Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

Apple’s major iPhone 15 release event was the talk of the tech world this week.

But a radioactive (!) problem may have put a damper on the launch party. Let’s dive in…

In today’s tech rundown:

• ☢️ France halts iPhone 12 sales over radiation

• 🌎 Meta's Horizon Worlds goes multi-platform

• 😾 SEC charges 'Stoner Cats' NFTs as securities

• 🛠️ 8 new products and 7 quick stories

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

APPLE

☢️ France halts iPhone 12 sales over radiation

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: France's radiation watchdog (ANFR) just ordered Apple to halt iPhone 12 sales in the country due to reported excessive radioactive emission levels when held near the body.

Details:

• ANFR said the iPhone 12 exceeded limb SAR limits of 4W/kg, which measures radiation exposure when held in your hand or pocket.

• Apple must find a software fix or face recalls — though they plan to contest the results as the phone passed other regulators' tests.

• The statement notably came on the same day Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 at its Wanderlust event.

Our thoughts: Nothing puts a damper on a major new product release like a bit of radiation! While the older model is being phased out and Apple is appealing the ruling, radioactivity isn’t on anyone’s short-list of features for their mobile device.

META

🌎 Meta's Horizon Worlds goes multi-platform

Image source: Meta

The Rundown: Meta is finally bringing its massive social VR platform Horizon Worlds to mobile and web browsers in early access after being exclusive to its VR headsets.

Key points:

• Only one mini-game, Super Rumble, is playable on mobile/web at the start — with more worlds rolling out over the next months.

• This is Meta's first step in its vision for the metaverse to be available across devices (not just VR).

• Meta is finally fulfilling promises of a web/mobile version of Horizon Worlds that has been delayed over a year.

Why it matters: Meta is wise to meet users on existing platforms if it wants mass metaverse adoption (though the term ‘metaverse’ might need a rebrand after a down year). But the ultimate vision likely still depends on future VR growth.

NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS

😾 SEC charges 'Stoner Cats' NFTs as securities

Image source: Stoner Cats

The Rundown: The SEC accused the creators of the animated series "Stoner Cats" — including actress Mila Kunis — of illegally selling $8M in unregistered securities through NFTs.

Key points:

• 10,000 NFTs were sold for $800 each to fund the crypto-themed show, with the SEC calling it a securities offering requiring registration.

• Stoner Cats agreed to cease sales and pay a $1M fine — despite two SEC commissioners dissenting, arguing it stifles artists.

• The notice follows the SEC charging other major crypto figures and an NFT project last month.

Why it matters: While the crypto and NFT industries are undoubtedly rife with scams and issues, regulating new tech with century-old laws remains a crude match — and unclear guidelines continue to strangle builders and creators.

NEW PRODUCTS

💻 Albato 3.0- Easily integrate your applications into automated workflows using an intuitive builder (link)

🤝 Commented- Simplify your product team’s workflow and eliminate live meeting fatigue (link)

🧑‍💼 FirstHR- Unite all HR processes from hiring to firing in one interface (link)

🐦 TweetHunter- All-in-one Twitter growth tool to create content using AI, build an audience, and schedule posts (link)

📹 Pictory- Automatically create short, branded videos from long-form content (link)

💬 Chatbase- Create a ChatGPT-like chatbot widget for your website (link)

💌 HoppyCoppy- Generate better emails and newsletters in seconds with AI (link)

🦾 Browse- Train a robot in 2 minutes to extract and monitor data from any website (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

TikTok and Billboard launched the weekly "TikTok Billboard Top 50" chart to track the most popular songs on TikTok in the U.S.

Google has agreed to a $93 million settlement with California over deceptive location data practices.

Caesars Entertainment reported a cyberattack compromising vast customer data, with implications ongoing and following a recent breach at MGM Resorts.

Renault-backed Verkor has raised $2.1 billion to accelerate its Dunkirk gigafactory construction for EV batteries.

Alphabet is reducing its global recruiting team but will maintain most of its staff for crucial roles, marking its second round of layoffs this year after a 6% workforce cut in January.

Disney is reportedly discussing the sale of its ABC network and local TV stations, with potential buyers including Nexstar Media Group and Entertainment Studios' CEO, Byron Allen.

Cruise, backed by General Motors, unveiled a wheelchair-accessible robotaxi, aiming to serve disabled passengers by next year.

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

❤️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Shocker, Apple is still avoiding the term ‘AI’.

However, the tech giant is making quiet moves to integrate the tech into its product line. Is Apple a sneaky AI sleeping giant? Let’s get into it.

In today’s AI rundown:

• 🍎 Apple continues subtle approach to AI

• 🎶 Stability AI launches music generator

• 🛠️ 7 New AI tools

• 📊 How to craft perfect charts with ChatGPT

• 🤖 3 Quick AI updates

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

APPLE

🍎 Apple continues subtle approach to AI

Image source: Apple

The Rundown: Unlike other tech giants making bold AI claims, Apple has been quietly using the tech to enhance basics in its new devices — with several low-key features announced at the Wonderlust event.

