OpenAI pulls ChatGPT AI voice over its resemblance to Scarlett Johansson in the movie ‘Her’

OpenAI on Sunday announced it would pause one of the voices of ChatGPT, “Sky,” which had made waves for its resemblance to actress Scarlett Johansson’s voice.

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Google launches a new Android feature to drive users back into their installed apps

Google says the new SDK would help Google expand on its core mission of connecting the right audience to the right content at the right time.
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Jolla debuts privacy-focused AI hardware

Jolla has taken the official wraps off the first version of its personal server-based AI assistant in the making. The reborn startup is building a privacy-focused AI device — aka the Jolla Mind2, which TechCrunch exclusively revealed at MWC back in February. At a livestreamed launch event Monday, it also kicked off preorders, with the […]
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Solana’s Meme Coin ‘Sealana’ Surpasses $2 Million in Crypto Presale

The new Solana meme coin Sealana passed through the $2 million mark today in its ongoing crypto presale. This milestone is important to Sealana’s team since it pushes them towards their goal to become the next Solana meme coin to watch.
Is Sealana the Best Crypto Presale Right Now?
Sealana is in presale phase with 1 $SEAL = $0.022, having raised over $2 million today, marking an important milestone for the project. There are two ways to buy the $SEAL coin. First, you can connect your wallet to their dedicated buy widget and purchase $SEAL using ETH, SOL, USDT, or USDC. Alternatively, you can buy into the presale using your bank card by choosing the card option in the widget.
Notably, the Sealana team has not set a hard cap for the presale, meaning there is no predetermined maximum funding goal.

This approach allows the presale to continue raising funds until a specific timeline or other criteria are met, potentially enabling the project to garner more resources and support from the community.
Sealana’s branding and imagery revolve around the chubby seal character, portrayed as a dedicated crypto trader obsessed with finding the next viral meme coin. The project’s purpose can be summarized as a meme/joke project inspired by the “Gamer Guy” character from South Park, depicted as an overweight seal obsessed with trading meme coins.
The project aims to become the next big viral meme coin sensation on Solana, following the footsteps of successful predecessors like dogwifhat (WIF) or Slothana, also a coin that went through a successful presale before hitting a $100 million market cap. Its branding, imagery, and marketing revolve around the chubby seal character and the meme culture surrounding obsessive crypto trading and finding the next hot meme coin.
Sealana’s marketing efforts
Sealana’s marketing efforts have been gaining traction, with their X and Telegram communities growing steadily. Their X account currently stands at around 4.7k followers, while their Telegram community has a similar number of 4.8k members. These are decent numbers considering Sealana’s presale was launched just weeks ago.

Y’all listen up!When #Sealana said “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”, he meant we gotta finish buildin’ that god darn wall! Creatin’ a land of prosperity where all American $SEALS can shoot guns, drink drive, and leave the trailer park behind!Join the #Presale, bag some… pic.twitter.com/GldZlorvvB
— Sealana (@Sealana_Token) May 17, 2024

Of course, market conditions are not ideal, as Slothana raised funds faster, but this seems to be related to the overall market conditions and trading volume since both projects had similar marketing strategies, including campaigns on multiple crypto media outlets and collaborations with influencers.
For example, ClayBro, a popular YouTuber with over 129k subscribers, posted a video last week about Sealana, highlighting it as one of the best Solana meme coins to buy now. He emphasized that Solana-based meme coins are currently very popular, creating a favorable environment for new entries like Sealana to thrive

This popularity is driven by the success and high gains experienced by coins like Slothana, which has seen 7x to 10x returns, setting a precedent for what Sealana could achieve. The YouTuber explained the ongoing interest in meme coins and the potential for Sealana to mirror or even exceed Slothana’s performance due to similar market dynamics and investor behavior. He also noted that the active marketing efforts and the strong community support indicate a robust potential for growth similar to Slothana.
Conclusion
All in all, Sealana, the new Solana meme coin, has reached a milestone today by raising over $2 million in its ongoing crypto presale. With its growing community, active marketing efforts, and the current popularity of Solana meme coins, Sealana is positioning itself as one of the top crypto presales and potentially the best Solana meme coin to buy now.
Related

18 Best Crypto Presales to Invest in 2024 – $SEAL Ranks Highly

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How AI Is Increasing the Personalization of Marketing Strategies

