Smoke and Mirrors
On digital windows, digital dresses, ai chatbots that look like celebrities but aren't and lawyers that win cases with no law degree, this week is all about the illusion of reality.
The thing with technology, at least in this time and age, is that as soon as you finally come to terms with the latest innovation, it’s already a thing of the past. There’s no mercy or respite for those of us lay in the matter.
As I was gathering bits and pieces for this week’s newsletter a common thread has emerged organically, making me think of a game of illusions where what seems real and appears to be right in front our eyes turns out to be just a product of our imagination, or of artificial intelligence.
To begin with, since I last wrote Meta has unveiled an AI-generated chatbot that looks and talks suspiciously like Kendall Jenner, but it’s actually Billie, one of the new chatbots powered by Meta’s Llama 2 that have distinct personalities and are integrated into its Instagram and Facebook platforms in an attempt to attract and engage with younger audiences, in particular Gen Z.
Meta had already announced the celebrity AI assistants at the Connect conference in September but it was only last week that they revealed them in Facebook messenger and Instagram and people’s reactions have been mixed as despite the resemblance to celebrities -or because of it- users can’t get their head around the new feature where a guy that looks exactly like Tom Brady is actually Bru, your chatbot of reference if you want a confident sports debater.
In other words: althought the intention was to maximise engagement on its platforms by using familiar faces for this new AI feature it feels weird to interact with the chatbots. Can you imagine Paris Hilton causally chatting to you helping you solve crimes? Well, that’s what Amber, her AI character does. Creepy.
However the question is not whether users can eventually overcome the uncanny valley and solve a cosy whodunnit with Amber, but the impact of celebrities selling and licensing their likeness this way- and by the way it is rumoured one creator received $5 million over two years for six hours of work - and how the illusion of familiarity and friendliness these AI-powered chatbots create can impact social interactions in real life with another human being.
Would we end up prefering our lovely and unburdened AI friend, who is always there, to our real life mates with their own and very real tribulations? Maybe we are safe for now as it seems conversation is not really the strenght of these chatbots, which in all honesty could be said of many people but that’s a topic for another newsletter.
It may all seem fun and games, and that these chatbots are aimed mainly at entertainment and driving Meta’s engagement strategy, but it is worth noting the ethical issues that celebrity AI chatbots rise.
Besides the obvious impact on the way we interact and relate to others and how their algorithm-powered relatability may create a fake sense of connection -therefore potentially leading more people to seek the comfort of a bot than that of a human- there are more practical ethical questions, such as who helps power these models.
And here I’d like to remind you that while the writers’ strike came to an end recently thanks to an agreement that has locked in stronger guidelines for the use of AI, Hollywood actors are still striking over concerns of AI replacing them. Concerns that seem quite legitimate when you learn that Meta is using actors to train their AI models so they appear more human.
The debate on the future of work is served.
Let’s carry on with the game of appearances as Adobe has launched its Project Primrose, an interactive dress able to change design within seconds. Christine Dierk, the Adobe researcher behind this design, explained how the dress can transform thanks to its light-reflecting sequins that act as miniature screens due to the use of liquid crystals.
“Unlike traditional clothing, which is static, Primrose allows me to refresh my look in a moment,” Dierk said at the Adobe MAX Creativity Conference where she modelled the dress on herself.
While I think this is quite impressive, as a wearer of dresses this one doesn’t look particularly comfortable and I’m slightly disappointed that the back remails the same, so the wow factor is limited to front lookers. On the other hand, the real groundbreaking innovation we can expect from this technology is that the days of turning up at an event with an outfit you have spent hours putting together and then realise someone else is wearing the exact same thing - worst-case sceneario: even better styled- are over. fi
And if you are thinking that a dress that changes design is cool but you have no use for it, I have something else that may be up your street: digital windows.
I had no idea this was a thing until I came across a post on social media by Attywon, a company from New York that specialises in tech installations for homes. Again, the days of having to pay extra for a room with a view may be soon over.
Again, nice tech innovation but not really for me. I am more of a “real tree, real squirrel, cat silently approaching out of nowhere to fight the squirrel, probably kill it, while I watch the scene unfold, waiting in anticipation and sipping coffee by the window” kind of person.
