AI Use in Spotify Wrapped 2024 and Fitness

Dec 6

Emerging Tech Roundup — December 6

The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.

This week in tech: Amazon announces new family of multimodal AI models, Spotify Wrapped 2024 included an AI podcast powered by Google’s NotebookLM, Google’s new generative AI video model is now available, startup creates AI-powered boxing coach, Runway AI just announced a new tool that maps out your thoughts and turns them into videos, Nvidia signs deal to establish AI center in Vietnam, and OpenAI offers subscription tier for an exclusive version of its o1 ‘reasoning’ model.

Amazon Announces Nova, a New Family of Multimodal AI Models

(Tech Crunch, December 3)

Amazon Web Services unveiled Nova, a family of multimodal generative AI models, including text generators (Micro, Lite, Pro, Premier), an image-generation model (Nova Canvas), and a video-generation model (Nova Reel). The text models cater to diverse workloads — with Micro optimized for speed, Lite and Pro handling text, image, and video inputs, and Premier positioned for creating custom models. Canvas enables image editing and customization, while Reel generates six-second videos with customizable camera effects, with longer video capabilities on the way.

Spotify Wrapped 2024 Adds an AI Podcast Powered by Google’s NotebookLM

(Tech Crunch, December 4)

This year’s Spotify Wrapped has dropped, introducing two new features: an AI-powered podcast summarizing your listening habits and "Your Music Evolution," showcasing changes in your music tastes over the year. The AI-generated podcast uses Google’s Gemini AI to deliver a personalized audio overview, offering commentary on top songs, artists, and genres, available for a limited time in select countries. This collaboration with Google marks Spotify's first integration of an external AI partner into its flagship Wrapped experience.

Google’s New Generative AI Video Model is Now Available

(The Verge, December 4)

Google's generative AI video model, Veo, is now in private preview on the Vertex AI platform, allowing businesses to create videos in various styles from text or image prompts. Veo supports clips over a minute long, rivaling competing tools like OpenAI's Sora. Alongside Veo, Google's Imagen 3 text-to-image generator is expanding access with features like prompt-based editing and brand customization, making these tools valuable for content creation pipelines.

This New Startup Wants to Be Your AI-Powered Boxing Coach

(Yahoo, December 4)

Growl, a connected fitness startup, has raised $4.75 million in seed funding to develop an AI-powered boxing training system that combines a wall-mounted heavy bag with interactive coaching. The device uses overhead projectors to display a life-sized coach, AI-driven feedback on form via 3D motion tracking, and features for side-by-side partner training. Set to open for pre-sales in April 2025 with a projected cost of $150-$190 per month, Growl targets users seeking immersive, high-tech home fitness experiences.

Runway AI Just Announced a New Tool That Maps Out Your Thoughts and Turns Them Into Videos

(Yahoo, December 4)

Runway AI has unveiled a video keyframing prototype that turns mapped ideas into seamless video sequences, enhancing creativity and storytelling. Users can connect images in a graph-like "latent space" to visualize and build their video, with smooth transitions between points and options for modifying style or details via text prompts. Known for its Gen-3 Alpha model, Runway AI continues to make video creation faster and more accessible, with applications in films, music videos, and other creative projects.

Nvidia Signs Deal to Establish AI Center in Vietnam

(Tech Xplore, December 5)

Nvidia has signed an agreement to establish an AI research and development center in Vietnam, furthering its commitment to advancing the country's AI capabilities. During a meeting with Vietnam's Prime Minister, CEO Jensen Huang highlighted initiatives like Vietnam's first AI cloud, robotics, and smart city advancements. With over $250 million invested and collaborations with leading Vietnamese tech firms, Nvidia is focusing on AI deployment in cloud computing, automotive, and healthcare while reinforcing its presence in Southeast Asia.

OpenAI is Charging $200 a Month for an Exclusive Version of its o1 ‘Reasoning’ Model

(The Verge, December 5)

OpenAI is introducing ChatGPT Pro, a $200 monthly subscription tier, offering exclusive access to its advanced o1 reasoning model, GPT-4o, and Advanced Voice mode. The o1 model, previously in preview as "Strawberry," is now fully released for Plus, Team, Enterprise, and Edu users, with a Pro-exclusive version optimized for complex problem-solving. This announcement is part of OpenAI's "12 days of shipmas," a feature-packed rollout that includes the debut of its text-to-video AI tool, Sora.