Happy Friday!
It was a massive week in AI (I can barely keep up), with everything from cutting-edge voice tech to surprising leadership changes—so I’m dedicating this entire edition to the key updates.
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Here’s what you need to know about AI this week (clickable links appear in orange in emails and underlined in the Substack app):
ChatGPT’s highly-anticipated Advanced Voice Mode is now available to all Plus and Team users via its mobile app (not available on desktop.)
Here’s why it matters:
🔊 Human-like interactions: The improved voice feature and faster conversation speed – as well its ability to respond with emotion - make interactions smoother, more natural and intuitive. You can even interrupt the chatbot if it starts going on too long. Oh, and there are 5 new voices to try out!
🌍 Improved Accent Recognition: ChatGPT now better understands diverse accents, making it more inclusive and accessible for global users.
🛠️ Customization Options: With Custom Instructions and Memory now integrated, you can personalize how ChatGPT responds and have it remember details from previous conversations—offering more seamless and connected conversations over time.
To use voice mode in the ChatGPT app, simply tap the black wave audio icon next to the message input window on the bottom-right of the screen:
Note: Advanced Voice Mode is not yet available in the EU, UK, and several other regions.
I’m SUPER excited about this new capability, especially for real-time voice translations.
Plus, speaking to ChatGPT is so much than typing out long instructions or questions.
I’ve playing with it all week and I’ve got to say... it’s next level. It can speak perfect Farsi and even adapts to various accents from different regions of Iran.
This is just the beginning. This new capability is going to unlock countless new possibilities, like:
Better Accessibility: Hands-free control for people with disabilities, and voice assistants for the visually impaired allow for more independence and ease of use.
Interactive Storytelling & Audiobooks: Imagine talking to characters in real-time and shaping the plot as you go.
Live Event Translations: Follow global conferences or entertainment events in real-time, in your native language, without missing a beat.
And who knows what other cool uses we’ll uncover as we keep exploring…
The very next day, Meta launched its own voice mode, letting users interact with its AI across platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Meta has also partnered with celebrities like Judi Dench, Awkwafina, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell, paying them millions to feature their recognizable voices in its chatbot responses.
And as The Verge reports “artists and actors aren’t necessarily against the technology (AI) itself — they just want to be fairly compensated.” Kristen Bell, for instance, initially opposed Meta AI’s use of her data, even demanding Instagram "get rid of the AI program." Yet today, she’s one of the official voices for Meta’s chatbot.
Meta also launched its first multimodal AI model with vision capabilities (Llama 3.2), which similar to to ChatGPT and Claude, can see, understand and interpret images to provide feedback on visual inputs. It can also edit images by adding new backgrounds or additional details on demand.
OpenAI is facing yet another wave of leadership changes, as three more top executives announced their departures: Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew, and Vice President of Research Barret Zoph.
These latest exits add to a growing list of leadership changes this year and come in the wake of the high-profile drama surrounding CEO Sam Altman, who was briefly ousted before returning to his role.
Open AI’s Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever left in May and recently started a separate AI lab, raising $1B in funding.
President Greg Brockman announced a 6 month leave of absence in August.
OpenAI is also planning to restructure into a for-profit corporation, removing non-profit board control, with Sam Altman set to receive equity for the first time.
These shifts at OpenAI are worth watching closely—not just for their impact on internal dynamics, but for how they could reshape the global competitive landscape and balance of power.
As AI becomes central to innovation, economic dominance, and political influence, control over its development will translate directly into control over key industries, geopolitical dynamics, and ultimately, the world.
Google is now offering its standalone AI chatbot, Gemini, free to Workspace Business, Enterprise, and Frontline users. Previously a paid add-on, Gemini handles tasks like drafting emails, summarizing documents, generating images, and providing real-time insights. It also includes new security controls, ensuring company data isn’t used for AI training.
Despite his expressed concerns about AI’s societal impact, director James Cameron has now joined the board of Stability AI, known for its image-generating tool, Stable Diffusion. He sees the blend of AI and CGI as the future of film. With Hollywood increasingly partnering with AI firms, it seems like it’s “if you can’t beat them, join them” time.
OpenAI will provide access to its training data for inspection by representatives of authors suing the company over alleged copyright violations. The lawsuit claims OpenAI used their works to train ChatGPT without permission. This inspection could set key legal precedents for AI, copyright law, and the boundaries of fair use.
OpenAI is pushing the White House to back an unprecedented data center expansion to meet the rising demands of AI as well as its potential benefits for national security and the economy.
AI startup Runway has launched “Hundred Film Fund", offering filmmakers up to $1 million if they use AI to make movies. The fund aims to support up to 100 films, with a panel of expert advisors including Tribeca Film Festival’s Jane Rosenthal and Nvidia's Richard Kerris overseeing the selection process.
Physicians are increasingly using AI to draft replies to patient messages on platforms like MyChart, often without patients being informed. While this helps reduce physician burnout, there are concerns about AI errors and whether automating doctor-patient communication risks undermining trust in healthcare.
I use MyChart to communicate with my doctors all the time, and honestly, I don’t mind if AI helps draft their initial response. I’ve been getting replies faster, and I know my doctor is reviewing and personalizing the message.
Still, transparency is key. It’s important to be clear about AI’s exact role—patients should understand how AI is used in their care, with doctors still responsible for the final say.
AI is making it easier to create fake political ads, but U.S. regulators have done little to stop it. While there are some proposed rules, delays and disagreements between government agencies mean no real action is likely before the 2024 election. With AI-generated disinformation growing fast, there’s a real risk it could mislead voters in the 2024 election if new laws aren’t passed soon.
Middle Eastern nations like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are pouring billions into AI to reduce their economic reliance on oil, with funding increasing fivefold in the past year, targeting top companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
This surge is raising concerns about inflated valuations, similar to past tech bubbles, while also highlighting these countries' growing influence in global tech, which could have broader geopolitical implications as they position themselves as key players in the AI-driven future.
Deepak Chopra has partnered with AI firm ElevenLabs to offer his voice for streaming books and articles. This collaboration follows their earlier work on the "Digital Deepak" chatbot, which uses AI to interact with users and answer questions based on the content of Chopra’s numerous books, public appearances and teachings.
Warner Bros. Discovery and Google have launched “caption AI,” a new tool that automatically generates captions for content on the Max streaming platform. The tool cuts captioning costs by 50% and shortens the process by 80%, though human transcribers will still be needed to confirm accuracy.
That's all for this week.
I’ll see you next Friday. Thoughts, feedback and questions are welcome and much appreciated. Shoot me a note at avi@joinsavvyavi.com.
Stay curious,
Avi
💙💙💙 P.S. A huge thank you to my paid subscribers and those of you who share this newsletter with curious friends. It takes me about 6+ hours each week to curate, simplify the complex, and write this newsletter. So, your support means the world to me, as it helps me make this process sustainable.
Love this digest of what I need to know about AI happenings, Avi!! Thank you!