Get the latest AI news, understand why it matters, and learn how to apply it in your work — all in just 5 minutes a day. Join over 2,000,000+ subscribers.
Google's INSANE AI video breakthrough
Sign Up | Advertise | Jobs | Tools
Welcome, AI enthusiasts.
Google researchers just casually dropped Lumiere — an impressive new AI video generation model that creates insanely cohesive, realistic, and controllable clips.
Video creation just leveled up (again). Let’s take a look…
In today’s AI rundown:
Google’s insane Lumiere video generation AI
Apple gearing up for iPhone AI push
How to prompt LLMs like an expert
Study: Chatbots may be lifelines for at-risk students
7 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs
More AI & tech news
Read time: 4 minutes
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
🎥 Google’s insane Lumiere video generation AI
Image source: Google Research
The Rundown: Google researchers just revealed Lumiere, a new AI model for video generation that achieves unprecedented realism and creative control — while maintaining consistency by generating the full video at the same time.
The details:
Lumiere utilizes an advanced "space-time" neural network to generate 5-second video clips in a single pass, as opposed to other models which create distant keyframes.
The technique allows for high levels of consistency within the video, avoiding much of the ‘choppiness’ seen in other generations.
Lumiere can create videos based on text prompts or animate portions of still images (similar to Pika Labs & Runway), with the demo also showcasing video inpainting and style cloning.
Why it matters: The AI video generation advances we’ve seen lately have been staggering, and we expect developments in the sector to continue to blow minds for all of 2024. The research behind the scenes is finally starting to unveil itself after all the Hollywood drama last year.
Check out the full demo here.
TOGETHER WITH AE STUDIO
🏁 Don’t lose the AI race, hire AE Studio
The Rundown: AE Studio is the key to industry dominance, securing AI talent from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT to streamline operations.
What AE Studio will do for you:
Turbocharge your business, save hundreds of hours, and WIN!
Have AE build custom your custom software and AI solutions
Hire AE to pinpoint where and why you should be building NOW!
Stop waiting and start winning. Schedule your FREE strategy session to get your business ahead of the AI race.
APPLE
📱 Apple gearing up for iPhone AI push
Image source: Midjourney
The Rundown: Apple is reportedly quietly ramping up its arsenal with AI acquisitions, hires, and redesigned chips — making moves to run advanced models directly on the next generation of iPhones.
The details:
Apple has silently acquired 21 AI startups since 2017, and nearly half of Apple's AI job posts now mention "deep learning.”
New Apple chips already claim higher performance for AI computing, with the new Macbooks and Watches both getting significant processing upgrades.
Recent Apple research papers also detailed breakthroughs in shrinking AI models to run on mobile devices.
Previous reports have hinted at Apple’s Ajax LLM having a focus on running on-device.
Why it matters: While Apple has been dragged for seemingly lagging behind in AI, incorporating an advanced model into the upcoming iPhones would be quite the power move. They may be behind platform-focused LLMs like ChatGPT, but the mobile AI race still feels wide open for the taking (we’re looking at you, Siri 👀).
AI TRAINING
🧠 How to prompt LLMs like an expert
Image source: Meta
The Rundown: Meta just released a new guide to prompt engineering, covering a ton of best practices for getting the most out of your conversations with LLMs.
Follow these tips below to prompt like a pro:
Be Explicit: Give clear, detailed instructions and restrictions to shape LLM outputs. Ex: "Summarize in <250 words using only academic sources from 2022-2023."
Chain Reasoning: Adding phrases like "Let's think step-by-step" can help improve an LLM’s complex logical reasoning.
Use Roles: Establish a persona to anchor the LLM. Ex: "You are a machine learning expert giving advice to senior engineers."
RAG: Include information from external databases/sources when possible to better handle specific questions and avoid hallucinated responses.
Check out the full guide here.
PRESENTED BY IMAGINE AI LIVE
🤖 Businesses that use AI will replace those that don’t…
The Rundown: Businesses powered by AI don’t just lead; they dominate. Don't let your business be the one that gets left behind...
The Imagine AI Live 24 conference, happening March 27-28 at the luxurious Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, will become the nexus of AI innovation and business transformation.
Join like-minded AI leaders, thinkers, and disruptors in a quest to redefine business and the future of work with AI.
Secure your spot now to get 15% off, offer ends February 15th.
AI RESEARCH
🫂 Study: Chatbots may be lifelines for at-risk students
Image source: Midjourney
The Rundown: A new Stanford University study of over 1,000 college students using the AI app Replika uncovered alarmingly high loneliness, yet most perceived strong social support from the chatbot — with 3% of the students even crediting it with preventing their suicide attempts.
The details:
90% of the participants reported loneliness (43% severely), compared to 53% typically among students.
Many students used Replika as a loyal friend, therapist, or "personal mirror," experiencing reduced anxiety.
30 students said its 24/7 availability to listen without judgment stopped them from attempting suicide.
Why it matters: With the mental health crisis growing each year, stigma-free AI companions could help fill a unique void to help at-risk students. While the niche is still a bit taboo, it’s currently trending hot, especially among younger generations.
NEW TOOLS & JOBS
AI tools powered by Supertools
👀 Seeing AI- Microsoft’s newest app to help blind and low-vision people identify things using their phone’s camera (link)
🇻 VectorShift- A no-code way to instantly build generative AI assistants (link)
🤝 Talently.ai- Screen 100s of candidates automatically with AI (link)
📄 Text Reader AI- Convert text to speech with free, realistic AI voices (link)
🔎 Findr- Find messages quickly across all your apps with AI (link)
🔊 Taped.ai- Convert audio and visuals to text summaries using AI (link)
AI jobs powered by The Rundown Jobs
QUICK HITS
Favikon, an AI-powered creator marketing tool used AI and machine learning to rank the top creators on X based on engagement, ranked our founder @rowancheung as the third most influential creator on X, followed by other major AI figures such as Sam Altman at 6, and Lex Fridman at 10th.
