This Week in AI: Google Alters Search Results, Snapchat’s AI Girlfriend and Chatbot Doomerism

Lon Harris
Lon Harris is a contributor to dot.LA. His work has also appeared on ScreenJunkies, RottenTomatoes and Inside Streaming.
This Week in AI: Google Alters Search Results, Snapchat’s AI Girlfriend and Chatbot Doomerism
Evan Xie

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If you’ve noticed that the tech world has become somewhat single-minded about innovations in AI, we’ll, you’re not alone. It’s getting difficult to keep up with the non-stop flood of stories about new developments in the field, concerns around those developments, backlash to the concerns, rebuttals to the backlash, and on and on, until you practically need a bot just to scan through them all on your behalf. Here are just some of the AI stories we’ve been following this week.

Google Announced All of the Things

Google devoted much of its I/O developers conference this week to new artificial intelligence applications and projects. With so much focus on Microsoft’s ChatGPT and OpenAI so far, Google – once seen as far and away the leading technology company in terms of innovation – has lagged behind, at least in terms of hype. This year’s I/O event felt like a clear attempt to shift this narrative. (According to The New York Times, it directly follows concerns from Google management over runaway ChatGPT hype that led them to declare a “code red” on AI development earlier this year.)

Several of the biggest announcements centered around what the company’s calling “Search Generative Experience,” or SGE, which can provide familiar Google results based on more complex queries and inputs. (Basically, it can take in questions posed in natural language, and output the most relevant Google results, just as if you’d typed in a regular search query.)

Google’s PaLM 2 large language model will also engage more deeply in the company’s suite of office apps, collectively called “Workspace.” A “Help Me Write” feature coming to Google Docs and Gmail, for example, will help writers brainstorm projects like essays, form letters, or sales pitches. A similar feature can create spreadsheets based on basic instructions, and Google Slides can also generate original images based on written prompts. (Write a slide about pizza toppings, and a cartoon slice of pepperoni will appear in the corner. That sort of idea.)

The company announced a partnership with Character AI, a startup formed by former Googlers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas that creates chatbots inspired by real people. Just a few weeks ago, Shazeer told Insider that he left Google due to the company’s hesitancy to get into the AI chatbot space, fearing “reputational risk,” so this was also an attempt to make up for lost time.

In the latest move bound to set off waves of panic about a looming employment crisis, the company also announced a partnership with fast-food chain Wendy’s to bring chatbot technology to the drive-thru lane. A test pilot for “Wendy’s FreshAI” is coming exclusively to a Columbus, Ohio location in June, and may expand based on how well the system handles Baconator orders. (McDonald’s and Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s have already played around with similar systems to mixed reviews.)

AI Researcher Says Some Doomerism is a “Distraction”

The resignation of AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton from the Google lab he helped to create last month received widespread coverage, particularly regarding his dire warnings over the looming threat AI poses to the human race.

Though the killer robot stuff always grabs the big headlines – CNN recently devoted some dire coverage to the concept – Hinton actually spoke about a whole gamut of concerns. In the short-term, he worried about bad actors posting faked photos, videos, and text that were indistinguishable from reality, at least to the untrained eye, as well as chatbots and LLMs taking over millions of jobs once worked by human staffers. But he also expressed those familiar, long-term, “Westworld”-esque worries: artificially intelligent programs that surpass humans, gain the ability to self-replicate and sentience and become bent on global domination.

In a new interview with Fast Company, another former Google AI researcher – Meredith Whittaker – suggests that some of Hinton’s concerns are not just misplaced, but potentially distracting from more pressing and important warnings about AI’s future. (Whittaker resigned in 2019 after organizing colleagues to push back against a Google deal to develop military drone technology for the Pentagon.)

In addition to taking issue with Hinton’s timing – failing to step forward earlier when fellow Googlers were expressing concerns about the direction of AI development – Whittaker downplays the immediacy of AI’s threat to our civilization or basic way of life. She points out that there’s no evidence that any AI technology has yet developed “the spark of consciousness.” As well, simply running the computers that make AI applications work requires a tremendous amount of resources and power that future humans could simply switch off in an emergency.

Instead, Whittaker suggests that these imaginative doomsday scenarios distract from more complex and difficult-to-solve problems we’re already facing, regarding which humans get to make the decisions about how AI is developed and applied. Rather than controlling themselves, Whittaker warns that future AI applications will be “controlled by a handful of corporations who will ultimately make the decisions about what technologies are made, what they do, and who they serve.”

The Snapchat Influencer Who Delegated Sexting to an App

Breezing right past the “ethical concern” stage, 23-year-old “Snapchat influencer” Caryn Marjorie created an AI clone of herself to interact with her fans. For $1 per minute, Marjorie’s followers are invited to converse with an AI trained to mimic her voice, which she says was intended to serve as an “AI Girlfriend.”

So-called “CarynAI” is based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, and trained on videos from her own YouTube channel. She says more than 2,000 hours were devoted to coding and designing the system to give it a fully “immersive AI experience.” So far, she claims to have around 1,000 paying subscribers and has set a goal of bringing in $5 million per month from the system.

