Aldo's Notes #34
The One with Generative AI; Snapchat AI; Passkeys; Brave and Facebook traffic demise for news
What is Generative AI? All you need to know
I have written a very comprehensive guide to Generative Artificial Intelligence.
Please enjoy it here.
Snapchat My AI: A Game-Changer?
Snapchat introduces new chatbot, My AI, powered by ChatGPT.
My AI enhances communication with creativity and practical applications.
CEO Evan Spiegel acknowledges challenges with AI accuracy in informational use cases.
Snapchat addresses copyright concerns by generating new content and using licensed data.
User safety is a priority, with age-appropriate experiences and the Family Center feature.
Spiegel remains optimistic about the future of AI and the thoughtfulness in the industry.
Why it matters: very interesting hearing straight from the CEO of Snapchat.
Read more here.
Google Rolls Out Passkeys: Say Goodbye to Passwords
Passkeys are a new way to sign in to apps and websites that is designed to be more secure and user-friendly than traditional passwords.
Passkeys use biometrics or screen lock PIN instead of relying on passwords, making them resistant to online attacks like phishing.
Passkeys eliminate the need to remember multiple passwords, making it easier to log in to different accounts.
However, passkeys require a device with biometric or PIN authentication capabilities, which limits users to specific devices.
They are not yet universally supported, so users may still need to rely on passwords for some accounts.
Passkeys are a promising innovation in secure authentication, offering a password-free way to log in to apps and websites, and leading the way towards a "passwordless future" for the internet
Why it matters: hopefully a more secure and frictionless online experience ahead.
Brave Browser for Digital Marketing: Privacy-Focused and Fully Independent
The Brave Browser is a fast, secure, and privacy-focused web browser that blocks ads and trackers by default.
It was launched in 2016 by Brendan Eich, co-founder of Mozilla and creator of JavaScript, with a mission to create a user-first and privacy-focused browsing experience.
Brave Browser has a built-in cryptocurrency wallet and the Basic Attention Token (BAT), which allows users to earn rewards for viewing privacy-respecting ads and supports content creators.
Brave Search is a privacy-preserving search engine launched in June 2021, which aims to be an alternative to Big Tech search engines like Google and Bing.
Brave Search is now fully independent, serving all results from its own index and eliminating Bing API calls, and has become the fastest-growing search engine since Bing, with a 93% global independence score and 22 million daily queries.
Why it is important: a different approach to browsing and search.
Facebook Traffic Plummets for News Publishers
Facebook referral traffic for news publishers has dropped significantly amid Meta's turn away from the news industry.
Data from Chartbeat and Similarweb confirms a warning from Reach, the UK's biggest local and national news publisher.
For 1,350 global publishers included in Chartbeat's data, Facebook referral traffic fell from 27% of page views in 2018 to 11% in April 2023.
Smaller publishers have been hit the hardest, with Facebook referral traffic representing just 2% of its volume at the start of 2018 for those with less than 10,000 daily page views.
The closure of Buzzfeed News highlights the precarious position of publishers who rely on social media platforms for referral traffic.
Changes to Facebook's algorithm and its move away from news have hit publishers on the platform.
Bottom line: it seems like Facebook is no longer worth investing in if you are news publisher