Key points:

• Apple didn't mention "AI" in its announcements, contrasting with rivals like Microsoft and Google setting ambitious AI visions.

• The iPhone 15 highlighted AI-related improvements for noise cancellation, blurring portraits, and predictive text.

• In the latest Series 9 Watch, a four-core "Neural Engine" will power machine learning tasks, reportedly boosting Siri's accuracy by 25%.

Why it matters: Apple is keeping hushed on AI (for now) by labeling its AI-related updates as anything other than AI. But don’t count Apple out of the AI race just yet — they also have a ChatGPT competitor on the way and billions of consumers.

TOGETHER WITH HEIGHT

🤖 The end of project management by humans

The Rundown: Let’s face it, project management isn’t the work that excites or energizes you. But it’s necessary. Enter Height, the first AI project manager designed to handle the mundane so you can focus on what really matters.

With Height, you can do things like:

🧠 Get suggestions for strategy, design, copy, and more

✏️ Automate repetitive tasks such as drafting release notes and standups

🐆 Catch up on what you missed faster with custom chat summaries

Enter a new era of project management here.

STABILITY AI

🎶 Stability AI launches music generator

Image source: Stability AI

The Rundown: Stability AI just announced Stable Audio, a new AI product that can generate high-quality music and sound effects from simple text prompts.

Key points:

• The platform takes prompts like music genre, instruments, mood, etc., to create full audio tracks or diverse sound effects.

• The launch marks Stability AI's first expansion beyond images/text into audio, leveraging its open multi-modal AI approach.

• Stable Audio offers free 20-second sample generations and 90-second downloads with commercial use for Pro subscriptions.

Why it matters: Stability AI’s new tool gives creators a nifty new tool for inspiration on demand — and might just be the partner musicians never knew they needed. But it’s also sure to raise similar ethical questions to what we’ve seen with Ghostwriter977 (creator of AI Drake) and other AI-generated music.

TRENDING TOOLS

🧠 MindStudio- The easiest way to turn simple prompts into sellable AI applications - no coding experience needed (link)*

📸 Trickle- Turns screenshots into searchable gems with the power of AI (link)

⭐️ Buildshare- Conveniently generates launch tweets whenever new code is shipped (link)

📝 Copy AI- Generate content, such as blog headlines, emails, and social media posts using AI (link)

⚡️ Notion AI- Your notes, on steroids. Access the limitless power of AI, right inside Notion (link)

🎤 Castmagic- Turn long-form audio into ready-to-use content assets, instantly (link)

🖥️ AI Scraper- Say goodbye to the tedious chore of scraping using AI (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

* = This is sponsored content

AI TRAINING

📊 How to craft perfect charts with ChatGPT

ChatGPT can create visually stunning charts for you— without touching Excel or writing a line of code.

Step 1: Open ChatGPT and select ‘Advanced Data Analysis’ (previously Code Interpreter)

Step 2: Upload your data by attaching a file or pasting it into a prompt such as "Please create a visually stunning chart that best displays the following data.” For this example, we used a dataset of how long it took various services to reach 1M users.

Step 3: If you have specific customization requests, add them to your prompt or ask ChatGPT to refine. Preferences can include chart type, color scheme, layout, etc.

That's it! All it takes are a few simple steps to get a customized, data-driven chart just by speaking in natural language with ChatGPT.

Try it out for your next presentation before reaching for Excel!

QUICK HITS

👁️ AI predicts health conditions from retinal images

Researchers have developed an AI model that evaluates retinal scans to predict diseases like diabetes and Parkinson's. The tech is trained on millions of unlabeled eye scans, and researchers say their AI assistant could help docs extract hard-to-see insights from eye exams.

💰 EY bets $1.4B on AI consulting platform 

Big consulting firm EY is going all in on AI, splashing a whopping $1.4 billion to whip up an AI-juiced platform for clients. The tech promises AI versions of EY's data tools to help clients squeeze the most valuable insights from their information. “AI’s moment is now,” EY’s Global Chairman said.

🚨 Musk sounds alarm on AI risk

Elon Musk recently raised major concerns about AI's "civilizational risk" during a private Senate gathering with tech titans. Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and others debated AI regulation at the closed-door forum — with Elon calling for new oversight to avoid AI going rogue.

SPONSOR US

🦾 Get your product in front of over 300k+ AI enthusiasts

Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Learn more or get in touch today.

THAT’S A WRAP

Keep an eye out and click the star emoji hidden somewhere in today’s email for a free entry into our future giveaway (details announced soon).

Additionally, you’ll get another free entry for every subscriber who joins our newsletter using your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}

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❤️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Coca-Cola’s latest flavor invention has an interesting co-creator...

Ready to taste an AI-generated beverage? Let’s dive in.

In today’s AI rundown:

• 🥤Coke's new mystery flavor created with AI

• 🤝 15 major companies sign White House AI pledge

• 🛠️ 7 New AI tools

• 💪 Get 1-on-1 fitness guidance from AI

• 🤖 3 Quick AI updates

Read time: 3 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

COCA-COLA

🥤Coke's new mystery flavor created with AI

Image source: Coca-Cola

The Rundown: Coca-Cola released a new limited-edition mystery drink called Y3000, using AI to help determine the undisclosed flavor profile and futuristic packaging.

