🔒 AI Safety Isn't Its Biggest Issue

📰 Industry News

• Local businesses will shortly be able to benefit from a ‘nearby events & deals‘ feature on Google Business profiles, increasing visibility in the local area. (Search Engine Land)

• New EU data laws from March 6th will allow users to block Meta from combining their data from Facebook and Instagram accounts. (Meta)

• Amazon has been fined £27m for ‘excessive’ surveillance of its workers in France, including measures found to be illegal. (BBC)

• Online retailer eBay plans to lay off 1,000 workers (9% of the workforce), the firm says in a letter sent to employees (TheGuardian)

• Etsy has launched ‘Gift Mode‘, an AI-powered feature to match tailored gift ideas based on the recipient’s interests. (Tech Crunch)

• Uniqlo is suing Shein over claims the Chinese fast fashion giant is selling copycats of its viral Mary Poppins shoulder bag. (BBC)

• Elon Musk has shared that Grok 1.5 will be out next month, with substantial improvements across the board. (X)

📱 Google Circle Brings More AI To Search

Google has introduced a new feature to Search, called Circle, offering a more intuitive and efficient way to perform Google searches on your smartphone.

• Initially available on Samsung's Galaxy S24 series and Google Pixel 8 models, this feature allows users to circle items on their screen to generate Google search results instantly.

• Unlike Google Lens, Circle to Search can be used directly on your device without switching apps, streamlining the search process by eliminating steps like taking screenshots or opening different apps.

• Complementing Circle to Search is an updated multi-search tool in the Google app, enabling users to refine visual searches with complex questions, available on both Android and iOS devices in the US.

You can read the full story on Google Circle via The Verge, and check out a hands-on look at the launch trailer on YouTube.

✨ The Best GPTs For Online Businesses

With new GPTs popping up daily, these are some of my favourites so far for online business owners on the OpenAI store.

VC Associate - Pick this GPT for your start-up idea, it will provide you with a downloadable investment memo that updates as you type.

Sell Me This Pen - Create quick and effective product listings for second-hand marketplaces such as eBay. Simply upload a product picture and let AI take it from there.

Data Privacy For E-commerce - This GPT help create stringent data privacy and security measures for your e-commerce store. Perfect if you are processing personal data, payment details and marketing data.

Drop Ship Sage - Drop shipping isn’t dead, and a good product makes all the difference. Enter a niche, and this GPT will find you trending items in seconds.

E-commerce SEO - Enter any URL from your site or product listing, and this GPT will provide instantly actionable on-page SEO tips.

⚖️ Is AI Driving An Equalities Gap?

As the World Economic Forum came to a close, there was one topic of discussion on everyone’s lips, AI. Its impact is unquestionable, but the concerns are very real.

Once again, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was questioned on the safety of AI, to which he candidly responded: “We have our own nervousness, but we believe that we can manage through it, and the only way to do that is to put the technology in the hands of the people.”

But the concerns go far beyond the misuse of data and safety. Inequality was a hard-hitting subject from the forum.

Paula Ingabrie, Minister of Information, Communication, Technology and Innovation for Rwanda highlighted the potential leveraging AI could have on the Rwandan economy, with an initial contribution of up to 6% of GDP. But stated that the challenges around accessibility to AI, increasing digital literacy and access to affordable smartphones pose a significant challenge.

That point was further underlined by Andre Fasel, Secretary of State for Switzerland, who added “AI is amongst the key technologies of our time and will have a lasting impact on society, economies and politics”…"Not all countries have the same access to the resources needed to implement these. If we do not address this, AI could become a driver of inequality. We must avoid opening an AI gap.”

Another prominent voice was Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General added to the concern: “We need a systematic effort to increase access to AI so that developing economies can benefit from its enormous potential. We need to bridge the digital divide instead of deepening it."

The overwhelming consensus from world leaders is that AI holds immense promise, but despite being in its infancy, is showing signs of exacerbating global inequalities.

This calls for a concerted effort from governments and tech companies to collaborate and develop strategies.

Whether it’s a lack of investment, lack of digital skills or access to AI technologies, as we head into what will be one of the most crucial years in AI development, actions will speak louder than words.

🤑 MrBeast’s Video Made $$$ on X

MrBeast posted his first video to X. A whopping 160,000,000 views later, it’s generated $250,000 in revenue.

This has been a pretty good stunt for the creator, who has amassed over 28 million followers on the platform. While X has done pretty well out of the publicity too, after being predicted to lose up to $75 million after advertisers X-odous.

But it gets better…

Yeah, and I joined in too…

But putting my overly generous philanthropic nature to one side, advertisers will see this as a step in the right direction for X. However, MrBeast himself said that the figure could be a bit of a façade. In a post on the platform, he said:

Monetisation has been under scrutiny on the platform, alongside content moderation practices.

Although MrBeast usually brings in millions of dollars from his videos on YouTube instead of hundreds of thousands, he’ll be pretty happy with the result.