- The AI Plug
- Posts
- #22 $1M AI kidnapping scam
Last newsletter of the week!
It’s been yet another full-on five days in AI-land, with some massive announcements coming in this issue.
We’ve also responded to reader requests for AI-image generator tools, and next week will put together a section with a more in-depth guide to prompting.
Enjoy the issue, and enjoy your weekends!
In today’s newsletter:
Top News: $1M AI kidnapping scam, Amazon launches Bedrock, and Stability AI’s XL pivot
The Rundown: AI sex chatbots, AI-enhanced image of supermassive black hole, and Republican lawmakers in drag
Tips, Tricks & Tools: AI image generators (because you asked for it), stock trading bots, and plagiarism detection tools
You asked, we delivered: A short introduction to image-generating prompting
Three dragons: Microsoft, Google and Amazon
Top News 🔝
Three biggest stories if you’re in a rush
Taking caller-ID scams to a whole new level, mother Jennifer DeStefano has been targeted by a scam in which the caller replicated Brie’s, her daughter’s voice, using AI voice-cloning software.
The caller demanded $1M in ransom, as he told DeStefano he had kidnapped Brie, and used AI to imitate a distraught Brie asking her mum to “save her”.
DeStefano said:
“It was completely her voice. It was her inflection, it was the way she would have cried - I never doubted for one second it was her.”
Fortunately, DeStefano was able to confirm that her daughter was safe and in no peril, and didn’t send the scammer any money. With AI-powered caller-ID scams on the rise, stories like this go to show how vulnerable we can be.
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While Google and Microsoft have led the recent AI charge, Meta and now Amazon have joined the fray. Amazon’s addition to the generative AI storm is a foundation model application interface (API) service, named Bedrock.
Many, if not most, companies want to use large language models to augment processes and optimize their operations. The issue is that proprietary models take years and billions of dollars to train - resources not many companies have. Amazon’s Bedrock solves this issue, by serving as a foundational model which developers can use to build and customize AI tools capable of generating images and text.
While Amazon has yet to release pricing for their new AI toolset, C3.ai, Pegasystems, Accenture, and Deloitte are among the early businesses lined up to test-run Bedrock.
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Despite early traction in the generative AI market and name recognition, Stability AI’s image generator Stable Diffusion isn’t generating enough revenue to support sky-high operating and server costs and the rapidly growing need for employees.
Financial troubles are compelling the company to search for new executives capable of ramping up sales and keeping the company competitive with other generative-AI products, such as ChatGPT, Midjourney and DALL-E.
In an effort to boost profitability, Stability AI has just announced the release of Stable Diffusion XL, a new model which “excels at photorealism”, giving companies with the funds access to a “super-powered deepfake generator for businesses.”
The Rundown 🐂
Deeper dive into trending stories
AI sex chatbots are being built from uncensored open-source large language models, and people are loving it. (link)
US Senate leader calls for AI regulation, as ChatGPT surges in popularity. (link)
Medical AI can potentially do more harm than good, particularly if professionals lose sight of a doctor’s clinical judgement. (link)
Truveta builds a powerful AI model which “normalizes” messy data, gleaning essential medical information from doctors’ notes. (link)
Microsoft launches its latest AI integration, bringing Bing AI to any iPhone or Android. (link)
Supermassive blackhole image is sharpened and enhanced using AI. (link)
ChatGPT and Bard answer users’ money questions. (link)
Republican party lawmakers opposing drag shows turned into drag queens with AI. (link)
Bloomberg to integrate AI into its terminal software. (link)
Professors wrongly accuse students of cheating on exams with AI software. (link)
Undertakers and programmers in China are using AI to create realistic, interactive avatars of people who have passed away. (link)
Betaworks to launch a new VC program that’ll award $500,000 to 10 different companies working on AI. (link)
Amazon offers free access to its AI coding assistant in a bid to undercut Microsoft. (link)
Nvidia launches new mid-range AI-augmented chip for gamers, to improve graphics. (link)
Tips, Tricks & Tools ⚒️
Discounts, trials and productivity-boosting hacks
Affise - An AI-based affiliate marketing optimization tool that analyzes user behavior and website traffic to maximize earnings from referral links and partnerships. (link)
SocialBee - An AI-powered social media management tool that helps you grow your online presence by optimizing posting times, creating engaging content, and analyzing user data. (link)
Barilliance - An AI-enhanced e-commerce personalization solution that boosts sales by offering tailored product recommendations and promotions based on customer behavior. (link)
Trade Ideas - A cutting-edge AI stock trading bot that scans the market, identifies profitable opportunities and automates trades. (link)
Copyscape - An AI-driven plagiarism detection tool that helps ensure content originality by scanning the web for duplicate text and highlighting any potential matches. (link)
hotpot.ai - Turn your imagination into art with this straightforward AI art and image generator. (link)
Last issue we asked which tools you’d most like to discover - AI image generator was the winner, so here’s hotpot.ai, one of our favorite.
You Asked, We Delivered
We’re here to help you
In hotpot.ai, as with other generative AI programs, your results will depend entirely on your prompts.
Try prompting hotpot with sentences like these:
“Oil painting of water lilies with vibrant brushstrokes using a happy color palette”
“An underwater explosion with vibrant colors”
“Happy raindrops in the style of Vincent Van Gogh's painting, Starry Night”
Three Dragons
Until now, Amazon’s been the odd one out
Amazon has seemingly lagged behind other major companies in the AI race, but with the recent announcement of Bedrock, Bezos is making a clear statement that his company is not to be left behind.
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