Happy FriYAY and welcome back to a new edition of the Weekly Download. Here are the headlines you might’ve missed this week:
TikTok launches a new insights-focused hub for marketers, AI updates from this week’s Google I/O, and Meta revamps its monetization program for Reels creators. Plus, is there a new woman taking the helm at Twitter?
Read on for all the details — and a little Friday fun!
TikTok launches new hub with insights for marketers
As part of the company’s third annual “TikTok World” event earlier this week, TikTok launched a new hub for brands to help them connect with audiences and improve marketing on the platform.
The hub covers four main topics — branding, commerce, performance, and creative — and includes videos featuring TikTok product leaders as well as product roadmaps. The hub also includes the platform’s suite of advertising products to help marketers find the tools they need for their content and ads.
The company also introduced “TikTok Fundamentals,” a new framework that enables brands to get the most out of TikTok advertising campaigns.
You can check out the “TikTok World Hub” mini-site here.
Google releases widespread access to its Bard chatbot
At this week’s Google I/O event, the company’s annual developer conference, a slew of updates and new features were announced, one of the most exciting being the widespread availability of Bard, Google’s AI chatbot.
First announced in March but locked behind a waitlist, Bard is now accessible in more than 180 countries and territories in English, with plans to introduce new languages, including Korean and Japanese, soon.
AI safety and responsibility were key points of discussion during the conference, and Google has been clear to refer to Bard as an experiment rather than a beta.
What is next for Bard? Soon the system will be able to deliver answers in more than just text, with the addition of multimodal content, including rich visuals, to provide a better understanding of the explored topic.
Google introduces new AI features for Gmail
And speaking of new tech from Google, soon the company will make it possible for users to write emails using the power of AI.
Aptly called “Help Me Write,” the new feature expands on the existing auto-reply and generative text functions within the Gmail app, pulling information from previous exchanges to create messages.
Users will still have lots of control: They can edit AI-generated messages to their liking before hitting the “send” button. According to Google, the goal of the feature is to help users save time on small, simple emails and achieve the elusive “inbox zero” status.
Would you be comfortable letting AI help manage your inbox?
Meta updates its monetization program for Reels creators
Meta is changing its monetization program for Reels creators, with payments based on the performance of the content rather than on the ads shown. According to the social media giant, the update will help address perceived inequities in the system and increase monetization potential for creators.
While short-form video monetization remains a challenge, Meta continues to update its models for current and future projects, as it understands that building mutually beneficial partnerships with creative talent will be key to driving creator adoption.
For now, the new program is focused on Facebook, with testing of a similar program happening on Instagram in the coming weeks.
You can learn more about the new program and monetization policies here.
Is there a new woman taking the helm at Twitter? Elon Musk says yes.
According to Elon Musk, a new CEO will be taking the helm at X Corp (Twitter’s parent company) in just six weeks.
Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.
While Musk tweeted about the move, he did not provide any further details or confirmation from Twitter.
Musk’s announcement comes almost five months after he posted a Twitter poll asking users if he should step down as CEO of the company. At the time, more than 17.5 million users voted, and a majority (57.5 percent) voted in favour of his stepping down.
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
At this point, it’s unclear if Musk’s tweet was a joke or a serious announcement. To be continued…
Friday Fun
Would you do a silly dance for a discount? We love their commitment!
