The Weekly Download — Friday, March 17, 2023
Welcome back to the Weekly Download! And a Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all those partaking in the fun.
There’s a lot on the docket today, including the launch of GPT-4, new AI features coming to Google Workspace, big changes at Meta, and Friday Fun … so let’s dive in!
OpenAI reveals GPT-4
Following lengthy speculation, the next generation of ChatGPT has arrived: Say hello to GPT-4.
Announcing GPT-4, a large multimodal model, with our best-ever results on capabilities and alignment: https://t.co/TwLFssyALF pic.twitter.com/lYWwPjZbSg
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) March 14, 2023
According to OpenAI, GPT-4 is “more creative and collaborative than ever before” and “can solve difficult problems with greater accuracy.” While the latest iteration of the language model can parse both text and image input, it can respond only by text.
OpenAI says GPT-4 is already integrated into a number of notable products, including those owned by companies like Duolingo and Stripe. And it’s available to the general public for $20 a month as part of the ChatGPT Plus subscription.
It all sounds great, right? There are a few caveats. The new systems retain many of the same problems as earlier models, including a tendency to “hallucinate,” OpenAI’s term for ChatGPT’s making up information. And OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits that GPT-4 “is still flawed, still limited” and “still seems more impressive on first use than it does after you spend more time with it.”
Google announces new AI features across Workspace products
We know that artificial intelligence is the future—and Google does, too. That’s why the company recently announced a suite of upcoming generative AI features across Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets, and Slides.
The features will allow new ways for users to create, summarize, and brainstorm text directly in Google Docs, generate full emails in Gmail based on bullet points, and provide the ability to produce imagery, audio, and video to illustrate presentations in Slides, all thanks to the power of AI.
What upcoming feature are you most looking forward to?
Big changes at Meta as it cuts 10,000 additional jobs
In a second round of mass layoffs in a four-month period, Meta is cutting 10,000 jobs in the name of efficiency. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who previously stated that 2023 would be a “year of efficiency,” the sweeping changes come as a means to cut costs.
Along with layoffs, Zuckerberg says Meta employees can expect to see restructuring plans and the cancellation of lower-priority projects. While it has yet to be confirmed, early reports suggest the layoffs will impact teams working on wearable devices as part of the Reality Labs hardware and metaverse division.
What do layoffs mean for those using Meta products as a component of their marketing strategy? At this point, not much, but it’s something we’ll be keeping a close eye on for our clients.
Meta pauses Reels bonus program as new ad revenue share program is developed
Speaking of Meta, more changes are on the horizon that will directly affect creators who participate in the company’s Reels Play bonus program.
According to Business Insider, “Meta will be pausing its US Reels Play bonus, a program that paid creators a monthly sum for accumulating views on their Reels. The pause will impact US-based creators on both Instagram and Facebook. Any ongoing Reels bonuses that a creator has signed up for will be honored for the next 30 days.”
The pause comes as no big surprise given that other platforms like TikTok have had challenges implementing short-form content monetization programs; without in-stream ads, it can be challenging to attribute ad performance to one specific creator or piece of content.
As a workaround, several platforms have turned to creator fund programs to help incentivize new content, but those come with challenges too. Funds generally remain stagnant, so as more creators sign on to develop content, their shares of the funding become diluted.
YouTube launched a new Shorts monetization process earlier this year, and so far, feedback from creators has been less than stellar. It will be interesting to see what new methods of revenue sharing Meta comes up with, and you can count on us to keep you updated.
Friday Fun
This week’s Friday Fun is a little less fun and a little more … awkward?
This video of Ashley Graham interviewing Hugh Grant at last week’s 95th Academy Awards has been making the rounds across the internet for its cringe factor:
Props to Ashley for keeping things light and forging ahead! What do you think about the interview?
