Creating Brands, OpenAI, iMessage, Zoom Fatigue, and Thanksgiving Costs
Weekly Roundup of AI, Technology, and UX
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:
✍️ Creating Brands
🕶️ Sam Altman
🤖 GPTs
🎥 AI Movies
🍎 iMessage
💻 Zoom Fatigue
🦃 Thanksgiving Costs
Podcast
Creating a Brand - Content, Empathy, and Communication
Felix is an art director and former competitive skier. In this episode, we discuss creating a brand voice and effectively communicating with your audience. This often means embracing new ways of engaging with your audience and meeting customers where they are, which can be difficult for big companies. We talk about companies who do branding and advertising well, and those who do not, and what you can do to reach customers effectively. We also explore the psychology of advertising and the importance of empathy.
News and Useful Reads
Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI
I didn’t see this coming, as I’m sure many others didn’t either. We’ll have to wait to see what happened and what the fallout will be. I’m sure there will be a story to tell as we learn more.
“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the company said in its blog post. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
OpenAI is letting anyone create their own version of ChatGPT
Of course, this is close on the heels of OpenAI’s announcement that anyone can create their own GPT and eventually put it into the OpenAI store for others to use. All with no coding.
We’re rolling out custom versions of ChatGPT that you can create for a specific purpose—called GPTs. GPTs are a new way for anyone to create a tailored version of ChatGPT to be more helpful in their daily life, at specific tasks, at work, or at home—and then share that creation with others. For example, GPTs can help you learn the rules to any board game, help teach your kids math, or design stickers.
Meta brings us a step closer to AI-generated movies
We’re seeing more and more AI generated content, and it is a major talking point for writers and actors. While the ability to create good content isn’t there yet, we’re advancing quickly, and we’ll likely see AI-generated shows and movies at some point in the future.
Like “Avengers” director Joe Russo, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that fully AI-generated movies and TV shows will be possible within our lifetimes.
Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones
Apple has been the problem all along, so it is heartening they are finally getting on board. I am one of two Android users in my friend group, and this always causes issues. But it never had to be this way. It has been an evil decision by Apple to not support RCS for so long, so it is good they are finally stepping toward the light.
Apple plans to add support for the RCS standard on iOS next year, the iPhone-maker said Thursday in a major reversal that would resolve the widespread issue of compatibility in text messaging between iPhones and Android smartphones, but stopped short of eliminating what is known colloquially as the “green bubble” dread.
Yale neuroscientists have discovered why Zoom meetings make your brain go numb
I don’t think any of us disagree that Zoom is no replacement for meeting in person. How often and in what context in-person needs to happen is certainly up for debate, but the value of meeting in person continues to be confirmed by science. So, if you’re like me, make sure you don’t get stuck behind your screen for too long and schedule some time to get out and meet people:
“We now have a wealth of information” demonstrating that video and real-life interactions are meaningfully different for human brains, Joy Hirsch, senior author of the new study and a neuroscientist at the Yale University School of Medicine, told Scientific American. “The context of live social interactions matters perhaps more than we thought.”
Other Interesting Finds
Thanksgiving Meals are Still Expensive
The headlines that I keep seeing are that the prices are going down and that inflation from last year has eased. Yes, that may be true. But inflation in 2022 was terrible. Do you remember the price of eggs? They might as well have been laid by a golden chicken.
Prices continue to squeeze all of us, but it seems like the spin is that it “isn’t as bad as it was when it was really bad.”
I also looked at the basket of goods from the American Farm Bureau because I became deeply concerned when I saw the graph of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 that cost $60.
Where on Taylor Swift’s green earth can you feed 10 people for $60?
The basket includes: turkey, cubed stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, celery, carrots, pumpkin pie mix, pie shells, whipping cream and whole milk. Which, by my estimation, may feed a couple of those people. But will lead to a very disappointing Thanksgiving.
Anyway, this whole narrative is horribly misleading on so many fronts. The cost is misleading. The basket is misleading. I’d love to see someone actually make this meal for Thanksgiving and let us know how it goes with your 10 guests.