The details:

• Y3000 taps into Coke's Creations platform of limited flavored drinks aimed at younger consumers.

• To create Y3000's flavor, Coke gathered human insights on tastes associated with ‘the future’ and then used AI to generate flavor combinations.

• The can design was also AI-generated — with the company feeding AI mood board images based on the futuristic theme.

The relevance: Will AI-generated flavors become the new frontier of soda innovation? Probably not. But it’s a clever play by Coke to capitalize on the buzzy AI hype for its latest concoction. Try it out, and let us know how it tastes!

TOGETHER WITH AE STUDIO

🔥 Hire a world-class team to leverage AI in your business

The Rundown: AI is coming, and you need to start thinking of ways to integrate AI into your company or risk falling behind.

The solution: AE Studio helps businesses thrive by developing high-impact custom software and AI/ML solutions tailored to specific use cases.

• Need a Minimum Viable Product?

• Enterprise Digital Transformation Initiative?

• Custom AI/ML Solutions?

Work with AE's world-class team to leverage AI in your company and accomplish your goals faster than the competition.

AI SAFETY

🤝 15 major companies sign White House AI pledge

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Nvidia, IBM, Palantir, and twelve other major tech companies signed on to the White House's voluntary AI commitment this week — joining Meta, Microsoft, and others in a pledge to develop AI safely and mitigate risks.

Key points:

• The pledge includes vows to properly label AI content, assess risks, and share safety data.

• The expansion shows the White House's growing focus on guiding AI and pressures Google, Amazon, and Apple to get on board.

• The White House’s current view, according to Jeff Zients: “The President has been clear: harness the benefits of AI, manage the risks, and move fast — very fast”.

Our take: The tech giants are playing friendly with Washington (for now) with these voluntary pledges. But history shows that the government often lags behind tech innovation — will these vows be enough to constrain AI's unpredictable evolution?

TRENDING TOOLS

🤖 Kyligence Copilot- Your AI Copilot for data and KPIs (link)*

🎥 Maekersuite- Boost your efficiency in video script writing tenfold with the aid of AI (link)

📰 FastFacts- Stay updated with the most recent listing announcements within two minutes (link)

🧠 Humata- Ask questions and chat with any file instantly using AI (link)

📷 HeadshotPro - Professional Headshots with AI (link)

📕 storly.ai- Write your life’s story with AI interview algorithm (link)

🖼 OpenArt - AI Image Generator (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

* = This is sponsored content

AI TRAINING

💪 Get 1-on-1 fitness guidance from AI

Struggling to stay motivated with your workout routine? ChatGPT can help guide your unique need for getting started with your fitness journey.

Try some of these prompt options:

• Suggest workout plans based on your goals, experience level, and equipment access

• Create customized meal plans to reach your nutrition targets

• Recommend modifications to exercises based on injury history

• Give real-time feedback and adjustments during cardio, HIIT, or strength sessions

Remember: the more context you provide = the better results.

QUICK HITS

🔒 Private & secure LLMs for AI humans (sponsored)

Webinar Alert! DeepBrain AI and Lenovo present a solution for customizing and running LLMs on the edge. Providing a private & secure AI Human customer service experience. Join them on September 25 at 8 AM Pacific.

Register for free here.

💰 AI chip startup Enfabrica banks $125M

Silicon Valley chip startup Enfabrica just snagged $125M in funding, with backing from (the legendary) Nvidia. The company designs networking chips to better feed data to Nvidia GPUs for AI computing and aims to use chips more efficiently as data centers are redesigned for generative AI.

👨🏻‍⚖️ Authors sue Meta over AI training

Michael Chabon and other famous authors just filed a lawsuit accusing Meta of using their work to train its Llama AI model. The claim adds to the growing list of copyright cases against the major AI companies, with the authors alleging that ‘pirated’ versions of their writing are included in the model’s training datasets.

SPONSOR US

🦾 Get your product in front of over 300k+ AI enthusiasts

Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Learn more or get in touch today.

THAT’S A WRAP

Keep an eye out and click the star emoji hidden somewhere in today’s email for a free entry into our future giveaway (details announced soon).

Additionally, you’ll get another free entry for every subscriber who joins our newsletter using your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}

You can track how many referrals you’ve made here. Happy hunting!

If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundownai

⭐️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Zuck is reportedly preparing a GPT-4 competitor set to launch in 2024.

Will Meta’s open-source ambitions shift the LLM landscape? Let’s dive in…

In today’s AI rundown:

• ⚙️ Meta begins development of an AI model to rival GPT-4

• 🕹️ Roblox adds AI assistant to aid creators

• 🛠️ 7 New AI tools

• 💡 Brainstorm business names with ChatGPT

• 🤖 4 Quick AI updates

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

META

⚙️ Meta begins development of an AI model to rival GPT-4

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Meta is working on a powerful new AI model intended to match OpenAI's GPT-4 that it aims to launch in 2024, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Key points:

• Meta's new model, set for training in early 2024, aims to be several times more potent than its recently launched ‘Llama-2.’

