Welcome to AI Box, your weekly source for the latest developments in AI technology and applications.

Today's AI News lineup:🥊

• 🤖 New AI Wearable Aims to Be Your Digital Companion

• 🎤 OpenAI Launches ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode: A New Era of Audio AI

• 📈 Airtable Acquires Dopt to Boost AI-Driven Onboarding

🤖 New AI Wearable Aims to Be Your Digital Companion

AI Box: Avi Schiffmann's new AI device, Friend, is designed to be a constant companion, aiming to combat loneliness with proactive communication and seamless Bluetooth integration.

Key Highlights:

• Device Overview: Friend is a neck-worn, Bluetooth-connected AI device priced at $99, set to ship in January 2025.

• Funding Success: Avi Schiffmann has raised $2.5 million in funding, valuing the company at $50 million, with backing from notable investors like Solana founders and Morning Brew's CEO.

• Unique Feature: Unlike productivity-focused devices, Friend emphasizes emotional support by listening continuously and sending messages to counteract loneliness.

Why it Matters: Friend represents a shift in AI hardware from productivity tools to emotional support systems, highlighting an emerging trend of using technology to enhance personal well-being.

🎤 OpenAI Launches ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode: A New Era of Audio AI

AI Box: OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT, now rolling out to select users, promises hyper-realistic audio responses with improved latency and emotional nuance, though some features are still in development.

Key Highlights:

• Voice Technology: Advanced Voice Mode uses GPT-4o's multimodal capabilities for near-instant audio responses, avoiding the latency of previous models by combining voice processing tasks.

• Safety and Legal Concerns: The demo voice that resembled Scarlett Johansson has been removed due to legal issues, and the feature now includes filters to prevent misuse and copyright infringement.

• Gradual Rollout: The alpha version is available to a limited group of ChatGPT Plus users, with a broader rollout expected in fall 2024; some features, like video and screensharing, will come later.

Why it Matters: Advanced Voice Mode represents a significant leap in AI communication, offering more natural and emotionally aware interactions while navigating complex legal and ethical considerations in voice technology.

📈 Airtable Acquires Dopt to Boost AI-Driven Onboarding

AI Box: Airtable has acquired the startup Dopt to enhance its AI capabilities, focusing on improving user onboarding experiences and integrating AI into its product suite.

Key Highlights:

• Acquisition Details: Dopt, known for its AI-driven onboarding tools, has been acquired by Airtable, with its services set to wind down by August 15.

• AI Integration: This move aligns with Airtable’s strategy to deepen its AI capabilities, exemplified by recent launches like Airtable Cobuilder, which allows users to create apps via a chat interface.

• Talent Focus: The acquisition emphasizes integrating Dopt's expertise into Airtable's AI group, leveraging their experience in crafting intuitive onboarding experiences.

Why it Matters: By acquiring Dopt, Airtable aims to enhance its AI-driven user onboarding and app development, reinforcing its commitment to leveraging AI for more intuitive and efficient software solutions.

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Some AI Humor. If you get it, you get it!

That's all for today!

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As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time. 🫡