We may be living in the digital age, but we’re hardly losing our desire for personalized interactions. In fact, we’re keen on getting customized interactions, especially from brands.
McKinsey documented this phenomenon a couple of years ago. The firm’s research revealed that 71% of consumers want individualized attention from businesses. When they get it, they’re more likely to increase their spending as well as make future purchases. As findings from The State of Personalization Report 2023 from Twilio, a single personalized experience will move the “buy again” needle for 56% of shoppers.
For marketers, the consumer penchant for personalization poses both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, it’s clear that delivering customized engagements can pay off. On the other hand, figuring out how to personalize efficiently and effectively can be difficult. That’s where AI solutions can help.
AI tools like software, systems, mobile apps, and integrations allow marketing teams to connect with people in a way that has never been possible before. When leveraged in an assistive capacity, AI can ensure that marketing approaches and communications feel authentic but don’t break the bank.
The Top AI Applications for Marketing
Without a doubt, AI has many applications within the marketing realm to fuel personalization. However, five AI applications are particularly becoming more influential as brands strive to show consumers they’re seen, heard, and valued.
1. The ability to predict the future
No one has invented a crystal ball, but AI tools can come close to seeing into the future. Because AI tools work at lightning-fast speeds, they can spot hidden trends within vast amounts of data in seconds. Once identified, those trends can be used to serve up tailored experiences.
For example, many companies are leveraging AI to more confidently reach target audiences without relying on cookies or limited “lookalike” audiences. As Nativo explains, AI can use first-party data to correctly determine when customers are likely to take a certain action, like reordering a product. Armed with this foreknowledge, marketers can send messages (like “time to buy again” email reminders) when the consumer demand will probably be highest.
By being able to get to know your consumer base better, you can anticipate pain points and serve up intuitive solutions. As a result, your customers will feel that you’re aligned with their one-of-a-kind wants and needs.
2. The ability to personalize at scale
Not long ago, personalization was tough to master. It was particularly difficult if your company grew. Now, AI makes individualization at scale a reality for organizations of all sizes.
Amazon is an obvious use case for personalization at scale. Despite having an estimated 310 million customers, Amazon does a solid job of customizing its messaging, and all because of its willingness to rely heavily on AI systems. The effect has led to such heightened customer loyalty that on Amazon Prime Day in 2020, 60% of Prime members only bought from Amazon even though they had cost-effective alternatives.
By being able to personalize at scale, you don’t have to worry about losing the one-on-one touch, even if you end up with thousands (or millions) of customers. This enables you to retain a competitive edge and grow a loyal customer base no matter how large you grow.
3. The ability to automate interactions
Of all the AI marketing applications, automation has been an undeniable communications gamechanger. Automation allows your brand to stay top of mind without requiring your people to be “on call” 24/7. It also makes sure that customers don’t feel ignored or “ghosted” by your brand.
Nearly any repetitive process can be automated. For instance, you could automate your lead generation machine, potentially seeing a 451% uptick in qualified leads. Or, you might want to create automated paths to more effectively move consumers through your sales funnel.
Worried that your automations are going to sound robotic? Many AI innovations leverage natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning. Consequently, they can deploy automated responses that feel streamlined, intuitive, and — best of all — human.
4. The ability to conduct smarter (and faster) research
AI can analyze both structured and unstructured data faster than any person. By running data points through an AI-fueled system, marketers can conduct smarter research. After all, the AI is taking tons of data into consideration.
There are many ways you can use your AI-backed research findings, including to improve your social media listening. AI can scrape popular social media sites in real time to find mentions of your company. This ensures you’re the first to know if something negative is being said. If that occurs, you can swoop in. The faster you react to online concerns about your brand, the higher the chance you’ll be able to control the situation and put out any fires.
An extra benefit to AI’s ability to conduct research is that it can happen in the background and at regular intervals. You and your team don’t have to babysit the process, which means you can spend more time exploring other ways to personalize your customer outreach methods.
5. The ability to help customers help themselves
Another strategic way to bring personalization through AI to your consumer base is with self-service options. Many consumers with problems would rather solve them on their own before getting in touch with your company. As such, consider bringing AI solutions like chatbots into the mix.
Though chatbots shouldn’t replace your customer service agents, they can be terrific first-line assistants. When investing in a chatbot, choose one that’s been programmed to make exchanges seem more human and less machine-like. Picking one trained on NLP can be a good move.
As outlined by Landbot, NLP isn’t just about choosing the right words for the session. High-quality chatbots are embedded with the ability to conduct sentiment analysis, meaning they can “read the room”. That way, the chatbot responses will always be as personal as possible.
At first, delivering personalization might seem like an overwhelming task, particularly if you’re working with a small team and minimal budget. However, existing and emerging AI tech can give your customers the individual attention they crave — and your brand the success it deserves.
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Tesla cars end support for PC video gaming

Tesla is reported to end support for Steam-delivered PC games in its latest Model S and Model X (pictured), which might strike some as odd considering Tesla automobiles are mainly used for transport and not as a video games console.
PC game support had been introduced in a beta update to Tesla’s operating system in December 2022. Tesla owners could use it to play full-scale titles like Fallout 4, Baldur’s Gate 3, or Helldivers 2. But going forward, Model S and Model X buyers won’t be able to do so. Current owners of the vehicle seem to be exempted from the Steam support removal given Tesla’s history of leaving legacy features intact.
Per electric vehicle blog Electrek.co, Tesla owners were notified of the discontinuation of Steam support in a recent software update. “All other entertainment and app functionalities are unaffected.”
The video gaming was available when the car was parked and not in motion, whether the person playing the game was the driver or a passenger. Given that limitation, it’s quite likely that the company’s telemetry indicated very few people were using the capability and that’s the reason they pulled it from the entertainment system.
When the PC gaming capability was introduced, Tesla bragged that the Model S and Model X had “up to 10 teraflops of processing power” that made the car’s entertainment center “on par with today’s newest consoles via Tesla Arcade. Wireless controller compatibility allows gaming from any seat.”
Again, gaming was supported only as long as the car was stationary, so for parents looking to entertain kids on a long drive, this was not a very useful feature, and they were better off handing them a Nintendo Switch, mobile phone, or even a Steam Deck — which is, as its name suggests, Steam compatible.
Image via: Tesla.com
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Call of Duty’s next crossover is one that nobody could have guessed

