AI Trends, Amazon, Job Apocalypses, Screen Time, Deepfakes, and Archaeology

Weekly Roundup of News in Technology, UX and AI

If you haven’t followed us on Tiktok or Twitter, now is a great chance.

Here’s the latest news, resources, and use cases from the world of product, UX, AI and technology. Let’s go:

• 📈 AI Trends

• 🛒 Amazon

• 👨‍💻 Job Apocalypse

• 🤳 Screen Time

• 👻 Deepfakes

• 🦴 Archaeology

Podcast

The Rise of Video and the Future of Virtual Communication

Video has become ubiquitous in our communication. From virtual meetings and virtual doctor visits, to social media, virtual events, and live commerce, we expect video everywhere. But the technology that makes this happen isn’t easy, and needs and expectations are changing rapidly. So what does the future hold for our virtual communications? How have we solved these challenges in the past and how will we continue to solve them? How do we think about the UX of virtual communication and video? What should you do if you want to get into design and what communities should you join or create? We explore these questions and many others in this episode.

News and Useful Reads

Here’s Proof the AI Boom Is Real: More People Are Tapping ChatGPT at Work

I am among the many who were AI optimists originally, and have grown more skeptical, though I am still an active user, especially at work.

While 17 percent of respondents said they have used it for entertainment and an identical number says they’ve tried it to learn something new, a full 20 percent of adults say that they have used ChatGPT for work. That’s up dramatically from the 12 percent who responded affirmatively when the same question was asked six months earlier—a rise of two-thirds.

Amazon scrambles for its place in the AI race

The tech giants are waging the AI war relentlessly. Amazon has committed to invest nearly $4 billion in Anthropic in order to keep up with Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and others.

The logic is simple: Amazon needs to offer models through AWS that compete with the OpenAI-powered offerings of its arch cloud rival, Microsoft, and Anthropic is the best alternative that exists. If we rewound the clock back to when Big Tech could make large acquisitions without them being blocked by regulators, I’m sure Amazon would have tried to buy Anthropic outright. Instead, it’s passively investing billions of dollars and telegraphing that it only has a minority stake with no board seat. Conveniently for Amazon, Anthropic has meanwhile agreed to spend $4 billion on AWS over the next several years.

AI ‘apocalypse’ could take away almost 8m jobs in UK, says report

As if the job market wasn’t bad enough…

Almost 8 million UK jobs could be lost to artificial intelligence in a “jobs apocalypse”, according to a report warning that women, younger workers and those on lower wages are at most risk from automation.

Screen Time for Kids Is Fine! Unless It's Not

I’m a fan of the ongoing discussion of screen time, social media, and our mental health, especially for young people. And this article reviews two different views—one much more conservative and the other more moderate. I don’t know what the right anser is, but the continued discussion is good.

While Etchells is asking for a more reflective relationship with our screens, Haidt implores governments—and parents—to tear up our current approaches and start afresh. In his book, screens are both a cause and a symptom of a society that is careening off the rails, and nothing less than a reboot will get things back on track.

Deepfakes are spreading, putting creator and brand safety at risk

Deepfakes aren’t new, but they are getting so much easier to create. And so much more realistic. It’s easy to imagine a world in the near-future where we can’t tell the difference between what is real and what isn’t…

AI-generated deepfakes are a new reality, and one that creators like Janse, Ida Giancola, and MrBeast, as well as celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift, and Tom Hanks, are all grappling with.

Other Interesting Finds

How Did Crucifixion Really Work? A British Discovery Offers Clues.

While many are celebrating Easter this weekend, I’m fascinated by the historical context surrounding Easter. While I understood crucifixion to be gruesome, I didn’t realize how little archaeological evidence we had for it:

The cross has long been the definitive symbol of Christianity, and of victory over death. But the nature of crucifixion, considered one of the most horrifying forms of capital punishment in the ancient world, has long posed a mystery to archaeologists and historians because of how little evidence it left behind.