• The model plans to aid businesses in producing high-level text, analyses, and more.

• It will be trained on Meta’s infrastructure and open source, continuing Mark Zuckerberg’s commitment to democratizing access to the tech.

• It will likely come out after the release of Gemini, Google’s LLM that is reportedly aiming to be more powerful than GPT-4.

Why it matters: The AI arms race is only intensifying — and both Meta and Google (alongside overseas players) continue to pressure OpenAI to continue pushing the limits of their models.

Will Meta’s unique open-source angle be a winning difference-maker amongst the stiff competition?

TOGETHER WITH PLUTO

🤖 How to use AI to invest smarter

The Rundown: With Pluto.fi, you can have your own AI analyst that can provide reports on your portfolio and specific stocks, so you can make smarter investing decisions.

Here’s what over 20,000 investors use Pluto for:

• Access personalized real-time market data and analysis

• Team up with your AI to turn market trends into lucrative Automations

• Invest in any U.S. stock, fine-tuning with AI support

Click here to start your free trial today at Pluto.fi

ROBLOX

🕹️ Roblox adds an AI assistant to aid creators

Image source: Roblox

The Rundown: Gaming giant Roblox announced a new AI chatbot called Roblox Assistant at its developer conference, helping creators build virtual worlds just by typing text prompts.

The details:

• Roblox Assistant can generate environments, objects, and basic gameplay just from text descriptions. For example, "spawn near a campfire in ancient ruins" created ruins with a campfire.

• The assistant builds on Roblox's previous tools — and the company believes AI can reduce creators' dependence on technical skills and focus on creatives.

• The assistant is slated for a late 2023/early 2024 launch, with future goals including the ability to generate sophisticated gameplay and 3D models.

The relevance: Roblox’s over 200M (!) monthly active users are about to be onboarded to learn how to create with artificial intelligence — and 43% are under 13.

The platform could help empower the next-gen of builders empowered by the AI revolution.

TRENDING TOOLS

🎬 Video Translation- Translate your videos with a single click into any language (link)

🚀 TwGPT- Effortlessly reply to tweets in just 3 clicks using AI technology (link)

📚 Essay Builder AI- Quickly generate exceptional essays with the power of AI for free (link)

💼 Taplio- All-in-one AI-powered tool for creating, managing, and growing your personal brand on LinkedIn (link)

🦿 My AskAI- Create your own ChatGPT from your content (link)

🧠 AI-suggests- Generate tons of ready-to-use content and new ideas for your business instantly (link)

🍜 Noodl AI- AI-powered low-code app development (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

AI TRAINING

💡 Brainstorm business names with ChatGPT

Struggling to name your new company, product, or service? AI can help suggest creative, catchy, and meaningful name options on demand to get the ball rolling.

The prompt:

"Please propose [number] potential business names for my [company / product / service] in the [industry]. The target audience is [audience]. Focus on names that are clever, catchy, and communicate [key attributes]."

Effortlessly develop a shortlist of names — then refine and iterate until you land on the perfect one.

This prompt also applies to newsletters, websites, etc. — AI is the perfect brainstorming sparring partner!

QUICK HITS

🙂 RSVP for a free AI Optimist event with Scott Galloway

Scott Galloway has spoken about the dangers of AI, but he’s still an AI optimist. In one exhilarating hour, Scott will show you why AI has unprecedented potential to benefit humanity: from creating jobs to transforming healthcare.

Click here to register today.

🎥  Runway, Pika Labs debut new AI video features

AI video creation tools RunwayML and Pika Labs unveiled new features for greater control over camera movement and frame rate. RunwayML added ‘Director Mode,’ enabling AI camera control to zoom and pan dynamically, while Pika launched 24fps video and image animation to make AI creations more cinematic.

⭐️ Google pledges $20M for responsible AI

Google's philanthropic arm just launched a $20M Digital Futures fund to support responsible AI development. Recipients like Aspen Institute and MIT will study societal impact, ethics, and policies, with Google prioritizing diverse voices to tackle risks like bias and existential threats.

⛓️ Finnish prisoners training AI models

A new report shows that Finnish inmates earn $1.67 an hour to label data to train AI models — a program that aims to prepare prisoners for digital jobs after release. The work involves reading text and answering questions to help machines understand language.

SPONSOR US

🦾 Get your product in front of over 300k+ AI enthusiasts

Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Learn more or get in touch today.

THAT’S A WRAP

Keep an eye out and click the star emoji hidden somewhere in today’s email for a free entry into our future giveaway (details announced soon).

Additionally, you’ll get another free entry for every subscriber who joins our newsletter using your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}

You can track how many referrals you’ve made here. Happy hunting!

If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundownai

❤️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

Google is heading to court this week against the U.S. Department of Justice, in one of the most prominent Big Tech lawsuits in recent memory.