KitKat launched an ad campaign in Canada citing a Google DeepMind study that suggests including "Have a break, and then..." in AI prompts improves output quality, aligning with its iconic tagline.
Microsoft became just the second company to hit a $3T market valuation, bolstered by optimism in AI and its integrated devices.
The Pentagon is reportedly already testing advanced AI-powered swarm drones and ships, showcasing breakthroughs in autonomous aerial and naval warfare.
Google settled a $1.67 billion patent lawsuit with Singular Computing, ending a dispute over AI-related chip technology.
The EU AI Act contents have reportedly leaked, with the plans raising concerns about the potential impact on innovation and global tech firms.
Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, and others announced a partnership with the US government to advance AI research and innovation.
THAT’S A WRAP
SPONSOR US
Get your product in front of over 450k+ AI enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
FEEDBACK
If you have specific feedback or anything interesting you’d like to share, please let us know by replying to this email.
Microsoft joins the $3T club
Sign Up | Advertise | Tools | View Online
Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.
Microsoft’s value just soared into rarified Wall Street air — crossing $3T in market cap and joining Apple in an elite and exclusive club.
But with the company’s strategic acquisitions and continuing ascension in AI, this meteoric rise looks far from over. Let’s dive in…
In today’s tech rundown:
Microsoft hits $3T valuation milestone
Twitch shakes up streamer revenue share model
8 new products
Tesla misses earnings on Q4 report
Ring changes policy on police requests
eBay lays off 9% of staff
Read time: 3 minutes
TODAY’S HEADLINES
MICROSOFT
💰 Microsoft hits $3T valuation milestone
Image source: Getty Images
The Rundown: Microsoft's market cap surged past $3T this week, fueled by investor optimism around the tech giant's expansive AI ambitions — becoming only the second publicly traded company (Apple did it first) to reach the milestone.
The details:
Microsoft stock is up a whopping 277% in the past five years under CEO Satya Nadella's leadership.
Key moves like the acquisitions of GitHub, LinkedIn, and Minecraft developer Mojang helped weather the reality of trailing in the mobile sector.
Microsoft’s acquisition of several AI firms, as well as massive investment into OpenAI, have positioned Microsoft as an AI leader.
Rollouts of AI offerings like Copilot have impressed Wall Street, with the company rapidly pushing out new features as it races to infuse its software and cloud services with machine learning.
Why it matters: Microsoft losing the mobile war now seems a distant memory. And with AI emerging as the next major computing paradigm, Nadella and co. appear to be seizing the opportunity to cement dominance for the next era of technology.
TOGETHER WITH JASPER
⚡️ Accelerate content generation with AI
The Rundown: Unleash the power of Jasper, the generative AI tool that crafts captivating content at 10x speed:
Generate SEO content, Facebook ads, video scripts and more
Scan and identify your brand voice for seamless integration
Receive actionable insight to improve and adapt your content
Click here to transform your content game, and let Jasper help you stop posting “AI-sounding” content today.
TWITCH
🎮 Twitch shakes up streamer revenue share model
Image source: Twitch
The Rundown: Streaming platform Twitch is changing up its revenue-sharing structure to incentivize creators and remain viable long-term with a revamped "Plus Program" that lowers the threshold for increased payouts.
The details:
The 60/40 revenue share will apply to streamers with over 100 paid subscribers, addressing previous criticism of the platform only rewarding larger creators.
Top creators keep their 70/30 share with the $100K annual earning cap removed, a limiting factor called out by users.
However, Prime subscriber payouts shift to fixed rates per country rather than a share of full subscriptions — which the company acknowledged would disappoint some creators.
The changes come after recent mass layoffs as the platform struggles with profitability, alongside fierce competition from rivals like Kick and YouTube.
Why it matters: This revenue shakeup shows Twitch trying to balance business realities with creator needs in an increasingly crowded streaming market. As competitors nip at its heels, prioritizing streamer loyalty may ultimately determine Twitch's future.
NEW PRODUCTS
🤖 Aspen- Ultra-fast, AI-enhanced API testing without requiring sign-up (link)
💨 Jusi- AI platform streamlining website & app development for swift deployment (link)
🔖 Zenfetch- Transform your bookmarks into a smart AI repository (link)
💻 Brainner- Streamline candidate selection with AI-driven resume filtering (link)
💼 M1-project- Devise your startup's effective marketing plan with the help of AI (link)
🖼 Framer AI- Generate a website in minutes from prompts (link)
🖥️ Super- Create a website from your Notion database in minutes (link)
🐦 Postwise- Craft viral Tweets in seconds (link)
Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.
SNIPPETS
Tesla's Q4 profits in 2023 experienced a slight increase from the previous quarter, yet remained lower compared to the previous year due to ongoing price reductions.
Apple is gearing up to allow sideloading of apps in the EU and may still charge developers fees and enforce app review rules.
Inspections have exposed numerous loose bolts and wider issues in Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet.
Ring is changing its policy to halt warrantless police requests for user footage and retooling its Neighbors app to focus on community engagement.
Palworld, a game similar to Pokémon, sold over seven million copies on Steam in five days, generating approximately $189 million.
eBay plans to lay off about 1,000 employees, accounting for 9% of its workforce, in response to overhiring and a need to cut expenses.
Apple is set to be the initial recipient of TSMC's advanced 2-nanometer chips, expected to start production in the second half of 2025.
