May 31 2023 - Wednesday Roundup

👋Happy Wednesday everyone. Another relatively light news day, outside of the main headline dominating major publications "A.I. Poses ‘Risk of Extinction,’ Industry Leaders Warn". Cool, cool, cool. All that and more below –

Executives from leading A.I. companies, including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, have signed an open letter warning that A.I. technology could pose an existential threat to humanity. The letter, released by the Center for AI Safety, calls for global prioritization of mitigating the risks of A.I., comparable to addressing pandemics and nuclear wars.

TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, will now oversee ByteDance's newer social media app, Lemon8. This move by ByteDance reflects the strategy of locating the heads of its global apps outside of China to mitigate backlash over Chinese ownership. Lemon8's current head, Stephanie Cheng, will relocate from Shanghai to Singapore and report to Chew. By bringing Lemon8 under TikTok's supervision, the two apps can collaborate more easily, with TikTok providing expertise in growth strategy and advertising sales.

• DIVISION has been awarded the title of Production Company of the Year at the D&AD Awards for the third consecutive year. The company received recognition for their work on the Virgin Australia 'Bring on Wonderful' campaign, developed in collaboration with Special Group. DIVISION was honored with a Yellow Pencil, a Graphite Pencil, and a Wood Pencil for their outstanding achievements.
• Twitter is testing a new feature called Community Notes for media that aims to help users identify potentially misleading or AI-generated images and videos. Community Notes contributors with high ratings can apply labels to images shared within tweets, providing additional context such as whether the image was created using generative AI or manipulated. The goal is for these notes to automatically appear on future copies of the same image, even if shared by different users in new tweets. However, Twitter acknowledges that image matching is still a work in progress. The feature is currently being tested for tweets with single images, with plans to expand to tweets with multiple images and videos in the future.

• Apple's rumored mixed reality headset could feature exceptionally high-resolution and bright displays, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. Young claims that the headset will have two 1.41-inch Micro OLED screens, each with 4,000 pixels per inch (ppi) and brightness exceeding 5,000 nits. Additionally, he mentioned that users may expect 4K resolution per eye. These specifications, if accurate, would position Apple's headset as a high-end device compared to Meta's Quest 2, which offers 773 ppi and 100 nits of brightness.
• Conny Braams, Unilever's chief digital and commercial officer (CDCO) and former chief marketing and digital officer (CMDO), is stepping down from her position after more than 33 years with the company. Braams played a crucial role in transforming Unilever into a fully digitized organization and overseeing the integration of digital capabilities into the company's marketing division.
• Disney and YouTube are both experimenting with the use of AI in video advertising. In terms of ad creative, AI could enable more seamless and organic experiences for viewers, such as using AI to identify objects within content that viewers can purchase directly from the streamer's interface. Disney already uses self-service, programmatic ad platforms to enable small and medium-sized businesses to buy inventory across their assets, and they aim to develop AI-generated creative at lower costs for these brands.
• Niantic has released a new mixed reality experience called "Wol." The experience features an "AI-enabled" talking owl that discusses the redwood forest. While the experience can be accessed on smartphones, it can also be played using the passthrough video feature on VR headsets like Meta's Quest 2 and Quest Pro. Wol's AI is powered by Inworld, a developer platform for AI characters. Users can have conversations with Wol within the context of the redwood forest, and the experience is intended to be around five minutes long. Niantic sees Wol as a way to demonstrate its 8th Wall technology for web-based AR apps. This could provide a preview of future apps built with Niantic's technology, particularly for upcoming headsets like Meta's Quest 3 and Apple's rumored mixed reality headset.

• Bose's first-ever CMO, Jim Mollica, has made significant changes to the company's marketing strategy since joining. He has focused on humanizing the brand and creating content that elicits emotion, rather than solely promoting products. “It’s less about commercial spots and more about content around the brand,” said Mollica, who added that none of what he describes is a replacement for traditional advertising. Bose has seen success in reaching younger audiences through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and Mollica views them as crucial for the company's branding efforts.
• Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are embroiled in a legal battle, testing the boundaries of the First Amendment. The conflict stems from Disney's criticism of a law supported by DeSantis that restricts the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. Disney alleges that DeSantis is engaging in retribution to stifle dissent, while DeSantis's allies argue that Disney overstepped its authority in seeking more control over its Florida operations. The outcome of this legal dispute will have implications for the interpretation of the First Amendment and its protection of free speech. It remains uncertain how the courts will navigate the complex issues surrounding corporate power, governmental control, and constitutional rights.
• Instacart is launching a new feature that allows customers to "favorite" specific shoppers they trust, ensuring that their future orders are fulfilled by them. Customers will have the option to schedule orders with their favorite shoppers, providing them with more confidence in their shopping experience. The feature aims to deepen connections between shoppers and customers and help shoppers grow their businesses. Other delivery services, such as Shipt, have also introduced similar favorite shopper features in the past.

• Apple tells developers to 'Code new worlds' in WWDC email
• ‘Succession’ Finale Drew 2.9 Million Viewers Sunday, a Series High
• Nvidia is now a $1 trillion company thanks to the AI boom
• Tesla is off the hook for allowing gaming while driving
• The New Rules of Tipping, According to You
• Home Prices Rise for Second Straight Month
• The Little Mermaid Remake Opens With Impressive $95.4M Domestic Debut But Struggles Abroad
• Why Are Food Prices So High in Europe? Sugar, Cheese and Bread Costs Soar
• Apple’s original cloud photo sync service shuts down this summer
• Three Lessons From Chatting About Strategy With ChatGPT
• Riot Games shakes up TFT esports with open bracket LAN event
• Rise of the tech giants exposes the problem of index distortions
• Cartoon Saloon’s ‘My Father’s Dragon’ Cleans Up At Irish Animation Awards
• Snapchat Highlights ‘Advanced’ AR Lenses, Introduces AR Learning Hub

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