Will the government deal a legal blow to the search giant? Let’s dig in…

In today’s tech rundown:

• 🏛️ Google heads to trial against the US

• 📱 Apple delays 5G modem plans, renews Qualcomm deal

• 🎮 Roblox releasing on PlayStation consoles

• 🛠️ 7 new products and 6 quick stories

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

GOOGLE

🏛️ Google heads to trial against the US

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: The U.S. Justice Dept. is taking Google to court this week, accusing it of illegally protecting its online search monopoly through restrictive deals with device makers and browsers.

Key points:

• The government says Google pays Apple, Samsung, etc., billions to be the default search engine, blocking rivals like Bing.

• Google argues these deals are simply common business practices.

• The lawsuit tests whether antitrust laws can rein in Big Tech — and it's the first big tech monopoly case against since Microsoft in the 1990s.

• The case comes amid growing scrutiny of Google's influence and on the heels of the EU’s Digital Services Act.

Why it matters: As the tech landscape continues to evolve, antitrust lawsuits such as this will serve as crucial decision points in outlining the boundaries of competition. Regardless of the case outcome, it's clear that the influence of tech giants is under more intense scrutiny than ever.

APPLE

📱 Apple delays 5G modem plans, renews Qualcomm deal

Image source: Bloomberg

The Rundown: Apple reportedly extended its supply agreement with Qualcomm for 5G modem chips through 2026 this week — indicating its own in-house modem is taking longer than expected.

The details:

• While Apple's previous deal with Qualcomm was set to expire this year, the new 3-year agreement covers iPhones launching in 2024-2026.

• The company’s stock surged on the news.

• Apple has been working on its 5G modem chip since 2018, but development challenges have delayed its launch beyond 2023.

• Qualcomm will continue its key role in Apple's supply chain, with iPhones accounting for nearly a quarter of Qualcomm's revenue

Our thoughts: A plot twist surfaces just as we thought Apple might be close to chip independence. While successfully making their own modem chips would have been a feather in Apple's cap, this extension shows high-end modem development isn’t a process the tech giant is willing to rush.

ROBLOX

🎮 Roblox releasing on PlayStation consoles

Image source: Roblox

The Rundown: Roblox has announced it will launch on PlayStation 4 and PS5 in October, marking the first time the massively popular kids' gaming platform will be available on Sony consoles.

Key points:

• Currently played by over 60 million daily global players, the gaming universe will be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 by October 2023.

• The creative platform is hugely popular with kids — played by a whopping 67% of U.S. 9 to 12-year-olds, according to surveys.

• Other Roblox announcements include a full VR version for Meta Quest, new facial mapping for in-game avatars, and voice/video calls via "Roblox Connect".

The relevance: Roblox, with its user-focused creation ethos, is not just playing— it's revolutionizing the gaming industry. And while the platform already dominates with staggering user numbers, onboarding to popular Sony gaming products will open up yet another avenue for new users.

NEW PRODUCTS

🧑 Wylo- Start an exclusive community for your business (link)

🏋️ Suratfit- The perfect fitness companion (link)

📝 Copy AI- Generate content, such as blog headlines, emails, and social media posts using AI (link)

🎵 Mubert- Soundtrack for your content made by AI (link)

💼 Meet Cody- An AI assistant for business (link)

🧪 Quiz Gecko- AI online test and quiz maker (link)

🦾 Fine Tuner- Build AI agents at scale (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

Tesla's Dojo supercomputer, designed for training AI models for self-driving cars, may lead to a nearly $600 billion increase in Tesla's market value by advancing robotaxis and software services, according to Morgan Stanley analysts.

Zeno Power, a startup from Vanderbilt's Innovation Center, secured $15 million from NASA to develop a radioisotope Stirling generator for the Artemis moon missions.

Audi of America and Navistar have introduced Cellular Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology to enhance safety for children traveling to school.

A cybersecurity issue at MGM Resorts led to widespread system shutdowns across multiple locations, with the FBI investigating and reports suggesting a possible ransomware attack.

TikTok accidentally blocked searches related to the Writers Guild of America strike while trying to moderate QAnon conspiracy theories. The block was quickly rectified, but it highlighted the platform's challenges in content moderation.

New York City's Local Law 18 has imposed stringent rules on short-term rentals, virtually eliminating many Airbnb listings unless hosts are present during guests' stays and limiting guest numbers to two.

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

❤️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Big tech companies like Microsoft and Google are reportedly guzzling water to power and train their AI models.

Will environmental issues add a new hurdle to the AI revolution?

In today’s AI rundown:

• 💧 New report: AI a drain on water supply

• 👀 IRS deploys AI to catch rich tax cheats

• 🛠️ 7 New AI tools

• 🏆 Craft winning email campaigns with AI

• 🤖 3 Quick AI updates

Read time: 4 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

AI & THE ENVIRONMENT

💧 New report: AI a drain on water supply

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Generating advanced AI like ChatGPT requires immense computing power and water for cooling. Researchers at the University of California recently found that five queries gulp down approximately a 16-ounce bottle of water at Microsoft's data center in Iowa.

