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Hello!

Welcome to another edition of AI versus Marshy.

Here’s a fun fact -

EVERY time I write this opening I have to open up ConvertKit and check what issue we’re up to…

Issue #35!

If you’re new to this newsletter - welcome again!

Most subscribers are friends I’ve met over the years, readers of my last book Start Marketing, or have found me via searching for AI news.

There are plenty of sources of AI news now and it goes at a million miles an hour.

So what I try to do is filter that news, give you some takes on what I’m noticing, and to help keep you informed without overwhelm.

It’s absolutely mind obliterating the trajectory we’re on, so think of this newsletter as a steady eye things - from someone who has worked in tech for nearly 20 years!

On to the news:

• It’s Gliffing good - testing an image replacer
• Okay - let’s talk about Sora
• An expert’s take on AI and content

We’ve had our vegetables, so now let’s make like a dessert and get to the good stuff!

-Marshy

Un-Gliffing believable

Via Glif Chrome extension.​

Have you heard of the Uber effect?

You’ll know what it is when I tell you.

The first time you ordered an Uber from your phone, it was a magical experience.

You were able to point to your map, say “meet me here”, and a car showed up to that spot like some form of telecommunicative sorcery.

Today when you order one, it’s more like “this a**-hole is 3 minutes late and I just CAN’T BELIEVE it - I ordered it like 35 minutes ago”.

I don’t ride them any more but you can bet your impatient socks I used to sound like that.

That’s the Uber effect.

This is already happening with AI - even after 9 or so months of writing this newsletter - it gets harder and harder to impress me.

So allow me to introduce the Glif Chrome Extension.

I better test this before I mention it in my newsletter…

I will lay on the detail here and see what it comes back with.

Sacre bleu! 🧀

Alright well let’s do something harder. Where’s my Bonti…

Well colour me (and Bonti) impressed!

Glif is currently in Alpha but removed the barrier to entry on a lot of the things people find challenging with image generators:

• Easy to access
• Works with tools you already have
• No sign-up (for now)

I have no idea how such a thing is sustainable - and it looks like there’s nothing stopping you from ripping through stock photos that appear in Google Image search.

These tools are part of an inevitable trend across the Internet where content will be remixed upon remix where original content will be impossible to source/find/protect.

More on this effect was cover over a year ago by Maggie Appleton.

​Who provides a great take on “dark forest theory”.​

Sora-ing through the air

Via OpenAI.

The funny thing about a weekly newsletter is that sometimes - a week feels like a LONG time.

News of Sora broke last week and it took the Internet by storm.

I was trying to describe just how complicated something like this is to a friend.

​Infinite monkey theorem argues if you have enough monkeys typing on a keyboard you’re eventually going to get the works of Shakespeare.

This analogy is helpful for thinking about how Sora works.

But instead of monkeys - picture cutting edge 3D renderers, illustrators, motion capture experts, motion artists et al.

These creators have spent an inestimable amount of time honing their craft and know how to take what you say and translate it into something vividly accurate.

But it actually doesn’t matter if they get it right or not.

Because it’s graded and weighted against MILLIONS of creators at the same level as them, and then the predicted average of what is the most accurate rendition is what they deliver.

But now instead of it being “one thing” it’s MILLIONS of things that go into making a 1 minute video predictvely based on your prompt.

If you have a Twitter account (I understand you if you don’t) it’s worth visiting Sam Altman’s Twitter to see how they launched Sora. You’ll need to be logged in, but you’ll see the prompts from people on Twitter and Sam delivering the videos.

The amusing thing that every time it seems like the market is catching up to OpenAI - they pull a rabbit out of their hat like this.

​It’s terrifying and awe inspiring to see they want $7 trillion to realise a vision far beyond this.​

An expert’s take on copywriting

Via Expert Machine.

My friend Mike and I met at a conference many moons ago and have kept in touch.

Mike’s a talented copywriter in tech. He’s got an enviable portfolio of clients, and runs a business called Expert Machine.

When LLMs arrived, copywriters were one of the first professions people thought were dust.

Tools like Copy.ai and Jasper were arriving on the market and surely the machines could replace what wordsmiths do?

Right?

Nah.

What I know, and clever cookies like Mike know even better is that these machines can’t replace experience.

They can help your job, but they can’t replace your job.

So the smart thing to do is to use it to help prepare the work - rather than replace it.

Mike’s article goes into a lot of detail debunking some of the other myths about AI and content - such as whether Google “clamps down on AI content”.

Read it here.

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That felt a bit longer this week but there’s some good stuff happening obviously!

This weekend Georgie and I are off to a wedding, and going to a big family reunion on Sunday. The first time with our boys!

As always if you’ve got a question, feedback, or just want to share some thoughts on AI you’re more than welcome to.

Just reply to this email.

Remember - we’ve got this! 💪

-Marshy