OpenAI Fundraising, Lego coin, Chatbots, Sleep Tracking, and Chicken Tenders
Weekly Review of News in Technology, UX and AI
Here’s the latest news, resources, and use cases from the world of product, UX, AI and technology. Let’s go:
💊 Personalized Health
🤔 OpenAI
🪙 Lego coin
💬 Chatbots
⌚ Sleep Tracking
🍗 Chicken Tenders
Podcast
Personalized Nutrition: How AI, Data, and 3D Printing Are Transforming Health with Ari Tulla of Elo
In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle sits down with Ari Tulla, co-founder and CEO of Elo, a smart nutrition service using AI and data to personalize health solutions. Ari shares his fascinating journey from his early passion for gaming and technology to becoming a leading figure in the healthcare space. He discusses how Elo is turning the concept of "food as medicine" into reality, using biometric data, wearable devices, and AI to create personalized nutrition solutions. Ari also delves into the challenges and innovations that come with building a product in a space where technology, health, and human experience intersect, emphasizing the importance of balance in life and business. Join us to learn more about the future of health and how personalized nutrition is set to revolutionize wellness.
News and Useful Reads
OpenAI Valued At $157 Billion After Closing $6.6 Billion Funding Round
OpenAI is shifting from a non-profit to a for-profit company, like we discussed last week. And it raised a massive amount of money this week from Thrive, SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft.
OpenAI closed a $6.6 billion funding round that valued the booming artificial intelligence company at $157 billion, according to a Wednesday statement, a massive figure nearly double what the company was valued at early this year.
Lego's website was hacked to promote a crypto scam
Crypto scams are literally everywhere these days, and for a few minutes they were even on the banner of the Lego site. Of course, there is, and hopefully never will be, a Lego coin.
People who visited Lego's website on the evening of October 4 were welcomed by a banner with illustrated golden coins bearing the company's logo, claiming that the "Lego coin" is now officially out. It even promised "secret rewards" to those who'd buy some. But Lego wasn't truly launching an official cryptocurrency coin, and according to The Brick Fan, the button to buy led to an external cryptocurrency website selling "LEGO Tokens" with Ethereum. The website was, seemingly, hijacked by bad actors who switched its banner and used it for some sort of crypto scam.
Why Chatbots Are Not the Future
I feel like we’ve been talking about chatbots in one form or another for years now. But, as this article points out, they are the starting point, not the future.
Good tools make it clear how they should be used. And more importantly, how they should not be used. If we think about a good pair of gloves, it's immediately obvious how we should use them…Compare that to looking at a typical chat interface. The only clue we receive is that we should type characters into the textbox. The interface looks the same as a Google search box, a login form, and a credit card field.
The Problem with Tracking Sleep Data
I’ve been tracking my sleep, among other metrics, for years now. Many of you probably do the same. But what can we do with all this data? That has always been a bigger question. It’s easier than ever to gather data, but taking action on it is still a challenge.
Overall, then, wearable sleep trackers are already pretty good, and they will likely continue to improve. The next question—the really hard one—is what we should do with the data.
Other Interesting Finds
How Chicken Tenders Conquered America
Chicken tenders were created 50 years ago in New Hampshire, and then popularized across the US, starting with Burger King and spreading everywhere.
Today, the chicken tender is not just familiar. It is triumphant. It is a fixture of school lunches and kids’ menus, of all-night diners and gas stations. It can be found at airports, food courts and stadiums. It is a major reason for the double-digit sales growth that Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane’s and other chicken-centric chains have reported for five straight years.
I have mixed feelings about chicken tenders, as many probably do. My kids love them, though we try to encourage them to try other foods as frequently as possible. And they are generally good about eating other foods. Because as comforting as some good chicken tenders can be, I can’t help but feel embarrassed when I see American adults opting for chicken tenders at restaurants or when traveling.
Along the way, the chicken tender has become a symbol, although its meaning is hard to pin down. It can be an icon of simple, straightforward, unpretentious American taste. It can also be an expression of dull, unadventurous food engineered for the lowest common denominator.
