Sam Is Out...And Then In

Plus new from Meta, Gen AI and Marketing Research and more

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Why are you reading this?

In this newsletter, I summarize the top AI ecommerce and Amazon developments so you can stay up-to-date in just a few minutes. I do the reading so you don't have to. Consider this your weekly AI ecommerce update to save you time while keeping you informed on what matters most.

TL;DR

1.Meta Shows Off AI Image and Video Editing Tools

2.Sam Is Out…And Then In

3.Gen AI And Its Impact On Marketing Research

4.Plus Tons Of Awesome AI Tools

Meta Shows Off AI Image and Video Editing Tools

Meta is introducing AI-powered editing tools to Facebook and Instagram, leveraging its Emu AI model. These tools, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, aim to enhance user experience in image and video creation.

Emu Edit: This feature allows users to modify images using text instructions. It enables precise alterations, such as removing or replacing objects and people, without requiring manual selection of the image section to be edited. For instance, a user can instruct the tool to "turn the dog into a panda," and Emu Edit will identify and transform the dog accordingly, without affecting other aspects of the image.

Emu Video: The second tool, Emu Video, generates videos from text prompts, reference images, or both. While the results are not entirely realistic, they represent an improvement over previous animations created by Meta's Make-A-Video system.

The exact release date of these tools on Facebook and Instagram is yet to be announced. Meta's integration of these features directly into its platforms offers convenience to users, eliminating the need to use third-party services like Google Photos Magic Editor or Adobe’s generative fill for Photoshop. This development is part of Meta's ongoing efforts to enhance AI-powered creator tools within its social media ecosystem.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

As consumers we will see an overload of AI generated images, given how much the tech is getting natively integrated into the platforms. Currently you need to pop to Midjourney, Adobe or DALLE-3 to create the images, but with this Meta update, it will be in the hands of every single user right on platform . For ecommerce sellers it would mean further ease to also manipulate their own assets. That said, the bigger picture is as follows…

The more AI generated image/video/copy is out there, the more consumers will search for the real deal. Human -generated content will be gold. Authenticity will be what consumers will be buying. So in the not very distant future, although it may be tempting to keep churning AI generated content, it might be the human touch that would really bring consumers to your brand.

Sam Is Out…And then In

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve already read about last week’s most notorious tech departure.

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has been dismissed from his role. The decision, announced by OpenAI's board, was apparently due to Altman's lack of transparency in communications with the board, undermining their oversight capabilities.

Following Altman's departure, several other senior members left OpenAI, including Co-Founder Greg Brockman, GPT-4 Lead Jakub Pachocki, and Head of AI Risk Aleksander Madry.

Fast forward a few days…

In the midst of organizational chaos, OpenAI was negotiating with Sam Altman for his possible return as CEO.(lololol 😅😅😅) The board, which had initially agreed in principle to resign and allow Altman and Brockman to return, later wavered on this decision. This hesitation led to missing a critical 5PM PT deadline, a point by which many OpenAI staffers had planned to resign in protest.

A bit of a s***show.

Fast forward to Monday….

Sam becomes CEO of Microsoft’s new advanced AI research team. Boom…His role will likely focus on creating new products and services, possibly integrating OpenAI's advancements into Microsoft's existing suite of tools and platforms. Microsoft's stock initially dropped 1.6% after Altman's dismissal but quickly recovered, rising 2.5% to a record high, reflecting the market optimism.

It gets worse for OpenAI:

Microsoft's new AI team will feature notable OpenAI members, including Jakub Pachocki (head of research) in a leadership role, Szymon Sidor (research scientist), and Aleksander Madry (head of preparedness). Further to this over 500 OpenAI employees, led by co-founder Ilya Sutskever, have signed a letter demanding the resignation of OpenAI's board, threatening to join Sam Altman's new Microsoft venture otherwise. The letter criticizes the board's leadership and confirms Microsoft's job assurances.

So watch this space, it will be interesting few months to come.

Gen AI And Its Impact On Marketing Research

This is a great podcast discussing the role of AI in marketing, emphasizing the transformative impact of generative AI in market research. Key takeaways include:

  1. Innovative Approach: Generative AI is revolutionizing traditional marketing research methods, potentially making them more efficient and cost-effective.

  2. Accurate Assessments: The technology shows promise in accurately determining consumer preferences and replicating known experiments.

  3. Opportunities vs. Limitations: While generative AI offers significant time and cost savings, its effectiveness depends on the relevance of its training data

Several weeks ago I included an article about synthetic data and the role it’s going to play in understanding the customer and making it more accessible for smaller players to execute proper market/consumer research. This podcast definitely builds on the same tune.

The Quick Read:

  • Here is a list of tools to help you create Reels, TikToks and Shorts

  • Google's new AI model, 'Gemini', is reportedly delayed until Q1 of 2024. Initially expected this month, Gemini is a result of merging two AI teams to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4.

In Case You’ve Missed It:

I had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin King about all things AI and Ecommerce in the latest AM/PM Podcast episode.

Today’s Content Spotlight:

Here is a powerful stat for you: For every $1 spent on email marketing, marketers make $42.

I don’t think I need to convince you of the power of email marketing. What I do want to do is to help you build better email funnels using AI. Below is a helpful 15 prompt guide to help you do exactly that.

The Tools List:

📚 Morise AI- Reads your videos and generates everything in seconds

📊 Sheet AI- Put AI in your Google Sheets

🖼️ LogoPicture AI- Create optical illusion art with your logo

🔍 Lebesgue- Scraping global marketing data to make your marketing work

🎨 UizardDesign wireframes, prototypes, and mockups quickly and easily

🎵 AI Jingle MakerCreate jingles, radio sweepers, podcast intros, audio promos & more in a snap

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

🧑 VocAI Chatbot- Resolve 80% of your customer support questions with no code

What did you think of today’s email?