Welcome back humans.

Another week in AI land and we’re seeing things heat up as AI begins to expand to every aspect of our lives. From the upcoming elections, to AI tools for consumers and SMBs, to even AI at your local Walmart….

Here’s what you need to know about AI today:

• 2024 Election and AI

• Microsoft launches Copilot for consumers and SMBs

• Walmart (yes Walmart) announces its AI strategy at CES

#1 2024 and the Year of AI Elections

OpenAI's gearing up to make sure DALL-E and ChatGPT play nice during the 2024 elections. They're on a mission to prove that tech can be super helpful without turning into a democracy-wrecking ball.

OpenAI's not just sitting back and hoping for the best. They've got teams working to keep their AI from becoming the next big political puppeteer. They're going all-out – red-teaming their systems, beefing up safeguards, and fine-tuning policies to slam the door on any shady business. Here’s what to expect:

• DALL-E's got strict orders not to whip up images of real-life politicos. In fact forget about using DallE to churn out pics of actual people.

• And ChatGPT? It's got a strict no-impersonation policy. No pretending to be candidates or creating sneaky bots to throw a wrench in the voting process.

• Generally: ChatGPT and its custom cousins (GPTs) are not to dabble in political campaigning, lobbying, or masquerading as political figures.

OpenAI's not stopping at just setting ground rules. They're throwing in content credentials for DallE images and working on a detection tool. Interestingly enough, ChatGPT's going to buddy up with real-time news more to keep things transparent… curious to see how this plays out give impending lawsuits.

Finally, OpenAI's partnering up with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in the US. The goal? Make ChatGPT your go-to guide for official voting info.

💡 My take:

Here's why you should care: DALL-E, ChatGPT, and frankly many other AI tools that are disrupting our society by the week. How they handle the big issues – like election meddling, fake news, and transparency – is going to impact all of us. So much emphasis is put on OpenAI, given they are the largest platform, but when it comes to AI and our democracy the conversation must go above and beyond OpenAI. Yes, their footprint is huge, but my guess is that bad actors who want to undermine our democratic process will take a stealth approach and not simply target OpenAI’s platform but all LLMs. We needn’t look further than the 2016 election and how the abuse of microtargeting on platforms like Meta (then Facebook) swayed votes. We’re in a new era and the stakes are higher now more than ever.

#2 Microsoft Launches Copilot to Consumers and SMBs

Big news from Microsoft this Monday – they're shaking things up for the everyday Joe/Jane and small businesses. Microsoft's AI "Copilot" is now up for grabs for anyone willing to shell out $20 a month.

Last year, Microsoft teased us with a free AI Copilot for Bing, and now they're rolling out the red carpet with Copilot Pro. It's like having a smart buddy who's great at drafting texts and crunching numbers right in your Microsoft Word and Excel.

For those who love new tech, this subscription is your golden ticket to the latest AI models, including the fancy GPT-4 Turbo.

For smaller businesses thinking they were left out of the party, Microsoft's ditching the "300-person minimum" rule for their enterprise version. So now, even the little guys can get top-notch security and Microsoft Teams goodies for $30 a month per user. Microsoft's VP, Jared Spataro is betting that every business out there will want a piece of this AI action.

Spataro's betting big on Copilot Pro's edge – it's baked right into the software we use every day. That’s nothing to sneeze at, Microsoft Word had approximately 750 million monthly active users in 2023. Google Docs had over 1 billion monthly active users during the same period.

Source

💡 My take:

First of all: I love this. So many AI tools, sans OpenAI, are for developers and enterprise business users. The market for AI tools for consumers and SMBs is massive and I expect as startups begin to get traction in within the market there will be a lot of M&A activity… BigTech will once again make decisions on if it’s cheaper to build vs buy. My thinking is that because AI technology is moving at warp speed most companies will simply acquire businesses. Regardless this is excellent news for everyday people and SMB’s looking to get more done with AI. The biggest challenges will be keeping subscription costs under control (we’re all tired of these subscriptions for every single thing) while we’re waiting for more value to be added to BigTech’s AI tools.

#3 Walmart's AI Revolution: Filling Fridges and Changing Shopping?

Walmart's CEO, Doug McMillon, dropped some serious tech news at CES:

Walmart is going full sci-fi with generative AI.

Picture this: you never run out of milk again because your fridge is always one step ahead, thanks to AI. Yep, Walmart's diving deep into AI to make our shopping experiences feel like something out of a futuristic movie.

Walmart just unveiled three AI-powered tech wonders. They're not just dipping their toes in AI; they're going all in. This move mirrors a larger trend where big names like McDonald's are cozying up to AI to spruce up everything from customer service to their cash flow. McDonald's, for instance, is teaming up with Google for some AI magic in their restaurants.

One of these AI marvels is “InHome Replenishment.” If you're a Walmart+ member, this feature gets to know your shopping style. Run low on eggs? Bam – they're already on their way to your fridge. It's like having a personal shopper fine-tuning your grocery list and delivery schedule.

Sam's Club, Walmart's sibling, is already using AI to make shopping smoother. Their app lets you grab what you need and skip the checkout line. But wait, there's more: they're rolling out a digital archway in Dallas that lets you just walk out with your goodies – no receipt-checking stop needed. By year's end, this tech will be all over the U.S.

Meanwhile, Amazon Go's already doing something similar for quick grabs like snacks. But Walmart? They're upping the game. Imagine strolling out with a new TV or a wardrobe without stopping to pay because AI's got your back.

And for the fashion-forward, Walmart's app will let you mix and match digital outfits and get feedback from friends. It's like having a virtual fitting room in your pocket.

McMillon acknowledges that AI's changing the job scene. Some roles might disappear, but he's optimistic. The new AI-driven roles? More satisfying, enjoyable, and hey, they might even come with a pay bump.

💡 My take:

If this all sounds like de ja vu you’re not alone and might have been in this tech game as long as I have, lol. Back in the 2010’s and the IoT (Internet of Things) wave the idea that you’d have appliance to reorder things that you were out of was already being touted. The difference between now and then? With the overall adoption of AI and the consequently companies forcing it down our throats we kinda have no choice to adopt these technologies. In the 2010’s this was a concept that needed the customers permission to integrate into their lives. Now? It will simply be a way of life.

If you’re perplexed on why Walmart of all places is doing this here’s a quick heads up: Walmart has actually always been a data company. In fact they have a whole Data Lab that focuses on just that. In fact in 2017 they had a 40 petabyte data cloud. IN 2017!

In 2011 people were already referring to them as a data company so as far as their concerned I’m pretty sure exec’s feel like it’s finally their time to shine lol.

From my vantage point this is all just tip of the iceberg stuff. It’s way I wanted to start writing again and launched an AI accelerator. This isn’t a fad it’s a transition. I’d hate to have folks wake up, go to their local Walmart, an realize it’s completely AI integrated and not fully understand the current world they are living in.

💩Sh*ts & Giggles

That’s all for today folks!

This week I’ll be publishing the first podcast episode of AB on AI!

My goal was to do it last week but life was life-ing!

Anyway my goal is to keep each episode somewhat short 20-30 mins.

We’ll be discussing what’s in the newsletter but I’ll be adding an extra story or two that I find interesting and haven’t written about during the week.

You can subscribe here.

See you on the interwebs,

AB