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Hello, Human Friend!
Remember when Mark Zuckerberg changed the name of his company to Meta and insisted the metaverse was right around the corner? Well, he wasn’t right, but he may not have been totally wrong either. Besides, he’s got a lot of other interests to obsess over now. None of them being Elon Musk’s back problems.
In this edition of Strange Magic…
💻️ Meta is suddenly back in the picture
📍 You will wear your AI, and you will like it
🧍♂️ Have you met Sam Altman?
🎯 Dart’s entertainment
Read time: 5 minutes
🔮 What’s New
Source: Meta
As we are now getting used to (or growing tired of), this week brought another batch of new announcements from a major tech player. Meta is this week’s “one main character”. Meta has already been making moves this year, but at last week’s annual Connect Conference, Mark Zuckerberg showed that he hadn’t completely died on the hill that is the metaverse. More on that later. But first, here are some of the key announcements from the Connect Conference across AI, VR, and (checks notes)… sunglasses!
AI Experiences: Let’s start with the hottest topic, AI. Meta has already released several open-source AI models this year, but now they’re focusing on brining AI into their products. At the core is Meta AI, a general chatbot assistant that can answer questions, offer suggestions, tell jokes and the like. But, Meta is taking a bigger bet on their AI Characters, a host of chatbots with different personality types, including over a dozen characters voiced by AI clones of famous people like Tom Brady and Mr. Beast, but not playing themselves for some reason. If you’ve ever wanted to solve a crime with Paris Hilton, only she’s called Amber now, then these are for you.
Beyond the chatbots, Meta also introduced a new image generation model called Emu allowing users of platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram to generate custom stickers. And, they’re letting companies build custom branded chatbots with a professional suite of features called AI Studio.
Not ready to give up on the metaverse just yet, Zuckerberg also announced the upcoming Meta Quest 3, a supposedly vastly improved VR headset with better processors, screens, and cameras that will retail for $500.
Did we mention the sunglasses? After the unsuccessful release of Ray-Ban Stories, the team is pairing up again for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Think Google Glasses but way cooler looking. That’s right, these record video from a tiny camera in the frames. You’ve been warned.
In Other News
Smart steam: Spotify has been dabbling in AI, first launching their AI DJ feature (he still doesn’t get me) back in February. Now, they are mixing a little AI into everything. Some of their most popular podcasts are getting AI generated translations in the sound of the host’s voices. Curious hunters have found evidence of potential AI Playlists in Spotify’s code. And, Spotify CEO Daniel Elk stated in a recent BBC interview that Spotify will not ban AI-made music, unless it breaks copyright.
Ready to wearable: The company Humane, founded by ex-Apple execs, has been teasing the first AI wearable for months. Now the “Ai Pin”, has made a public debut at a Paris fashion show on the lapel of supermodel Naomi Campbell. Does this matter? Not really. But, it does remind us that there may soon be an onslaught of AI wearable devices, and the first one is due out Nov. 8th.
Ive got a better idea: Another ex-Apple executive might to be jumping into the AI hardware space. Johnny Ive, the former chief design officer at Apple, appears to be joining forces with Sam Altman as OpenAI wants Ive’s design firm LoveFrom to help create a “more natural and intuitive user experience” for interacting with AI. Just go watch “Her” and you’ll get the idea. Altman, by the way, is also an investor in the aforementioned Humane.
📖 Good Reads
Source: Midjourney
When Mark Zuckerberg announced his plans for the metaverse, including a complete company rebrand to Meta, back in 2021, a lot of people laughed. To be fair, a lot of his promises for our digital futures seem to keep falling short. But, he’s not given up on the idea of the metaverse, he’s just thinking about, and talking about, it differently these days.
It’s hard to write a sentence about AI without mentioning Sam Altman. See, I just did it again. Whether you are a fan or not, the OpenAI founder and prolific investor is extremely significant in the AI movement to say the least. He’s a relatively unknown 30-something to most people who stands at the forefront of a hugely consequential technology movement. It’s probably worth getting to know him a little better.
More Reads
✨ We’re Diggin’
Claire Evans & Stephen Marche talk creativity and AI: Runway, the platform behind the AI text-to-video tool GEN-2, have started a new series bringing together talented creators to discuss the intersection of human creativity and emerging technology. This 6 minute conversation between Claire Evans and Stephen Marche will definitely leave you wanting more.
Will the real Mark Zukerberg please stand up: This guy is everywhere right now. But seriously, the 3D holographic-like “codec avatars” that Zuck showed off on the Lex Friedman show are really pretty impressive. Just listen to the way Friedman says “this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”
🌤️ Fresh Air
Source: Instagram @jacob_acrobat
How did he pull that off?: Québécois acrobat and trick-shot master Jacob Grégoire has amassed nearly 1 million Instagram followers for good reason. You’ll never seen another person pull off such graceful maneuvers with darts and frisbees in a pair of Crocs.
Let us know how we’re did!
Well, that’s enough strangeness for one day. Hope you learned something new!
Our goal with Strange Magic is to be your companion for demystifying AI, emerging tech and to meet you where you are on that journey. As such, we’re moving Strange Magic exclusively to our social channels on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. This will be our last weekly newsletter, at least for now. Things move pretty quickly, but we’re ready for the ride. 🤖