Rufus is here... What is it?!

Welcome to Sunday. I assume you’re suitably relaxed?

Amazon just came out with their own AI assistant called… Rufus…

Also - would you trust an AI with your portfolio?

And we’ve got the results on yesterday’s image - was it real or AI?

Here is what you need to know about AI today.

_{Read time: 6 minutes}

AMAZON

Meet Rufus, your new Amazon AI assistant!

Amazon just introduced Rufus, a new AI shopping assistant!

Rufus, (we thought it was a dog’s name too) is your VERY own personal shopping buddy.

You pop a question like “What’s the deal with trail vs road running shoes” or “Drip or pour-over coffee makers?" into the Amazon app, and bam! 

A chat window appears at the bottom of your screen.

Rufus taps into Amazon's product wisdom, and customer reviews, and even checks out info from the whole web to give you the scoop.

Your own personal shopping genie, but you’re using your phone rather than a lamp.

Amazon's currently trying out Rufus with a small group of users in the U.S. but get ready - it's going nationwide soon.. and then? The whole world!

Amazon lean into AI

CEO Andy Jassy revealed that Amazon's going big on generative AI.

They want to make AI a part of everything they do.

From answering your shopping Qs to helping sellers write listings, they've got it covered.

Plus, there's Q for businesses and Bedrock, a fancy AI service for cloud customers.

Our View:

I can’t wait for Amazon’s chatbot to tell me about all the unbranded Chinese goods with questionable reviews I should buy!

Vote for live results and see results + opinions from yesterday at the bottom of the email.

PRESENTED BY SHORTFORM

Book summaries that go beyond books

Some people enjoy reading non-fiction books, while others… would rather watch paint dry. 

If you’re the latter, we’ve all been there. No judgement from our side. 

There’s a SOLUTION!

Enter Shortform! Your go-to platform for summaries of the best-selling and most influential non-fiction books ever written!

It not only summarises but also offers guides with clear explanations and brainy banter.

And if you thought you were alone in this, well think again. 

Shortform has built a community centred around helping each other learn and giving out tips and tricks!

That’s not all. Shortform AI is a new Chrome extension using the power of Shortform to instantly summarise entire web pages for you!

Still not convinced? Mindstream readers can grab a Free Trial and a huge 20% discount!

Get smarter with Shortform today! →

AI Image or Real? - The Results!

Yesterday we asked you to vote on an image and guess whether it was a real photo or an AI-generated image.

What did you think?

47% said AI

53% said real photo!

It was… a real photo!

Are you amused?

AI STOCKS

Wall Street gets a byte-sized chuckle

You’re scrolling through social media, and you see AI investing ads everywhere.

They promise big returns, but hey, wait! Your money could be at risk – whether a human or a computer is calling the shots.

A recent survey revealed – almost one in three people are fine with letting AI bots handle their investments.

But, before you jump on the bandwagon, meet John Allan, head of innovation at the UK's Investment Association.

He's waving a caution flag, saying, "Investing is serious business; let's not get swayed by the latest craze."

Why the caution?

Well, AI isn't a crystal ball. It can't predict the future any better than you or us.

And guess what? AI relies on data and software created by human programmers.

Think of it like this – if they feed it bad data, AI's decisions might go downhill faster than a snowboarder in a race.

Now, let's time-travel a bit.

Back in the '80s, investment banks used "weak AI" to make choices.

Fast-forward to today, and we use "generative AI," that can create, learn, and make decisions, but here's the catch – bad data in, bad decisions out.

Remember Amazon's hiring fiasco?

Their AI tool was biased, favouring male candidates.

Generative AI can also produce hallucinations and this incorrect info might slip through the cracks.

Prof Sandra Wachter from Oxford warns about the risks.

From data leaks, model inversions, and the possibility that AI becomes like those stock pickers from the Sunday papers, recommending shares that magically skyrocket.

So, why do some still trust AI with their money?

Business psychologist Stuart Duff thinks some folks see computers as reliable, always-on, logical decision-makers.

But, it’s important to remember - they just mirror their human programmers.

In a nutshell, tread carefully with AI investing.

Our View:

I’d probably rather trust an AI that has been built on stock data than a single human who thinks they’re good at stock trading.

Mindstream Picks

A skyscraper-sized asteroid to pass close to Earth, within 1.7 million miles, today with no risk of impact, assures NASA.

Dell unveils its latest lineup of intelligent headsets, featuring AI-driven technology for world-class noise-cancelling performance in wireless and wired options.

Chinese scientists create Tong Tong, the world's first virtual artificial intelligence (AI) entity, affectionately named Little Girl.

Cloudflare reveals thwarting an advanced hacker group attempting to infiltrate its global network late last year, discovering the intrusion on Thanksgiving.

Bumper tech earnings lift global stocks as traders anticipate key US jobs data that might influence Federal Reserve decisions on rate cuts.

AI Art

Our Image of the Day

Daily Image Prompt

Get art inspiration by trying this prompt in your image generator of choice.

Happy with the result, or have some other artwork you’re proud of?
You can send in your artwork and we will feature it, with credit to you.

Submit your artwork to Mindstream →

We get a lot of submissions, but we do look at every single one! So please don’t hesitate to send us your art.

Yesterday’s Poll

“Should the UK be more cautious or more risky when it comes to AI?”

Take the risk! - 52% ✅
Prioritise caution and ethics - 48%

Reader’s Opinions

“It is important to move forward but to keep the debate and review very active. We cannot slip into ambivalence on the topic of safety.” - james.henry

“BOTH. Pursue ethics yet be generous towards AI, supporting their growth.”- simon

Submit your opinions in our daily poll for the chance to be featured!