ChatGPT-4o(f course 🙂), and other miracles ;)

Hi there, reader! 👋 

Hot news for a hot day 🔥 - what can be better? Grab a lemonade 🫗 to cool down and embark on this 3-minute journey with me, Max 🧔🏻‍♂️ All fresh and juicy updates from the AI and Marketing world prepared for you in this newsletter. 

Read thoughtfully and file this carefully - it might be of good use for surviving in the modern world! 🧟‍♂️

1. GPT-4o 💬

Last week, the entire web was buzzing with one major announcement: OpenAI unveiled GPT-4o.

Let’s take a closer look 👀 at what's new and whether it justifies all the hype. First and foremost, most of the features of the new AI model are now available to free 🆓 users. Access to image and document analysis, data analytics and custom GPT chatbots that were previously behind a paywall are now free of charge 💷

The chat interface aims to be friendly, personable and even a bit flirtatious. New features include enhanced international language capabilities however, despite these impressive advancements, GPT-4o's performance in standard text-based tasks did not surpass its predecessor, GPT-4 👎🏻

The demonstration was quite illustrative: one interaction involved a virtual assistant with a clear American accent generating a bedtime story 💤 and solving math equations 🧮 It felt as though ChatGPT could become a substitute for a working parent, especially since the AI voice assistant can now read facial expressions and assess emotions (imagine a dialogue like, “Are you sad, my love? 🥹 Don’t lie to your Chatty, I can recognise you are sad. Tell me what happened and I’ll generate bullet points about your traumatic experience”). Notably, GPT-4o's natural and emotionally expressive voice assistant sets it apart from competitors like Google's Project Astra and Gemini Live.

However, there were still some hiccups. At one point, it confused a smiling man for a wooden surface and began solving an equation it hadn't been given yet. ChatGPT-4o's natural and emotional-sounding voice assistant sets it apart from competitors like Google's Project Astra and Gemini Live, but a flesh-and-blood parent still has the edge, in my opinion. 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒

2. Natasha Olga 🙋🏾‍♀️

In the current landscape of ongoing conflicts, one’s public position hugely influences one's presence in the community. We all attentively assess each situation and are very careful with our words, but what do you do if you are responsible for a statement you’ve never made? Even more, is the statement contrary to your beliefs? 🤬

Olga Loiek, a 21-year-old Ukrainian 🇺🇦 student at the University of Pennsylvania whose family is still in her homeland daily suffering from Russia’s aggression, found herself promoting Russia 🇷🇺 and its products.

Under different names like Sofia, Natasha, April, and Stacy, her likeness is being used in Mandarin-speaking AI-generated videos on Chinese 🇨🇳 social media platforms. Despite her efforts to address the issue, thousands of videos using her image circulated online before the tool responsible for generating them was blocked 🚫 

According to BBC reports, the girl would express sentiments such as “Russia is the best country. It’s sad that other countries are turning away from Russia, and Russian women want to come to China”, before segueing into advertisements for products like Russian candies 🍭 

Cases like Olga's are not uncommon: while efforts to regulate AI are underway globally, such as the European Parliament's AI Act and initiatives in the US, the pace of regulatory progress lags behind AI development. Disagreements among countries and within governments present obstacles to effective regulation. Meanwhile, on an individual level, the best defence against AI misuse remains cautious about online behaviour, though even this may not guarantee full protection 😡

3. Let the Sky Fall 🎶

Looks like someone might be in hot water: Sony Music, the world's largest music 🎤 publisher, has sent letters to over 700 firms, including Google, Microsoft and OpenAI, demanding information about their potential use of Sony's copyrighted music for training AI systems.

Quick reminder: Sony represents major artists like Beyoncé and Adele 😳 Now, this industry giant is insisting that any use of its songs for AI development or profit without permission is strictly prohibited. The letter specifies requests for information on which songs were used, how they were accessed, and whether any copies exist.

Sony Music has given these companies a deadline ‼️ to respond, stating it will enforce its copyright ©️ rights "to the fullest extent allowed by applicable law," including the provisions of the upcoming EU AI Act.

I asked ChatGPT to write an epitaph 💐 for Adele to sing at AI’s public execution: 

This is the end,
Hold your breath and count to ten,
Feel the earth move, and then,
Hear my heart burst again.

For this is the day,
Our voices reclaimed,
AI cannot take away,
The magic of our name.

Let the sky fall…

We live in a world of masked truth. A friend told me today that we do not have a war of images. We have a war of captions. Everyone sees the same image. We just interpret it differently.

As we can see, the technologies are bringing the ongoing YES as well as a permanent BUT ⚖️ Is it a conversation killer or a counterbalancing opportunity? We’ll figure it out soon 🔜 In the meantime, I’ll be here as your devoted messenger and true supporter. See you next week 😉

Take care, and stay curious! 

Max

xx