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GOOGLE MULLS CHARGING FOR AI SEARCH
In this week’s What’s Appening, we cover the report that Google is considering charging for AI-powered features in its search engine. It would mark the first time Google would charge for the product most synonymous with its brand. Traditional search features would still be free, but it seems that Google believes the expense of generative AI features will be paid with user fees, not ads. We also have news on Spotify this week, with the streaming service adding a cool AI feature to generate playlists with a single prompt. We have quick-takes on Apple robots, X checkmarks, and some not-as-impressive-as-we-thought Amazon technology. Our GPT of the Week transforms intricate concepts into diagrams. Our Stat deals with Elon Musk’s suspicious numbers, and What’s dAppening warns on the perils of meme coins on Base.
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🔎💳 Google – Reports that AI Search Features May Require Subscription
A Financial Times report has claimed that Google is considering charging for AI features (now in beta testing) in Search. Standard Google Search would remain free, yet anyone using the gen-AI features would require a subscription. It comes down to cost, of course. It’s estimated that a search query via a neural network like Gemini costs about ten times as much as a standard keyword search, and that would amount to billions of dollars for the world’s most used search engine. More broadly, this roll-out is important, both for Google and all of us who use the web. AI was always going to disrupt and challenge Google’s search and discovery hegemony. Bing’s AI-powered features ostensibly threw down the gauntlet, but, frankly, it hasn’t blown the doors off, nor has it resulted in any lessening of Google’s market share. Google must balance the “complete answer” aspect of AI queries with its ad-based revenue model for search (not easy). But it also has a chance to take the lead in AI-powered search, even if we must pay for the privilege. #AISearch Read more here.
Create mind maps, flow charts, sticky notes, sequences, and other diagrams for brainstorming intricate ideas. Whimsical Diagrams works both as a plugin within ChatGPT and as a standalone GPT. We see its potential for businesses and tech teams by creating flow charts to signpost various processes while also being useful for students and educators through its ability to simplify and communicate complex subjects and ideas. Check it out here.
🏗️🎸 Spotify – New AI Feature Can Build Playlists with a Prompt
Spotify has announced a new AI feature that takes the work out of building playlists. An initial beta roll-out is occurring in the UK and Australia, with Spotify promising it will evolve over time. The feature can build general playlists with prompts like, “Play me some 1980s power ballads.”, or more specific requests like, “Create me a playlist to cheer up my dog.”. Once the playlist is done, you can refine it with new prompts, such as “More cowbell.”🐮🔔. Spotify will use a combination of proprietary LLM technology and your own streaming history to create the playlists. If you are in Oz or the UK, you’ll find the new feature under the + tab in your Library. No word yet on when the feature will arrive in the US, though. We’ll keep you posted. #AIPlaylists Read more here.
🕵️♀️ Amazon Just Walk Out Technology Relied on Off-Site ‘Cashiers’. Amazon marketed Just Walk Out as a shopping revolution, using computer scanning to kill off the checkout forever. Yet, reports say the company relied on up to 1,000 workers watching remotely in India, constantly watching us as we picked up items in store. Full story is here.
🤖 Apple Focuses on Home Robots. After scrapping its electric car division, Apple is reportedly exploring home robotics as “the next big thing”, according to Bloomberg. Details right here.
☑️ ’Legacy’ Blue Checkmarks Return to X. Twitter/X has reinstated the blue checkmarks to signify the accounts of influential users. It was dumb to remove them in the first place, and now it feels even dumber to have them mixed in with non-notable paying subscribers. Story is here.
📈🤔 X – Analysts Bemused at Musk’s Claims of ATH Organic Traffic
Elon Musk shared an interesting chart on X the other day, reportedly showing that organic traffic was at an all-time high (more than doubled since he took over). It all looked a little too perfect for some analysts, though, some of whom raised eyebrows at a huge spike across a couple of days in April 2023; going from 1B website visits to 2B visits in a single day, and peaking at 3.3B over the last 12 months. What happened in April 2023? Absolutely nothing, except maybe the way they measure traffic. Judge for yourself with Elon’s original post here and compare it with an analysis of the numbers here. #XTraffic Read more here.
🪙💸 Crypto – Base Users Warned that 1 in 6 New Meme Coins Are Scams
The Ethereum Decun upgrade has caused a surge of new users on Base (Coinbase’s L2 chain), many of whom are capitalizing on lower ETH gas fees (a byproduct of Decun) to launch and trade new meme coins. However, a study by CoinTelegraph has found that around 17% of the new tokens are “outright scams”, and that almost 91% of the tokens have security vulnerabilities. Meme coin trading has surged in recent weeks (do we ever learn our lessons in crypto?) on Solana and Base, but it’s worth reminding folks that for every moonshot winner like Pepe or Doge, there are 99 coins that are effectively scams and rug pulls. #CryptoCareful Read more here.
We are ramping up our AI business! Yes, since our founding in 2010 we’ve been all about mobile apps. The iPhone and AppStore sparked a revolution that didn’t just move our tools to a small screen. It reshaped how we interact with the world… Now another revolution is taking place, and this one promises to bring so much more. We could stay stagnant or we could reinvent ourselves, so we chose the latter. Our investment in AI is now playing out in real-world projects, and this isn’t just for the big companies moving because their board is scared of being left behind. It’s also about the little guy. With the GPT store, we’ve seen the rise of incredible tools because the ease of access has incredibly improved. Well now, we’re putting our team of experts out there to help you discover how AI can help bring your business to life, or to improve your current operations by unlocking what’s now possible that was never before. We’re now offering standalone one-month sprints to do the research and create AI prototypes for you to prove this potential. Scoot on over to 3advance.com/services and check it out. Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs welcome. Let’s advance innovate together.
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