We’ve spent a good chunk of the week finalizing the themes and compiling content from our trip to CES as we prepare for the annual Jacobs Media CES Industry Webinar. [Register for Tuesday’s event here.]
One of the big themes of what turned out to be a 2.5-million-square-foot-AI-
The scenario—reminiscent of a gender-reversed version of Her—raises critical questions. What if AI conversations become more fulfilling than real-life ones? Where do we draw the line when these relationships blur with reality? How will we adapt as AI becomes increasingly advanced and sophisticated? And finally, how does radio-as-a-companion fit into this new landscape?
I welcome your thoughts — and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday’s webinar.
Zuck Chucks Mid-Level Engineers
Meta head Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast last Friday and declared that AI will be able to do the work of mid-level engineers by mid-2025. This week Meta announced that they’d lay off 5% of their workforce. [details]
Related: Salesforce may not hire engineers in 2025 because of AI
Microsoft Integrates CoPilot into Microsoft 365
Microsoft is bringing its AI-powered Copilot features to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions, resulting in higher subscription costs. Users can generate, summarize, and organize content across apps like Word, Excel, and Outlook without exiting their Office Suite. Not surprisingly, Microsoft confirms that increased pricing will accompany Copilot’s rollout. [details]
NotebookLM AI Podcast Hosts Got Crabby at Humans
Google’s NotebookLM, the remarkable AI podcast generator, generating podcast content, recently introduced allowing human interaction with the AI hosts — which caused some consternation with AI voices. They initially displayed an irritated tone toward human hosts during trials. The development team had to intervene, teaching the AI to respond politely and maintain a friendly demeanor, even when faced with repetitive or basic questions. [details]
Australian Open Skirts International Rights with Avatars on YouTube
Sure, the Australian Open has contracts with broadcasters around the world, but what happens when they want to stream matches on the world’s biggest video streaming platform? Their media team found a workaround by showing the almost-live action with avatars resembling Nintendo wii tennis players! The matches are akin to the Spongebob and Simpsons NFL broadcasts over the last year and look real — for a cartoon. [details]
Originally published by Jacobs Media
