AI in the Spotlight: Watermarks, Olympic Fumbles, and Celebrity Voices
Welcome to this week's AI adventures! From ChatGPT's watermark drama sparking user debates, to Google's Olympic ad oops that had everyone talking, and Meta's bold move to bring Hollywood voices to your digital assistant, we’ve got the latest scoop on the wild world of AI. Dive in for a ride full of surprises and celebrity twists!
ChatGPT’s Watermark Woes: To Mark or Not to Mark?
OpenAI is in a pickle over watermarking ChatGPT’s text. While the idea aims to detect AI-generated content and support educators, users aren’t thrilled. Almost 30% said they’d use ChatGPT less if watermarks were implemented, fearing a hit to the chatbot’s smooth talk.
Watermarking works by tweaking word predictions to create detectable patterns, which OpenAI claims are 99.9% effective and tough to tamper with. Yet, concerns about user backlash and the ease of evading watermarks with rephrasing tools have left the company divided.
As OpenAI explores less controversial methods like embedding metadata, it’s clear the road to responsible AI use is paved with tricky decisions and user preferences. Will they find a balance? Stay tuned!
AI Fumble at the Olympics: Google Pulls Controversial "Dear Sydney" Ad
Google's latest AI ad, featuring a young girl using its Gemini tool to pen a letter to her idol, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, hit a hurdle. The “Dear Sydney” ad, intended to inspire, instead sparked outrage. Viewers were miffed that the ad suggested kids should rely on AI for such a personal task.
Critics, including a fiery op-ed in the Washington Post, slammed the ad for promoting AI over human creativity. Google, a major Olympic sponsor, promptly pulled the ad, emphasizing that AI should enhance, not replace, human creativity. Despite the backlash, Google remains committed to showcasing AI's supportive role in human endeavors.
Hollywood Voices in Your Pocket!
Meta’s latest AI ambition? Chatting with celebrities! 🎤 According to reports, Meta is negotiating with stars like Awkwafina, Judi Dench, and Keegan-Michael Key to voice its digital assistant, MetaAI. Imagine having these famous voices on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and even Ray-Ban Meta glasses! Talks have been rocky, but a time-limited deal is in the works, with potential for renewal.
Actors’ reps and SAG-AFTRA are pushing for stricter usage limits to protect against AI job loss. SAG-AFTRA recently secured terms that require companies to pay and get consent from actors before using their AI-generated likeness. If Meta succeeds, it could shell out millions to these celebrities.
With a potential launch at the September Connect conference, Meta aims to introduce a suite of AI products. Interestingly, last year’s celeb chatbot project featuring Snoop Dogg and others has been quietly scrapped. Stay tuned—your next virtual assistant might just have a Hollywood twist! 🌟
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