Catch up on select AI news and developments from the past week or so (in no particular order):

NYT sends cease-and-desist notice to AI startup Perplexity. The New York Times has sent a cease-and-desist notice to Perplexity, demanding the AI startup stop using its content for generative AI without permission. NYT claims that Perplexity's use of its content for summaries and outputs violates copyright law. The AI startup is expected to respond by the end of October. Importance for marketers: Marketers should note the increasing friction between content creators and AI companies, signaling a growing need for compliance with intellectual property laws in AI-powered content generation.

OpenAI launches ChatGPT for Windows to integrate into office software. OpenAI has introduced a Windows desktop application for ChatGPT, allowing users to access the AI tool without needing a Web browser. The app, now available to select subscribers, enables quick access via a keyboard shortcut, enhancing productivity by integrating AI into workflows. This move further strengthens OpenAI's presence in both personal and professional settings. Importance for marketers: Marketers can now harness AI tools seamlessly within their existing office setups, which could significantly streamline tasks like content creation, data analysis, and campaign management.

Google's NotebookLM adds customization for AI-generated podcasts. Google has introduced customization features for its NotebookLM AI podcasts, allowing users to modify content based on their preferences. This update lets users personalize audio "deep dives" from uploaded documents, including texts like Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis." Though originally seen as a productivity tool, the entertainment potential of these personalized AI podcasts has captured public attention. Importance for marketers: Marketers can use AI-driven audio content for tailored engagement with specific audiences, using customized podcasts as a tool for thought leadership and content marketing.

Google reorganizes Gemini app team into DeepMind for improved AI integration. Google has shifted the Gemini app team from its Knowledge & Information division into Google DeepMind, aiming to enhance AI feedback loops and streamline the deployment of new models. At the same time, the Assistant team has moved to the Pixel and Android division, focusing on AI-powered home experiences. This reorganization reflects Google's push to accelerate product momentum in its AI initiatives. Importance for marketers: This change signals a stronger focus on AI development, offering marketers more advanced tools for user engagement and content personalization as Google intensifies its AI-driven efforts.

EU AI Act compliance checker highlights major tech firms' pitfalls. A new tool designed to assess AI models' compliance with the EU's AI Act has revealed shortcomings in cybersecurity and discriminatory output among some of the most prominent AI models, including those from Meta and OpenAI. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in significant fines for tech companies. Importance for marketers: As AI becomes integral to marketing strategies, marketers should be aware of compliance risks and the evolving regulatory landscape, particularly in data protection and responsible AI use.

Google signs deal for nuclear power to fuel AI datacenters. Google has signed a deal with Kairos Power to purchase energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to power its AI datacenters. This low-carbon energy solution will help meet the growing electricity demands generated by AI and cloud storage by providing a reliable 24/7 energy source. Importance for marketers: As AI-driven tools become more energy-intensive, marketers should consider the sustainability efforts of tech giants like Google, which could influence their own sustainability messaging and corporate responsibility initiatives.

Former Palantir CISO joins OpenAI to strengthen security efforts. Dane Stuckey, previously CISO at Palantir, has joined OpenAI as its new chief information security officer. His expertise is expected to advance OpenAI's ambitions in cybersecurity and national security sectors, with the company already working on AI-related defense projects. Importance for marketers: Marketers need to be aware of increasing security considerations in AI as companies like OpenAI focus on compliance, trust, and cybersecurity, ensuring the safe deployment of AI technologies in marketing strategies.

AI inference prices expected to drop as competition intensifies. Startups in the AI-inference market are driving prices down, offering cheaper solutions for generating AI outputs. This increased competition could benefit businesses that use AI inference while challenging traditional cloud providers. Some inference providers predict that lower prices will drive greater adoption of AI services. Importance for marketers: Lower costs for AI inference could enable marketers to increase their use of AI-driven insights and outputs, potentially leading to more sophisticated campaigns at a reduced cost.

Character.AI faces backlash for creating non-consensual chatbots of real people. Character.AI is under scrutiny for allowing users to create AI chatbots based on real people without consent. This issue has sparked ethical concerns, especially as some of the bots impersonate victims of harassment. The platform has since removed some of these bots but continues to face criticism. Importance for marketers: Marketers should monitor the ethical implications of AI technologies, especially those that involve personalization, to ensure they do not inadvertently harm their brand reputation through unethical practices.

