Popular video meeting platform Zoom now offers free live transcription of all meetings.

Previously, live transcription was available only as a paid service.

The move is symptomatic of the current breakneck pace of automation — coupled with the fierce competition Zoom faces in the video meeting provider space.

Five years ago, the ability to offer fairly reliable, live transcriptions of video meetings would have been considered groundbreaking.

Today, the wonder of automated live transcription has been reduced to a sexy sales perk — something Zoom hopes will sway you to choose Zoom for your video meetings over a bevy of competitors.

In other AI-generated writing news:

*In-Depth Review: Copy.AI: Reviewer Eric Burns found auto-writer Copy.AI has the same strengths and limitations as a number of AI auto-writers.

Specifically: Copy.AI is good for short bursts of copy.

But it comes up empty handed if you’re looking to generate long articles or long blog posts.

Observes Burns: “I found that it can be better for general topics over more specific topics, but I think with more use I could learn to use it more effectively.

“For example, it generated what amounted to nonsense on a specific product.

“But when generating content on the product category it was far better.

“At this stage, it’s probably not for the person who wants the best content.

“If you’re just needing something to chuck-up in a product description or as a social post, and you’re not too worried about quality, then it’s all good.

“But as for creating really good content, I don’t think it’s there yet.”

Burns’ look at Copy.AI also features lots of great detail on the specific kind of text the software generates, a complete rundown on its features — and the level of accuracy you can expect from Copy.AI.

*AI and News: Its Promise and Peril: Some top voices in journalism participate in this 52-minute video.

It offers an interesting look at the current state of AI in journalism — including AI’s promise and peril when it comes to threatening journalism jobs.

Here’s a sample quote from Audrey Cooper, editor-in-chief, WNYC, a panel member featured in the video:

“I might push back a little bit on the idea that it (AI) hasn’t been used — and shouldn’t be used — to replace journalists.

“Because I think AI alone is like any technology — you can use it for good or you can use it for evil.

“And you know unfortunately — many, many, many local news outlets are owned by for-profit companies that are increasingly making less money than they used to.

“And they are looking for a way to cut costs.

“I don’t know any of my colleagues in the editor-in-chief realm who aren’t constantly having to look at ways to cut their newsrooms — while they are getting pressure to increase the amount of content they are providing.

“And so, I don’t think it’s AI to blame.

“But I think it (AI) is often used by the budget people as a way to augment something they are already cutting.”

Contributors featured in the video are:

~Steven Rosenbaum
Executive Director, New York City Media Lab

~Aimee Rinehart
Program Manager for AI & Local News, AP

~Audrey Cooper
Editor-in-Chief, WNYC (public radio)

~Mark Hansen
Professor of Journalism, Columbia University

~Claire LeiBowicz
Head of AI & Media Integrity, Partnership on AI

*The AI Augmented Author: Tips and Tricks: Writers looking to add AI writing to their bag of tricks will want to check out this 44-minute video.

It features an interview with Paul Bellow — an early adopter of AI-generated writing — who’s all-in on the tech.

Bellow uses GPT-3 for auto-writing, a supercomputer-driven auto-text generator that set the gold standard for automated AI writing in 2020.

The video — as well as the accompanying written transcription — offers an extremely in-depth, blow-by-blow look at how a fiction writer can use GPT-3 as a creative writing generator.

Observes Bellow: “I think people are just worried right now that AI is going to take over completely — there will be no more need for writers or anything like that.

“But I, personally, think that we have at least another five-or-ten years before the AI evolves enough that it’s able to do a novel — or even a short story — on its own.

“So, I think, over the next five-or-ten years, you’re going to see a merging of human creativity enhanced by AI tools — and that’s how I see GPT-3.”

(For an in-depth look at GPT-3, check out: “GPT-3 and AI Writing: Stunning, if Imperfect,” by Joe Dysart.)

*AI Writing Firm Pitches All-in-One Tool: Scalenut says its new AI-powered service goes beyond automated writing to offer automated research — along with access to human-assisted content generating services.

Observes Mayank Jain, co-founder, Scalenut: “The platform is used by independent content creators, businesses and agencies across 50+ countries.

“Content creators use the platform to automate their content research and creation tasks — as well as get work from global brands.”

The approach differentiates Scalenut from a number of AI-generated writing tools.

Many of those are more narrowly focused on providing automated writing pre-configured for various advertising, social media and traditional text formats.

*Document Capture Firm Now Powered by AI: Paper-to-digital document firm OpenText has added AI processing to its tech.

The revamped software is designed to make it easier for OpenText’s system to include previously tough-to-transfer zones of documents — such as invoice numbers and dollar amounts, according to Don Fluckinger, a writer for TechTarget Network.

Currently, the new AI enhancement is available in OpenText’s cloud format.

*Document Auto Processing Firm Snares $100 Million: Auto-doc processing firm Rossum has landed $100 million in new funding.

The company uses AI to convert paper documents to digital form.

Observes VentureBeat: “Sources say that Rossum is now valued at somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion.”

*Free Auto-Text Generator Offers Easy Access: Open source auto-text generator Eleuther now offers easy access to its tech.

Anyone looking to play with automated writing need only visit Eleuther’s free interface, type a few words into the dialogue box and watch the tool auto-generate some writing.

Eleuther currently runs on 60 billion parameters — as compared to the 175 billion parameters GPT-3, an industry standard auto-text generator.

*Yet Another GPT-3 Killer Emerges: While supercomputer driven auto-text generator GPT-3 essentially owned the AI headlines of wow in 2020, it’s increasingly becoming a milepost in AI’s rear-view window.

Chinese company Inspur became the latest organization to announce a competitor to GPT-3, which it says is more powerful.

Specifically, Inspur’s new ‘Yuan 1.0’ auto-text generator boasts 245 billion parameters — compared to GPT-3’s 175 billion.

Yuan 1.0 churns-out text in Chinese.

*Big Picture AI: Deloitte Releases State of AI Report: Companies looking for an assessment on how AI is being adopted across enterprises will want to check-out this new report from Deloitte.

The financial services and consulting firm found that AI is proliferating throughout corporations.

But most have a ways to go before they can proclaim full adoption of AI.

One of the report’s key findings: “AI-fueled organizations leverage data as an asset and scale human-centered AI across all core business processes.

“They use rapid, data-driven decision-making to enhance workforce and customer experiences.”

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–Joe Dysart is editor of RobotWritersAI.com and a tech journalist with 20+ years experience. His work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The New York Times and the Financial Times of London.