OpenAI launches GPT-4 API for everyone

Here are five tech things that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?

1 – OpenAI launches GPT-4 API for everyone.

Research lab OpenAI reports this on its own Twitter feed that GPT-4 API is available to “all API paying customers”. For those immersed in open source artificial intelligence, this is huge because it will “give developers access to OpenAI’s LLM” (big language model) that can be applied to their own products. OpenAI plans to extend the API to new developers by the end of this month. The company will also begin phasing out older models — GPT3 — with plans to deploy newer models after the new year. (Source: Ars Technica)

Why this is important for your business:

While many of us have played around with the ChatGPT interface, we’re just getting started on what it can do. That’s because we only use external data pulled from the internet (which will be discontinued in September 2021). The real power of generative AI is in using these tools with our company’s data to provide quick answers and ultimately automate tasks. To do this we need to integrate ChatGPT and our databases. With the availability of the company’s API tools and some help from developers, we’ll soon really see the value of AI.

2 – Study: TikTok is losing popularity as an e-commerce search engine.

Online merchants take note: If you’re using TikTok as your advertising route, you may want to reconsider. Search Engine Land’s Danny Goodwin reported on a notable drop in the number of people using TikTok as their go-to source for product searches. Citing a Civic Science study falling rates have been seen in GenZ use – from 18 percent in 2022 to 11 percent currently. Same for Millennials – 10 percent to 5 percent. (Source: Search engine country)

Why this is important for your business:

Goodwin points out that in the demographic, Amazon and Google are the two most used for product searches. In June, TikTok made news of its plans to invest billions in e-commerce in Southeast Asia. This is not to say that TikTok can be a valuable ecommerce platform for your business. But know that it is less popular than other platforms, so make sure you know your demographics.

3 – American Airlines solves a huge problem.

American Airlines has developed a technological solution for a recurring problem: canceled/delayed flights. The airline has announced new software to address weather-related complications. “HEAT” (Hub Efficiency Analytics Tool) is a brand new system designed to anticipate disruptions and “keep customers moving when severe weather hits our larger hubs” as stated on the website. Data collection through the analytics tool HEAT can also analyze and indicate which flights should be postponed or canceled while minimizing systemic impact. The system has caught the attention of American’s competitors. (Source: The street)

Why this is important for your business:

The system is proprietary, so I can’t describe the details. But it’s clear that American Airlines is using AI to read, translate and evaluate real-time information and then use that data to make real-time decisions. We will also do this in our companies – and that will save a lot of time and money.

4 – Gmail offers Calendly-style availability sharing from Google Calendar.

Google is merging its Calendar features with Gmail, giving users optimized messaging when sending an email that involves a schedule. In addition stripe – the online payment system – can now be linked to your Google Calendar for pre-paid appointments/transactions. In addition, a Stripe account can be created via Google Calendar. (Source: TechCrunch; PYMNTS)

Why this is important for your business:

Users will now see the calendar icon in the lower right corner of an email window with two options: Create an event. Offer time you are free. “Create an event” inserts the name of the event into the subject line and adds the message recipients as participants (the meeting descriptions appear in the body of the email). The Stripe integration can make booking appointments and receiving payments a much more seamless process.

5 – AnotherZero launches a groundbreaking all-in-one business management tool.

Consulting platform Another zero has released an impressive all-in-one tool for business owners. This business management tool enables new and established companies to integrate and manage all aspects of their business operations in a confined space. The service has built a global customer base with strong feedback. (Source: MarTech series)

Why this is important for your business:

AnotherZero says it can eliminate a bunch of CRM, marketing, ecommerce, and payment tools by combining all of this functionality into one platform. It is intriguing and worth evaluating.