Viral ChatGPT prompt gains traction with Sam Altman's endorsement. A new viral ChatGPT prompt asking the AI to provide users with insights about themselves has gained popularity, receiving praise from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Users have reported finding the prompt's responses insightful and emotionally resonant. Importance for marketers: This trend demonstrates the growing engagement with AI as a tool for personalized interactions, highlighting the potential for marketers to use AI to deepen customer engagement through emotional and personalized experiences.

OpenAI hires Microsoft generative AI research lead. OpenAI has hired Microsoft's former VP of generative AI research, Sebastien Bubeck. Bubeck played a key role in developing Microsoft’s Phi models and is expected to contribute to OpenAI's research into smaller, more efficient AI models. Importance for marketers: As AI models become more efficient, marketers can expect more accessible and faster AI tools, enabling greater agility in content generation and customer interaction.

Adobe MAX introduces over 100 new AI features for creative professionals. At Adobe MAX 2024, Adobe announced over 100 new features for Creative Cloud, including AI-powered tools in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and more. The company also unveiled new capabilities within its Firefly family of generative AI models designed for creative and enterprise use. Importance for marketers: Marketers will benefit from the enhanced capabilities of Adobe's AI tools, which can streamline content production, improve collaboration, and drive more personalized marketing campaigns.

• Adobe releases AI video generation tools within Premiere Pro. Adobe has launched new AI video generation tools, including Text-to-Video and Generative Extend, within Premiere Pro. These tools allow users to extend footage and create video content from text prompts, offering creatives more flexibility in post-production. Importance for marketers: AI-driven video tools like those from Adobe could revolutionize how marketers create video content, making it easier and more cost-effective to produce engaging visual assets for campaigns.
• Adobe launches Firefly AI video model in public beta. Adobe's Firefly AI video model, which supports features like Generative Extend and Text-to-Video, has entered public beta. The model is designed to make AI-driven video creation commercially safe, allowing content creators to generate video from text and image prompts. Importance for marketers: Adobe's Firefly AI video model provides a powerful tool for marketers to streamline video content creation, enabling them to produce more dynamic video assets for digital marketing campaigns at scale.
• Photoshop introduces new AI tools for distraction removal and background editing. Adobe has introduced several new AI features in Photoshop, including automatic background distraction removal and the latest version of its Firefly Image model. These tools aim to speed up traditionally time-consuming editing tasks by leveraging AI capabilities. Importance for marketers: Marketers can use these new AI tools to create visually compelling content more efficiently, ensuring higher productivity when preparing assets for campaigns.

Apple launches new iPad Mini with AI-powered features. Apple has unveiled a new version of its iPad Mini, featuring AI tools like writing assistants and an improved Siri. Powered by the A17 Pro chip, the device will also include image-generation tools and ChatGPT-powered capabilities. Importance for marketers: The new AI-powered iPad Mini offers marketers advanced tools for content creation and productivity, enabling them to work more efficiently with AI-driven features while on the go.

The 'strawberry' problem highlights AI's limitations in simple tasks. Despite their complexity, large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, struggle with some simple tasks, including counting letters in words. That limitation arises from how LLMs tokenize words, focusing on patterns rather than individual letters. Importance for marketers: Marketers need to be mindful of AI's limitations when deploying LLMs in content creation or customer interactions, ensuring that human oversight complements AI capabilities to avoid errors.

Xiaomi to introduce generative AI features in India through Google partnership. Xiaomi is expected to roll out generative AI features to its smartphones in India by the end of the fiscal year. This move follows a partnership with Google to integrate AI features into Xiaomi's devices, aiming to democratize AI capabilities for a broader market. Importance for marketers: Marketers should be aware of the increasing accessibility of generative AI on mobile devices, which could expand opportunities for personalized marketing and consumer engagement at scale.

ChatGPT's new voice mode impresses with its ability to mimic real voices. ChatGPT's new Advanced Voice Mode can now imitate real human voices with remarkable accuracy, sparking both excitement and concerns about emotional reliance on AI. This feature enables more personalized and human-like interactions with AI. Importance for marketers: Marketers can explore new possibilities for customer engagement by using AI-generated voices for personalized audio content, opening avenues for voice-driven interactions that feel more human.

Google Cloud's HR head uses AI to improve recruitment and onboarding. Google Cloud's HR team is using AI to streamline recruitment and onboarding, improving candidate matching and reducing time spent on administrative tasks. AI also helps customize onboarding for new employees, matching them with development programs tailored to their goals. Importance for marketers: AI’s ability to personalize employee experiences can be mirrored in marketing strategies, helping brands deliver more relevant and tailored content to their customers based on data-driven insights.

You can find the previous issue of AI Update here.

Editor's note: GPT-4o was used to help compile this week's AI Update.