There’s so much AI news. Our monthly roundup pulls together some of the biggest headlines so you don’t have to.
This month: Notebook LM’s audio feature, all things Apple Intelligence, AI sunglasses, and more.
If there’s one update you should know about, it’s this.
Google’s Notebook LM has been around for a year and last week, its newest audio feature had me sitting in disbelief with my mouth agape. In all my time covering AI, that has never happened.
Notebook LM’s audio feature, released on Sept. 11, allows you to listen to two hosts have an incredibly natural conversation about the content you upload to the platform.
All you have to do is upload your files, wait a few minutes, and BAM: You’ll have two AI hosts discussing your document in incredible detail, with banter and jokes. I’d go as far as saying it's nearly undetectable from real people, no uncanny valley.
Don’t believe me? I uploaded this localization article to Notebook LM. Here’s the 10-minute breakdown it provided.
The output from GenAI, thus far, has always been a bit off. And this is across mediums: Video, text, and audio.
Even audio I’ve generated on ElevenLabs haven’t sounded this good. They’ve lacked the proper cadence, pauses, and natural flow of real conversation.
Powered by Gemini 1.5, Notebook LM nails it.
💡 Potential Use Case: If you’re an auditory learner, this tool is for you. Students on TikTok say this is transforming how they study and learn complex information.
Here are its limitations:
Mark Zuckerberg and company have been busy.
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses just got some pretty cool upgrades. You can now ask Meta AI to:
Also, if you’re using Meta’s AI assistant on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, you’ll notice the addition of celebrity voices, like Kristen Bell, John Cena, and Judi Dench, who will voice all interactions you have.
In October, Apple’s expected to release its first batch of Apple Intelligence features with iOS 18.
Here’s what’s coming:
For some of these features, consumers will have to wait until early next year. Hopefully, good things actually do come to those who wait.
OpenAI is going through quite the transition phase.
On Sept. 25, CTO Mira Murati shared on X that after six years, she was leaving the company for her “own exploration.” Shortly after, VP of Research Barret Zoph and Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew announced their departures.
Here’s a breakdown of the departure streak that started late last year:
In other – potentially related – news, OpenAI is rumored to transition from a nonprofit org to for-profit. Critics say this is just them moving more toward the direction they’ve been headed in for a while now.
ICYMI, OpenAI has long been criticized for prioritizing profit over safety in its AI pursuits. This news, if true, will heighten those fears and puts into question the company’s mission of developing safe AI.
The recent batch of exits may signal that former employees feel the same way.
We’ve all heard some of the nefarious ways AI can be used. Well, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on companies leveraging AI to encourage deceptive tactics.
Last week, the FTC announced an investigation into multiple companies as part of their “Operation AI Comply” sweep.
Here are some companies under fire:
We’ve covered the allure of having the buzzword “AI” in your marketing materials. The moral of the story is: Make sure your product lives up to the hype. Oh, and don’t leverage AI to do something illegal.
There you have it - the top news you should know about. We'll catch you next month!