Fast Snacks 🥡

Founderful Raising $120M To Fund Swiss Startup
Venture capital firm Founderful, previously called Wingman Ventures, is raising $120 million for a new fund to target Swiss artificial intelligence and tech startups…

Apple Researchers Unveil ‘Keyframer’
Keyframer harnesses the power of large language models (LLMs) to animate static images through natural language prompts…

Experience Human-Like Engagement (partner)
Transform customer support interactions into unique conversations with no coding needed…

Major Companies Reading All Your Messages

In November, Airbnb acquired a stealth AI firm launched by Siri’s co-founder, called GamePlanner.AI in a deal valued at around $200 million.

Though the hosting company didn’t telegraph its plans for GamePlanner at the time, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky yesterday shared a high-level overview of Airbnb’s larger plans for AI, saying that it planned to accel at the “application layer” of AI, building one of the “most innovative AI interfaces ever created.”

Chesky explained that Airbnb doesn’t see itself as an AI infrastructure company — meaning it’s not going to build its own large language models, but will rely on AI technologies from others, like OpenAI, Meta and Google.

“…Though the [AI] models are very powerful, the interface is really not an AI interface. It’s the same interface as the 2000s,” Chesky told investors on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “It’s a typical, classical web interface. So we feel like the models, in a sense, are probably underutilized,” he said. “Here’s another way of saying it. Take your phone and look at all the icons on your phone. Most of those apps have not fundamentally changed since the advent of generative AI. So what I think AI represents is the ultimate platform shift,” the CEO continued.

After the internet’s creation, the rise of mobile technology lifted Airbnb’s business, but AI is going to change things once again, Chesky believes. “[This] is also a shift in power. It’s a shift in behavior. And so I think this is a zero-zero ballgame,” he said.

Airbnb plans to leverage AI technology and particularly generative AI to provide a more personalized experience for its users, the exec told investors.

“Imagine an app that you feel like knows you — it’s like the ultimate concierge — an interface that is adaptive and evolving and changing in real-time, unlike no interface you’ve ever seen before. That would allow us to go from a single vertical company to a cross-vertical company,” Chesky added.

The CEO said he wouldn’t detail specific AI products and services it plans to offer at this time, but the company will make more announcements later this year on the AI front.

It has already tested some use cases for generative AI, including those where AI is used to write review summaries.

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Zuck Says Apple Vision… Sucks?

Mark Zuckerburg released a video reviewing and comparing the Apple Vision Pro to Meta’s Quest 3, and his thoughts on Apple were less than stellar.

First, there was Sparta Vs. Athens. Then there was The Hatfields Vs. The McCoys and today – there’s the next great grudge, Meta vs. Apple.

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, old Zuck released a video ripping, reviewing, and comparing Apple Vision Pro to Meta’s Quest 3, and uhhh… let’s just say he wasn’t that impressed.

Zuck offered a detailed comparison between Meta’s Quest 3 and Apple’s Vision Pro, highlighting the Quest 3’s affordability, lighter weight, wider field of view, and compatibility with Xbox games for good measure while admitting Apple’s screen is “really nice” (grudgingly, one assumes).

 

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A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

So, is this just tech giants squabbling, or is there more to it? Well, this rivalry could mean faster innovation and better AR/VR experiences for all of us. Zuck’s focus on affordability and comfort hints at companies finally realizing that user-friendliness is key to bringing everyone into the virtual fold.

But before you rush out and buy the latest headset, here are 3 things to remember:

1. Don’t be a fanboy (or fangirl)!: Read diverse opinions on AR/VR tech to understand the whole picture, not just Zuck’s side of the story.
2. Think critically: What do you actually need AR/VR for? Don’t get swept away by the hype before figuring out its practical applications in your life.
3. Chill out: The tech is still evolving. Wait for prices to drop and features to improve before diving headfirst into the metaverse.

Personally, it seems like he’s disappointed in their sales numbers, but he made several good points and insights into the competition and advancements in the AR/VR industry, helping consumers make informed decisions when investing in such technology.

If [Brand] Made Shoes Out Of [Brand’s Product]

Correct Answer ✔️