speculations

Virtual influencers: meet the AI-generated figures posing as your new online friends

https://thenextweb.com/news/virtual-influencers-ai-generated-online I didn’t expect it. I hoped of course but I never thought it would happen. I remember the moment the number of followers hit the magic number and then the moment when the first brand reached out to my “manager”. They liked the retro Max Headroom vibe. They thought… Read the rest

Wunderman Thompson develops tech to analyze emotional responses to ads

https://www.campaignlive.com/article/wunderman-thompson-develops-tech-analyze-emotional-responses-ads/1837703 The shoot was going well. She knew it and the data showed it. The timetable was still green, the live budget was on track, the themes were still trending so the impact predictions were within the right parameters. It was going well on her terms too. She was getting… Read the rest

Why esports companies hope generational fandom brings sustainability to the industry

https://digiday.com/marketing/why-esports-companies-hope-generational-fandom-brings-sustainability-to-the-industry I’ll admit it, it wasn’t planned. But we’re made up. I’m nervous of course. Who’s ever ready to be a dad? Sometimes it’s the little things: how do you know the bath is the right temperature? Sometimes big: what if she wants to be a banker? But Il one… Read the rest

Instead of fine-tuning an LLM as a first approach, try prompt architecting instead

https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/18/instead-of-fine-tuning-an-llm-as-a-first-approach-try-prompt-architecting-instead/ I hate Tuesday. Wednesday, you’re half way and then Thursday and Friday, it’s downhill. Monday? Hey, deal with it. But Tuesday… and then they put a double period first thing. Look, I have one language. I can write and read it good (I’m kidding).I don’t need to learn another.… Read the rest

Coca-Cola takes a look into the future with new AI-powered drink

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/coca-cola-takes-a-look-into-the-future-with-new-ai-powered-drink I watched the shows as a kid. Celebrity chefs – men of course – screaming and occasionally throwing things at a kitchen of underlings. I was mesmerised by how this loud violence could sit alongside such sublime, perfect, still beauty in the dishes. Of course there was the #we’rechefstoo… Read the rest

The murky world of online age certification raises privacy questions

https://www.ft.com/content/3896db38-e7be-4679-9a40-caac9f7618ea Surely it wasn’t that long ago. Where had time gone? They found themselves letting the algorithms tell the stories as their son got ready for the ceremony. “On this day” their screens announced and they filled in the memory. He was excited, of course. A man at last… although… Read the rest

Sunak to hold AI summit at Bletchley Park, home of Enigma codebreakers

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/24/rishi-sunak-to-hold-ai-summit-at-bletchley-park-home-of-enigma-codebreakershttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/24/rishi-sunak-to-hold-ai-summit-at-bletchley-park-home-of-enigma-codebreaker It wasn’t a round table. Maybe it should have been. It was too big for that. There was no head to the table but the politician was clearly running the show. Looking down, as the room’s cameras and networks were, you could see those seated: the philosophers, the engineers,… Read the rest