Products We Like to Try or Try to Like

😀LIKE: We like Opus Clip. A lot. And so did SXSW where it won Best of Show. Opus Clip takes long-form videos and cuts them into shorter clips. Other products like Vidyo and Descript do similar things, but Opus’s special magic is that it does a virality ranking on each clip it makes, telling you which ones are most likely to succeed on social media. The newest version includes lots of new features like the ability to autoframe your subjects, use an AI copilot to specify things like “make my clip 30 seconds long” and create dynamic layouts for interesting viewing.

😀LIKE: We like Lickd. Music can make or break your video presentation. Lickd is like Spotify for adding mainstream music to your videos or presentations. With over 3 million songs from artists you know and love, and reasonable pricing, it is a great way to add music without worrying about violating copyright. 

😀LIKE: We've had our eyes on XbotGo from Blink Technologies. The XBOT is essentially a gimbal that’s powered by AI. Targeting sports, you can place your mobile phone on the gimbal and it will automatically track the game’s action. Just set it up and it follows the ball for you. 

😐MEH: In the uncanny valley of products there’s Hyodol. Fueled by an AI system, this weird little doll from Korea is meant to offer companionship to lonely seniors. It can hold a conversation or be used to remind seniors to do things like take their medications. The AI may be sophisticated; the doll is not. Does anyone know what its post-it note says?

This sizzle video got a resounding boo at SXSW. It features a veritable who’s who of futurists including Amy Webb, Kara Swisher, Sandy Carter, Peter Deng and others, all cheerleading for Team AI. But the audience at SXSW wasn’t buying it. Aired before a film screening at the festival, the clip drew boos from the audience. Interesting to compare and contrast the AI euphoria at SXSW Interactive with the film-types' very negative reaction over at the SXSW Film Festival. (Remember who stood on picket lines to protect themselves from AI.)

Elsewhere at SXSW attendees made the point that perhaps the gathering has too much going on, in too many places. For example, Marc Cuban addressed a mostly-empty room and it went viral on social media. 

Subtitles Get Trendy
According to a recent CBS News poll, over half of Americans keep subtitles turned on some (21%) or all (34%) of the time, especially younger audiences. David Pogue looks at the newfound love affair with subtitles.

AI: The Movie Parody
We’re all getting used to seeing some of the less artistic results generated by AIs. T2 Remake (as in Terminator2) the Movie pokes fun at just how awfully weird an AI-generated move can be.

Did You Miss Our Session on the Creator Economy?
Seven experts from all walks of the creator economy joined us on March 14 to dish about the emerging industry. It all leads to the unveiling of our Creator Lab at the NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 14-17. To register for a free pass visit the NAB Show website and use the code CL15.