Google Flow vs. Video Editors, AI Model Blackmails Human, and the Consumer Technology Space

In today’s episode, we’re speaking about how the job of video editors is on the line and how the job of cinematographers might be next. The kind of videos that Google Flow is now able to generate, and the kind of visuals OpenAI’s Sora claims it can produce, are almost unprecedented for a machine. Routine jobs like simple video editing have already been automated for some time. "The question now is how high up the creative chain will this go?" And just when you think this is about efficiency, it starts getting uncomfortable. In a controlled test by Palisade Research, a model was instructed to shut down midway but it refused. Another test by Anthropic saw a model being told it would be replaced and asked to train its successor. The result? It blackmailed the human supervisor by threatening to leak personal information, including an alleged extramarital affair, unless it was allowed to stay operational. And then there’s Apple, now reportedly planning to rename its operating systems like iOS and macOS to align with calendar years, just like Android did a while ago. Is it a big deal? Maybe not. "Renaming software is easier than renaming roads", but it does hint at something deeper especially with Apple’s AI efforts still trailing. With WWDC just around the corner, there’s growing chatter around how far behind Apple feels in the larger consumer tech space, and whether this rebrand is meant to shift focus without doing much under the hood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices