Open A.I. & Deep Dives 🤿 🤖

Good Morning handsome / Shandsome, You're off to a great start today, the people will take notice. Now take a sip of that coffee and let's feed your brain.

In Today's Morning 6 - 9:

• A.I. is coming for your job, not even IG models are safe

• Cultural happenings and quick reactions (Author reactions in RED)

• Deep Dive of a company you probably haven't heard but should - "Pack Up + Go"

• Bro-tastic Memes

Artificial Intelligence - Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

If you've been on Instagram or TikTok within the last few weeks, you may have noticed a trend where people are uploading their own images and allowing AI to recreate their face into some sort of art, era, or anything the imagination can think of. Naturally, we got curious about these types of programs and decided to do some digging ourselves. (for research purposes obviously 🤖) We went through a multitude of tools and found one that was very fun and easy to use.  The company "OpenAI" has a program called "Dall-E" that helped us render a new logo, simply enter a description and press enter - it spits out an image...here are our results for a logo:

We got bored quickly with these tasks and also decided to challenge the AI program with complete randomness and specific instructions...such as creating an "expressive oil painting of Maradona kicking a comet into outer space" or "Charmander holding the earth"

Needless to say, we were pleasantly shocked by how excellent these came out. AI is a tool that will only be expanding in our lives and we here at The Morning Bro are very bullish about its future. Some Things You Should Consider with AI: 

• With disruption comes great opportunity and potential for loss... some jobs that may be at risk of being automated by AI include data entry clerks, customer service representatives, manufacturing, retail cashiers, delivery drivers, travel agents, and Instagram Models.

• Yes, Even IG models are not safe either so don't feel as though you're in a tight place, but this isn't the first we've heard of this - back in 2018, Balman and Kelvin Klien both used AI-generated models for their campaign launches.

Our Take on AI:

The future of creating content, along with the future of many other industries is going to change due to these developments in technology, However, the extent to which AI can replace human workers in these jobs will depend on the specific capabilities of the AI system and the nature of the work. In many cases, AI may be used to help human workers rather than fully replace them. We are choosing to believe that this will benefit us in many ways, such as:

• Create new job opportunities in fields such as AI development and management, data analysis, and cybersecurity.

• Encouraging workers to stay current with new technologies and to develop skills that are complementary to AI in order to remain competitive in the job market.

• Assisting care for individuals with disabilities, such as through text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, and assistive technologies

Culture is everything (Quick catch-ups and reactions)

• Elon Musk announced that he will step down as CEO of Twitter, ( Go Figure🙄) but will continue to influence the company as head of the software and servers team, once he identifies a successor. The announcement comes after a Twitter poll in which over 17 million users voted for Musk to resign and follows backlash to the suspension of several journalists who cover him, as well as some other poorly advised decisions. (Imagine being the richest and most respected businessman to becoming a villain in the matter of a few weeks for just trying to make things better - I hate it here)

• Pusha T says in an interview that he is "not interested anymore" in matters concerning Drake and that he is aware that Drake is still "hurt" by their feud four years later because of the presence of subliminal references in Drake's songs. Pusha T also reiterates his disappointment with Kanye West's recent examples of anti-Semitism and that he is no longer a part of G.O.O.D. Music. (OK PUSH damn, OK??)

• Epic Games, the creator of the popular Fortnite video game series, has agreed to pay $520 million in settlements to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for violating children's privacy laws and using "dark patterns" to manipulate users into making unauthorized purchases. The settlements, which are among the largest in FTC history, include a $275 million penalty for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and a $245 million refund.  (Leave the kids alone... hopefully, some jail time gets issued to deter this type of behavior - I doubt it, but I'm remaining optimistic. Also, can we incentivize our youth to bring sports and socializing IRL back? asking for a friend)

• Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX and accused of misappropriating billions of dollars deposited in the cryptocurrency exchange and making illegal campaign contributions, has agreed to be extradited from the Bahamas to the US to face charges of fraud, money laundering, and campaign finance offenses. (This dude is in TROUBLE, and it seems rightfully so - play with fire you get burnt? )

• Delta Air Lines is planning to make in-flight Wi-Fi free for a significant portion of its planes starting in early 2023, with the intention of increasing the availability of free Wi-Fi throughout the year, according to The Wall Street Journal. (It's about damn time, Delta stock 📈🆙📈🆙📈)

Company Deep Dive: Pack Up + Go

Have you ever felt the need to just get away and not worry about a single a-commendation? I have and I am sure since the pandemic many of us do too. This week in my company's slack channel I learned about a business called - "Pack Up + Go". Pack up + Go is a tech company that plans personalized vacations around the United States with one small catch...Your destination is a surprise until the day you depart.

You can choose to travel by plane, or car, or stay in your home city for a staycation. Trips range in length from three to ten days and you can depart any day of the week. Before you say it, we are well aware that this may sound like some wh*te people sh*t, however, we have multiple academically accredited sources that say otherwise. (pictured below)

The numbers: The company was launched in January 2016 and has sent over 25,000 travelers to 300+ destinations around the country. Pack Up + Go started with two core products - Plane/Train Trips and Road Trips - and later added two new trip types - Staycations and Outdoors Trips - during the pandemic.The company has a strong focus on customer service and personalization, and its travelers are typically in their 30s and have a sense of adventure.

• Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Pack Up + Go finished 2021 with its strongest numbers ever, with over $7 million in revenue, a 20% increase from 2019.

• The company also more than doubled in size, growing from 10 employees at the start of the pandemic to 24 full-time team members.

• In 2021, Pack Up + Go also launched Peace of Mind Refund Assurance, a fintech product that offers travelers flexibility and protection for their travel investment. The company is on track for an even bigger year in 2022.

So Bro's, the reason I am putting this in here is that I am going to plant the seed of using this service or concept in the future - stay tuned, and if you want to check them out, here is their site :P

Bro-Tastic Memes

Thank you for reading, but more importantly, thank you for being you. We hope you found this edition informative and enjoyable. Be sure to follow us on social media for even more Culture, Tech, and Business insights and updates. @TheMorningBro

Bro-sclaimer: The opinions and info in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement or recommendation of any company or product. As tech-savvy bros, you know the drill: Do your own research before making any investment decisions. Don't be a dummy, Bro.