Welcome, humans.

A WILD Reddit post went viral after a news station worker shared how their entire team just got laid off—replaced by AI:

The comments are popping off as people from other industries share similar stories:

• Film: AI now tags scenes, tracks actors, and makes “80% rough cuts” automatically. After testing it, a soap opera “let five or six contracts expire.”
• Insurance: An auditor says their company's new AI is “scarily good” at handling claims calls - putting 20,000 phone staff jobs at risk.
• Medical: A team of 10 for a medical management software was shrunk down to 3. One worker predicts they'll be “the only one left as soon as one of these models learns to code the right way.”

This wasn’t an isolated incident, either: It turns out the company was TEGNA, one of America's biggest local news companies (reaches 39% of all U.S. TV households). Their new AI can direct shows, operate audio boards, and manage graphics—potentially eliminating tens of thousands of production jobs across the U.S…

There’s just one little problem with this kind of full-on, ruthless, “Automate then Replace” strategy: If more and more companies automate away a bunch of jobs without creating new ones… who's going to be left to buy all their products???

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

• OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode is now available on desktop.
• Microsoft-HarperCollins deal lets AI train on nonfiction books.
• Google Gemini added memory feature for paid users.
• Survey showed 75% of people distrust corporate use of AI.

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What’s good with Advanced Voice Mode these days?

Pretty cool news for everybody who loves talking to themselves: OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode is now available on desktop for paid users!

Side note: You know what’s funny? They paid all that money for chat.com, and they still link to chatgpt.com in announcements. Why??! Y’all should just rename GPT to “Chat” if you want to keep the brand consistent so bad.

Before today, you had to be a paid user with the ChatGPT mobile app to use Advanced Voice Mode (AVM for short). But now, you can use AVM on desktop (via your browser).

Following that logic, pretty soon you won’t even have to be a paid user to use AVM! Yeah, right—not everyone can give it all away like the French. We love you, Le Chat!

Want to try it out? Here's how:

1. Look for the mic icon in the bottom right of your chat window.
2. Click it and... voilà! You'll see a fancy blue orb appear (not the black one).
3. First timers will need to give ChatGPT permission to use your mic.
4. …And don’t forget to pick your preferred AI voice (don't stress, you can change it later in Settings).

The interface is pretty straightforward:

Mic icon = AVM. Headphones = regular voice mode.

Quick heads up: If you're a Plus or Team user and don't see these options yet, hang tight! OpenAI is rolling this out gradually over the next week.

When we first saw this news, we immediately thought: wait, are people still using AVM?

Turns out, they are. Users leverage AVM for:

1. Creating work documentation while driving.
2. Brainstorming creative projects during walks.
3. Practicing multiple languages.
4. Playing personalized trivia games.
5. Personal tutoring.
6. Even copiloting for your gaming!

Plus lots of good tips in this video. And then there’s THIS person, whose use-case you kinda have to read yourself to understand (they REALLY love voice mode…)

Here’s the ultimate AVM Productivity Hack:

1. First, tell it not to interrupt, then start monologuing on a task you’re working on.
2. Once you’re done, request it to “ask clarifying questions.”
3. Switch to text mode to convert the conversation into a memo.

Perfect for drafting documents hands-free!

Oh, and FYI: be careful what you tell GPT to remember. In this case, Ethan Mollick forgot that he told GPT to speak in a British accent… but GPT sure remembered. Ethan, you absolute muppet!

Do you use Advanced Voice Mode? If so, how?

Pick an answer and write-in your use-case!

Yep - perfect for brain dumping while walking or driving.

Language practice buddy all day.

Actually I use it for something else...

Now that it's on desktop, I'll try it out.

I use Gemini / Google Assistant instead.

No I don't—and here's why...

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2. Copilot Actions and Copilot Agents just launched—Actions automates your repetitive tasks like gathering weekly updates (like scripted macros), while Agents acts as specialized workers who can handle complex jobs.
3. Superchat gives you customer service agents that talk to your customers on WhatsApp, Instagram and other messaging apps.
4. Attio is a CRM that automates your workflows by syncing with your email and calendar to create a real-time view of all customer interactions and data.
5. HeyGen creates realistic talking video avatars by turning your photos, voice recordings, or text into lifelike digital presenters (here’s the iOS app store link).
6. Vozo translates and dubs your videos into any language, complete with lip-syncing and voice cloning.
7. Blitzit is a desktop timer app for Mac and Windows that helps you stay focused by tracking your time and removing distractions (video demo).

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Around the Horn.

Keynote in 90 Seconds: Satya Nadella at Microsoft Ignite 2024

• Microsoft announced a bunch of stuff at Ignite—it also just partnered with HarperCollins to train a new model on Nonfiction books (though the books’ authors can opt out, apparently).
• Google Gemini now has memory, which Gemini calls “Saved Info”, that’s rolling out to paid users of the app—and Google says saved info isn’t used for training.
• Meta created a new AI product arm of its business to develop and monetize new tools (that aren’t ad tools) for the 200M businesses that use its apps.
• A new report from Qualtrics found that 3 out of 4 people no longer trust companies to use AI properly—and the overall opinion of AI has declined 11% over the last year. Reddit’s response? “Surprised it’s not higher, honestly.”

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