Regardless of my personal preferences, it seems that the days of living in a digital world -what we used to call the metaverse in the good old days of thinking that was a future we wouldn’t live to witness - are fast approaching and are unavoidable.
Think about it. We have the clunky headset by Apple, the stylish glasses by Meta and Rayban, the dress by Adobe, the window by LiquidView and the AI friend that looks like a celebrity but it’s just a ton of code animated by a struggling actor who survives by imbuing humanity to avatars that real people prefer to interact with instead of other humans. I correct myself - don’t think about it.
Ready or not the next wave of post-smartphone AI wearables are already here as introduced by the secretive LA-based Humane at Paris Fashion Week in the form of a small pin that can project its interface directly into your hand. It’s a matter of time until we are walking cyborgs, mind my words.
Let me go and have another look at the window to check on that real cat fighting a real squirrel before they are substituted by avatars.
If you think that I’m exaggerating with my predictions for the future Amazon has announced this week that they have started testing Digit, a a two-legged robot that can grasp and lift items, at their facilities amid fears of staff that worry job cuts are on the horizon. And yesterday the company also made public that drone delivery will be relaunched in the UK and Italy next year.
Well, with the rising costs of flights, being drone-delivered to Italy is starting to look like a reasonable idea. And remember this is Amazon, they will make it happen if there’s money to be made out of it, like adding ads to Prime.
In equally catastrophic news, Netflix is increasing subscriptions plans in the UK, US and France as apparently the end of password sharing didn’t deter people from signing up to the streaming platform, which has won 8.8 million users between July and September.
Time to wrap up.
A new report from data platform Pitchbook has revealed that London is the most developed VC ecosystem in Europe and one of the 10 most developed tech ecosystems in the world. Despite 65% of the hubs with the highest growth rates are in Europe, London is the only European city to have made it to the global top 10. Berlin appears in the global top 20 at number 16.
In a week of smoke and mirrors news, where AI creates the illusion of reality, reading that a Kenyan man has been accused of practising as a lawyer withouth qualifications -and still winning the 26 causes he defended in court- has been the cherry on the top.
While the actions of Brian Mwenda have divided the Kenyan public opinion, and have brought to attention that this is not a one-off case, there’s something heartwarming about this particular story. My imagination is already running wild picturing a full three-season Netflix series out of it that can justfiy the new hike in the subscription price.
Tech news
EE branches into ecommerce to sell smart TVs, fridges and kettles
After X, Meta and TikTok get EU request for info on response to Israel-Hamas war
OpenAI is now generating revenue at a pace of $1.3bn a year.
Creative and Cultural news
Get your best pink clothes ready for the Barbie exhibition that the Design Museum is planning for 2024
If you’re not a Barbie fan worry not because the V&A has announced a Naomi Campbell exhibition to celebrate her 40 year career in fashion coming in June 2024
The Gucci Cosmos exhibition is now open -and free to visit- in London
Last but not least
Last week I mentioned that I have resumed my French classes and since I’m increasing the French-language content that I listen to, watch and read, this week I have three recommendation -two of which you can enjoy without speaking French.
The first one is a podcast (only available in French, I’m afraid): La Grande Librairie, a literary programme that each week gathers four writers for a conversation on a given topic. I’ve been listening to last week’s episode on the importance of literature to help us develop empathy and how fiction allow us to get inside someone else’s point of view and understand where they come from better than non-fiction. In the age of social media and our constant exposure to screens, which has unfortunately increased narcissism tendencies, it is important we find time to read physical books again to connect with others and ourselves.
It follows that the second recommendation is a book: Small Country (Petit Pays in French), a novel by French-Rwandan rapper Gaël Faye that is based on Faye’s early life in Burundi at the time of the civil war outbreak between Hutus and Tutsis. The novel was a success when it came out in France in 2016 and was adapted to the screen in 2020 by Eric Barbier.
And the third recommendation is the return of the one and only Omar Sy as Assane Diop for the third season of Lupin, a true master of smoke and mirrors, even more so in this season. The wait was worth it and the ending has left me dreaming of a season 4, which I hope doesn’t take as long.
Have a good weekend!