#87 - Expressive Intelligence

Imagine sitting down for a videochat and no longer being able to tell if you’re talking to a machine or a human. This isn’t sci-fi—it's happening now. Recent advancements have rapidly humanized AI, from chatbots with distinct personalities to voice cloning technologies that convey a full spectrum of emotions up to AI avatars that can no longer be distinguished from normal people.

This week, Synthesia introduced what they call 'Expressive Avatars' whose gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements are perfectly synchronized with their speech. Whether the conversation is upbeat or somber, these avatars adapt, displaying an empathy that feels all to human. This shift towards more relatable, less mechanical AIs prompts a crucial question: What happens when we forget we are talking to bots or worse even can no longer make the distinction?

*If you wonder if this will have an impact, character chatbots & avatar apps are currently the second most popular category of AI apps.

*Synthesia claims over 200,000 people have already used their 225 avatars to create more than 18 million video presentations publishing them in over 130 languages.

IN FOCUS

All eyes were on TikTok this week as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill demanding ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the US. TikTok CEO Shou Chew said that the company would go to court to try to remain online in the United States. But behind the scenes, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is contemplating a sale of the app without its core algorithm.

Additionally, the EU intensified scrutiny over TikTok Lite for its potentially "addictive" features, prompting TikTok to suspend the controversial program in the region.

With the looming possibility of a ban and the uncertain future of its creator economy, it appears that the era of TikTok as we know it may be coming to an end.

AI IN THE NEWSROOM

For the time being, forming partnerships with AI companies is only something for the largest media companies. At the INMA World News Media Congress, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Dopfner explained why he is 'making a pact with the devil'.

So what do you do as a smaller publisher? Tollbit, a startup from Boston, thinks it has found the solution. It aims to create a marketplace where publishers can offer their content to AI firms for a fee, with dynamic pricing based on demand for specific topics.

Others see the glass as half full. Bauer's global head of SEO shared some lessons from watching the early trials of SGE. He believes that Google will not use it on everything because it is still very expensive and less reliable than traditional search.

New research by the Reuters Institute meanwhile confirms that blocking chatbots seems to be somewhat succesful. When a website doesn't let ChatGPT access its content, 86% of the AI's answers are "I'm unable to help."

Short:

• Axios is adjusting its strategy to focus on human-driven content as AI reshapes the media landscape. Read more.
• The Washington Post is creating an AI tool with Virginia Tech that offers answers based on its reporting. More info
• A concept for autonomous reporting is being explored that could uncover stories autonomously. Details here
• Simon Willison discusses current capabilities of AI in data journalism. Read more
• The Local News Audience Assistant, is a new custom GPT tool for audience development. Explore here
• And an afterburner from Perugia: on audiences, AI, and audio apps. Insights here

OTHER AI UPDATES

• Ten of the world’s most influential AI companies have publicly pledged to incorporate Safety by Design to combat AI-generated child abuse material.
• The FT wonders how long can the artificial intelligence-fuelled rally can continue without clear evidence that generative AI is giving a meaningful lift to business? On the other hand, new data from Pew Research seems to indicate that the use of ChatGPT for work is rising sharply.

Short:

• Dataminr introduces ReGenAI, a real-time regenerating generative AI. Link
• Meta’s RayBan’s are now multimodal. Link
• Adobe’s latest video-AI model enhances low-resolution videos significantly. Link
• Stanford's new AI tool, Cura, innovates content moderation. Link
• Apple's new AI models could let Siri remember your conversation history, & understand what's on your iPhone screen. Link

GENERATIONS

Ofcom’s latest 'Children's Media Use Report 2024' shows that kids are now 'born' online and with a smartphone in their hands. Key findings include increased usage of apps and sites for messaging, voice/video calls, social media, livestreaming, and online gaming.

Also interesting, The Creation Generation, one of the largest research efforts ever to explore the impact of immersive gaming platforms & creative playgrounds like Roblox & Fortnite on the learning and development of Generation Alpha.

And apparently a growing number of teens likes using subtitles and captions for movies and TV, even when they don’t necessarily “need to.”

VIDEO

After Sora, Pika, Runway and others there is now Vidu, the first text-to-video model made in China that seems to be on par with Sora.

These new video tools are likely to change film and tv productions but in their current pre-alpha state, working with these models still requires a lot of patience and trial and error.

Short

• Consultancy firm Arthur D Little released it’s yearly ‘State of the Media Market Report’. Check it out
• Netflix added 9.33 Million subscribers in Q1 2024 and added it will stop reporting subscriber numbers. Read here why.
• Many more people are jumping from one streaming subscription to another. Link
• Fifa says to be close with a TV deal with Apple for a new tournament. Read more
• X just announced a smart TV app for streaming video. Link
• DW tried different ways to create a virtual presenter. Here's what they've learned.

AUDIO

Reports of a podcasting slowdown are misleading according to MIDiA Research. According to their latest stats the industry is actually maturing and flourishing, with podcast revenue up 37.6% and listener numbers growing by 23.4% in 2023.

Amazon Music launches Maestro, a new AI playlist generator.

YouTube Chief Product Officer, Johanna Voolich talks about the future of podcasts on YouTube.

SHORT

• Google has delayed the end of third-party cookies again.
• Tiktok is testing a way to let publishers add links to videos.
• Spotify made over €1bn gross profit for the first time.
• Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is the first album to ever clock a billion listens on Spotify in a single week.

READ

Each major tech shift brings new opportunities to build products that can change our lives. But how and when you develop your product during a platform transition can be the difference between it becoming an iconic product that defines a generation – or a relic of the hype cycle, disappearing as quickly as it came. Essential read for the AI-age.

Inside the Crisis at NPR: Listeners are tuning out. Sponsorship revenue has dipped. A diversity push has generated internal turmoil. Can America’s public radio network turn things around?

Phew - That was a lot! Do send Wayfinder to friends and colleagues if you like the selection. See you back next week.

Ezra