😺 AI in ports, explained

PLUS: OpenAI released its first new interface since 2022!

Welcome, humans.

We talk about generative video models here a decent amount, but IDK if we’ve ever talked about the cost. Well, this post had us shook:

To be fair, $745 = a lot less than the ~$200M needed to make this IRL… but that’s still wild.

Call us a little* biased (Princess Mononoke is our writer Grant’s fave film of ALL TIME) but that actually turned out pretty good! Was it $745 good though? You tell us…

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

OpenAI launched Canvas, a new UI in ChatGPT for writing and coding projects.
Google Lens added new video/voice search.
Black Forest expanded its Flux image generator.
DeepMind hired a Sora researcher.

Advertise in The Neuron here.

The dockworkers won the battle…but the war was over automation, and it’s just beginning.

You probably heard about the massive port strike happening on the East Coast. 45,000 dock workers walked off the job, leaving shipping containers full of everything from cars to Christmas toys in logistics limbo.

The workers wanted higher pay (77% increase over six years), and last night, they agreed to settle for 62%. No biggie, just 20x the rate of inflation! Sounds good to us.

But a bigger issue looms: automation. Between now and January 15th, that’ll be what the workers and the ports will be arguing over.

And the stakes are high—listen to Harold Daggett, chief negotiator for the International Longshoremen's Association, who means serious business:

"I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does."

Many ports already use automation, just not in the U.S:

Shanghai: World's largest automated terminal (since 2017).
Singapore: Tuas Port aims to be biggest by ~2040.
Rotterdam: Europe's busiest port, automation pioneer since 1993.

Meanwhile, the U.S.’ west coast ports are ranked the least efficient in the world. Why? Asian and European ports are “more modern.” And you know what that means.

Surprisingly, truckers like port automation. Pamela Miller, a 40-year hauling veteran, appreciates Norfolk's automation for its 20-minute turnaround. Without robots, drivers “get in each other's ways.” Yet, Pamela still joined the picket line, torn between efficiency and job preservation.

The point? Automation isn't zero-sum. As AI advances, we'll see uneven gains. It'll benefit some while threatening others, increasing competition among us as we leverage it differently—just like truckers benefiting from port automation today, but facing future threats from autonomous trucks…which btw, are trucking along.

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Around the Horn.

First new UI from OpenAI in two years! More details below.

Canvas is a new UI in ChatGPT (avail now for Plus + Team users) for writing and coding projects in a separate window (like Claude Artifacts), w/ features like inline editing + feedback and shortcuts to adjust length or debug code.
Google Lens now lets you search using video and voice queries, so you can record a short video clip of your surroundings or ask questions about what you’re seeing.
Black Forest, the producers of the Flux.1 image generator that powers Grok, released an API (so developers can easily use it their own apps) as well as Flux1.1 Pro, which can create images with 2K resolution (2048×1080).
DeepMind just hired the lead researcher on Sora to build a “world simulator.”

Treats To Try.

*AI devs, listen up! Craving NVIDIA H100 performance, but not the price tag? DigitalOcean's GPU Droplets offer on-demand, virtualized GPUs for flexible, affordable AI development. On-demand H100 power, easy setup, and fast deployment: what more do you want? Get Started Now.
Lookie summarizes YouTube videos with one click and highlights the key points.
Sketch introduced Smart Animate, a feature that allows you to easily add movement and transitions to your prototypes, bringing your designs to life.
Buzzabout analyzes social media conversations to help you understand what your customers think about your product or brand.
Topics is like Duolingo but for intermediate language learners (only for Spanish + iOS atm, but more languages + platforms coming soon).
CostGPT estimates the cost, features, and time needed to develop software.
Lenish helps you track your dog's daily routine, including toilet breaks, feeding times, and exercise (homepage is annoying so here’s the Android + iOS links).

See our top 51 AI Tools for Business here!

*This is sponsored content. Advertise in The Neuron here.

Intelligent Insights

More from Sam’s talk here (full stream here)

Here’s a list of everything that is now illegal under California’s 18 new AI laws.
ScaleAI, which helps AI companies improve their models with human contract workers, has seen its sales 4x to $400M—and its founder is only 27.
Lots of good prompt tips in this thread on how to generate “realistic” photos in Midjourney.
Ben Goertzel thinks we’ll have human-level AGI by 2029, and artificial superintelligence will only come a few short years after that—here’s why.
If you ever wondered what an AI with anxiety would look like, may we introduce you to “Artificial Overthinking.”