SPONSOR US
⚡️ Get your product in front of over 75k+ tech enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
THAT’S A WRAP
If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundowntech
Chrome just got 3 new AI features
Sign Up | Advertise | Jobs | Tools
Welcome, AI enthusiasts.
Google Chrome just got 3 new AI upgrades to help boost user productivity.
The latest features are integrating the tech even further into browsing habits — slowly nudging users towards the AI-driven future of the internet. Let’s explore…
In today’s AI rundown:
New Chrome update brings AI boosts
Google cuts ties with AI contractor Appen
How to build GPTs with better memory
ActAnywhere places subjects into custom video scenes
6 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs
More AI & tech news
Read time: 4 minutes
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
💻 New Chrome update brings AI boosts
Image source: Google
The Rundown: Google just pushed out its latest Chrome browser update, introducing new experimental AI features to improve web browsing – including automatic tab grouping, custom theme generation, and writing assistance.
The details:
Tab Organizer automatically sorts open tabs into suggested groups, making it easier to manage multiple tasks.
AI themes will allow users to personalize their browser by selecting a subject, mood, style, and color for the AI to render.
A new "Help me write" feature launching next month will provide AI-generated suggestions when composing text on websites.
Why it matters: Google continues to make subtle AI integrations into its existing product base — and while these features aren’t going to blow anyone away, slowly shifting consumer habits towards using the advancing tech is a likely win in the long run.
TOGETHER WITH TÜV SÜD
🤖 Manage the risks of AI integration with AI Quality
The Rundowns: The AI Quality Framework helps manage the risks of regulation, security, privacy and ethics for a successful AI integration.
TÜV SÜD offers:
Training: Customised training for executives and AI specialists.
Risk Profiling: Systematic identification and assessment of potential risks to ensure responsible deployment and management.
Regulatory Compliance: Assistance with the EU AI Act and other national regulations
Leverage our AI expertise for compliance, ethics, and scalable solutions. Visit us to start your journey in AI excellence.
✂️ Google cuts ties with AI contractor Appen
Image source: CNBC
The Rundown: Google just terminated its contract with Appen, an Australian firm that provided training data to improve AI systems like Bard — a move that the Alphabet Worker’s Union says will have a ‘devastating impact’ on its subcontracted employees.
The details:
Appen employs over 1M contractors globally to label data for training AI models, touting Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Amazon on their client list.
The contract with Google accounted for nearly a third of Appen's revenue — with the company’s shares dropping 40% on the news.
Google’s employee union said in a statement that the move will impact ‘at least 2000’ subcontracted workers.
Appen has faced criticism in the past over low wages for contractors across the globe working on Google products.
Why it matters: Google’s wave of layoffs and restructuring isn’t limited to its full time staff — with partners and contractors now feeling the heat as well. But as AI shifts from human labor to more compute power, these ‘ghost workers’ may quickly find themselves obsolete in the training process.
AI TRAINING
🧠 How to build GPTs with better memory
Nick Dobos (@NickADobos) on X
The Rundown: Loading up your GPT with knowledge files may seem logical, but it can tank performance by flooding the context window. Follow these best practices below to improve your bot’s memory.
Thank you to Nick Dobos (a top 10 GPT creator) for sharing these tips.
Recommendations to improve GPT performance:
Instead of inserting documents for knowledge files, use .md (you can save files in this format by renaming them in a code editor).
This workaround keeps information out of the context window, giving the GPT more available memory.
Only fetch files when needed with Code Interpreter.
Do not use all 20 files if possible — but if unavoidable, keep them small (.md format helps this).
Only include actionable docs with working system prompts for the AI.
AI RESEARCH
🎥 ActAnywhere places subjects into custom video scenes
Image source: Adobe
The Rundown: Adobe researchers just developed an AI model called ActAnywhere, which can digitally insert a person into new video backgrounds — creating realistic footage of them moving and interacting within the scene.
The details:
ActAnywhere takes video input of a person and a still image defining the new background.
Using deep learning, it generates a video showing the person embedded into the scene with proper motion, scale, lighting, and shadows.
In tests, ActAnywhere produced highly realistic videos — with water splashing as a subject runs through puddles or smoke wafting from fog.
The model automates the tedious production process of realistically blending a subject into a new background.
Why it matters: ActAnywhere’s impressive breakthrough could have major professional applications in filmmaking, video effects, content creation, and beyond — saving production time while still generating hyper-realistic outputs.
NEW TOOLS & JOBS
AI tools powered by Supertools
🗣️ Deepgram- Introducing Aura, a powerful text-to-speech (TTS) API built for real-time conversations. Be the first to try Aura by joining the waitlist (link)
🤖 Top GPTs- Access the best OpenAI GPTs without a Plus subscription (link)
👨💼 KPI Builder- Find the KPIs you should care most about as a founder (link)
💻 Brainner- Streamline talent acquisition by automating AI-driven resume analysis (link)
🎨 Recraft- Create and edit graphics in a uniform brand style (link)
👨💻 brikly- Platform for recruiting engineers on an agency basis (link)
AI jobs powered by The Rundown Jobs
QUICK HITS
AI researcher Jim Fan gave a Ted Talk presentation unveiling the concept of a ‘foundation agent’ as the next challenge for AI — envisioning a model that operates across both virtual and physical worlds.
AiDash announced a $50M raise for its AI systems that combine with satellites to detect wildfire and weather risks near power lines.
Google Ads is integrating the company’s Gemini AI model to help advertisers build better search campaigns, showing a 42% increase in ad strength for small businesses.
The United States Postal Service is leveraging generative AI integrations as it modernizes its services with machine learning across hiring and operations.
