January 2024 – Microsoft overtakes Apple, Everything is AI, Bard Advanced

Microsoft poised to overtake Apple as most valuable company

As Microsoft stock rises and Apple's falls over analysts expectation of slowing iPhone demand, the two firms are once more within $100 billion of each other. Read the article onappleinsider.com

The tides in the biggest rivalry in tech have shifted once again – possibly thanks to Microsoft’s AI ventures, their valuation is now bigger than Apple’s:

MarketWatch notes that Microsoft’s stock rose 57% in 2023, compared to Apple’s which rose 48%. Microsoft shares have also reportedly seen what are described as slimmer losses at the start of 2024. Apple, on the other hand, has seen its shares take a considerable drop in recent days. The first hit was taken following a claim by Barclays that iPhone demand is weakening and that the iPhone 16 range will not offer any compelling new features to tempt upgraders. The analyst view that Apple is dependent on iPhone sales is part of why Microsoft is doing better. Analysts see Microsoft has being less attached to any hardware, and more attached to subscription software such as Office 365, and so therefore less attached to any falling demand for phones or computers. William Gallagher
Apple Insider

We are still eagerly waiting for the announcement from Apple about how they are planning to integrate AI into their products. The competition has already doubled down on it, with 2023’s Google Pixel 8 AI features and recently released Samsung Galaxy S24’s heavily marketed “Galaxy AI”.

At CES, everything was AI, even when it wasn’t

This year at CES was the year AI took over. Read the article ontheverge.com

GenAI is at this stage that some companies tend to shoehorn it into their products – kind of like 3D and movies/TV, back when first Avatar became a massive hit. We could see this trend at the recent CES:

Whether new products use generative AI or not, slapping the label AI onto something gives the impression that a feature is new and exciting. Generative AI is also still in the throw-it-at-everything phase of growth. People want to figure out how far they can take the technology and want to believe it will be the big differentiator. This is why we’re seeing everything from Walmart using AI models to restock your pantry to car companies cramming ChatGPT into their dashboard to give drivers something to talk to. Emillia David
The Verge

Google says you'll need a subscription to use Bard Advanced

Bard Advanced will be powered by Gemini Ultra to perform highly complex AI tasks.

🤖 Similarly, to GPT Plus, Google plans to charge for it’s more advanced version of Bard:

Google announced Bard Advanced back in December. It will be the company’s most advanced AI helper powered by the new Gemini Ultra architecture. Gemini, Google’s multimodal AI, has three versions. The Ultra is designed for highly complex tasks, and with its arrival on Bard Advanced, users will get access to an AI that can quickly understand and act on different types of information, including text, images, audio, video, and code. During its Q4 earnings call on Tuesday, Google announced that Bard Advanced will be available to users as a subscription. It’s (Bard) now powered by Gemini Pro, and it’s much more capable at things like understanding, summarizing, reasoning, coding, and planning. It’s now in over 40 languages and over 230 countries around the world. Looking ahead, we’ll be rolling out an even more advanced version for subscribers powered by Gemini Ultra,” said Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Adamya Sharma
Android Authority

According to Google, this version should launch later this year.

Deloitte is rolling out an AI chatbot that can help staff answer emails and create presentations

Deloitte is rolling out a new AI chatbot to help staff with daily tasks. Read the article onbusinessinsider.com

🧙 Deloitte is now trying out an interesting approach to AI chatbots, as they are developing it as a feature to boost the productivity of their employees:

Deloitte’s AI institute developed the AI chatbot “PairD” and first launched the tool in the UK in October, per the Financial Times. The tool can assist staff with daily tasks like writing emails, creating PowerPoint presentations, and carrying out research. Additionally, it can create project plans, advise on best practices for project management, and offer suggestions on prioritizing tasks, according to a recent press release from the company. Staff have been informed that the tool might produce inaccurate information about people, places, and facts, per the FT. Because of this, workers have been asked to do their own due diligence on the chatbot’s work. Sawdah Bhaimiya
Business Insider