Can ChatGPT-4 mini put an end to ChatGPT Plus subscription?

Welcome to Stay Ahead #34 from FlexOS!

Every Tuesday, we share the latest tools and tips to help you work smarter, not harder. 

In this week’s edition:

1. News of the Week: ChatGPT-4 mini and CrowdStrike outage.
2. Productivity Tools: Apps and tools to boost your productivity.
3. Must-read News: Microsoft’s AI-powered Designer App.
4. Job Board: Future-forward remote roles. 

Let’s dive in!

ChatGPT-4o Mini Is Up And Running

Yes, it’s OpenAI again, but this update can immediately impact how you work.

 OpenAI has recently launched ChatGPT-4o Mini, a smaller and cheaper version of its renowned AI model. This new model is designed to be cost-efficient, making advanced AI capabilities more accessible to a broader audience. 

The “cost-efficient” edge of ChatGPT-4o Mini appeals to both OpenAI, where it takes less data, money, and energy to train the Mini version, and API developers, where people can buy tokens at a lower price (60% cheaper than ChatGPT-3.5 Turbo) and with a better performance. 

According to the LMSYS leaderboard, ChatGPT-4o mini outperforms ChatGPT-4. Better yet, it’s available for all users. Without a doubt, 4o mini will be a huge upgrade for free-plan users, replacing GPT-3.5 Turbo. 

If you are using ChatGPT-4o for primarily strategic, customized, and complex tasks, ChatGPT-4o mini shouldn’t bother you (don’t cancel your subscription). But the mini is worth trying if you think about day-to-day and repetitive tasks with decent research and support!

CrowdStrike Outage: A Wake-Up Call for the Tech-Dependent World

While waiting at the airport for my flight to Europe, I received a notification about an emergent “global technical outage crisis” alert causing disruptions for airports and flights worldwide (with a free meal voucher). The cause, you might ask, is new updates pushed by a cybersecurity company.

On July 20, 2024, CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity firm, experienced a significant service outage. This incident disrupted services for numerous clients, including Microsoft, highlighting the vulnerabilities and risks associated with heavy dependence on a single cybersecurity provider. 

The incident heavily impacted airports, e-commerce, hospitals, banks, and businesses. It poses an important question: What could be the danger of tech monopolization and dependence when all it takes to disrupt millions of people’s daily lives is just a wrong update? 

Read more news at the end.

Best Productivity Tools To Try Out This Week

• Amplenote - Turn your notes into actions.
• Focus Noodles-Study timer - Put your phone down and let the ramen cook.
• AI Task Breakdown Generator - Break your project down into smaller tasks and get them done. 
• Mindmup - Free platform to generate, share, and enhance your mindmaps.

More cool AI newsletters that I love:

Morning Brew—Quick and insightful updates about the business world every day of the week from Wall St. to Silicon Valley.

Innovating with AI—Courses, community, and coaching on AI.

‍

Need more AI Tools? Check out

The best AI tools for Recruiting, Marketing, Accounting, and HR.

10 Tools Anyone Can Use (Writing, Powerpoints)

10 AI Productivity Tools (Meeting Notetaking, Writing, Brainstorming.)

Create better prompts with our GPT Prompt Generator

‍‍NEW Top 100 AI for Work (June 2024)

‍

In the News 

Every week, we pick must-read articles about the future of work so you can stay ahead. 

Microsoft’s AI-powered, Canva-like Designer app lands on iOS and Android

Microsoft has launched a new AI-driven design app for iOS and Android, offering Canva-like features to help users easily create visually appealing graphics.

Google’s Gemini AI will be all over the Paris Olympics broadcast

Google is using its AI Gemini to create and run ads as part of its sponsorship for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, showcasing the capabilities of its advanced AI​.

Samsung’s new image-generating AI tool is a little too good

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 introduces an AI-powered sketch-to-image feature, allowing users to seamlessly transform hand-drawn sketches into digital images.

6 Ways to Bring Strategy into Your Work Every Day

Practical tips for incorporating strategic thinking into daily tasks to enhance alignment with organizational goals and improve effectiveness.

10 Rules for the Post-Hybrid Work Era – A New Playbook from the Leading Experts

Listen to top experts on navigating the post-hybrid work era, emphasizing strategies and rules for future work environments.

‍

We want you to advance in your career, and work from wherever you want. Here are the this week’s remote and hybrid jobs that caught our attention:

Trending Companies Hiring Now:

• Abridge remote jobs
• Parafin remote jobs
• Ambient AI  remote jobs

More Exciting Remote Job Opportunities:

• Software Engineering Jobs
• Marketing Jobs
• Business Development / Sales Jobs
• AI Jobs
• Human Resources Jobs
• Product Jobs

Need more options? RemoteOK, Jobgether, WeWorkRemotely, and FlexJobs are great places to get vetted remote-friendly roles.

Also, check out our guide on “How to Get a Remote Job Today.”

How did we do?

That’s it for this edition of Stay Ahead, the newsletter that keeps you ahead in the future of work.

We’re here for you, truly.