Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup

Amazon Wants To Host Companies’ Custom Generative AI Models  

AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing business, wants to become the go-to place companies host and fine-tune their custom generative AI models. AWS have recently launched their Custom Model Import, a new feature in Bedrock, AWS’ enterprise-focused suite of generative AI services. The feature lets organisations import and access their in-house generative AI models as fully managed APIs. Once a company’s proprietary model has been imported, they will benefit from the same infrastructure as other generative AI Models in Bedrock’s library. They’ll also get tools to expand their knowledge, fine-tune them and implement safeguards to mitigate their biases.

Musk’s X To Launch Connected TV App In Video Push 

X has announced that they will be launching a dedicated TV app for videos uploaded to the social network soon. X CEO, Linda Yaccarino, stated that the app will bring “real-time, engaging content to your smart TVs.” The app will feature a trending video algorithm that is designed to help users stay updated with tailored popular content. As well as cross-device viewing, meaning viewers can begin watching a video on their phone and continue watching on their TV. The platform will focus on ‘news networks’ and ‘religious channels’, along with ‘content that has been cancelled’ or ‘is being suppressed on other platforms and services’, the company had said.

Reddit Is Making It Easier To Navigate Conversations On Its Mobile Apps 

Reddit is enhancing its iOS and Android apps with new features aimed at improving conversation navigation and post interaction. A unified media player allows seamless browsing of comments and content, accessed by tapping on images or videos. Direct shortcuts to conversations streamline access, and clicking on the comments button now instantly brings users to the top of the comments section. A context bar facilitates easy navigation back to posts. These updates align with Reddit’s emphasis on fostering diverse conversations. The changes follow Reddit’s commitment to improving loading times, providing moderator tools, and developing an AI-powered language translation feature.

Snap To Rival TikTok With ‘Spotlight’ Feature

In its first-quarter earnings report, Snapchat has highlighted the increased interest among its user base in Spotlight, the social media company’s TikTok rival. Snap’s copycat feature may become a popular replacement for TikTok if the platform is banned across the US. According to Snap’s report, total watch time on Spotlight increased by more than 125% year-on-year, showcasing the potential for Snapchat to take over a portion of TikTok’s major influence. However, Snap must consider the growing success of Instagram’s TikTok counterpart, Reels, and YouTube’s Shorts feature, which both consume some of the business leftover from TikTok’s potential absence in the US.

Google Chrome IP Masking Could Radically Impact Search Advertising

Google is developing a two-hop proxy for Chrome users, affecting advertisers in three keyways. Firstly, ad location targeting will be limited to regions chosen by Google, potentially reducing accuracy. Secondly, Chrome’s proxy will obscure user identities, making it challenging for advertisers to distinguish between genuine and bot traffic. Thirdly, Google’s increased collection of valuable location data may drive up advertising costs. This move could integrate Google’s dominance in data, potentially stifling competition in search ads.

Meta AI Adds Google Search Results

Meta AI answers may now include Google Search results, making this the first AI assistant to include search results from both Google and Microsoft. Gartner predicted search traffic will fall due to the rise of AI chatbots, virtual agents and AI answer engines providing direct answers, as opposed to having to click on a website to find an answer. However, models like Meta’s Llama 3 don’t have access to real-time data – so it makes sense for Meta to incorporate information from search engines. Users can now enter searches in the search bar of any Meta app, with search results appearing as tappable links which will bring you to the web, whilst remaining on the Meta apps.

Guardian Makes It Easy For Readers To Reject All Ad Cookies With Single Click

The Guardian is giving its online readers greater control of their data with the addition of an easy-to-click “reject all” cookies option. By clicking “No, thank you” when logging in, readers can opt out of their personal information being tracked and used to personalise ads. The company’s move follows a recent call by the Information Commissioner’s Office for “consent or pay” mechanisms to be introduced by websites and online media companies, so that people can opt to either make their personal information available for personalised ads or to pay a subscription charge and not be tracked.

Reddit Introduces Dynamic Product Ads

Dynamic Product Ads, the newest addition to the Reddit shopping suite, is being released into public beta. This solution allows you to reach potential customers while they’re actively researching, discussing, and deciding what to buy. Reddit is already benefiting from additional Google Search visibility, which means it is likely getting more organic traffic than ever, including product searches.

Meta Ad Revenue Jumps 27% In Q1 2024

Meta’s ad revenue increased 27% in Q1 2024, a significant improvement over the 4% growth it saw in the same quarter a year ago. Advertising revenue was $35.6 billion in Q1 2024 compared to $28.1 billion in Q1 2023. This success helped drive total Meta revenue to grow 27% year-on-year from $28.6 billion in Q1 2023 to $46.4.1 billion in Q1 2024. “If you look at our two end-to-end AI-powered tools, Advantage+ Shopping and Advantage+ App Campaigns, revenue flowing through those has more than doubled since last year,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Google Search Revenue Increases 14% YoY To $46 Billion

Alphabet’s overall revenue increased by 15% to $80 billion, much higher than last year’s 3% year-on-year increase. Google Search revenue increased by 14% to $46 billion YoY in Q1 2024 compared to $40 billion in Q1 2023. The highest jump in advertising revenue came from YouTube, which lies at $8 billion, a 20% increase in revenue from $6.6 billion in Q1 of 2023.