The details:

• In 2021-2022, Microsoft's global water consumption spiked by 34%, with the UC researchers pinning it down to rising AI demands.

• Google also reported a 20% growth in water usage during the same period.

• The data center reportedly uses up to half a liter of water for 5 to 50 ChatGPT queries, influenced by server location and weather factors.

• Big tech companies responded by acknowledging the water-intensive nature of training AI while also highlighting the advances in renewable energy, efficiency, and sustainability efforts.

Why it matters: The AI revolution doesn't come cheap or easy on resources — and amid global environmental concerns, the tech’s water consumption will be a tough public narrative to handle. As public awareness grows, transparency and efficiency will be the key to sustainable innovation.

TOGETHER WITH TAPLIO

🚀 Elevate your LinkedIn presence with AI-powered Taplio

The Rundown: Taplio revolutionizes the way you build your personal brand on LinkedIn, the platform with an unparalleled scale of 850M+ users. Level up your career or business effortlessly with their AI-powered tool.

What can you expect with Taplio?

• Rapid Content Creation: Generate high-performing content at a speed 10x faster.

• One-Stop Scheduling: Plan and schedule all your posts at once.

• In-Depth Analytics:

  Gain key insights into your performance metrics to refine your LinkedIn strategy.

• Seamless Engagement: Easily interact with your network to enhance your online presence.

Don't miss your chance to redefine your LinkedIn experience. Click here to try Taplio for free now!

GOVERNMENT

👀 IRS deploys AI to catch rich tax cheats

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: The U.S. government will start leveraging AI to uncover potential tax violations by wealthy individuals and large partnerships, according to a new release from the IRS.

Key points:

• AI already helped the IRS identify and begin investigations into 75 partnerships with over $10B in assets.

• The IRS pledged not to increase audit rates for those earning less than $400,000 annually, prioritizing increased scrutiny on high-income earners and large corporations.

• Part of the IRS's effort to boost revenue through increased tax compliance, enabled by new funding after years of IRS budget cuts.

Noteworthy: In a tax system where the highest earners are notoriously under-policed (and difficult to catch), the IRS turning to AI could unlock a powerful new way to crack down on large-scale tax evasion. But will it be enough?

TRENDING TOOLS ⭐️

📸 BetterPic- Transform casual photos into stunning headshots in minutes (link)

🔧 Second- Automate codebase migrations and upgrades using AI technology (link)

🖥️ Super- Create a website from your Notion database in minutes (link)

🦾 Browse- Train a robot in 2 minutes to extract and monitor data from any website (link)

🧠 Humata- Ask questions and chat with any file instantly using AI (link)

📝 Copy AI- Generate content, such as blog headlines, emails, and social media posts using AI (link)

🙏 Better- An AI coach to guide you to your best life (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

AI TRAINING

🏆 Craft winning email campaigns with AI

Struggling to gain traction with your email marketing? Take the stress out of writing high-converting emails by utilizing these AI prompts to generate marketing copy that sells:

Highlight benefits: "I need an email that will highlight the unique benefits of my [product] to [customer persona] and address objections."

Explain value: "I'm looking for an email that will convince [customer persona] to sign up for my [service] by articulating the value they'll gain."

Connect emotionally: "I need an email that will make [customer persona] feel [emotion] about my [offering] and take action."

Solve pain points: "I need an email that will address [customer persona's] pain points and position my [offering] as the solution."

Craft compelling headlines: "I'm looking for an email with a strong headline to draw in [customer persona] and persuasive copy to convince them to convert."

QUICK HITS

📘 Amazon requires AI disclosure from authors

Amazon is moving to mandate Kindle self-publishers to disclose the use of AI-generated text and images following talks with the Authors Guild. The decision aims to rein in the flood of AI books on the market, though details on enforcement are vague.

💸 eBay introduces AI tools for sellers

Digital marketplace giant eBay announced a new AI tool that generates product listings from just a photo — allowing sellers to generate titles, descriptions, pricing, and more. eBay says the new feature aims to ease seller onboarding — but longtime sellers complain the AI spouts inaccuracies and overly wordy fluff.

🇮🇳 NVIDIA partners to advance AI across India

NVIDIA just revealed their collaboration with the Indian conglomerates Reliance and Tata to bring AI tech and skills to India. NVIDIA will provide its Grace Hopper chips and DGX Cloud to build a robust national AI infrastructure, aiming to develop India-specific AI solutions for healthcare, agriculture, weather prediction, and more.

SPONSOR US

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THAT’S A WRAP

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❤️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, AI enthusiasts.

Microsoft and Paige are collaborating on a new AI model that could revolutionize future cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Will AI be able to solve one of humanity’s biggest hurdles? Let’s dive in…

In today’s AI rundown:

• 🩺 Microsoft and Paige team up on cancer detecting AI

• 🚀 Anthropic unveils Claude 2 Pro

• 🛠️ 8 New AI tools

• 🤝 How to sharpen negotiation skills with ChatGPT

• 🤖 3 Quick AI updates

Read time: 3 minutes

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

MICROSOFT

🩺 Microsoft and Paige team up on cancer detecting AI

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Microsoft just announced collaboration with Paige to build the largest image-based AI model for cancer detection.

