🤔 HMM, THAT’S SUPER INTERESTING
AI News & Updates

📰 Here we are, this week’s Buzz in AI: LLMs, GenAI, and More!

📸 Zoom's AI Ambitions: Zoom is taking a swing at the big dogs, Google and Microsoft, by launching AI-driven Docs to supercharge team collaboration. It's the latest move in the productivity wars—get your popcorn ready. I can’t help but think that the recent publicity for Zoom in the national campaigns has surely helped their brand exposure.

👯 Meta's AI Studio: Meta's AI Studio lets you craft custom AIs like you're building your own digital assistant army. It’s a glimpse into the future where your AI will know you better than your 1m followers. This is pretty much where AI will be adopted by the millions. I can’t see humans wanting multiple digital identities, but then again how many emails and social media profiles do we have? Yikes.

🔎 Google Chrome’s AI Update: Chrome’s latest AI-infused update promises to make your browsing experience as smart as it is fast. If you thought the web couldn’t get more intuitive, think again. As a card-carrying younger boomer (see last week’s article) I do much of my work on desktop, so I’m really looking forward to Google Lens on Desktop. Search what you see.

🎨 Canva's AI Expansion: Canva just snapped up Leonardo, boosting its generative AI to help even the most design-challenged users create stunning visuals. Creativity, meet your new AI-powered BFF. I’ve been using Canva and LeonardoAI for years, yes years. So this is bittersweet; not happy that Leonardo got sold but happy it’s Canva. Maybe this M&A will make my creative output faster, cheaper, better.

👯 AI-Powered Customer Journeys: McKinsey is betting big on AI-powered digital twins to redefine customer experiences. It’s a game-changer for brands aiming to stay one step ahead of their customers’ needs. Another big brand consultancy integrating AI into their clients’ workflow. This is basically an updated version of phone menus and chatbots, except we’re crossing the uncanny valley.

🛍️ Scaling Gen AI in Retail: From LLMs to ROI, McKinsey lays out the blueprint for retailers looking to scale AI without getting lost in the hype. Spoiler: The future of shopping is smarter than ever. This is actually an excellent article about AI and how to go about integrating the tech into your current operations. I think I’ll write up a deep dive later in the week on this topic, stay tuned.

🤔 Another AI ad fumble: Google pulled its "Dear Sydney" ad, featuring a young girl using its Gemini AI to write a letter, after backlash during the Olympics. Critics argued the ad promoted reliance on AI over developing basic writing skills, particularly among children. The controversy highlighted concerns about the impact of technology on education and whether it encourages tech dependency at a young age. Oh dear me. Reminds me of the Apple Ad crushing the small startups advertisement.

LOCAL STUFF - PALM SPRINGS COACHELLA
Palm Springs Post

👒 The Palm Springs Post is doing something really important—keeping local journalism alive and well right here in the Coachella Valley. In a time when small-town news is disappearing, they're making sure our community stays informed about what’s happening close to home. They’re not just about headlines; they’re about telling the stories that matter to us, from city council updates to local culture.

And here’s what I truly love about The Palm Springs Post; they’re hyperlocal focused and they’re forward-thinking in their use of AI, leveraging a tool called Satchel. This AI helps summarize complex documents, transcribe meetings, and even draft basic news stories. While Satchel streamlines many tasks, every piece it contributes to is carefully fact-checked and edited by their team to ensure accuracy and maintain journalistic integrity. This blend of AI efficiency with human oversight supports their mission to keep the community informed with reliable, local news.

It’s great to see a local outlet committed to keeping real, community-focused journalism going strong while embracing the use of this world-changing technology.

SunshineFM wholeheartedly supports The Palm Springs Post.