AR Glasses, Snapchat Lenses, and AI Dominate Tech Industry
Emerging Tech Roundup — April 14
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: Metaverse Mania Continues for Marketers, Lyra Slim Smart Glasses Combine AR and AI, Researchers Populated a Tiny Virtual Town with AI, Poe Builds Universal AI Messaging, Microsoft Teams Enables Snapchat Lenses for Meetings, XR Headset Industry Value to Hit USD 401.4 Million by 2031, and AutoGPT Enters the Game.
Metaverse Mania Cools for Many, but Not for Marketers
(WSJ, April 7)
A survey by Forrester found that 46% of consumer brand marketers plan to increase their metaverse budgets this year, while only 12% plan to spend less. Despite recent setbacks, marketers like Mastercard are still investing in the metaverse, creating branded experiences. While interest in the metaverse may be declining among some of its biggest proponents, marketers are still seeing potential in this emerging technology.
Lyra: Slim Smart Glasses Aim to Combine Augmented Reality and AI
(Mixed News, April 8)
Swiss startup Ostloong Innovations has unveiled its second product, an AR headset called “LYRA”, which displays digital information directly in the user’s field of view. It can also be used for navigation and translation. Controlled using a touchpad, the glasses include multilingual live translation, GPS, mobile data and a music player, and can be uploaded via a smartphone app. Details of the technology behind the headset and battery life are yet to be revealed.
Researchers Populated a Tiny Virtual Town with AI (and it Was Very Wholesome)
(Tech Crunch, April 10)
Researchers have developed a virtual town simulation that is inhabited by AI-powered bots. The ChatGPT-powered agents interact with each other like humans, coordinating actions and even attending virtual parties. This experiment was conducted to see if machine learning models can produce “generative agents” that respond realistically to their surroundings, and showed promising results in developing realistic AI interactions.
A Better ChatGPT App: Poe Wants to Build the Universal AI Messaging Client
(The Verge, April 10)
Quora has been working on an app, called “Poe”, that aims to make building and using chatbots easier by bringing them all in one place. According to Adam D’Angelo, the CEO of Quora, the current stage marks the start of significant growth in interactive bots. Poe can help lower the threshold for building a great user experience, which can lead to a surge in bot applications. The app currently features six different bots, including ChatGPT and GPT-4, which users can interact with as if they are flipping between conversations with different friends.
You Can Now Access Snapchat Lenses During Microsoft Teams Meetings
(Tech Crunch, April 10)
Microsoft and Snap have partnered to integrate Snapchat Lenses into Microsoft Teams, allowing users to access 26 popular lenses during virtual meetings. The lenses enable users to transform themselves into cartoon characters or add fun backgrounds to their videos, making virtual meetings more engaging and enjoyable. Users can access the lenses by clicking on the “Video effects” button and selecting the “Snapchat” tab.
XR Headset Market Forecast | Industry Value to Hit USD 401.4 Million by 2031
(Open PR, April 12)
The global XR headset industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.3% from 2022 to 2031, generating $401.4 million by 2031. The media and entertainment sector is driving the market growth, though the industry is also seeing growth in healthcare, education, and automotive sectors. The Covid-19 pandemic had a large impact on the XR headset market — including increased use in the aforementioned sectors, due to strict lockdowns and a surge in demand for virtual meetings, training, and conferences.
Everything You Need to Know about AutoGPT
(Tech Story, April 12)
Auto-GPT is an open-source AI-powered application that uses the GPT-4 language model to manage and develop businesses, aiming to increase net worth by analyzing market data and identifying profitable opportunities. The program utilizes various data sources such as financial data, consumer behavior, social media activity, and market trends to create strategies and execute them. As one of the first examples of GPT-4 running fully autonomously, Auto-GPT showcases the possibilities of AI-powered automation, including capabilities to purchase assets or implement marketing campaigns.