Call of Duty has never shied away from bombastic collaborations that at first glance look…wacky and out of place but are a triumph as soon as the match begins, and the same could be said of the upcoming Season 4 collab.
Hot off the tail of an epic Warhammer 40k x Call of Duty crossover event, yesterday (May 19), both the Bandai Namco and Call of Duty official X accounts dropped a teaser for an upcoming Gundam collab.

It’s time for the shadows to rise up
Gundam comes to Call of Duty in Season 4 @GundamInfoNA pic.twitter.com/ebZTGoQL3v
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 19, 2024

While the video is a short one and doesn’t show any actual gameplay or really provide any hints about what players can expect from the new season and the collab, people are excited.
“I am ready.” said one Reddit user. “I’m not going to lie. My money is gone.” said another. People on X were just as excited. “Me reluctantly reinstalling CoD every time there’s a cool new collab,” said one, with a gif of Michael Scott from The Office. “This is incredible. I’m freaking out lmao” said another particularly excited user.
The collab was first discovered by data miners in early May when the mid-season 3 content update dropped, and the confirmation means we can afford to get even more excited about other things the miners discovered at the time.
What else is coming in Call of Duty Season 4?
Further additions set to be a part of Season 4 include Fallout, which is seeing a huge resurgence and is currently also collaborating with Fortnite, and The Crow, which is perhaps even further out of left field than Gundam.
Much loved weapons the Kar98k and the SPAS-12 are both set to make a hotly anticipated return alongside new weapons for all, the FNENEC, a subcompact machine gun, and the CR-56 AMAX, an assault rifle.
There will also be three new modes to play – Juggernaut Royale, Warzone Rumble 50v50, and more – though no details have been revealed about them. Three new maps have been announced too.
And of course as with any new season drop, new operators, new weapons and attachments, and new skins galore are sure to be a part of it.
We just hope you get to pilot a mech suit.
Image credit: Activision
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Lawmakers strive to expedite casino licences in NYC

Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow are backing proposed legislation for the introduction of casino licenses in New York City, intending to expedite the current timeframe.
As reported by the New York Post, the two Democrat lawmakers are striving to deliver change in the late stages of the state legislative session which requires bids to be tabled by July 31, and for the gaming commission to sign off on three casino licenses by March 31, 2025.
The State Gaming Commission recently briefed that the new casino approvals would not be granted until December 31, next year, which has caused consternation from officials who are ready to commence plans for new gaming facilities. One of those is a prominent Sands Casino representative who wants to deliver a facility at the Nassau Coliseum hub in Uniondale, Long Island.
Others such as Steve Cohen, owner of MLB’s New York Mets, have plans for their own premises, with an $8 billion casino and entertainment project drawn up for Citi Field in Queens, while Related Companies/Caesars want to deliver a $12 billion casino mixed with an office tower at Hudson Yards, Manhattan.
Some industry figures insist the longer timeframe favors those developers such as Cohen and Caesars due to unresolved issues around land use and political approval. In response, they argue a fast-track approval would benefit existing slot owners – Resorts World at Aqueduct race track and MGM  Empire City at Yonkers raceway – who want to acquire a casino license.
Leaving billions of dollars on the table
Addabbo and Pretlow are adamant they want action to deliver jobs and public money, instead of leaving billions of dollars worth of resources on the table.
“It’s taking too long, there are inefficiencies. We have to move. There are 5,000 jobs on hold — minimally,” said Addabbo, with both politicians insisting they have no favored proposals from the several operators pushing for a license.
Pretlow added, “I’ve been trying to get the process moving. It’s taking too long. We’re leaving $2 billion on the table.” “Why are we stringing this along? We’re spinning our wheels here.”
All of the bidders in the tender process would be required to pay the state an upfront license fee of at least $500 million.
It is possible that winning bidders could be granted two years to resolve any land use or regulatory problems, but local authorities may be hesitant to recommend to the gaming commission any plans with ongoing issues to untangle
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who oversees the commission, was said to be resolute on whether or not to accelerate the casino licensing process, with a spokesperson stating  “Governor Hochul will review all legislation that passes both houses of the legislature.”
Image credit: Ideogram
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Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein steps down, Goldman exec to take his place

Grayscale Investments CEO Michael Sonnenshein stepped down on Monday, effective immediately.

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ChatGPT’s mobile app revenue saw biggest spike yet following GPT-4o launch

Consumer demand for the latest AI technology is heating up. The launch of OpenAI’s latest flagship model, GPT-4o, has now driven the company’s biggest-ever spike in revenue on mobile, despite the model being freely available on the web. GPT-4o, launched last Monday, can handle text, speech, and video, and delivers real-time responsiveness and a range […]
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