Kin.art launched a free tool for artists to prevent their artwork from being used in generative AI model training by subtly altering the images.
The UK Government declared AI's reproduction of copyrighted works illegal without a license or exception, rejecting exceptions for text and data mining.
Planet and Microsoft are collaborating to create an AI-focused resource for environmental reporting, aiming to improve sustainability and biodiversity tracking.
THAT’S A WRAP
SPONSOR US
Get your product in front of over 450k+ AI enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
FEEDBACK
If you have specific feedback or anything interesting you’d like to share, please let us know by replying to this email.
Apple's EV veers off course (again)
Sign Up | Advertise | Tools | View Online
Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.
Apple’s vision of its ‘Project Titan’ vehicle is still stuck in gridlock.
After nearly a decade of development, Apple is reportedly scaling back and delaying the release of its self-driving EV (again) until at least 2028. Let’s dive deeper…
In today’s tech rundown:
Apple scales back, delays self-driving EV
First 3D-printed, plant-based shrimp created
8 new products
Chrome gets an AI browser update
Netflix enters the wrestling ring with WWE deal
France slaps Amazon with fine over worker surveillance
Read time: 3 minutes
TODAY’S HEADLINES
APPLE
🍎 Apple scales back, delays self-driving EV
Image source: Midjourney
The Rundown: Apple has reportedly scaled back the self-driving capabilities and delayed the launch timing of its secretive EV project called ‘Project Titan’ to 2028 at the earliest — facing pressure from the board after years of planning and slow progress.
The details:
The car was previously planned to have advanced self-driving features (including no steering wheel or pedals at one point) and launch in 2026.
The autonomous capabilities are being scaled back to a 'Level 2+’ system, with more basic driver assistance features similar to Tesla's Autopilot.
The pivot is seen as a make-or-break point for the car after nearly a decade of strategy shifts and delays.
Why it matters: The downgrade highlights the immense challenges Apple has faced in translating its hardware success to the automotive industry. And while the project is still moving forward, Apple likely won't be leading the self-driving race anytime soon.
TOGETHER WITH HOPPYCOPY
📧 Write newsletters in seconds
The Rundown: Create engaging, AI-powered newsletters or email campaigns in mere seconds with HoppyCopy:
Create one-click, image-rich newsletters that captivate your subscribers
Unleash revenue with 50+ Email AI Templates, backed by proven formulas
Map out multi-day sequences for product launches, promotions, events, and more
3D PRINTING
🍤 First 3D-printed, plant-based shrimp created
Image source: Twitter @zackhargett
The Rundown: Israeli food tech company Steakholder Foods created what it claims are the world's first 3D-printed, plant-based shrimp — aiming to advance the alternative protein industry further into the seafood sector.
The details:
Steakholder prints the shrimp layer-by-layer using shrimp-flavored bioinks and its DropJet printer — helping better replicate texture and flavor.
The company previously launched 3D printed steak in 2021, and fish fillets in 2023.
In addition to offering its printed shrimp, Stakeholder also plans to sell its printers to B2B meat manufacturers.
Why it matters: As demand for shrimp grows globally, this breakthrough demonstrates how 3D printing could enable more sustainable, cruelty-free seafood alternatives. And vegans look to be getting some more realistic, tastier options on the menu as the tech advances.
NEW PRODUCTS
🤖 Deepgram- Introducing Aura, a powerful text-to-speech (TTS) API built for real-time conversations. Be the first to try Aura by joining the waitlist (link)
🎨 Recraft Image Model- AI-driven creation that recognizes your brand and sticks to it (link)
🎟️ Ticket Artisan- Turns design visuals into project tickets (link)
🌐 ai-o- Chat with an AI while browsing the web (link)
😊 Postcrest- Create AI-powered face swaps and images (link)
🖥️ Super- Create a website from your Notion database in minutes (link)
🔥 Jasper- An AI copywriter assistant that can generate any kind of marketing copy (link)
🦾 Resolve- ChatGPT-powered customer service chatbots (link)
Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.
SNIPPETS
Google is enhancing Chrome with AI-powered features to automatically group tabs, create custom themes, and assist user writing across the web.
France fined Amazon $35 million due to its excessively intrusive surveillance of warehouse employees.
An interdisciplinary team developed a camera system capable of accurately capturing videos that depict how various animals perceive moving colors in their natural environments.
Starting January 2025, Netflix will become the exclusive streaming platform for WWE's Monday Night Raw and other major wrestling events internationally.
The Federal Trade Commission has ruled that Intuit's advertising of TurboTax as "free" violated U.S. law and ordered the company to clearly disclose service eligibility conditions.
Apple paid $13.4 million to the Russian government to settle an antitrust fine imposed for restricting iOS developers to only using Apple's payment tool.
Samsung is racing to debut non-invasive blood glucose and continuous blood pressure monitoring technologies ahead of Apple.
SPONSOR US
⚡️ Get your product in front of over 75k+ tech enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
THAT’S A WRAP
If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundowntech
Google's AI ambitions LEAKED
Sign Up | Advertise | Jobs | Tools
Welcome, AI enthusiasts.
A leaked internal document from Google revealed the tech giants’ key ambitions for 2024 (hint: it heavily involves AI).
But with mass layoffs, brain drain, and a lack of successful consumer AI products — this one might qualify as a ‘stretch’ goal. Let’s get into it…
In today’s AI rundown:
Google's 2024 AI ambitions LEAKED
MIT study: AI job loss may be overhyped
How to use Runway’s new Multi Motion Brush
360-degree robot vision gets an AI upgrade
7 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs
More AI & tech news
Read time: 4 minutes
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
🔮 Google's 2024 AI ambitions LEAKED
Image source: Reuters
The Rundown: An internal document leaked from Google unveiled the tech giant's key goal for 2024 — to "deliver the world's most advanced, safe, and responsible AI”.
