Newsletter
Welcome to the launch of KPI’s first newsletter! This is a triweekly publication bringing the most recent AI news straight to your mailbox.
TLDR: Amazon has a new chatbot, governments seek to crack down on “deepfakes” in light of recent events, and AI is spicing up the advertising scene on social media.
Weekend Wrap-Up
Business
Amazon Enters Chatbot Fray With Shopping Tool (NYTimes)
In an effort to catch up with competitors, Amazon is rolling out Rufus, an AI personal shopping assistant. In the mobile app, consumers will be able to ask Rufus for assistance in finding products, and Rufus will respond in a "conversational tone." Rufus will be available on Thursday to a select group of people, with plans to expand its availability to other customers in the following weeks.
VC Veterans: AI Now a Part of 80% of Funding Pitches (PYMNTS)
Mamoon Hamid and Ilya Fushman, venture capitalists from the firm Kleiner Perkins, revealed in a TechCrunch interview on Saturday that more than 80% of the pitches they receive in a month include AI. People feel as if they are missing an opportunity if they don’t incorporate AI into their business in one way or another.
Legal
FCC moves to criminalize most AI-generated robocalls (NBC News)
In the coming weeks, the Federal Communications Commission is seeking to crack down on unsolicited robocalls that use artificial intelligence to mimic the identity of unconsenting parties. The improvement of AI-generated voice cloning has opened a whole new avenue for scams and frauds.
Europe within reach of landmark AI rules after nod from EU countries (Reuters)
On Friday, Europe reached a provisional deal regarding the use of artificial intelligence and how to regulate AI systems. This agreement included regulations for both business and government, including steps to prevent bias and discrimination. The EU is steadily moving towards making history as the first major world power to enact laws governing AI.
Entertainment
Award-winning author's AI use revelation roils Japan's literary world (Kyodo News)
Japanese author, Rie Kudan, recently won Japan’s most prestigious book award for her novel, Tokyo-to Dojo-to ("Sympathy Tower Tokyo”). At a press conference, she revealed that she used generative AI to assist with her writing. It was solely used to help generate responses for “AI-built”, a fictional technology in her novel akin to ChatGPT, but this still sparked a massive panic about the future of this technology in the literary space. More and more writers are turning to AI, leading to concerns over infringement rights and if it’ll eventually supersede human creativity.
The man in charge of the Grammys confronts the music industry's biggest challenge: AI (Yahoo!Finance)
With the Grammy’s taking place this past Sunday, a discussion of AI and its place in the industry arose. Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive of the Recording Academy, believes that AI can be used for productivity and innovation, as long as regulations are put in place to protect human creators. Bills like the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act in Tennessee are already being put forth to protect an artist’s voice and likeness from deepfakes.
Life
How AI is quietly changing everyday life (Politico)
AI is permeating every part of our lives, even if we don’t see it. Unbeknownst to us, it might be screening us for jobs, tutoring our kids, helping us buy a home or giving us medical advice. The Biden administration acknowledges the urgent need for regulation but have yet to figure out how to address concerns of privacy, bias, and consumer harm.
A.I. Fuels a New Era of Product Placement (NYTimes)
Advertisers are looking for ways to appeal to younger generations that tend to skip or ignore ads. Rembrand, a start up for generative AI “In-Scene” advertising, is helping creators insert virtual products and animations into their videos. One such example is a Tiktok from dancer Melissa Becraft where a poster for Bubly, a sparkling water brand, is hanging on her wall. With this technology, brands can advertise cheaply without creators needing to even talk about or handle the product.
New at KPI
Feb 15th | Juliette goes to Finland! Find her at Tampere Conversations for a discussion on “AI: Labor Market, Regulation and Productivity”.
We’re starting a podcast! The first episode is coming soon with hopefully many more to follow. Check future newsletters for updates.
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