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- #27 Exclusive interview with Louis Pereira
Sorry for the delay on yesterday’s issue - it’s because, as promised, we’ve got something special for you:
An exclusive AI Plug interview with the creator of Audiopen.ai - a new app taking the Twittersphere by storm.
In a no-frills discussion, we’ve learned how Louis built and monetized his app in just 12 hours 😮 Hint: follow his lead, and you could do the same 😉
There’re also some massive developments in AI news you need to hear about, so without further ado, let’s dive into this special Thursday edition.
In today’s newsletter:
Top News: Apple’s new health app, Biden re-election deepfake, and Replit comes in at a whopping $1.2B
The Rundown: $200M hack anticipated by AI, Joe Russo predicts AI films in two years, and better tsunami warning systems with AI
AudioPen: Twitter’s new favorite app
Exclusive interview: The AI Plug talks to Louis Pereira
Politically correct AI: It’s all about framing
Top News 🔝
Three biggest stories if you’re in a rush
Sleeping better, eating better, and exercising more consistently - AKA personal health, is a $61bn global market - and Apple is making a concerted effort to claim its fair share. Quartz, an AI-powered health coaching service, mood tracker and iPad health app, is planned to launch alongside iOS 17, which will help keep users motivated to exercise, improve eating habits and help them sleep better.
The idea behind the app is that users will get personalized recommendations according to their own lifestyles and habits, informed by data collected from Apple’s wearables, namely the Apple Watch. This data can also be shared with doctors, helping users lead healthier lives. Does this mean Apple users WILL be better than Andriod users..?
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On Tuesday, Joe Biden announced his intention to run again for US presidency, sparking the Republican National Committee (RNC) to release an AI-generated ad depicting a version of the future if “the weakest president we’ve ever had were re-elected.”
The RNCs deepfake ad hints at the possibility of financial systems crumbling, international tensions escalating, and the US border disappearing should Biden be re-elected. With AI-generated content and deepfakes disrupting art, journalism and music, this RNC ad clearly demonstrates how they can also disrupt politics.
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Replit, the world’s fastest-growing developer platform, successfully closed its latest financing round with a raise of $97M, bringing the company to a post-money valuation of $1.16B. These new funds will be used to “Innovate on its core development experience, expand its cloud services for developers, and drive innovation in AI and LLMs through Ghostwriter".” The massive financial interest in Replit, and other AI-focused companies, shows investor sentiment for the industry, with no sign of funding drying up for those capable of demonstrating their prowess in the AI niche.
The Rundown 🐂
Deeper dive into trending stories
$200M finance hack anticipated by Forta, a cybersecurity firm that uses AI. (link)
Coca-cola’s first-quarter earnings release shows how AI is a top priority for te company in 2023 and beyond. (link)
AI’s future relies on a high school teacher’s free database. (link)
Hugging face launches an open-source version of ChatGPT in a bid to encourage more open-source AI models (as opposed to closed-source models like ChatGPT). (link)
NVIDIA open-source software helps developers add guardrails to AI chatbots. (link)
FTC chair and officials from other regulating bodies release joint statement on AI. (link)
Researchers use AI to create a new early warning system to give coastal residents more lead time ahead of tsunamis. (link)
Web browser Opera introduces AI integration in it’s latest browser update. (link)
A Cambridge Analytica-style scandal for AI is coming. (link)
Joe Russo, director of “Avengers: Endgame”, predicts AI-generated movies within the next two years. (link)
AI game released by Square Enix gets terrible reviews. (link)
Surprising benefits for novice workers revealed by the world’s first real-world study of AI in the workplace. (link)
AudioPen ⚒️
A next-gen app, taking your rambling words from babble to structured ideas
Louis Pereira’s new AI-powered app audiopen.ai is an example of a genuinely next-generation business, in all regards.
Audiopen listens to a user’s words, transcribes them, and then puts them down into coherent, structured, formatted ideas and lists - it’s like having a personal assistant who records and summarizes your thoughts.
Louis built the full version of AudioPen, and profitably launched it, within TWELVE HOURS!
The app’s user base has been growing organically on social media platforms, mainly Twitter and Facebook, where users are RAVING about how the app is changing their work and personal process:
“You know how we all have GPT up in one window on our desktop at all time?…I have an AudioPen window up on my desktop at all times!”
“I purchased it today. This is the revolution of journaling!”
Louis’ approach to monetizing the app is also different from almost any other app we’ve ever used - he doesn’t have the monthly subscription set to auto-renew. This is a massively relevant decision that is designed purely to help his users save their money. In fact, subscriptions for apps that auto-renewed without people realising it cost users over half a billion dollars last year - showing how the auto-renew feature on monthly or yearly subscriptions clearly helps apps make significant amounts of money.
If you’re someone who likes to think out loud, and wishes you could capture your thoughts as you did so, AudioPen is for you.
And if you’re someone who would like to do what Louis has, then continue reading ⬇️
💬 EXCLUSIVE AI Plug Interview: Louis Pereira’s Idea to Revenue in 12 Hours
Learning how a man with a full-time job builds a profitable app business
In an exclusive interview, Louis, the man behind Audiopen.ai, gives us insight into how he did it - and explains how you can too!
We asked Louis a number of questions about himself, his experience, and his product - so here they are!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background
I’m a non-technical builder. I studied Economics in college, worked in Management Consulting, started a company (which failed), and currently work full-time in a business my family runs. I build and write stuff on the internet at night because I enjoy it.
What are your coding skills?
I can’t code. I build with a tool called Bubble.
What does your product do in one sentence?
AudioPen is a tool that transcribes and summarizes your voice notes so they go from messy and unstructured to clear and concise.
How did you come up with the idea?
AudioPen was an accidental discovery. No market research or gut feeling was followed.
I was playing around with a bunch of APIs and launching multiple 'Tiny Tools' on my website (www.louispereira.xyz/tiny-tools). My goal was to learn how to use them.
I built a mini version of AudioPen there, and it received lots of interest and positive feedback. So I decided to double down on it and turn it into a standalone product.
I built the first full version in under 12 hours during an event called Half Day Build, which I host every couple of months. Participants in Half Day Build aim to build stuff and go from idea to revenue within 12 hours. I succeeded in launching AudioPen and attracting paying customers during the event.
Can you explain how you created Audio Pen
I use Bubble to build the tool, and I use OpenAI’s APIs to leverage AI.
What are the challenges you faced while creating an Audio Pen in terms of the tools that you used?
Too early to tell. For now, all is well. I’m sure there will be challenges in the future.
How do you plan to scale Audio Pen or what do you have in mind for the future of the project?
I have no concrete plans to grow AudioPen. I’m just keeping my ear to the ground, listening to what users say, and iterating on the product as quickly as possible. Hopefully, that leads to growth.
Do you think AI has given the power to an average joe to create the next unicorn app, or you feel it still takes a higher level of intellect to do what you did?
AI is amazing. It makes possible things that were previously impossible. It’s up to figure out how to use it to build useful things.
What’s the best way for people to reach you?
Twitter @louispereira
There you have it - a look inside the mind of someone who built a profitable app within 12 hours. Now what are you waiting for? Head over to Louis’ Twitter, connect with him, see how he’s continuing his journey, and start one of your own.
Thoughts?
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