Key points:

• The model is surging ahead with training on an unprecedented volume of data, digesting billions of images to identify both common and rare cancers.

• Paige, originally a spin-off from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, already owns an AI that assists pathologists in detecting breast, colon, and prostate cancers.

• The initiative aims to boost speed and accuracy for overloaded medical staff — with Paige emphasizing that it is a tool for doctors, not a replacement.

Why it matters: Microsoft has been aggressively investing in healthcare AI this year for good reason. AI can possibly revolutionize detection and care for the millions of humans battling cancer globally every year.

Combining a wealth of medical data with Microsoft’s massive computing power feels like a major recipe for world-altering breakthroughs.

TOGETHER WITH FIVERR

🤖 Build your AI dream team on Fiverr

Ready to ride the AI wave but feeling lost at sea?

Fiverr’s experts are here to guide you to supercharged business growth in 2023 and beyond.

Speak the language of success, not jargon. Focus on your business objectives and let Fiverr handle the AI magic for you.

Click here and use code ROWAN10 to unlock a 10% discount on your first order!

ANTHROPIC

🚀 Anthropic unveils Claude 2 Pro

Image source: Anthropic

The Rundown: Anthropic has finally announced a premium plan for AI chatbot Claude 2, providing enhanced features and increased message limits to take on rival OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus.

The details:

• The Pro tier promises a whopping 5x more usage than the free tier, with early access to new features and priority access.

• Anthropic noted that the current message limits for the free tier have been due to capacity constraints, as robust models like Claude 2 demand powerful computing power.

• The company (founded by ex-OpenAI employees) anticipates needing $5 billion in the next two years to maintain its envisioned sophisticated AI while facing competition from OpenAI, AI21 Labs, and Cohere.

Our take: With its new Pro plan, Anthropic ups the stake in the consumer LLM space — providing direct competition (at an identical price) to rival ChatGPT Plus. But with OpenAI already dominating market share, getting users to pay for both models (or switch entirely) may be a tough task.

TRENDING TOOLS

🤖 Composer- The AI-powered trading platform. Build, test, and invest in algo trading strategies that automatically trade for you based on the logic you set (no coding needed) (link)*

🖥️ Mango SEO- Effortlessly generate unlimited high-quality SEO content, auto-post to 1000+ integrated apps with just a click (link)

🏥 Deepen- Your AI assistant for therapy and counseling sessions (link)

🚀 Retool AI- Enables you to build AI apps and workflows at an accelerated pace (link)

📹 Pictory- Automatically create short, branded videos from long-form content (link)

🔥 Jasper- An AI copywriter assistant that can generate any kind of marketing copy (link)

📊 Speak AI- Turn your language data into insights, fast and with no code. (link)

📝 Writesonic- ChatGPT alternative that addresses the limitations of ChatGPT (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

* = This is sponsored content

AI TRAINING

🤝 Sharpen negotiation skills with ChatGPT

Need to get better at mastering the art of the deal? Practice your negotiation skills by roleplaying with ChatGPT as your counterpart.

Try this prompt:

"I am [employee, business owner, prospective client, etc.], and you are [a hiring manager, business partner, etc.] negotiating a deal. I will state my position and make offers. You respond with counteroffers and concessions. Negotiate rationally to maximize mutual benefit."

Sparring with AI can help you practice strategies and scripts in a risk-free environment — allowing you to simulate countless scenarios to build your confidence and expertise!

QUICK HITS

⭐️ Google mandates AI disclaimers on political ads

Google will now require political ads using AI-generated content to clearly disclose it, according to an update on the company’s Advertising Policy Portal. The move comes ahead of the 2024 election, where AI has already started being deployed for attack ads.

Note: The disclosures reportedly rely on good faith, do not cover unpaid content, and are quite light on specifics.

⏱️ Time releases influential 100 in AI

Time just released its TIME100AI list, spotlighting the most influential people shaping the field of artificial intelligence. Ranging in age from 18 to 76, the 100 are divided into four categories: Leaders, Innovators, Shapers, and Thinkers. Time’s selection process aimed to map the key relationships and power centers directing AI's growth.

💰 AI research lab Imbue raises $200M

The CEO of Imbue, Kanjun Qiu, announced a whopping $200M Series B round, putting the company’s valuation over $1B. The cash will support Imbue's development of AI systems capable of ‘robustly reasoning’ and coding, positioning the technology to work more effectively in the real world.

SPONSOR US

🦾 Get your product in front of over 300k+ AI enthusiasts

Our newsletter is read by thousands of tech professionals, investors, engineers, managers, and business owners around the world. Learn more or get in touch today.

THAT’S A WRAP

Keep an eye out and click the star emoji hidden somewhere in today’s email for a free entry into our future giveaway (details announced soon).

Additionally, you’ll get another free entry for every subscriber who joins our newsletter using your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}

You can track how many referrals you’ve made here. Happy hunting!

