Welcome back humans.

We’re back in business with regular emails after the holiday! I won’t be covering OpenAI this week because there is already lots of coverage about the board transition and their mysterious Q* project that people are claiming has reach AGI (Artificial general Intelligence). There are a ton of other interesting developments that I think you should know about so….

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

• Pika 1.0 launches with groundbreaking idea-to-video animation platform.

• People hate on AI wrappers but my take on why I don’t.

• Dive into Together's innovative approach to generative AI and cloud computing.

#1 AI Video Just Got Seriously Upgraded

Pika 1.0 is carving out a new space in AI video and animation creation with likely the highest quality text-to-video AI out.

It makes taking and idea and turning it into a short animation clip easy.

And, with $55 million in fundraising fuel, this AI juggernaut is just getting started.

If you’re late to the party people over on X/Twitter went nuts after Pika launched with this video on twitter:

With its launch, this platform is taking digital storytelling and content production new heights!

What makes Pika most powerful is the tool isn’t actually just for the pros.

Even individual creators can harness Pika to polish their projects with a slick, professional shine.

Though the team at Pika started just six months ago, with a mission to make video creation a breeze for anyone, anywhere; Pika's community has ballooned to over 500,000 users.

And for good reason. Take another look at the quality of these animations in this cinematic trailers made 100% with Pika:

Nuts.

Naturally, they're churning out millions of videos, embracing Pika's ease-of-use and flexibility.

So whether you're selling, animating, or simply sharing your story, Pika 1.0 hands you the director's megaphone.

Slide into the waitlist at pika.art and start exploring!

The future of digital media isn't just coming; it's already knocking on your screen. 🎥

💡 My take:

To say what Pika has done is impressive would be an understatement. With with each week that passes we continue to get closer to a future that may be hard to recognize. I was just telling someone that I haven’t been this excited about tech since the Web 2.0 era. A few days ago I post a thought on Instagram about the future of Media/Social Media. My thesis is that much of what we consume on social media will be generated by AI and we will naturally start to gravitate towards communities, led by humans with human generated content, off of social media. It will be a renaissance of a new form of independent media. Pika’s launch is a perfect example of a tool that will empower this.

It allows anyone to put on their directos hat and unlock any idea that you might have been sitting on and bring it to life. It will empower a new generation of creatives while also, along with other AI media generators, simultaneously move us closer to seeking human connection. Wild times.

#2 WTF is an AI Wrapper?

AI wrappers have taken some heat lately, but let's cut through the noise.

They're just tools that connect to AI APIs to deliver results, plain and simple.

Despite the chatter, these wrappers are legitimate tools for those looking to make a profit without seeking venture capital or building a massive team.

You only need a basic MVP to start rolling.

For instance, connect a form to Zapier, use an AI service like Hugging Face or OpenAI, and voilà, you're in business.

Take Danny Postma's Headshot Pro as an example; it zeroes in on professional headshots and rakes in $300k+ annually.

Think about it:

• Restore old family photos with an AI-powered site.

• Remove unwanted objects from images effortlessly.

• Design specialized product ads with AI.

Niche down, aim at industries less familiar with AI, and you might just hit a goldmine.

Even OpenAI's new vision API can identify brands in pictures; pair that with a focused tool and you could be the next big acquisition.

Remember Looseleaf? Bought by Damon while it was fresh and not earning yet, it shows the potential in overlooked ideas.

So, keep your mind open to these AI opportunities. They might not change the world, but they could change yours. 😉

💡 My take:

Old narrative: To build something significant in tech you need loads of VC, a big team, and the desire for unicorn status.

Now? It’s just not that way anymore and that’s also one of my biggest reasons for starting this newsletter. It’s a new era of entreprenuership where a lot of the elitism of Silicon Valley is being dismantled by its own technological advancements. AI is an equalizer in that respect. Our biggest hurdle, especially for those of us coming from the “old world,” is to get out there and start building. Start experimenting with AI and launching projects because, like I said above, you may not build a groundbreaking technology but there is more than a boatload of people whose livelihoods can change.

What are you thinking of creating?

#3 The Next Evolution of Cloud Providers (with an AI spin)

Together just bagged a whopping $102.5 million to expand its AI cloud operations.

The company's all about breaking vendor lock-in with open source AI models.

They believe AI will be the new OS of our world, with a mix of open and proprietary models. I agree.

Together's journey began in June 2022, founded by a quartet of tech visionaries.

They're already powering ahead with a cloud platform that's more budget-friendly than the big players.

Their cloud stretches across the US and EU, dishing out 20 exaflops of computing oomph.

Clients like Pika Labs (referenced above) and Cartesia tap into Together's powerful model-serving APIs.

Together isn't just about infrastructure; they're into AI research to push the envelope further.

Check out their RedPajama project, or their GPT-JT, both aimed at shaking up the generative AI scene.

Expect big strides in AI from Together, as they drive innovation with their cloud and research prowess.

💡 My take:

What Together AI has launched is a glimpse into the future of AI. I know, I know…. you probably think I am an OpenAI fangirl, lol. I am in respect to how they’ve taken a concept, incubated over 10 years, and launched it to this massive behemoth in just a year. You gotta put respekt on it!

OpenAI is a pioneer company that opens the doors for others but it doesn’t mean that it will own the future. What Together AI has built, allowing people to build on top of multiple models for a premium outcome is actually the ideal scenario. Think about when search engines launched. Google was dominate but before Google there was Excite, Yahoo, and others. What Together AI is doing is essentially allowing you to “search” all services (AI models) at once to get the best result. It’s actually better for all of us.

💩Sh*ts & Giggles

That’s all for today folks!

See you on the interwebs,

AB