopping recommendations. The pavilion also featured AI-driven tools for customising makeup 💄 and fragrances. Additionally, Alibaba introduced its Smart Virtual Boxing project, which uses AI to analyse and predict performance in virtual sports ⚽️ 

Alibaba's activation is a glimpse into the future of online shopping and a demonstration of the growing intersection between AI, e-commerce and virtual sports. If you missed it this time, don’t worry - the pavilion will reopen for the Paralympics, and Alibaba will continue its Olympic partnership through the Milan Winter Games 🇮🇹 in 2026 and the Los Angeles Summer Games 🇺🇸 in 2028, so one more reason to become an Olympic geek.

2. Fake CV 🕵🏻‍♂️

If you are looking for a job right now, I have two things to say: first of all, good luck, and you can do it 🥹; second of all – don’t use ChatGPT for creating your CV. According to the Financial Times, jobseekers are pretty fed up with it. Unsurprisingly, many job seekers are increasingly using AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to create CVs and cover letters, leading to a flood 🌊 of AI-generated applications that are often of lower quality. Subsequently, it has resulted in more generic and "clunky" applications that hiring managers can easily identify. Recruiters are struggling to sift through the high volume of these applications, with estimates suggesting that around 50% 😲 of candidates rely on AI to assist in their job applications.

Despite some large employers, including the Big Four accounting firms, discouraging the use of AI in applications, the trend persists. Many candidates also use AI to cheat on recruitment assessments, with those using advanced, paid AI tools performing significantly better in psychometric tests.

“Candidates are becoming quite lazy about how they stand out in the job market, so they just turn to generative AI to give an inflated version of their actual experience,” Ross Crook, a global managing director at recruitment agency Morgan McKinley, said to Financial Times ✖️ 

Recruiters and employers hope that final interviews will reveal the true capabilities of candidates, as AI-generated applications often lack the personal touch and authenticity needed to stand out truly. I know it sounds cheesy, but don’t try to make your application perfect – try to make it about yourself. And fingers crossed for the new opportunities around the corner ✌️

3. Google vs Apple 🤺

Google has unveiled its first AI-powered Android update and the new Pixel 9 series, integrating its advanced Gemini AI assistant across devices. The Pixel 9 lineup includes several models, such as the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, all featuring upgraded cameras 📷 , brighter screens, and the latest Tensor G4 processor to enhance AI performance. The AI features allow users to perform tasks like checking calendars, drafting emails, and interacting with content across Google apps through natural conversations 💬 with the Gemini assistant. The assistant even has a range of voices to choose from – another tool to make your experience as personalised as possible.

“We’ve completely rebuilt the assistant experience with Gemini, so you can speak to it naturally the way you would with another person,” said Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem, in a blog post on Tuesday.

In addition to smartphones, Google also introduced the Pixel Watch 3 ⌚️, which offers enhanced fitness tracking, better integration with Google's ecosystem, and up to 36 hours of battery life in Battery Saver mode. Bringing its Gemini AI assistant to supported devices seems to underscore Google's intent to introduce its AI to consumers ahead of Apple 🍎 , which plans to launch its AI on iPhones, Macs, and iPads later this year. Google's hardware business isn't a major revenue driver atm anyways, but the new Android features could boost earnings through the company's Gemini AI subscription program – it won’t take long to see if the plan works 🧐

That’s it for today. And just to wrap up, thank you all for staying with me. This week, I’ve reached a significant milestone – 1500 readers!  🤩 Aren’t you all absolutely amazing?

I can’t wait to see you again in a week, and don’t forget to recommend me to a friend – here’s to 10000 readers! 🥂

Stay curious 👀 

Max

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