The Daily Valet. - 3/22/23, Wednesday
✔️ The AI War Heats Up
Wednesday, March 22nd Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
It's too early to start drinking, but let's plan for a spritz later today, okay?
Today’s Big Story
The AI War Heats Up
Google Officially Releases Bard, Its Rival to AI peers, GPT-4, Bing and Claude
Google has taken the wraps off of Bard, its conversational AI meant to compete with ChatGPT and other large language models. But after its shaky debut, users may understandably be a bit wary of trusting the system. Even Google calls the chatbot an “experiment” and has reminded users that it is still very much a work in progress and may not always function as intended.Until now, Google's chatbot was only available to what it's called “trusted testers,” though the company now stresses that user feedback will be a vital part of helping the program improve. The Bard page has a “Join Waitlist” button.Once you're in, there's also a prominent disclaimer (much like ChatGPT and Bing) warning users that “Bard may display inaccurate or offensive information that doesn't represent Google's views”—what The Verge calls the AI equivalent of “abandon trust, all ye who type here.”And so far, according to tests by tech writers at Engadget and Tech Crunch, Bard is lagging behind its conversational AI contemporaries. But some appreciated the fact that Google includes an easy way to see alternative responses within the conversation. You can click the dropdown arrow next to “View other drafts” and see some other suggestions. That could be helpful, right?Gizmodo says that Google can perhaps be forgiven for releasing a less-than-perfect product, given the rate at which it was released. “Many have interpreted the speed with which Bard was spun up as a response to the popularity of ChatGPT, the rival chatbot produced by the Elon Musk-funded artificial intelligence lab OpenAI.” Launched last November, ChatGPT became an almost overnight success, spurring a broader enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and essentially kicking off an AI arms race. Just a few months later, here we have every major tech company racing to release its own public-facing AI products.
Dig Deeper:
There are four main types of artificial intelligence, from reactive machines and limited memory to theory of mind and true self-awareness.
Ozempic Goes Mainstream
That's not ideal, but there could be some upsides
Ozempic is seemingly everywhere these days. The diabetes medication, which can also be used for long-term weight management, has become a near-overnight sensation, moving from hushed Hollywood diet aid to the mainstream. Ozempic is now on the cover of magazines, the lips of late night hosts, and popping up all over social media.And now it's on billboards all over New York, via an ad campaign from telehealth company Ro, which recently started offering Ozempic to its patients online, reports Fast Company. Apparently, all the buzz is driving demand so high that there's a current drug shortage and those who can't get their hands on it are turning to unregulated copy-cat alternatives.But The New Yorker wonders if there's at least one bright side to this. “In an ideal world, they could help us see that metabolism and appetite are biological facts, not moral choices.” After all, more than 40% of Americans are medically obese, and 11% have been given a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. Both conditions, they say, involve metabolic dysfunction.
Meanwhile:
Even WeightWatchers is planning to start offering Ozempic via telehealth consultations.
Everyone Loves Spritzes Now
So America is trying to make its own Bitter aperitif
I've been a lover of the Negroni for a while, but it seems like more and more people are coming over to the bitter side of drinks. Campari (who also makes Aperol) says that sales are way up this year, mostly due to Americans switching from beer to more effervescent drinks like Americanos and Aperol Spritzes.After appearing multiple times on HBO's White Lotus, the spritz has found a whole new customer base, reports Insider. How do Italians feel about that? All these spritz-thirsty visitors descending upon the country this spring and summer with hopes of endless orange aperitivi? Since it's considered a summertime drink, many are happy to toast with you. If you remember that it's not something you shoot back, but rather sip before dinner.And, of course, a trend wouldn't be a trend if companies weren't trying to hop on board, right? According to the New York Times, booze makers across the United States are currently working to create a uniquely American aperitif and digestif tradition using local ingredients and less sugar.
Cheers:
There's no wrong way to spritz. We pulled together some unconventional riffs on the classic apéritif.
The Last of the Muscle Cars?
Dodge’s Final Hemi V-8 Challenger Will Challenge for Fastest Production Car in the World
Dodge is ready to say goodbye to gas-powered muscle. This week, the automaker took the wraps off its special “Last Call” models, which celebrate the massive V-8 engines that have made the Charger and Challenger affordable performance-car staples in the 2010s.The monstrously powerful coupe will be the brand's last model to feature the beloved Hemi V-8 engine before it starts putting fully electric drivetrains in its muscle cars. As Robb Report puts it, if the automaker is serious about the Demon 170 being its final car to feature a Hemi V-8—never say never when money is involved—then the engine is going out with a bang.Dodge says this exclusive variant is the quickest, fastest and most powerful production car in the world. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 will deliver 1,025 horsepower from its 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine. Apparently, it can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in a scary 1.66 seconds, making it faster than even electric supercars from Tesla and Lucid.
Dig Deeper:
Car and Driver has a slideshow of all of the “Last Call” editions that mark the end of the line for Dodge's muscle cars.
In Other News
And could a lack of independence really be to blame?
Have you heard about ...
Get Out of That Meeting
Some expert advice to save yourself the headache
Often, you can predict which meetings are going to be unproductive from the moment you get that initial email invite. There's the “planning meeting” where you hash out ideas that probably should've been hammered out earlier or the “update meeting” that could likely be accomplished with a bulleted email or the always popular “brainstorming session” where extroverts spend most of the time shouting out random ideas.Why not skip them? Have you ever even considered this as an option? Of course, some are harder to escape than others—especially if the invitation comes from your boss, a key client or a respected colleague. But there are ways to get out of a meeting that you know will be unproductive, or at least to limit the damage it will do to your productivity and time. Let a few experts help.
Read:
Partner
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Morning Motto
Have the courage to get back up.
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