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 of a new AI model, called o1.  The o1 model is claimed to be more sophisticated, more accurate, and more fitted to advanced calculations.  It’s available to users on the $20/month plan.

Rumors are rampant online that one of the future daily announcements will be related to Sora,  the text-to-video model that OpenAI has been teasing for most of 2024 but kept from the public while they worked on product safety.  It will be interesting to see what, if anything, will be unveiled this month.

Users’ 2024 Spotify Wrapped Includes NotebookLM Podcasts
Your social feeds may have been slathered this week with friends’ year-end Spotify Wrapped recaps.  New this year to the feature are AI-named genres customized to users’ favorite music clusters. (I supposedly am a fan of “Speakeasy Slow Dance Jazz” and “Boujee Football Rap.”  Who knew?) The other big AI addition is the integration of Google’s NotebookLM AI podcasts into each users’ Spotify Wrapped recap.  Spotify users can listen to a ten-minute dialog of their listening habits now — complete with mispronounced artist names — linked off the apps’ homepage. [details]

ElevenLabs Adds Custom Podcast Functionality
Not only has Google’s NotebookLM podcast creation tool found a home with Spotify (above) and with a Meta knockoff, but ElevenLabs added a very similar feature to their audio AI portal. GenFM can be found on the ElevenLabs app.  Users can point to a URL or upload a PDF.  Moments later, a custom podcast will be created for instant playback or download. Although the voices on the podcasts sound a little uncanny valley, it’s an example of how quicly the technology is evolving.  [details]

IMAX Uses AI to Localize Movie Languages
IMAX has partnered with Dubai-based startup Camb.ai to utilize advanced AI speech models for translating and localizing its original content, including documentaries, into over 140 languages. This collaboration aims to broaden IMAX’s global audience reach by providing real-time language translations that preserve the emotional nuances of the original performances. By implementing Camb.ai’s specialized AI models, IMAX intends to reduce translation costs and enhance accessibility, catering to the growing demand for non-English content worldwide.  [details]

‘Daisy’ Is an AI Grandma Who Takes Up Scammers’ Time
The UK Telecom giant O2 has found an AI application that all of us can agree on.  They’ve created an AI Chatbot that talks with those scammers that try to pry into seniors’ bank and credit card accounts.  “Daisy” has intercepted over one thousand calls and wasted the scammers’ time by regaling them with stories of her (nonexistent) grandchildren and otherwise frustrating those looking to make an illegal buck.  Watch the video here.  [details]

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Chris Brunt

Chris has thirty-plus years' experience in radio programming, digital content creation, and digital sales, most recently at Beasley Media Detroit. During his time at Beasley, and Greater Media Brunt made his mark in the development of websites, audio and video streaming, podcasts, and social media channels. As Digital Sales Manager, he drove increases in revenue by leveraging both owned/operated and programmatic media.

Along with his duties at Jacobs Media, Chris develops revenue opportunities for jācapps’ mobile apps clients.

Latest posts by Chris Brunt (see all)

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