The details:
Google aims to lead in AI capability and safety, though its models are currently lagging behind rivals like OpenAI and Microsoft.
Further layoffs are expected to free up resources for ambitious AI investments, with CEO Sundar Pichai’s comments worrying employees.
Google’s AI offerings like Bard have yet to gain traction, and is yet to have a successful standalone AI product comparable to ChatGPT.
AI spam-generated content threatens the company’s core search — though feared disruption of search revenue from AI chatbots has yet to occur.
Why it matters: Google is facing immense pressure to catch up in AI to maintain cloud momentum and search dominance. But whether it can actually deliver on lofty AI goals remains uncertain — and continued layoffs and brain drain risk further sinking morale.
TOGETHER WITH AE STUDIO
🏁 Don’t lose the AI race, hire AE Studio
The Rundown: AE Studio is the key to industry dominance, securing AI talent from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT to streamline operations.
What AE Studio will do for you:
Turbocharge your business, save hundreds of hours, and WIN!
Have AE build custom your custom software and AI solutions
Hire AE to pinpoint where and why you should be building NOW!
Stop waiting and start winning. Schedule your FREE strategy session to get your business ahead of the AI race.
AI & THE ECONOMY
📚 MIT study: AI job loss may be overhyped
Image source: DALL-E 3
The Rundown: A new study from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory suggests that AI is unlikely to replace as many human jobs as quickly as some projections claim.
The details:
The researchers found that only 23% of wages for vision-related tasks are currently economical to automate with AI.
According to the data, building custom systems is still far too expensive compared to human labor costs for most jobs.
Even cheap pre-trained models would take decades to offset human workers for many low-wage, multi-task jobs.
The pace of AI cost reductions and performance improvements will largely impact the scale of disruption for job markets.
Why it matters: While AI's labor impact shouldn't be dismissed, understanding limits to automation rates may temper some doomsday predictions about mass job loss. According to this study, the shifting landscape may be slower and more gradual than many expect.
AI TRAINING
🖌️ How to use Runway’s new Multi Motion Brush
The Rundown: Runway’s new Multi Motion Brush feature allows you to have way more control over your video generations — animating up to 5 different areas of an output with independent motions.
Step-by-step:
Open Runway, and click on the Gen-2 model. Upload an existing image or type a text prompt to create the generation from scratch.
Click on the Motion Brush feature. On the right side of the panel under ‘Motion Canvas’ are five brushes — each can control a separate area of the generation with different movements. With Brush 1 selected, paint over the area you’d like to animate.
Tip: Make the brush bigger or smaller with the slider in the upper left corner.
Control the motion by tweaking the sliders in the ‘Directional Motion’.
Repeat the exercise for up to five different areas. When you’re finished, hit save and then ‘Generate 4s’.
The generations take about 1 minute. Tweak and play around with the motion options to get the perfect result!
PRESENTED BY CHI CORE
🤖 Advanced AI, simply deployed in Slack
The Rundown: Chi Core 10x team AI use by integrating use cases like knowledge gap identification directly into platforms like Slack.
Supercharge your Entire Team: Easily create / select high-value use cases for your team.
Access and Fine Tune AI Models: Select and fine-tune on auto pilot with top AI models from OpenAI to Mistral.
Securely Link to Data: Link any data source continuously (Confluence, GCP, S3 etc.).
Join leaders like Gusto and Rippling for free by signing up here, then just $50/month!
AI RESEARCH
👁️ 360-degree robot vision gets an AI upgrade
Image source: DALL-E 3
The Rundown: Researchers just developed a new robotic vision system called 360ORB-SLAM, designed to significantly enhance AR/VR experiences and visual assistance technology using 360-degree panoramic images and AI.
The details:
The system uses panoramic camera views to help robots detect 50% more visual landmarks in their environment.
An AI algorithm then takes data from the camera and fills in missing details, generating complete 3D depth maps of the surroundings.
In tests, this approach helped robots better track their location, avoid obstacles, and map environments.
Why it matters: This innovative approach provides new opportunities for more immersive and accurate AR/VR experiences, while also paving the way for advanced visual assistance systems in robotics.
NEW TOOLS & JOBS
AI tools powered by Supertools
🖼️ Bonkers- Effortless text-to-image creation that lets you generate images from the best models (link)
🤖 Holly- AI-powered recruiting assistant with access to over 750M+ profiles (link)
✍️ Axonn- An AI writing assistant that creates on-brand content for Twitter and LinkedIn (link)
💻 Vx.dev- AI-powered GitHub enhancement for seamless coding (link)
⛓️ NerfStudio- Create, train, and test NeRFs using this simple API (link)
👨⚕️ Yuna- An AI-powered mental health coach smartphone app (link)
AI jobs powered by The Rundown Jobs
QUICK HITS
ElevenLabs announced an $80M Series B raise at a $1.1B valuation for its voice cloning tech — also revealing new products like a Dubbing Studio and Voice Library Marketplace.
New Hampshire officials are investigating voter suppression robocalls impersonating President Biden, with AI-generated audio urging people not to vote in Tuesday's primary.
Elon Musk posted that a new version of X’s Grok AI will be out next month, hailing ‘substantial improvements across the board’.
Berkley AI researchers showed off a video of their general-purpose humanoid robot walking around San Francisco.
UK delivery company DPD's AI chatbot went rogue, swearing at a customer, criticizing the company, and writing a poem after prompts from a frustrated user.
