Welcome to Daily Zaps, your regularly-scheduled dose of AI news ⚡️ 

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 📈 Generative AI adoption curve faster than PC and Internet

• 🕶️ Meta reveals Orion glasses

• 🗣️ OpenAI rolls out Advanced Voice Mode

• 👷‍♂️ AI will handle 80% of work in most jobs

Let’s get right into it!

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RESEARCH

Generative AI adoption curve faster than PC and Internet

A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard Kennedy School reveals that generative AI has been adopted more rapidly than previous technologies like PCs and the internet, with nearly 40% of Americans using it just two years after its release. AI adoption spans industries, including blue-collar jobs, and is widely used for tasks such as writing and administrative work.

However, AI is more prevalent among younger, educated, and higher-income workers, potentially increasing workplace inequality. The study suggests that generative AI could boost U.S. labor productivity by up to 0.875%, though its long-term economic impact remains uncertain as the technology is still in its early stages of adoption.

BIG TECH

Meta reveals Orion glasses

At Meta Connect, Meta unveiled its advanced augmented reality glasses, currently called Orion, which it claims are the most advanced AR glasses ever made. These lightweight glasses feature holographic displays projected onto the lenses, allowing users to see digital elements overlaid on the real world, with applications like video calls, messaging, and AI-driven assistance. Unlike virtual reality headsets, Orion keeps wearers connected to their surroundings and doesn’t block out the real world.

While the glasses are still in development and won't be available to consumers for a few years, Meta employees and select external users are testing them. The device includes a wireless puck for processing and a bracelet for gesture control. Meta aims to refine and eventually lower the cost of the glasses for a broader release, potentially by 2027.

STARTUPS

OpenAI rolls out Advanced Voice Mode

OpenAI is expanding its Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) feature to more paying ChatGPT users in the Plus and Teams tiers, with Enterprise and Edu customers gaining access next week. The AVM update includes a redesigned interface, represented by a blue animated sphere, and five new voices—Arbor, Maple, Sol, Spruce, and Vale—bringing the total to nine.

The feature aims to make interactions with ChatGPT more natural, with improved accent understanding and smoother conversations. Customization features like Custom Instructions and Memory are now integrated into AVM. However, the feature is not yet available in regions like the EU, U.K., and others, and the anticipated video and screen sharing capabilities have not been rolled out yet.

JOBS

AI will handle 80% of work in most jobs

Vinod Khosla, cofounder of Sun Microsystems and prominent investor, predicts that AI could handle 80% of tasks in 80% of jobs, across various fields like healthcare, sales, engineering, and manual labor. He warns that this shift could lead to economic instability, with wealth concentrated among a small elite, unless policies like Universal Basic Income (UBI) are implemented to distribute wealth fairly.

Khosla envisions AI reducing the need for human labor, potentially resulting in a shorter workweek, freeing people from repetitive jobs to focus on more meaningful activities.