If you’re a wordmaker, there’s lots in this issue for you.

Don’t forget to stop and take a minute to breathe. There’s lots happening right now. We’re going to look back at this time like we did at the birth of the internet. Wonder, frustration, overwhelm. All the things.

One last thing: I’m experimenting with a new format next week for issue 29. Don’t worry! I’m not changing the format you know and love, just thinking about occasionally writing a longer, deep dive on a specific topic. Keep your eyes open for it a week from today!

✏️ Live online learning session!

I've crafted a specialized Zoom session to unveil the secrets of leveraging ChatGPT to create authentic content that truly resonates with your voice.

5:00-6:30PM Eastern on Thursday, November 16, 2023. A replay will be available for those who can't attend live. Only $49!

✨ Personal Update

I want to sincerely thank all of you who upvoted my pitch for South by Southwest 2024 a few months ago.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be presenting at SXSW! This is an event I’ve wanted to attend for a long time, so being one of only a few hundred people chosen to speak here is quite an honor.

The date and time is still TBA, but my session is, “Integrating AI into Your Creative Process.” Shocker, right?

And the music festival! OMG, I can’t wait. Hit me up if you’re in Austin or plan on attending SXSW.

📚 Sound Investment: KDP’s Audiobook Beta Rings in a New Chapter

Summary

KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) has decided to roll out an invite-only beta for audiobooks, aiming to give a jolt to the self-publishing landscape. The initiative that opens a new avenue for indie authors to turn their manuscripts into audiobooks with the help of AI narrators. It’s a leap towards democratizing the audiobook landscape, sprinkled with a touch of modern-day tech allure.

My Take

The ripples caused by this story in the author community are palpable, bringing to light the double-edged sword that is AI narration.

I believe that the most prolific narrators will license their golden pipes, while the lower to mid-tier narrators might be out of work.

The quality of AI narration is still in the minors, but once it hits the majors, the audiobook arena is poised for a seismic shift. A fresh wave of authors who were previously priced out will flood the market, thanks to the reduced cost of audiobook production. This is a boon for budding authors, a bane for the established ones as the royalty pie gets sliced into thinner pieces.

🎨 Poe-tential Payday: Quora’s New Feature Spells Dollar Signs for Creators

Summary

Quora introduced a creator monetization feature for Poe, a platform where creators can spin their yarn and get paid for it. The highlight reel includes a new monetization feature that allows creators to earn through Supporters, who are essentially the patrons of this digital art realm. You can now show your support with more than just a thumbs-up, with your wallet doing the talking.

My Take

The announcement of Quora monetizing Poe came hot on the heels of OpenAI bundling its features into a one-stop-shop interface.

It's hard to envision server bots and code on Poe keeping up with OpenAI or Meta. Why wouldn’t the big dogs whip up their own versions to crush the APIs? It’s already happening with ChatGPT.

Despite the looming cloud of tech giants overshadowing, I'm holding out hope for Poe. Competition is the spice of the tech world, and Poe’s new feature could be the stepping stone that creators need to stake their claim in the digital wild west.

🎯 Prompt of the Week

💸 Do you know what costs more than $5.00?

• A banana milkshake

• A pack of 10 envelopes

• 50 ounces of laundry detergent

• A roll of paper towels

Do you know what costs less than these things but is worth 10x as much?

The premium membership! It’s called Creative AI Insider, and you can get it for less than five bucks a month. Insiders get an exclusive, monthly AMA (Ask Me Anything) with J. Thorn!

💡 Artificial or Authentic? Seth Godin Probes the Puzzles of Perception

Summary

The gritty dance of confronting consciousness is the crux of Seth Godin's recent pondering. It's not just a casual waltz, but more of a tango with the enigma that is the human mind, all while AI's cold, calculating toes are stepping on ours.

Godin's piece is a telescope into the cosmos of thought, questioning what makes the lights in our mind's sky twinkle with consciousness while AI remains a black hole. He nudges us to mull over the not-so-clear lines between human thought, intelligence, and the synthetic mimicry of it by our silicon counterparts.

My Take

Being a fan boy of Godin, his venture into the labyrinth of consciousness tickles both my fancy and the intrinsic curiosity that comes with the territory of being human.

The murky waters of defining what's happening in our grey cells is akin to the dilemmas we face when trying to pin down intelligence or creativity.

Just a few years ago, and we would have had ChatGPT waltzing around the Turing Test, almost mocking the simplicity of it. And now, we stand at the precipice of understanding - or at least attempting to - the essence of consciousness. What is it?

🗞️ Pressing Concerns: Is AI the Newsroom’s Nemesis or Newsmaker?

Summary

The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) is in a tizzy over AI invading the realm of journalism, a domain once revered for its human touch. This concern has birthed an online petition seeking to halt AI's march into the newsroom. The petition aims to be a dam holding back the AI tide.

My Take

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m kinda over online petitions. Way easier to virtue signal via social media. The recent uproar from WGAE is a shiny example of this. While the concern for AI taking over journalism flickers, where was this flare of advocacy when traditional print media started dying 20 years ago?

The petition comes across as a whiny cry in a long saga of media evolution. It also lays bare a glaring misunderstanding of AI’s role. AI doesn’t saunter into the newsroom to snatch jobs; it rolls in to take over tasks, mundane ones mostly.

The accusation that AI might introduce factual errors or biases is like blaming the mirror for the reflection. Human oversight is the key to harness AI, to keep it on a tight leash. The need of the hour is not to shun AI, but to shepherd it in a direction that amplifies human effort, not annul it.

✍️ AI and the Future of Work by the marketoonist

This article presents a fun collection of cartoons by Tom Fishburne, the marketoonist. Good for a smile and a chuckle!

⏱️ Correct the grammar of an entire book in 5 minutes

Full disclosure: I have not tried this tool. However, I imagine this is the exact kind of thing generative AI would do really well.

The pricing is very reasonable ($29 lifetime access) and you can try it for free.

👇 Try it for free!

⭐ AI Superstar - Data Pragmatist

I’m always on the lookout for a great AI newsletter. Check out “Data Pragmatist” for AI news and more. All for free!

👇 Subscribe for free!

😜 MemeMe

🌐 Rando Disco

Random images from the Midjourney Discord server.

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DISCLAIMERS:

This issue may contain affiliate links that might get you a discount. If you buy something, I get a small % from the seller at no cost to you.

Nothing in this newsletter should be considered financial, medical, marital, or advice of any kind. But we can still be friends.I can feel it coming in the air tonight.