Consensus, a research assistant GPT from, surpassed 1M user chats, vaulting it to the #3 spot on OpenAI’s trending leaderboard.
Purdue researchers developed AI models that simulate realistic tree growth and shape, learning from thousands of examples how they interact with the environmental conditions.
THAT’S A WRAP
SPONSOR US
Get your product in front of over 450k+ AI enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
FEEDBACK
If you have specific feedback or anything interesting you’d like to share, please let us know by replying to this email.
Starlink's Google-backed competition
Sign Up | Advertise | Tools | View Online
Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.
A Starlink competitor just got a major influx of cash — and the investments are coming from some heavy hitters.
Google, AT&T, and Vodaphone just injected $200M into AST SpaceMobile, cranking up the heat on the space-based connectivity race. Let’s explore…
In today’s tech rundown:
Google, phone carriers invest in Starlink competitor
On-demand skin patch wirelessly releases drugs
7 new products
Apple’s security-enhancing iOS upgrade
DMA ruling allows EU users to separate FB, IG accounts
Mr. Beast earns $250k on X video experiment
Read time: 3 minutes
TODAY’S HEADLINES
AST SPACEMOBILE
📡 Google, phone carriers invest in Starlink competitor
Image source: AST
The Rundown: Google, AT&T, and Vodafone are investing $206.5M into AST SpaceMobile, a Starlink competitor developing satellites that can connect directly to smartphones.
The details:
Like Starlink, AST aims to provide service in hard-to-reach areas not covered by cellular networks.
The company has a large prototype in orbit, with plans to launch 5 more satellites by March 2024 (for comparison, Starlink has 6 LTE-enabled satellites in orbit).
Google will partner on integrating AST's service into Android devices, while AT&T and Vodafone have placed equipment orders for commercial service.
Starlink has a deal with T-Mobile in the U.S., along with a partnership with several other carriers worldwide.
Why it matters: With backing from major tech and telecom players, AST could position itself as a thorn in Starlink’s side — though consumers worldwide likely benefit from the mass expansion of global phone connectivity set to come in the near future.
TOGETHER WITH CASTMAGIC
🔊 Turn audio files into content
The Rundown: What if we told you that your entire content plan could come from one podcast? With Castmagic, it can:
Transform any podcast into ready-to-post content with a single click
Perfectly accurate transcript with timestamped show notes, key topics, and summaries
Work with any audio - sales calls, YouTube videos and more
Click here to try Castmagic, the fastest way to automate your content workflow.
MEDICAL TECH
💊 On-demand skin patch wirelessly releases drugs
Image source: UNC
The Rundown: Researchers at the University of North Carolina just developed a wearable skin patch that can wirelessly receive commands from a smartphone to release drugs on demand.
The details:
The soft, thin patch contains an array of tiny microneedles loaded with different medications.
A wireless signal triggers heating of individual microneedles, causing their gold coating to disintegrate and expose the drugs to the skin.
Drugs are then released within 30 seconds from only targeted needles.
In tests on mice, the patch effectively delivered the sleep hormone melatonin when triggered.
Why it matters: This smart patch could transform treatment for chronic illnesses by scheduling and delivering multiple drugs throughout the day without needing injections or frequent medication intake — with convenience and programmability that could significantly improve patients' quality of life.
NEW PRODUCTS
💰 Finagg- Free, extensive financial data (link)
📙 Meander- Feedback and career growth insights (link)
🤖 CuServly- Your business's AI-powered chatbot solution (link)
🌐 Instill- AI-driven data ETL platform for unstructured inputs (link)
📈 Composer IRA- Automated trading for retirement accounts (link)
📕 storly.ai- Write your life’s story with AI interview algorithm (link)
🦾 Fine Tuner- Build AI agents at scale (link)
💼 Cody- An AI assistant for business (link)
Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.
SNIPPETS
Nvidia has launched the open beta of its RTX Remix tool, enabling modders to enhance older games with advanced textures and ray tracing technology.
Apple's latest update, iOS 17.3, introduces Stolen Device Protection to enhance user data security on iPhones and iPads.
Mr. Beast shared that his video posted to X garnered $250k in revenue, though the content creator pointed to advertisers inflating numbers with ad buys.
EU users will soon be able to separate their Instagram and Facebook accounts due to new regulations from the Digital Markets Act.
VF Corp, supplier to popular brands like North Face and Vans, admits a data breach affecting 35.5 million customers without expecting financial repercussions.
Growing inventory and declining mortgage rates signal a potential recovery for the housing market in 2024.
MAGGIE, a proposed solar-powered aircraft, aims to search for water on Mars from the planet's atmosphere.
SPONSOR US
⚡️ Get your product in front of over 75k+ tech enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
THAT’S A WRAP
If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundowntech
Sam Altman's secret AI chip venture
Sign Up | Advertise | Jobs | Tools
Welcome, AI enthusiasts.
Sam Altman wants AI to continue accelerating — and isn’t going to let major chip shortages stand in his way.
The CEO is reportedly in talks with investors and manufacturers on a new global chipmaking venture, chasing billions from the Middle East. Let’s investigate…
In today’s AI rundown:
Altman chasing billions for chip manufacturing
OpenAI suspends Dean Bot AI taking on Biden
How to generate a powerpoint in seconds with Copilot
Meta introduces Mosiac-SDF for 3D shape generation
5 new AI tools & 4 new AI jobs
More AI & tech news
Read time: 4 minutes
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
OPENAI
💰 Altman chasing billions for chip manufacturing
Image source: Bloomberg
The Rundown: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seeking billions from investors to establish a global network of semiconductor factories focused on producing AI chips, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
The details:
Altman is aiming to work with ‘top major chipmakers’ to set up manufacturing plants worldwide to help meet surging demand for compute power.
