It’s a fabulous Friday, friends. I’m Diamond Naga Siu, and I’m excited for Mother’s Day this weekend.
I pride myself on being a good gift giver but have procrastinated buying a present this year. If you also haven’t bought a gift yet, check out these 43 last-minute gifts you could snag before Sunday (obviously I’m eyeing the pickleball starter set).
But before I go panic shopping, let’s dive into today’s tech.
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Lakshmi Varanasi/RunwayML
1. Generating photos and videos from text. Forget ChatGPT. My colleague Lakshmi Varanasi tested a buzzy AI service called Runway that can generate full videos from just a text prompt. It was even used to create some scenes in the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once.
- Lakshmi tested a variety of Runway’s tools. She asked it to make images of “pink oranges and orange roses strewn across the Mojave Desert.” Lakshmi also tasked it with generating 100 “portraits” of her (the photo above is one of them).
- She found that using Runway feels similar to using OpenAI’s controversial Dall-E 2 or Stable Diffusion — impressive but not perfect. (Here are 44 more generative AI companies, by the way)
- Lakshmi also experimented with using text prompts to edit images, turn videos of people into claymation figurines, and other high-level edits.
Check out the photos and videos Runway generated for her here.
In other news:
Nuance
2. Microsoft gave Insider a preview of how AI and doctors can work together. No, AI isn’t replacing doctors. Instead, it can transcribe doctor-patient conversations, pull up relevant medical history, and do other medical-related tasks. Check up on the partnership here.
3. A new chief Twit. Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday that he’s picked a new CEO for Twitter. There are two possible candidates being floated, one from inside the company and another from the media industry. Read about the executives here.
4. ChatGPT helped this cardio-hating man get addicted to running. Greg Mushen wanted a healthier lifestyle. But he hated running every time he tried it. So he asked ChatGPT to make a plan that would get him addicted to running. Run over for his full experiment here.
5. The happiest employees. They job-hopped during the pandemic. Or they work hybrid-remote roles. A new survey of more than 1,500 workers found that 62.3% of them were satisfied with their jobs last year. Check out the full findings here.
6. TikTok is opening new doors for comedians. They can now build an audience without the traditional, physical constraints of a comedy club. It’s helped them ink six-figure deals and made comedy a financially feasible career. Dive into the industry’s transformation here.
7. DoorDash workers are threatening customers for more tips. “I’m gonna go ahead and cancel this order if not,” one wrote. Another “blew up [a customer’s] phone with question marks.” Get the story delivered here.
8. Nissan’s new electric Ariya SUV proves it’s still a competitor in the electric race. It’s not the flashiest or most cutting-edge EV out there. But the Ariya is a stylish, comfortable vehicle that’s easy to get a hang of. Drive over for the full details here.
Odds and ends:
Alyssa Powell/Insider
9. The best iPhone 14 wallet cases. Size and material are key factors to consider when choosing a wallet phone case. Insider found the 15 best options on the market right now, including the “luxurious” Mujjo Full Leather MagSafe case. Get the full list here.
10. Americans love living abroad. This writer moved from Pennsylvania to Belize and discovered a newfound peace of mind. Fly over for her experience here. Meanwhile, this woman left Miami for Pakistan, where her quality of life is “infinitely better.” Travel to her story here.
The latest people moves in tech:
- Garry Tan, the new Y Combinator CEO, dished about his time at Palantir. Check out his choice words here.
- Mikko Salovaara, CFO of London fintech giant Revolut, is bouncing after two years in the position. More on his departure here.
- Jellysmack, a creator economy startup, is hiring a mergers and acquisitions leader. Get the details here.
- Derrick Palmer, the Amazon Labor Union’s vice president, stepped down from his role after multiple assault charges became public. Catch up on the turmoil here.
- LinkedIn slashed more than 700 roles this week. Here’s a round up of all the major companies that have laid off workers so far this year.
Curated by Diamond Naga Siu in San Diego. (Feedback or tips? Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Alistair Barr (tweet @alistairmbarr) in San Francisco and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.
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