November Month in Review
By Mike Cloppse, Senior Manager of Creative Services
Big Picture
The first artificially intelligent wearable smart device called the AI Pin will be available to pre-order next week.
How it Works: The wearable device can be controlled by speaking aloud, tapping a touch pad, or projecting a laser display onto the palm of the user’s hand. The Pin’s primary job is to route user queries to the right AI tools automatically rather than asking a user to download and manage apps. The new gadget costs $699 and requires a $24 monthly subscription, Humane hopes to ship the devices by early 2024.
Adoption Hurdles: For the new communication device to gain widespread adoption, users will need to adapt to a new operating system called Cosmos. They may also need to be willing to acquire new phone numbers for the device, as it comes with its own wireless plan. Input methods will primarily rely on voice dictation, as opposed to traditional typing. Additionally, the camera’s zoom functionality will be replaced with a wider-angle lens.
Potential Game Changer: If consumers embrace it, the AI Pin could help usher in a new wave of mobile hardware that uses human language commands, rather than apps, as its primary interface.
“There’s a lot of curiosity mixed with apprehension around artificial intelligence right now. It will be interesting to see if the AI Pin is an industry gamechanger or a first-generation flop with consumers.”
– Navmi Sharma
Industry
On November 21, OpenAI stated that Sam Altman will be returning as the CEO, capping five days of drama while upending the board that initially ousted him.
After the Dust is Settled: The board reinstated Altman on the condition that an independent investigation of his leadership at OpenAI will take place. Greg Brockman, the company president who resigned after the board’s surprise decision, will return with Altman, though neither of them will regain their positions on the board. Microsoft, who sought to hire Altman for its own AI team, expressed support for the turnout of the events.
Board Room Drama: Out of the four board members who pushed out Altman, only Adam D’Angelo, the CEO of Quora, will remain, while the rest will be stepping down. In addition to D’Angelo, a new board will consist of Bret Taylor, an early Facebook officer and former co-chief executive of Salesforce; and Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury secretary.
Key Takeaway: It is yet unclear why Altman was fired in the first place. However, the board’s accusation of his lack of “candor in communications” as the CEO suggests tension between OpenAI’s commercial expansion in partnership with Microsoft and concerns over AI safety. The OpenAI drama reflects the overall trend of the public sector’s regulation efforts falling behind the technological leaps of the AI industry.
“We may never know the real reason that Sam Altman was fired from OpenAI, but it hardly matters. The company’s whiplash decision to rehire him shows that they need him at the helm to continue driving the business and the industry forward. The drama is likely far from over. This story is one to watch in 2024.”
– Seana Siekman
Innovation
The NFL is coming up with ambitious plans to maintain the popularity and growth of its programming by creating a “streaming universe” to offset the decline of traditional TV.
Big Picture: As ratings and viewership for live broadcasts drop, organizations are diversifying their content and teaming up with streaming platforms to produce documentaries on the humanizing back-stories of their players.
Full Slate: The NFL has over 50 productions in the pipeline through partnerships with various media companies. Jesse Sisgold, President of Skydance Media, says that the goal is to reach those “who are not locked in to football every Sunday.”
- This year, NFL Films partnered with Skydance for the Roku documentary, “The Pick Is In,” and “Kelce,” a Prime Video feature centered on Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason Kelce.
- “Quarterback,” a miniseries about Patrick Mahomes and other NFL quarterbacks, has gained significant popularity on Netflix. It is co-produced by Omaha Productions – a studio founded by Peyton and Eli Manning that has quickly became a production powerhouse.
- The NFL is also getting in front of a younger audience via partnership with Nickelodeon and the animated Toy Story Funday Football.
According to Ross Ketover, the senior director of NFL Films, the studio is looking to “exponentially grow” the demand for content over the next decade, “not just in the documentary space, but in the entertainment space, from scripted to animated to any other area where people are consuming content.”
“The NFL’s focus on programming beyond the games proves that content is still king. The success of Kelce, Amazon’s most-watched docufilm ever, illustrates why this is the right move for the organization. Telling the stories of the players in a relatable, humanizing way may be the best vehicle to further engage diehard fans and win over the next generation of football lovers.”
– Kristin Detterline
Inspiration
Director Peter Jackson’s new technology developed for the 2021 Beatles documentary series “Get Back” was used to create the “last” Beatles song with contributions from all four members.
The Reviews are In: Describing the song as a “wistful curiosity,” NPR quickly adds that “Now and Then” likely won’t live on as one of the Fab Four’s most memorable songs. Not surprising since the song began as a modest demo and was shelved by the band more than once over the course of four decades.
How it Happened: The song may not place on the Billboard Hot 100 but it gets four stars for Jackson’s technological wizardry. In the same manner that he was able to produce “Get Back,” Jackson relied on AI to isolate different voices and instruments for “Now and Then.”