DeepSeek, a two-year-old Chinese AI startup, has shaken up the tech world with the launch of R1, an AI model that reportedly operates with 95-97% fewer resources than its competitors. After surging to the top of the Apple App Store this week, its impact is forcing a major rethink of what it actually takes to […]
Read MoreAI: Disrupting The Disruptors
At the end of a momentous week, we look back at Monday’s epic news in the AI sector, the release of a new AI innovation from a Chinese company. DeepSeek took the tech world by storm, triggering a one-day crash of market leader Nvidia. And it raised questions about how easily this sector could be disrupted. Just like radio. We turned to our AI maven, Chris Brunt, for clarity and perspective. Today’s guest blog post provides some “AIsplainin'” but it raises questions about where media and technology are going – and how we can future-proof our assets. Buckle up!
Read MoreAre These the Bots You’re Looking For?
The biggest non-political AI news of the week was yet another big announcement from OpenAI. “Operator” is an AI agent that can read things off the web and preform multi-step tasks autonomously — think buying groceries, purchasing tickets (if it can get around the CAPTCHA), or booking travel. Operator is available now to users in OpenAI’s super-premium $200/month […]
Read MoreOn Human Connections
We’ve spent a good chunk of the week finalizing the themes and compiling content from our trip to CES as we prepare for the annual Jacobs Media CES Industry Webinar. [Register for Tuesday’s event here.] One of the big themes of what turned out to be a 2.5-million-square-foot-AI-festival was using the technology to connect real […]
Read MoreNew Year, New AI
I’m fresh off the plane from Las Vegas at CES, the world’s largest exposition of technology. If last year’s CES was 25% AI, this year’s was 90%. Most companies at CES have included either AI into their products, AI into their marketing literature, or both. (Cynically, the amorphous definition of AI allows this.) While our Jacobs Media […]
Read More2024 Wrap-Up
What a year! In 2024, rapid advancements in AI reshaped content creation, audience engagement, and operational efficiency, presenting both opportunities and challenges for broadcasters. Major AI platforms launched transformative updates: OpenAI’s GPT-4o reduced inaccuracies and became freely accessible; Google released two updates to Gemini; and Meta and X introduced new tools. These developments expanded options for […]
Read MoreOpenAI’s Text-to-Video Generator is Now Public
It was mid-February this year when OpenAI previewed Sora, their text-to-video AI engine. The examples were jaw-dropping, but there were unresolved safety issues. Only a week after OpenAI’s announcement, Google decided to pull back their text-to-image AI engine after it created historically inaccurate images, spurring a public outcry. AI companies got gunshy. OpenAI spent ten months fine-tuning […]
Read MoreOpenAI Gives Twelve Days of Treats This December
Last week, Sam Altman of OpenAI announced a radio-esque promotion with the “12 Days of OpenAI.” After being pretty quiet over the last couple months, the AI giant started making one new product announcement per day. The announcements will continue every weekday until the Friday before Christmas. The biggest announcement so far has been the release […]
Read MoreBen Affleck Has a Nuanced Take on AI
In a recent CNBC interview, Ben Affleck does a deep dive on AI. Many of his viewpoints echo many of ours: AI is disruptive, but it also has the potential to save time and could potentially create new revenue streams. He asserts that AI cannot replicate the nuanced artistry of human actors or the creative genius of […]
Read MoreTen Recent AI Stories You May Have Missed
AI is continuing to shake things up, pushing boundaries and igniting debates. Apple and Baidu are diving into smart glasses, OpenAI’s SearchGPT is gunning for Google, and Meta’s AI-powered news partnerships are stirring the pot. On the creative front, Universal bets on “ethical” AI music while the Beatles snag a groundbreaking AI-assisted Grammy nod. But […]
Read MoreThe AI Patrol is Ramping Up
Americans have a genuine concern about identifying AI in the media they consume. In a conversation I had with a radio colleague this week, she succinctly defined the users’ quandary by explaining we want to know not only what we can trust, but also in which messages we can emotionally invest. Or, in other words, “Don’t […]
Read MoreAll-AI Radio Is Here
It was inevitable. Earlier this week Fred Jacobs tipped me off to a streaming radio station where all of the content is created by AI. Every song, every production element in the stream was created by an engine like Suno.AI or Udio. After listening for a while, it’s apparent that even though the content was all newly-created AI-audio, the songs and overall […]
Read MoreMarketers Are All In on AI
This week, Basis, the Chicago-based demand-side ad platform, released results of a survey of 140+ marketers’ opinions on the impact of AI on their work. The results mirrored those of the Marketing AI Institute’s, which was released in early August. Marketers are using AI a little now, but plan on using it a lot in the next 18-36 months. 46% of marketers in the […]
Read MoreMeta Makes a Mega Push
This week was Meta’s Connect 202, where the owner of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads hosted a show-and-tell with the tech press. What makes Meta so important in the AI conversation is the company’s reach and its strategy. Meta’s reach of over 3 billion users worldwide across five of the world’s most-used communications platforms means […]
Read MorePush Button, Make Podcast
The leaps and bounds that AI platforms have made in the last year is breathtaking. Generative text and generative voice are crossing the “uncanny valley” and close to becoming indistinguishable from non-AI-assisted work. Take for instance a new tool from Google Labs, Notebook LM. This tool, tagged as a virtual research assistant, is designed to help students […]
Read MoreAn Audio Eternity
On Monday, James Earl Jones died. Among the many roles he played over a six-decade career, his voice became synonymous with Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise. But Jones’ voice as Darth Vader will live on. Several years ago, the EGOT winner made an agreement with Skywalker Studios to recreate his baritone for future Star Wars […]
Read MoreThe New Fall Season
Welcome to the new season! We can look forward to great football, a new school-year, new TV shows, and — this year — big AI announcements. On the calendar, we’ll be paying attention to: * September 10 – Apple Event with iPhone 16 and Apple Intelligence updates * September 16 – Microsoft Next Phase of […]
Read MoreAI Candy
Let’s take a pause from our normal format. Below are ten really creative videos that posted recently across Reddit, X, and other platforms. All were created using one or more of the newest AI platforms. Hope you enjoy. Muppets Rap ala Beastie Boys Tools: ChatGPT, Suno, Midjourney, RunwayML Watch The Fast and the Furryous Tools: Midjourney, RunwayML, Luma, Leonardo, […]
Read MoreAn Acute Need for AI Training
Research is coming out fast and furious about workers in media-related industries actively integrating AI into their regular work routines. A University of Chicago study published recently surveyed 100,000 workers across multiple industries and job titles. Two of the three most likely to use AI at work? Journalists and marketers. [click for larger view] As Fred, Paul, and I […]
Read MoreThe Threat of an AI House of Mirrors
One of the many things Americans fear about AI is the threat it could have in politics. In this year’s Jacobs Media Techsurvey of 30,000+ radio listeners, 83% are somewhat or largely concerned about “AI and its potential to influence the 2024 elections.” It was one of the most universal opinions expressed in this year’s survey. […]
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