OpenAI starts rolling out its Her-like voice mode for ChatGPT (2 minute read)
OpenAI has started to roll out its advanced voice mode to a small number of ChatGPT Plus subscribers. The feature was previously criticized for sounding similar to Scarlett Johansson and was delayed for safety reasons. OpenAI has implemented four preset voices trained with voice actors. The new mode will likely be available to all ChatGPT Plus users in the fall.
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Meta's new AI Studio helps you create your own custom AI chatbots (4 minute read)
Meta's new AI Studio allows users to create, share, and discover AI chatbots. Creators will be able to create AI chatbots as extensions of themselves - no technical skills required. The feature has started rolling out to Instagram Business accounts in the US and will expand to all Meta users over the next few weeks. It will be accessible through the web, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
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Science & Futuristic Technology
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Your new AI Friend is almost ready to meet you (6 minute read)
'Friend' is an AI Friend designed to be supportive, validating, encouraging, and accessible to users all the time. The Friend device is a round glowing orb that can be worn around the neck or clipped onto clothes or accessories. The orb can record prompts, but it can only communicate back through text via the Friend app on mobile. The Friend device will ship next January for $99 with no ongoing subscription fee.
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Neuralink rival Synchron's brain implant now lets people control Apple's Vision Pro with their minds (4 minute read)
Neurotech startup Synchron has connected its brain implant to Apple's Vision Pro headset, allowing patients with limited physical mobility to control the device using only their thoughts. The company is building a brain-computer interface to help patients with paralysis to operate technology with their minds. It has implanted its device in six patients in the US and four in Australia. The device still needs approval from the US Food and Drug Administration before it can be commercialized more broadly.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
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SSOReady (GitHub Repo)
SSOReady adds SAML support to apps for free. It makes implementing enterprise SSO obvious and secure by default. There are currently SDKs for Python and TypeScript/Node.js, with more in development.
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Make software simple again (5 minute read)
The software industry is more driven by profit and unnecessary complexity than by the ability to build and launch innovative products. Companies can save a lot of money by leaving the cloud. The old pricing model where users pay once for software rather than through monthly subscriptions can be very appealing to customers, but it makes it more difficult to scale a company if customers only pay once. A lower bar to entry for solo developers and small teams will allow more ideas to get the opportunity to prosper.
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CrowdStrike's Impact on Aviation (7 minute read)
An update to a sensor configuration by CrowdStrike on July 19 caused the largest IT outage in history. The outage affected many industries - this article looks at its impact on the US aviation industry. Delta was hit the hardest, followed by United, and to a significantly smaller degree, American. Southwest didn't appear to be affected by the outage at all. Delta took an extended time to recover and had to cancel thousands of flights in the days following the CrowdStrike update.
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Amazon must recall dangerous products properly — even ones sold by third-parties (3 minute read)
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has ruled that Amazon, not third-party sellers, is responsible for properly recalling hazardous items sold on its marketplace. Amazon failed to adequately notify the public about more than 400,000 recalled products sold between 2018 and 2021. The company downplayed the severity of hazards, telling customers about 'potential safety issues' rather than explicitly labeling recalls. Amazon now has a page dedicated to recalls that allows users to view product recalls and safety information for items they bought on Amazon.
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The end of the Everything Cloud (7 minute read)
Amazon has been rolling out peripheral cloud services at an astonishing rate over the past 10 years or so - the company has started to deprecate services without significant adoption or that aren't competitive with more popular alternatives.
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