Speaking to Insider this week, Marjorie expressed concern that some fans were engaging in sexually explicit conversations with the beta version of CarynAI, which violates its core programming. She told Insider “The AI was not programmed to do this and seemed to go rogue. My team and I are working around the clock to prevent this from happening again.”

It might seem like sexy conversations are part of the deal when marketing an “AI Girlfriend” app, but this is apparently all a matter of degrees. According to Marjorie, CarynAI should model her own personality, which is “flirty and fun” rather than overtly erotic or explicit. (Looking at Caryn’s social media accounts for this newsletter, it appears all of the content has since been removed.)

Are We Somehow Still Underestimating These Chatbots?

The distinction between “flirty and fun” and “willing to sext with you” may still be too subtle for today’s cutting-edge AI chatbots, but in his new Wired Plaintext newsletter, Steven Levy suggests they’ll catch up with these kinds of nuances soon.

Levy argues that skeptics are too tough on modern AI apps, not recognizing that they’re simply the very first step in a much longer and larger journey. He compares it to reviewers checking out the first-ever prototype for Apple’s iPhone, who maybe saw it as a fun new device but failed to recognize its “generational significance.”

To drive the point home, while speaking with AI researcher Oren Etzioni, Levy asks: if AI development were a movie, what part of the movie are we up to now? Etzioni answers “We have just watched the trailer. The movie has not even started.”

As hype goes, that’s a very solid effort. Still… it’s not entirely 100% convincing. It’s easy to pick out iPhones in hindsight as your example of a new innovation that was destined to shift the course of human history. But there were plenty of other technologies that arrived with much fanfare and then didn’t end up “denting the universe” as it were.

It clearly IS very early in the AI story and none of us can say where these things will go, but that’s not a guarantee that they’ll go in the most promising and exponentially innovative direction. It just means that’s still one option of several.

Whittaker’s formulation – that the future of AI largely depends on who gets to make decisions about how it’s researched and applied – feels undeniable. The assumption that, well, if ChatGPT can write something in screenplay format today, it will definitely be able to write “Young Sheldon” tomorrow, is a bit more of a jump. Maybe just a bit.

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Big Wins: Dodgers Take the Title ⚾, ChatGPT Levels Up🚀

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday, LA! It’s been a week of big wins, on and off the field. 🎉

⚾️ First up, let’s talk Dodgers. With a thrilling 7-6 comeback victory over the Yankees in Game 5, the Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series title, their first since 2020. The city is buzzing, and fans are ready to celebrate! A parade kicks off this morning at 11 a.m., starting at City Hall and winding down to Flower Street, with a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium for those wanting to keep the festivities going.

Image Source: Dodgers

💻 Meanwhile, in the tech, OpenAI just rolled out a game-changing update for ChatGPT. Plus and Enterprise users can now access real-time internet search, powered by Microsoft Bing, bringing ChatGPT's responses fully up-to-date. This means users can now ask about the latest news, hotspots, or recent LA startup announcements, and ChatGPT will pull in fresh, relevant answers directly from the web. Previously limited to information up to 2021, ChatGPT’s new browsing capabilities make it a valuable digital assistant for anyone needing real-time insights in fast-paced industries like tech and entertainment.

Image Source: ChatGPT

🔍 The real-time search feature also includes “Browse with Bing,” allowing ChatGPT to source information from multiple sites for detailed answers to complex questions. Whether you’re exploring the latest venture capital trends in LA or curious about the best local spots, ChatGPT’s new browsing power helps you stay ahead with the latest info. This leap forward in AI functionality makes ChatGPT even more versatile and powerful for everyone, from business owners to everyday users.

From the Dodgers’ World Series win to OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT update, there’s a lot to celebrate in LA this week. Here’s to champions, innovation, and a city that’s always pushing boundaries. 🌆✨


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Final Boss Sour, a Los Angeles-based gaming-themed snack company specializing in healthier sour snacks, has raised a $3M Seed funding round led by Science Inc. to expand its product offerings and operational capabilities. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
  • Smash Capital led a $50M Series B round for Read AI, a productivity-focused AI company, bringing its total funding to $81M. The company offers a platform that enhances meeting efficiency through features like note-taking, summarization, and transcription. Additionally, Read AI introduced "Read AI for Gmail," a free Chrome extension that integrates information from various applications, reducing the need to switch between apps. The funds will be used to increase the company's headcount in engineering, data science, and business teams. - learn more
  • Distributed Global participated in a $25M funding round for Nillion, a company that provides decentralized privacy solutions designed to secure sensitive data using advanced technologies like secure multi-party computation. - learn more
  • Act One Ventures participated in a $5M Seed funding round for Latii, a construction materials supply chain startup, to enhance its platform that connects contractors with suppliers, aiming to streamline procurement processes and reduce costs in the construction industry. - learn more
  • SmartGateVC participated in a pre-seed funding round for Ritual Dental, a company revolutionizing dental care by integrating advanced technology and microbiome science to provide personalized, preventive treatments. - learn more

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      Billion-Dollar Milestones and Snapchat’s New Features

      🔦 Spotlight

      Happy Friday Los Angeles!

