$25 Mil Deepfake Losses, Rebranding Bard AI, and more
AI continues to cause security disruptions, Google decides to rebrand AI, and several more interesting stories in this week's edition.
Hey there!
This week, we’re diving into some noteworthy developments in AI.
As you might remember, I'm actively sharing video content on Instagram about AI, entrepreneurship, and career building. I’ve also started a podcast called “The Quest”, focused on helping you work on career growth and personal development with advice from people who’ve been there and done that.
In Today’s Edition:
Apple's Vision Pro launches
One-person Unicorn will be a reality soon
Firm loses $25 million in shocking deepfake scam
The Quest: Building your career in the 2020s
Tools & resources of the week
🖥️ Tech Bytes
Apple's Vision Pro Launches to Widespread Excitement
Apple Vision Pro is here, and it’s already created a ton of buzz online. Early adopters have shared their experiences, highlighting the device's advancements in spatial computing and its notable app interactions. With over 600 apps available, I've highlighted some notable ones on X/Twitter here.
Additionally, the device has inspired a wave of amusing memes capturing users' experiences in public, check them out here. What are your thoughts on Apple Vision Pro? Feel free to reply to this email and share your insights.
Sam Altman Predicts One-Person Unicorn Will Be a Reality Soon
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a recent interview declared that a “one person, one billion dollar company” will emerge shortly with the AI revolution. He revealed having a betting pool with fellow tech CEOs to predict the year when this milestone would be achieved. On the other hand, the recent wave of tech layoffs, driven in part by AI implementation, tells another story. This idea of AI helping entrepreneurs build one-person unicorns might sound overwhelming, but AI advancements in the last year alone give us some perspective.
Google to Rebrand Bard AI, Launch Powerful Gemini Ultra
A leaked changelog indicates that Google is set to rebrand its Bard chatbot as Gemini, aligning it with its underlying generative models. The launch includes the highly anticipated Gemini Ultra model, with a paid 'Gemini Advanced' tier based on the powerful Ultra model. The move also involves the introduction of Gemini's first Android app on select devices, with a global expansion plan. The shift from Bard to Gemini and the launch of the Ultra model may intensify competition in the language model acceleration race, potentially influencing developments in the field, including OpenAI's GPT-5 rollout.
Firm Loses $25 Million in Shocking Deepfake Scam
In a startling event, a multinational company faced staggering losses of $25.6 million due to a deepfake video call. An employee of the company was lured into a group video call full of deepfaked company officers, including what appeared to be the company’s CFO. The scammer gave the employee orders to transfer funds to five separate Hong Kong bank accounts. This event highlights an increasing threat of deepfake technology, with instances ranging from financial scams to alarming trends like crypto scam ads and blackmail. As technology advances, so too must our defenses. Remaining aware and implementing robust security measures are crucial steps in the fight against these increasingly sophisticated scams.
🌱 Personal Growth
The Lifelong Pursuit of Knowledge
In a world that is increasingly looking like the future from the 20th century’s science fiction books, the pursuit of knowledge extends far beyond graduation from college. I wrote about the importance of ongoing education in your life, on how it serves as a powerful tool for having relevant skills in one's career, and ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life.
Building Your Career in the 2020s
I’ve launched a brand new podcast, “The Quest,” where I talk to friends and experts about questions on career growth, personal development, and navigating life's challenges. In this first episode, Akshay and I dive deep into the nuances of job hunting and career development, exploring the changing work landscape of the 2020s with our own stories.
🎁 Resources & Tools
Tools of the week
Threenextbooks: Suggests three books in a similar category
Photoroom: Free AI image editor that helps you remove background, objects and edit photos.
ChatGPT Prompting: Craft effective prompts with simple premade simple question templates.
Resources of the week
2024 Notion Planner: An interlinked template with more than 20 sections to help you plan a year ahead, track progress, and achieve your goals.
2024 Word of the Year Workbook: This guide helps you choose one powerful word of the year to reflect on your goals and integrate it into your life.
📢 Shoutout
This week’s shoutout: Softr
Softr is a no-code platform, that empowers users to effortlessly build websites and seamlessly integrate tools like Airtable, Google Sheets, and Smart Suite. With its user-friendly interface, pre-built templates, and building blocks, Soft simplifies the website creation process so that you can focus on building.
Follow the journey of Mariam Hakobyan, the founder of Softr, on X/ Twitter, and witness the evolution of this mompreneur in the no-code tool space.
These were my top insights from this week. Stay tuned for more content on tech, AI, no-code, and entrepreneurship. If you liked this edition, do let me know on X/Twitter. I also share video content on my Instagram page.
Cheers,
Vensy
P.S. I love hearing from my readers. If you have any thoughts or requests on the content I should create, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
The deepfake video call is concerning. Would love to read more about how companies are ensuring protection against AI.