Apple AI...

Happy February! 

Welcome to another edition of AI Creator!

Call us a buffet because this edition has something for everyone, we're diving into a newsroom of AI surprises, AI Art for the creatives and lastly, a treat for thought-provoking knowledge dives. 👀

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

• Google Maps can help you discover new places using generative AI

• Amazon announces AI shopping assistant called Rufus

• Tim Cook teases Apple AI announcement ‘later this year’

Google Maps X generative AI: A match made in heaven?

Talk about a powerful duo – human curiosity and AI smarts, taking exploration to a whole new level...Google Maps is now experimenting with generative AI, a fancy way of saying it can understand your natural language queries and recommend hidden gems you wouldn't normally find. 

Imagine you’re strolling around in a new city, you get a friendly voice whispering suggestions. "Hey, I see you like vintage stuff. How about checking out this cool record store down the street? They have amazing reviews and a killer selection of vinyl."

Feeling peckish after your shopping spree? Just ask "How about lunch?" and Maps will whip up a list of delectable options that match your mood. 

That's what this generative AI does. It analyzes  more than 250 million locations and contributions from over 300 million Local Guides, sifts through reviews, and chats with you like a local guide.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Sounds too good to be true." And maybe it is. Initially, the new generative AI-backed functionality will be available to a handful of Local Guides residing in the US, but Google has yet to share any information on when it will be available for those living in other countries.

But the potential? It's mind-blowing. You never know what hidden gems you might discover, all thanks to the AI genie in Google Maps.

Wave a hello to Amazon’s shopping assistant - Rufus!

You can buy everything on Amazon. But, in 2024 it’s become harder than ever to find that one perfect product without drowning in a sea of competitors, reading several product descriptions and wading through endless reviews. The good news is…

Amazon's new AI shopping assistant, Rufus, is here to be your personal shopper confidante. 

Here’s how it can help:

• Feeling torn between trail and road running shoes? Just ask Rufus, and he'll break down the differences, drawing insights from product specs, customer reviews, and even broader web knowledge. 

• You can engage in back to back conversation with Rufus to compare the best shoes, to ask what should you look for in a running shoe or which shoes are best for treadmill.

• Picture Rufus as your expert, always ready to answer your shopping questions in a natural, conversational way. 

This is just the beginning, as Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy hints at integrating Rufus across all its businesses.

Tim Cook teases Apple AI announcement ‘later this year’

Remember how Siri used to be the coolest AI assistant in 2011? Yeah, those were simpler times…

Now, the big giants (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, you name it) are constantly innovating AI models that generate text and images smoother than butter. And guess who's decided to join the party? Apple, of course!

In a call with analysts following the release of the company's Q1 earnings, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a cryptic yet intriguing snippet regarding the company's plans in the field of artificial intelligence. 

 "We're excited to share details of our ongoing work in AI later this year," he said. Now, details were scarce, but we can read between the lines, right?

Here's the scoop: Apple is definitely brewing something AI-tastic. They've been pouring resources into the tech and machine learning for a while.

So, what could be in store?!

Apple typically unveils new software at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held in June. Last year, the company introduced an autocorrect feature for the iPhone keyboard utilizing a transformer-based language model, similar to the technology behind GPT. Notably, Apple opted for the more academic term "machine learning" during the presentation, avoiding the phrase "artificial intelligence."

Cook's concluding statement, "Let me just say that I think there's a huge opportunity for Apple with Gen AI and AI," further fuels speculation without divulging specifics. It remains to be seen what Apple has in store, but the industry awaits the upcoming announcement with keen interest.

What’s more?

• Bard is getting an upgrade with Gemini Pro and can finally generate images using Google’s Imagen 2 model.

• Podcastle, a podcasting platform that has boosted its product with various generative AI-driven features, has raised $13.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Mosaic Ventures.

• Exclusive: Meta to deploy in-house custom chips this year to power AI drive.

• Apple is reportedly preparing to buy an AI startup to anonymize private data in images.

AI Art to sip your coffee with…

Prompt: A sustainable life on Saturn. Long Exposure shot with colorful traffic. With a view of the saturn rings as well. The image should be a view from a kaleidoscope. - Adobe Firefly

AI Deep Dives: Food for Thought

Still hungry for more? Here are some curated AI deep dives for you:

• Can this AI-powered search engine replace Google? it has for me. A start-up called Perplexity shows what’s possible for a search engine built from scratch with artificial intelligence.

• How VCs can assess and attract winners in a landscape that’s now crowded with AI startups by TechCrunch

• Generative A.I.’s Biggest Impact Will Be in Banking and Tech, Report Says. For some companies, the new technology is an opportunity to enhance productivity and profit. Will their workers benefit as well?

We’ll see you again on Thursday…👋