Will the Future Embrace AI Assistants That Look, Talk, and Act Like Us?

“A world in which custom AI agents—trained to mimic your personality or brand—might help someone prepare for a difficult conversation, or interact with customers on their behalf long after they've signed off for the day.”


~Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder


Does this sound like a dystopian science fiction novel to you, or an easy way to stay connected with your customers and followers without being online 24/7? This futuristic vision is closer than you might think.


Zuckerberg recently addressed crowds in Colorado at Siggraph 2024, an annual conference that stands for Special Interest Group on Computer GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques. In a fireside chat during the event, he revealed plans for Meta's AI Studio rollout.3


On stage with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Zuckerberg revealed that Meta's AI Studio enables users to deploy Meta's pre-trained Llama model to create a customized AI avatar to answer common questions, dole out advice in your areas of specialty, and even create fun memes.4

Why It Matters: You can already customize OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini to a degree, training the AI to create content in a voice that's uniquely yours. Custom GPTs also exist that you can train to write or speak in your own particular style.


But the Meta AI Studio takes these capabilities to the next level. Zuckerberg envisions a day where everyone can create an “AI agent” to fill in for them when they are unavailable.


Small business owners can particularly benefit from this technology, creating AI chatbots for after-hours customer service without the high costs of onboarding a custom chatbot. With IT resources often scarce for SMBs, customized AI agents embedded in Facebook and Instagram business tools will make these opportunities accessible and affordable.


And that, we believe, is an example of AI being deployed for good.


The Flip Side: Of course, there will be challenges regarding transparency as more people embrace AI Studio. AI-generated posts and comments already litter Facebook with no designation as such. It's another case of regulations not necessarily keeping up with the technology – yet.


Here at Top AI Tools, we are optimistic that challenges like these won't be ignored for long.


In fact, read on…

European Union Enacts AI Act

This summer, the European Union put the AI Act into effect. The act is a comprehensive regulatory framework for the responsible and ethical use of AI, especially as it relates to higher risk systems. (Think: healthcare, finance, self-driving cars or, the type of functions Google has described as “your money, your life.”)


Because the rules will apply to organizations that operate in the EU (we're looking at you, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft..!), this could affect the way certain AI systems are rolled out and regulated across the world.


Small business owners in the U.S should be poised for similar legislation that could put stricter regulations on tech giants, and require more accountability on the part of anyone using AI.

FEATURED PROMPTS:

Boost Your Email Efficiency: Must-Try Prompts for Busy SMBs

As you've learned if you've taken our AI Crash Course (and if you haven't – what are you waiting for?), solid prompts are the key to getting more done with ChatGPT and other AI assistants.


The apps and software we've covered in this newsletter can help you get a handle on your email inbox. But don't forget about the power of a ChatGPT prompt to assist in writing emails or managing your inbox.


Here are a few prompts that can help:

1. Boost open rates.

The average business gets a 35.63% open rate from their email campaigns, according to statistics from MailChimp.5 Apps like HoppyCopy and Success.ai can help you craft better subjects to improve open rates. But ChatGPT can also help, with the right prompt.


Try this to boost your open rates:


“Please create 10 alternative headlines for the following email subject. [Paste your initial subject line suggestion here.] These headlines should be enticing and engaging to improve our email open rates.”

2. Craft the perfect response.

ChatGPT can also help you write emails. If you have trained a GPT in your voice, or your brand's voice, we recommend using it for this prompt.


“Please craft a concise, [insert other adjectives to describe the tone of your email such as: friendly, professional, heartwarming, compassionate] email to reply to the following email. Please keep it under [length.] [Insert email you want to reply to here.]”

3. Organize your inbox.

Although ChatGPT can't access your inbox and sort your emails into folders like other programs can, it can help you get control of your inbox. Ask ChatGPT:


“I am trying to organize my email inbox. Please provide suggestions for folders to sort my emails. I am a [describe your business.]”

VOICES IN AI

“AI, like any technology, is a tool. The workers who will get ahead in the coming decades are the ones who learn how to master it to work more efficiently.”

~ Brian Prince, Top AI Tools CEO, from 3 Fastest-Growing Jobs in AI & How Much You Could Earn

TOOLS & RESOURCES

What we're exploring…


We love testing out new AI tools that can help us work smarter, not harder. When you're approaching new leads for your business, personalized emails work best at getting someone's attention. Warmer AI streamlines minutes of research into seconds.


You'll need to enter some information about your company and your objectives. Then, add the LinkedIn URL or the website for the person you want to email. Warmer AI reviews their credentials and creates a personalized note.

Check out this letter of introduction Warmer AI crafted to our editorial director, Gina LaGuardia, inviting her to be part of our guest author program.


The initial draft included a choice of five different introductions to Gina, along with information on how we could work together. You can edit either segment, which we did since the first version included a collection of run-on sentences. (Yikes!)


Even so, if you frequently send prospecting emails, Warmer AI could save you hours!


Explore: Shave hours off prospecting emails and build better relationships


What we're reading…


Did you know? A new study found that only 9% of businesses have adopted generative AI, although 75% have explored it?


What's keeping businesses from incorporating AI into their operations? A recent article by Middle East Economy explores the results of a survey by MIT Technology Review Insights and the telecom company Telstra:


  • Costs, training, and infrastructure remain barriers to AI adoption.

  • Regulatory, compliance and data privacy issues also affect a company's decision to use generative AI, especially in fields like healthcare and finance.


In spite of the challenges, the report showed that 78% of businesses view gen AI as a competitive opportunity, and 65% said they are considering using gen AI.


Read: Why Businesses Are Approaching AI With Caution


What we're watching…


Have you been watching the Olympics? While the competitive action is happening, what's going on behind the scenes is equally thrilling for tech geeks like us!

Athletes have access to a chatbot platform developed in partnership with Intel to answer their questions, get around Olympic Village, and make them feel more comfortable in a sometimes-confusing environment so they can focus on the games. Take a look here.

We hope you had as much fun reading our newsletter as we did creating it! With our inbox at zero now thanks to the help of all these handy AI tools, we're off to relax by the pool. 🌞How about you?

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