Connected Consumers

There have been quite a few pundits, futurists, and normal people weighing in on how AI might end the world. Skynet is a popular villain. Ultron if you're younger, HAL9000 if you're of a certain age. The plot is always the same: AI goes bad and attempts to destroy the world until an unlikely human hero saves us. It makes for a good story, but the real threat posed by AI isn't that obvious, nor is it anywhere near as engaging – which is why it is extremely dangerous. Continue Reading →

Hello. My name is Shelly. I'm a Chrome user. I've been off Google for nine days. (Hello, Shelly.) I did it. I replaced Google. Perplexity is now my default search engine. It's cathartic. I feel like my world has changed forever. The thing is… I don't miss Google. Not even a little bit. If you follow in my footsteps – not only will you not miss Google, there's a good chance you'll never look back. Continue Reading →

CES 2024 was like stepping into a sci-fi movie. Only the popcorn was real, and the special effects were available for pre-order. I walked all 2 million square feet of exhibit space (several times) using one essential filter: “Technology is meaningless unless it changes the way we behave.” While it’s true that AI was the overarching theme of this year’s show – that’s like saying integrated circuits, or data, or electricity were the theme of the show. AI is table stakes now. It’s incorporated everywhere it’s needed (like all of the other enabling technologies), so there’s no need to call it out. That said, there were a few standouts in Las Vegas last week. Here’s a short list of my favorites. Continue Reading →

Technology is meaningless unless it changes the way we behave. So far, I’ve found some super interesting new tech that I will write about after the embargoes are lifted and CES is officially underway. Continue Reading →

Foreshadowing CES shows yet to come, Google's DeepMind has introduced three new robotic training tools: AutoRT, SARA-RT, and RT-Trajectory. Continue Reading →

Seems Google has been talking about killing 3rd-party cookies since dinosaurs roamed the internet. But starting January 4, Google is going to limit cross-site tracking by restricting third-party cookie access for about 1% of Chrome users globally. Continue Reading →

By now, I’m sure you’ve seen dozens of headlines like, “OpenAI may have discovered AI so powerful it could end humanity.” While such headlines are sensational, it's important to approach them with a balanced perspective. Humanity is as safe from AI today as it was yesterday. And, it is highly unlikely that (considering all of the other threats to human safety) AI is going to be humanity's undoing any time soon. Continue Reading →

Google and Microsoft have unveiled AI add-ons to their respective software suites. “Bard for Google Workspace” and Microsoft’s “Office 365 Copilot” are vying for the attention of businesses and individuals alike. They share a common mission: to elevate collaboration and streamline workflows within their respective ecosystems. I’ve been using both products for a few weeks now. Let’s review. Continue Reading →

Streamflation, a portmanteau of "streaming" and "inflation," is an apt name for the streaming industry's relentless pursuit of the highest price you'd ever be willing to pay for a streaming service. In practice, content prices never come down - so you could argue that there's nothing to see here. But there is. Continue Reading →

As AI's capabilities increasingly blur the lines between human originality and machine-generated derivatives, traditional copyright frameworks appear increasingly antiquated. The once-clear demarcations of ownership, originality, and rights are now mired in ambiguity. How might we rewrite today's copyright regulations to enable a future that respects both human ingenuity and the undeniable contributions of generative AI models? Continue Reading →