If you have anything interesting to share, please reach out to us by sending us a DM on Twitter: @rowancheung & @therundownai

❤️ Rundown review of the day

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

Apple has lost nearly $200B in market value this week on reports of expanding iPhone bans in the East.

Is China maneuvering to take a bite out of the U.S. tech giants? Let’s dive in…

In today’s tech rundown:

• 🍏 Apple’s shares stumble as China eyes iPhone ban

• 🕹️ Nintendo Switch 2 demoed at Gamescom 2023

• 🔨 EU’s Digital Markets Act cracks down on Big Tech 

• 🛠️ 8 New products and 5 quick stories

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

APPLE

🍏 Apple shares stumble as China eyes iPhone ban

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: Apple stock ($AAPL) tumbled nearly 6% over two days on reports that China may ban state agencies from buying iPhones, wiping out nearly $200 billion in market value.

The details:

• The potential expansion of China's iPhone ban and an ongoing crisis in the country's real estate market could hinder Apple's largest overseas market and global production hub.

• The news comes on the heels of China-based rival Huawei revealing a new high-end 5G phone ‘Mate 60 Pro’, hailed as a breakthrough for the country’s tech industry.

• Apple has recently gained a share of the Chinese smartphone market, and some analysts believe the ban impact is overblown.

Why it matters: The Chinese market has long been Apple's golden goose, but this ban could provide complications for the tech giant — and potentially signal the start of tougher business landscapes for U.S. tech companies in the East.

NINTENDO

🕹️ Nintendo Switch 2 demoed at Gamescom 2023

Image source: Nintendo

The Rundown: Recent reports claim that Nintendo quietly demoed its next-gen Switch 2 console at Gamescom 2023, running tech demos with visuals comparable to PS5 and Xbox.

Key points:

• The demos reportedly featured Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Matrix Awakens at Gamescom, utilizing Nvidia DLSS and ray tracing for enhanced graphics performance.

• Nintendo is targeting a 2024 launch for the new console, with dev kits already out to partner studios.

• The company is also rumored to develop a standalone VR headset with Google with mixed-reality capabilities.

Why it matters: The arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2 (which has been rumored for years) could be a shake-up in the gaming console realm — and perhaps reverse the trend of declining demand for the current Switch.

Our notes: A potential VR headset could also pave new ground for the company as tech capabilities continue to expand.

TECH REGULATION

🔨 EU’s Digital Markets Act cracks down on Big Tech 

Image source: Midjourney

The Rundown: The EU is stepping up its antitrust game — reportedly gearing up for what could be the biggest-ever crackdown on Big Tech's monopolistic tendencies in the digital economy.

The details:

• The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will take effect early next year.

• The act will impose stringent rules on big players like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Meta to encourage fair competition and transparency.

• Platforms will be prohibited from favoring their own services, using data collected from third parties against them, and will be required to enable users the ability to access apps from rival platforms.

• Challenges are expected, with Apple and Amazon already voicing concerns about conflicting regulations from different EU nations.

The relevance: It might be time for the tech titans to buckle up — because the EU is showing no mercy in its new rules to prevent monopolies within the industry.

However, getting giant companies to play nice isn't simple. A flurry of lawsuits and debates is likely on the horizon.

NEW PRODUCTS

💯 M1-Project- Understand your target audience without weeks of research (link)

👨‍💻 HTML to Framer- Copy and paste your website over to Framer quickly and easily (link)

⚡ Streamlined- B2B payments built for global commerce (link)

🎥 Descript- A powerful all-in-one video and podcast editing tool using AI (link)

🐦 TweetHunter- All-in-one Twitter growth tool to create content using AI, build an audience, and schedule posts (link)

✍️ Rytr- An AI writing assistant that helps you create high-quality content, in just a few seconds (link)

🎵 Mubert- Soundtrack for your content made by AI (link)

🧠 Taskade- Five AI-powered tools in one to supercharge your team productivity (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

The Pentagon plans a vast network of AI drones/robots in 2 years to counter China, per Deputy Sec Hicks. "Small, smart, cheap" systems will provide ISR, logistics, and missile defense - urgency akin to the wartime pace needed.

A Mozilla report finds cars collect sensitive user data on par with tech firms, with few limits on storage and sale. Opting out of sharing is nearly impossible, so Mozilla calls for regulators to curb unchecked data collection by automakers.

The CFPB's Chopra says Apple and Google act like "mini-governments" in payments, imposing rules that squeeze out small firms, though tech disruption of Wall Street is needed.

Google's controversial Privacy Sandbox ad tracking replacement is now on nearly all Chrome browsers, a big step towards ending third-party cookies in 2024. Privacy Sandbox implements new tools like Topics API that sort users into ad interest categories on-device, and Site Suggested Ads.

YouTube is testing "Playables", a new section with casual games you can play on desktop and mobile. It starts with a small number of users and titles like Stack Bounce. Adding games gives YouTube another entertainment option alongside videos, music, movies, and more.

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

❤️ Rundown review of the day