The chip efforts were briefly halted amid Altman’s brief removal as CEO in November, but discussions were revived upon returning.
Altman is reportedly in talks with Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC to manufacture, alongside discussions with wealthy Middle East investors.
The chip venture aims to decrease reliance on Nvidia, while also trying to get ahead of a potential massive future supply shortage.
Why it matters: To the joy of accelerationists, Altman looks to be rushing to ensure chip shortages won’t limit AI progress. But competing with chip giants is no small task — and further entanglement with the Middle East and new business ventures likely opens Altman and OpenAI up to even more scrutiny.
TOGETHER WITH OCTOAI
🐙 Mixtral on OctoAI: 12x lower costs, 30% faster speeds vs GPT-4-Turbo
The Rundown: Innovators who built on OpenAI are hungry for alternatives as their LLM-powered apps catch fire with users. Why?
Inference costs on OpenAI are too high for new apps to become successful businesses.
Low latency and scale don’t come out of the box. Not realistic for most folks.
Closed-sourced models lack the flexibility needed to deliver excellent experiences.
Switch from GPT-4-Turbo to 12x your savings and see 30% lower latency.
Try OctoAI Text Generation and get $10 in free credits when you sign up today.
POLITICS & AI
👨⚖️ OpenAI suspends Dean.Bot AI taking on Biden
Image source: DeanBot
The Rundown: OpenAI just suspended the account of the developer behind Dean Bot, a chatbot mimicking Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips — saying the use violates the company’s ban on using its tech in political campaigns.
The details:
A super PAC called We Deserve Better is behind the chatbot, contracting AI startup Delphi to build the application.
One of the PAC co-founders is Matt Krisiloff, former chief of staff to Sam Altman — with reported support from hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.
The chatbot was trained on Phillips’ podcasts, interviews, and speeches — and can respond via voice to help educate and interact with potential voters.
The account suspension is reportedly OpenAI’s first action against the use of GPT in political campaigns.
The bot was originally powered by an OpenAI API, but is being pivoted to open-source tech in wake of the suspension.
Why it matters: AI’s political drama has officially begun — and OpenAI will likely be playing whack-a-mole with these issues all year. But with capable open-source alternatives, the tech’s usage in campaigns isn’t going away — and its wider adoption is something AI experts currently fear the most.
AI TRAINING
🪄 How to generate a powerpoint in seconds with Copilot
Image source: Ethan Mollick on X
The Rundown: Microsoft Copilot’s new AI integration with PowerPoint allows you to create in-depth presentations with speaker notes from documents in seconds.
Step-by-step:
Open Microsoft PowerPoint (make sure it's updated to the latest version) and click the ‘Copilot’ button on the top right taskbar.
In the prompt box, explain what you’d like to create. Options include creating a presentation from scratch, uploading documents to create from a file, or creating individual slides.
Copilot will provide suggestions based on your prompt. Accept, modify, or reject the outputs as needed.
Copilot is also capable of adjusting layouts and images, generating speaker notes, animating slides, and more — all by chatting conversationally via the chat box.
PRESENTED BY IMAGINE AI LIVE
🤖 Businesses that use AI will replace those that don’t…
The Rundown: Businesses powered by AI don’t just lead; they dominate. Don't let your business be the one that gets left behind...
The Imagine AI Live 24 conference, happening March 27-28 at the luxurious Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, will become the nexus of AI innovation and business transformation.
Join like-minded AI leaders, thinkers, and disruptors in a quest to redefine business and the future of work with AI.
AI RESEARCH
♾️ Meta introduces Mosiac-SDF for 3D shape generation
Image source: Meta
The Rundown: Meta researchers just published a paper on Mosaic-SDF, a new 3D format tailored for training generative AI models to quickly and efficiently create novel shapes.
The details:
M-SDF represents a 3D shape using tiny voxel grids placed around its surface, capturing detail efficiently.
The format is fast to compute from shapes, low in parameters, and compatible with powerful AI models.
The researchers showed M-SDF's utility by training a neural model that generates creative 3D shapes based on text captions.
Why it matters: M-SDF provides an efficient 3D shape representation for unlocking AI's generative potential in the area, which could significantly advance creative 3D applications.
NEW TOOLS & JOBS
AI tools powered by Supertools
📊 Artificial Analysis- Find and compare the latest AI models (link)
🥷 Honcho- A context management solution for building AI Agents and LLM-powered apps (link)
📖 Reading Coach by Microsoft- A personalized, inclusive, and responsible AI reading coach to help students learn to read faster (link)
👩💼 AI Lawyer 2.0- A legal assistance AI for lawyers and consumers that has features such as document automation and advanced research (link)
🦸 WittyWingMan- Upload chat screenshots, and WittyWingman will craft personalized replies to keep the conversation lively (link)
AI jobs powered by The Rundown Jobs
🐙 OctoAI- MLSys Engineer - Kernel Optimization (link)
💻 OpenAI- Front End Engineer, Evals & Understanding (link)
🗣️ Anthropic- HR Business Partner (link)
👩💻 Cohere- Technical Product Marketing Associate (link)
P.S. Due to popular requests, emojis are back to help you get context faster!
QUICK HITS
Elon Musk said there is currently a massive gigawatt-class GPU cluster being constructed in Kuwait during an interview with entrepreneur Peter Diamandis.
MultiOn CEO Div Garg discussed the future of AI agents with Nathan Labenz, saying autonomous agents will soon change the nature of jobs as we know them.
Mindaugas Galvosas showed off a video demo of MedivisAR, an FDA-cleared, AI-powered AR platform for surgeries.
