Microsoft Is Forcing Its AI Assistant on People

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Hey everyone,

Just a quick heads-up: Microsoft Is Forcing Its AI Assistant on People—and Making Them Pay ... Microsoft is going to try to profit from its huge investments in AI.

What’s inside today’s newsletter:

• 🌐 Tech Pulse Microsoft Invested Nearly $14 Billion In OpenAI But Now It’s Reducing Its Dependence On The ChatGPT Parent

• 📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Use Google Sheets with Google Apps Script to Automate Reporting

• 5 New Tools on the Block

• 🔎 Spotlight: Microsoft Is Forcing Its AI Assistant on People

• 🤝 Who is getting funded?

• ✅ To-dos

🌐 Tech Pulse

• Microsoft Invested Nearly $14 Billion In OpenAI But Now It’s Reducing Its Dependence On The ChatGPT Parent

  • Microsoft is reportedly planning to reduce its reliance on OpenAI for its AI product, Microsoft 365 Copilot. This move is intended to diversify its AI technology and reduce costs. Microsoft is also concerned about the cost and speed of OpenAI for enterprise users.

  • Microsoft is incorporating AI models from other companies, such as Anthropic and Google, as alternatives to OpenAI's GPT-4. This is similar to what other Microsoft business units, like GitHub, have done.

  • Despite Microsoft's efforts to diversify, OpenAI remains a key partner for the company. Microsoft stated that it continues to use OpenAI's models for various products and experiences.

• Where is Apple Intelligence on my iPhone?

  • Learn how to set up Apple Intelligence on your iPhone for free 👇

  • Unfold Guide: How to set up and use Apple Intelligence on your iPhone 

📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Use Google Sheets with Google Apps Script to Automate Reporting

Overview: Do you need to create recurring reports or automate calculations in Google Sheets? Using Google Apps Script (a JavaScript-based tool built into Google Sheets), you can automate data updates, calculations, and email reports without manual intervention.

Duration: 15-30 minutes

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate

1. Set Up Your Google Sheet: Organize data and label columns.

2. Write the Script: Go to Extensions > Apps Script and enter this simple code:

function sendReport() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Sheet1");
  var data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
  var emailBody = "Automated Report:\n\n" + data.map(row => row.join(", ")).join("\n");
  MailApp.sendEmail("[email protected]", "Automated Report", emailBody);
}

3. Automate: Set up a trigger in Triggers to send reports on a schedule (daily, weekly, etc.).

4. Customize: Modify the script for more complex needs like attachments or filtered data.

Pro Tip: Use IMPORTDATA to pull live web data into your sheet for real-time reports!

💼 From our Partners

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🔧 New Tools on the Block

1. PopShort Al: Turn your inspiration into engaging short films in minutes.

2. Lambda: Your AI-Powered Investment Copilot.

3. Shoonya AI: Specialized foundation models fine-tuned for commerce use.

4. Stableoutput: Bring-your-own-key AI chat client.

5. Guidde: Explain any process instantly with AI video documentation.

🔎 Spotlight: Microsoft Is Forcing Its AI Assistant on People

Summary:

This excerpt analyzes user and business reactions to Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant. The text highlights pricing concerns, with Copilot offered in free, $20, and $30 monthly tiers, causing budgetary strain for businesses. Significant criticism focuses on Copilot's forceful integration, perceived as bloatware, along with privacy issues and difficulties in removal. While Microsoft promotes Copilot as a productivity booster, business adoption is hampered by cost, performance problems, and complex integration needs. Ultimately, the passage reveals a tension between Microsoft's ambitious vision for Copilot and the substantial challenges in its current implementation.

Why it matters:

1. Financial implications for businesses and individuals: The cost of Copilot, especially the enterprise version, presents a significant financial barrier to adoption. For larger organizations, the per-user cost can quickly add up, impacting budgets and potentially limiting access for smaller businesses or individuals.

2. User concerns about privacy and control: The integration of Copilot into Microsoft products has sparked concerns about data collection practices and a lack of user control over its presence. Some users feel that the implementation is forceful and raises questions about data privacy and potential misuse of personal information.

3. Potential impact on the future of work and technology adoption: As a prominent example of AI integration into everyday tools, Copilot's reception and evolution have broader implications. Addressing user concerns and refining implementation strategies are crucial for shaping user trust and determining the success of AI-assisted tools in the workplace.

Source: WSJ

 🤝 Who is getting funded?

1. AI Cloud Startup Vultr Raises $333M At $3.5B In First Outside Funding Round (Crunchbase)

2. Heirloom Secures $150M Amid Busy Year For Carbon Capture Funding (Crunchbase)

 😂 Tech Memes

✅ To-dos

Do you have a topic in mind? We’re always open to suggestions—let us know what you want to learn next!

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That’s a wrap! Catch you in tomorrow’s edition. 👋

—Harman