Well, it’s the last AI Round-up of 2024. And just like Juan Soto’s stocking, it is stuffed. A lot to get to before the year’s up, so let’s dive in!
1. OpenAI’s ‘12 days of ship-mas’
Ok, so you knew this was going to be the first story. Honestly, it could be the whole BIG five on its own.
Before we dig in, did anyone else think of this amazing, classic Kmart ad when they heard ‘ship-mas’? Also, the first guy (dad) in this ad is Jeff from Superstore. Mind blown.
Anyways, back to ‘ship-mas’… it’s pretty incredible to see what they’re releasing. It’s kind of like that Instagram photo dump you do…hey everyone, here’s everything we have!
From Sora (weird that this is baked into this promo) to Apple Intelligence to … a Santa AI voice? This is worth keeping an eye on. And we have some downtime over the holidays to experiment … so happy holidays, ya filthy animals.
Follow along on a day-by-day basis here at Tom’s Guide.
2. 15 times to use AI. And 5 times not to.
Ethan Mollick delivers again. As he puts it, use this blog for inspiration more than anything. His 15 times examples are great. But my favorite comes from the 5 times not to portion…
“When the effort is the point.” In many areas, people need to struggle with a topic to succeed - writers rewrite the same page, and academics revisit a theory many times. By shortcutting that struggle, no matter how frustrating, you may lose the ability to reach the vital “aha” moment.
What’s more human than feeling a sense of accomplishment?
3. The AI Flywheel: tomorrow will look nothing like today.
Scientifically speaking, you are using the worst AI technology there is. Ethan Mollick taught us that. But what does better tech look like? And more importantly, how do we prepare for it?
That’s what this Shelly Palmer blog is about. A perfect mix of flywheel methodology and modern-day capabilities. You won’t want to miss this one…
NOTE: bookmark these last two blogs!!
4. Microsoft AI’s CEO Mustafa Suleyman was interviewed on the Decoder podcast
Suleyman is one of my favorite AI voices. He talks AGI, conversational AI becoming the next web browser and more on the Decoder podcast with Nilay Patel.
5. “Stop hiring humans”
Talk about an ad campaign that will get your attention … especially when it’s from an AI software company that sells – you guessed it – AI sales agents.
It might have upset a lot of people. But a lot of people are talking about it. Willing to be AI didn’t come up with the campaign.
6. Google’s Gemini 2.0 is about to be everywhere.
Google DeepMind just unveiled Gemini 2.0, its most advanced AI model yet, promising to redefine what we expect from AI. With native image and audio output, the model pushes Google closer to its vision of a universal assistant seamlessly integrated across its ecosystem. Gemini 2.0 is already live and available at all subscription tiers—even free. While the current release is an “experimental preview,” upgrades are expected soon, along with new features like Project Mariner, a Chrome extension that can literally control your desktop. Whether it’s through smart glasses, AI coding assistants, or advanced research tools, Google’s Gemini ecosystem is stepping up in a big way.
Generative AI has quickly become a cornerstone for businesses looking to solve complex problems and improve productivity. Adoption rates have nearly doubled this year, with 65% of companies using AI in at least one business function.
The potential is incredible—estimated to contribute up to $4.4 trillion annually to global GDP. But … while interest is high, successful deployment remains a challenge. Only 5% of companies with generative AI plans report having use cases in production, and two-thirds of leaders are dissatisfied with their progress. The lesson? Generative AI offers transformative potential, but achieving it requires navigating cost, complexity, and scalability challenges.
(Again, worth pointing out that the Shelly Palmer blog in the BIG six is worth a save.)
…ElevenLabs is doing podcasts now, too? Look out … whatever your names are from Google NotebookLM! (Bloomberg)
…UCLA offering a comp lit class developed entirely by AI? Mr. Belding would not approve. (TechCrunch)
…Nvidia steps up hiring in China to help develop AI-driven cars. (Reuters)
…Microsoft Recall recalling your credit card numbers … despite saying it wouldn’t? (Tom’s Guide)
…AI’s biggest moments? What we learned in 2024. (Forbes)
It has to be Sora, right? So much time has passed since we saw those tiny pirate ships floating in coffee cups … and now it’s here. I mean, just checking out the samples on the home page is pretty wild.
Enjoy. Look forward to testing this and talking about it!
Here’s a question worth asking: Should we, as creators, get paid when our work is used to fuel generative AI responses? On the surface, it seems fair—after all, it’s our content being repurposed, often for free, to create value for others.
Sam Altman thinks so. Speaking at the New York Times DealBook Summit, the OpenAI CEO addressed the idea of compensating creators, joining a growing chorus of tech leaders who seem to agree. AI startup ProRata’s founder and CEO, Bill Gross, didn’t hold back:
"AI is powerful and unstoppable, but it’s also unfair. Creators and consumers both deserve protection.”
It sounds promising, doesn’t it? But here’s the catch: Is this just lip service? A soundbite crafted by PR teams to soothe growing concerns? Let’s not forget—these same companies have been voraciously scraping the internet for years without much regard for compensation. So, why care now?
The real question might not be should creators get paid, but can they? Who decides who gets compensated—and how much? While the idea feels like a step in the right direction, it risks being more about optics than action. Until these promises turn into policy, skepticism feels warranted.
Thanks for reading … see you next year!
-Ben
As a reminder, this is a round-up of the biggest stories, often hitting multiple newsletters I receive/review. The sources are many … which I’m happy to read on your behalf. Let me know if there’s one you’d like me to track or have questions about a topic you’re not seeing here.