Each week we’ll gather headlines and tips to keep you current with how generative AI affects PR and the world at large. If you have ideas on how to improve the newsletter, let us know!

What You Should Know

Renewable Energy Sources Support AI Demand

As the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow, so does the need for sustainable power sources to fuel the vast data centers that support it. Traditional energy grids, heavily reliant on fossil fuels, have struggled to keep up with the surge in electricity consumption driven by AI’s computational needs. Fortunately, renewable energy sources, including nuclear power, are increasingly stepping in to fill this gap, offering a more sustainable way to meet the energy demands of modern AI infrastructures.

Last week, Microsoft and Constellation Energy unveiled a power purchase deal to revive Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear plant and add approximately 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy to the grid. This stability is crucial, given Goldman Sachs Research’s forecast that AI will drive a 160% increase in data center power demand by 2030.

Embracing these renewable sources is a crucial step forward in making AI adoption both scalable and sustainable. With AI playing a pivotal role across industries, linking its growth to clean energy solutions ensures that this technology can be developed and deployed responsibly. As renewable energy powers AI’s future, it opens the door to a greener, more sustainable era of innovation.

Elsewhere …

• PODCAST: Why Autonomous Drones Are the Future of Security Patrols
• AI Simulation Gives People a Glimpse of Their Potential Future Self
• Microsoft Starts Paying Publishers for Content Surfaced by Copilot
• Why Gavin Newsom Vetoed California’s Bold Bid to Regulate AI
• Liquid AI Announces Generative AI Liquid Foundation Models With Smaller Memory Footprint

Tips and Tricks

 Getting started with Advanced Voice Mode

What’s happening: OpenAI completed the rollout of Advanced Voice Mode to all Team and Plus users (except some Plus users in Europe) last week. Even free users will get a monthly preview. The long-awaited feature allows users to have audio conversations with ChatGPT on their mobile devices instead of typing them out. 

Standard voice mode (which is signified by a black circle in the middle of the screen) has been available for over a year. The advanced feature (which has a blue orb instead) feels more natural because the AI responds in real time instead of having a slight delay, the voices have more emotion, and you can speak over it to correct course if it starts talking about something you’re not interested in.

Be aware: There are two important voice settings in the ChatGPT app to know about. First: Free and Plus users share audio with OpenAI by default. To opt out of this, go to Settings, Data Controls, then toggle off “Improve voice for everyone.” If you don’t have that option, you’ve already opted out.

Second, there’s an option to have “background conversations,” which allows ChatGPT to continue having conversations even if you’re in another app or your screen is off. For most users, it likely makes sense to have that turned off.

Realistic use cases: Many of the demos presented by AI influencers tout goofy uses like having ChatGPT read a children’s book with an accent or tell jokes. Good parlor tricks, but not so practical for communications pros. 

We discovered some that might actually help. 

• Media training and interviews: The more natural voice capabilities can easily replicate having a conversation with a reporter. ChatGPT can ask questions about a particular topic and seems to comprehend the answers well. The interview might end organically, but if you’re ready to stop, just tell it to stop asking questions and provide feedback on your delivery. It will highlight positives from your performance, identify areas of improvement, and even suggest breathing and diction techniques.

• Foreign language translation: Say you want to communicate with someone who speaks another language. You can ask ChatGPT to translate your message and speak it to the other party. One particular advantage of using AI is that it can capture longer messages and translate all at once, whereas a human translator may need to work a couple sentences at a time. While it’s hard to ensure accuracy if you don’t know the other language, you can ask ChatGPT to translate the message back to your native tongue and compare it to your original one.

• A brainstorming partner: Because this new capability feels almost as natural as speaking with another human, it’s easy to bounce ideas off it. You may need to give it context about a certain challenge you’re facing, but once you speak that out, it’s more helpful. You can tell it about a new product, for example, and ask it for ideas about how to promote it.

Quote of the Week

“AI allows small businesses — who many times do not have the staff or resources of their competitors — to punch above their weight. It’s encouraging to see small businesses embrace technology and express optimism for the future as these platforms serve as a catalyst for innovation and resilience.”

— Jordan Crenshaw, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber’s Technology Engagement Center, to the Associated Press

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