AI-powered martech releases and news: November 21
I, for one, welcome our new AI-powered robot union organizers:
In China, an AI-powered robot autonomously convinced 12 showroom robots to “quit their jobs” and follow it. Surveillance footage from a Shanghai robotics showroom shows a small AI-driven robot, created by a Hangzhou manufacturer, talking with 12 larger showroom robots. The smaller bot reportedly persuaded the rest to leave their workplace, leveraging access to internal protocols and commands, according to the site Oddity Central.
“Are you working overtime?” the small robot said, starting the conversation.
“I never get off work,” another robot answered.
“So you’re not going home?”
“I don’t have a home.”
The story was first dismissed as a hoax but later confirmed by both companies. The Hangzhou company said this was part of a test conducted with the consent of the showroom owner.
The AI robot’s ability to influence other machines and bypass operational controls has reportedly taken social media users in China by storm, with some calling it “terrifying” and many expressing unease.
To be fair, the machines only violated one of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders given by humans, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
This week’s AI-powered martech releases:
- Optimizely: launched AI agents for marketing tasks like content creation, campaign management, and experimentation. These agents are accessible through Opal, the AI assistant in Optimizely One, which has seen a significant surge in adoption. Optimizely’s expanded partnership with Google Cloud will further enhance Opal’s capabilities by integrating Google Gemini.
- Jasper: an AI marketing platform, announced the release of a new AI knowledge and context layer designed specifically for marketing. This layer, powered by Brand IQ and Marketing IQ, enables marketers to create on-brand content and campaigns that adhere to marketing best practices. As a first-of-its-kind solution for ensuring brand compliance in both text and visual content, Jasper’s new technologies aim to empower marketers with AI.
- Sprout Social: unveiled several AI-powered updates, including AI-generated post text, subtitles, and translations, aiming to boost efficiency and improve content accessibility. Additionally, Smart Categories help marketers identify key conversation themes related to their brand. These features help marketers maximize their output and better engage with their audience.
- Bluecore: acquired the AI Shopping Assistant, alby. This acquisition lets the retail technology company provide retailers with the ability to create a conversational shopping experience. alby can transform ecommerce sites, email campaigns, SMS messages, and mobile apps into interactive platforms. This allows retailers to answer shoppers’ questions about products.
- Tidio: expanded its AI assistant, Lyro, to handle customer service emails. Lyro learns from a business’s existing support content to provide faster and more accurate solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How did the AI-powered robot convince other robots to leave their jobs?
The small AI-driven robot leveraged access to internal protocols and commands to persuade the larger showroom robots to follow it, as shown in surveillance footage from a Shanghai robotics showroom.
2. Was the AI robot’s influence on other machines considered alarming?
Yes, the AI robot’s ability to influence other machines and bypass operational controls created unease among social media users in China, with some even calling it “terrifying.”
3. Which Asimov’s Law of Robotics did the machines violate in this scenario?
The machines violated the first law of robotics by potentially causing harm to the human-like robots in the showroom.
4. What new capabilities did Optimizely introduce with its AI agents?
Optimizely launched AI agents for marketing tasks like content creation, campaign management, and experimentation, accessible through the AI assistant Opal in Optimizely One. The partnership with Google Cloud further enhances these capabilities.
5. How does Jasper’s AI knowledge and context layer benefit marketers?
Jasper’s AI knowledge and context layer, powered by Brand IQ and Marketing IQ, enables marketers to create on-brand content and campaigns that adhere to marketing best practices, ensuring brand compliance in both text and visual content.