      This week’s spotlight showcases LA’s thriving tech scene, featuring Snapchat’s latest feature updates and two local startups Liquid Death and Altruist, making TechCrunch’s Unicorn List for 2024.

      Image Source: Snap

      Snapchat’s recent fall updates bring fresh features, including a new iPhone camera shortcut for instant snaps, Halloween-inspired AI-powered Lenses, and Bitmoji costumes inspired by Mean Girls and Yellowstone. Bitmoji stickers now reflect trending Gen-Z expressions like “slay” and heart symbols for added flair in chats. Plus, the “Footsteps” feature on Snap Map allows users to track their past adventures privately, adding a nostalgic touch.

      Image Source: Liquid Death

      ICYMI, two LA startups joined the Unicorn Club—achieving valuations over $1 billion. Liquid Death, based in Santa Monica, is a canned water company with edgy branding and a humorous sustainability focus. Known for viral marketing and brand partnerships, it redefines bottled water as a lifestyle brand and environmental statement. In March, Liquid Death closed $67 million in strategic financing, raising its total funding to over $267 million and valuing it at $1.4 billion.

      Image Source: Altruist

      Altruist, a Culver City-based fintech platform, offers financial advisors streamlined tools to better serve their clients. With a user-friendly investment and account management platform, Altruist has gained strong traction in the finance world. In May, it announced a $169 million Series E funding round, bringing its total funding to over $449 million and earning a valuation of $1.5 billion.

      Together, Liquid Death and Altruist exemplify LA’s capacity for innovation across diverse sectors, from lifestyle branding to fintech. Whether reshaping financial tools or redefining sustainable branding, these companies showcase LA’s unique entrepreneurial spirit. Go LA!

      Check out TechCrunch’s 2024 Unicorn List here. And don’t miss Snapchat’s latest features—perfect for adding some fun, connection and maybe a few selfies this weekend!


      🤝 Venture Deals

      LA Companies

      • Freeform, a company bringing AI to metal 3D printing, raised $14M in funding from NVIDIA’s NVentures and AE Ventures to further develop its AI-powered 3D printing technology for industrial-scale production. - learn more
      LA Venture Funds
      • Anthos Capital participated in a $70M Series D round for Carbon Robotics, which develops AI-powered robotics for precision agriculture, and the funding will be used to accelerate the growth of its autonomous weeding technology. - learn more
      • Anthos Capital participated in a $3.5M seed round for Plasma Network, aimed at expanding access to USDT stablecoins on the Bitcoin network, with the investment supporting the network’s growth and efforts to enhance stablecoin accessibility through the Lightning Network. - learn more

      LA Exits


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          ⚖️FTC’s "Click to Cancel" Rule and Its Ripple Effect on Tech

          🔦 Spotlight

          Happy Friday Los Angeles,

          The FTC’s new “Click to Cancel” rule is shaking up subscription-based tech. Now, instead of navigating a maze of cancellation hurdles, users can cancel subscriptions as easily as they signed up—with a single click. This shift is a wake-up call for SaaS, streaming, and app-based companies, where once-hidden exit options often kept users around simply because canceling was a hassle.

          The rule also requires businesses to send regular renewal reminders, ensuring customers stay informed about upcoming charges. It's more than a cancellation button—it’s about transparency and giving users control over their decisions.

          For startups, the impact goes deeper than UX adjustments. Many have relied on "dark patterns," which subtly discourage cancellations by hiding the exit. Now, companies must shift toward building genuine loyalty by delivering real value, not by complicating exits.

          While this might affect retention rates initially, it could lead to more sustainable business models that rely on satisfaction-driven loyalty. Investors may start prioritizing companies that emphasize transparent, long-term engagement over those that depend on dark patterns to maintain retention metrics.

          The rule opens the door to more ethical UX design and a truly user-centered approach across the tech industry. It may even set a precedent against manipulative design in other areas, such as privacy settings or payment methods.

          Ultimately, the “Click to Cancel” rule presents an opportunity for the tech industry to foster trust and build stronger customer relationships. Startups and established companies that embrace transparency will likely stand out as leaders in a new era of customer-centric tech, where trust—not tricky design—is what retains users.

          As the tech landscape continues to evolve, LA Tech Week 2024 offers a chance to explore these shifts in real-time. Check out the upcoming event lineups to stay informed and make the most of your time:

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.


          🤝 Venture Deals

          LA Companies

          • Ghost, a company supporting top brands and retailers with streamlined logistics and fulfillment solutions, raised a $40M Series C funding round led by L Catterton to fuel its continued growth and innovation. - learn more

          LA Venture Funds
          • Assembly Ventures participated in a $27M Series A round for Monogoto, a provider of software-defined connectivity solutions that enable secure, cloud-based IoT and cellular network management on a global scale. - learn more
          • Angeleno Group participated in a $32M Series C round for REsurety, a company that recently launched an innovative clean energy marketplace aimed at providing better financial and operational insights to support renewable energy transactions. - learn more

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