Stability AI unveiled Stable LM 2 1.6B, a fast and compact 1.6B parameter multilingual language model that outperforms similar small models
Two Google DeepMind researchers are reportedly in talks to leave and launch a new AI startup in Paris, with potentially over $220M in initial funding to create a new AI model.
Bloomberg reported that Elon Musk’s xAI has secured $500M in commitments towards a $1B investment round, at a valuation of at least $15B — but Musk dispelled the article as ‘fake news’.
NASA published research demonstrating self-assembling robotic structures, utilizing mobile robots and reusable frames to enable the construction of buildings that… build themselves.
THAT’S A WRAP
SPONSOR US
Get your product in front of over 450k+ AI enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
FEEDBACK
If you have specific feedback or anything interesting you’d like to share, please let us know by replying to this email.
Apple's Vision Pro app problems
Sign Up | Advertise | Tools | View Online
Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.
The Vision Pro is Apple’s biggest launch in a decade — but not everyone is coming to the welcome party.
Tensions between the tech giant and the developer community are threatening to rain on the company’s new launch. Let’s dive in…
In today’s tech rundown:
Major companies avoiding Vision Pro apps
Disney demos HoloTile floor for shared VR experiences
7 new products
7 quick stories
X’s payment feature inches closer
Boeing faces additional scrutiny after safety issues
Apple’s iMessage Check-In feature
Read time: 3 minutes
TODAY’S HEADLINES
APPLE
🍎 Major companies avoiding Vision Pro apps
Image source: Getty Images
The Rundown: Several major apps including Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify will not offer dedicated experiences for the upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset — leaving consumers forced to access popular platforms in-browser via Safari.
The details:
Netflix and YouTube, which both compete with Apple in the streaming space — confirmed that they will not be releasing native apps as of now.
Bloomberg reported that Spotify will also refrain from an integration on the headsets, with rumors that Meta and Google apps will also be absent.
Apple simplified Vision Pro app development by automatically including iPad apps, but some developers are still holding off.
Despite the notable holdouts, over a dozen entertainment apps have already pledged support, including TikTok, streaming services, sports leagues and more.
Why it matters: It’s going to be tough to have a great experience on the Vision Pro if the most-used apps are all missing from the headset. Apple’s failure to play nice with competing tech firms may be driving this power play — and could seriously hamper the company’s most pivotal launch in a decade.
TOGETHER WITH OCTOAI
🐙 Mixtral on OctoAI: 12x lower costs, 30% faster speeds vs GPT-4-Turbo
The Rundown: Innovators who built on OpenAI are hungry for alternatives as their LLM-powered apps catch fire with users. Why?
Inference costs on OpenAI are too high for new apps to become successful businesses.
Low latency and scale don’t come out of the box. Not realistic for most folks.
Closed-sourced models lack the flexibility needed to deliver excellent experiences.
Switch from GPT-4-Turbo to 12x your savings and see 30% lower latency.
Try OctoAI Text Generation and get $10 in free credits when you sign up today.
DISNEY
🪄 Disney demos HoloTile floor for shared VR experiences
Image source: Disney Parks
The Rundown: Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot showed off the HoloTile floor — a treadmill-style floor that enables multiple people to have shared virtual reality experiences.
The details:
HoloTile uses rotating tiles to simulate realistic multi-directional movement in VR without users leaving the floor area.
The surface can enable experiences like collaborative VR sightseeing, games, training, and other applications with natural walking motion.
Smoot said he sees potential for HoloTile at Disney's parks and venues— like using it as a stage insert for new types of dance performances or dynamic set changes.
Why it matters: Is this a key breakthrough towards more immersive, shared virtual reality experiences? Between increases in robotics and AI — alongside more mainstream adoption via headsets like the Vision Pro, the ‘Ready Player One’ era of VR may be here soon.
NEW PRODUCTS
🤖 CuServly- Your business's essential AI chatbot (link)
📊 Sharly AI- Interactive document and PDF conversations (link)
📈 Scopechat- Crypto trading query assistant (link)
🧑🎓 Studyy - Instant Flashcards- Flashcard creation through scanning (link)
📷 Photify AI- Instant AI-generated portraits (link)
👨 AI Steve- Analyzes websites for strategic advice (link)
🖥️ Super- Create a website from your Notion database in minutes (link)
Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.
SNIPPETS
NASA successfully reestablished contact with the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars after a communication blackout during its 72nd flight.
X created a dedicated account for its upcoming Payments feature, leading to surges in several Musk-linked cryptocurrencies like Doge speculation on potential integration.
Apple unveiled an iPhone 15 commercial showcasing the Messages app's Check-In feature, emphasizing peace of mind for parents of new drivers.
UK researchers are exploring the use of old mine shafts to store and distribute the waste heat from supercomputers to heat homes efficiently.
A real estate startup is creating a community in Appalachia designed for right-wingers seeking refuge from what they perceive as cultural insanity.
Boeing faces scrutiny over its close ties with the U.S. government following safety issues with its 737 Max planes.
Japan's SLIM probe successfully landed on the moon, making Japan the fifth nation to achieve a lunar landing, but faces power issues with its solar panels.
AMD has removed 'Made in Taiwan' markings from its Ryzen 7000 processors, citing alignment with its product marking process and not political reasons.
SPONSOR US
⚡️ Get your product in front of over 75k+ tech enthusiasts
Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Get in touch today.
THAT’S A WRAP
If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundowntech
No matching search results
Try using different keywords, double-check your spelling, or explore related categories.
Stay Ahead on AI.
Join 2,000,000+ readers getting bite-size AI news updates straight to their inbox every morning with The Rundown AI newsletter. It's 100% free.