Feeling lonely? Try social robots // Stay Ahead #31

Welcome to Stay Ahead #31 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: The rising of social and pet robots.
2. Productivity Tools: Apps and tools to boost your productivity.
3. Must-read News: Perplexity AI’s grand theft.
4. Job Board: Future-forward remote roles. 

Let’s dive in!

Highlights of the week

Robots to Combat Loneliness: A New Era of Companionship (?)

What if I tell you that social robots will soon be integrated into the human social network?

Not a new policy or organization, robots are the rising force in combating loneliness, especially for elders and people with social difficulties. New York state’s Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) has handed out more than 31,500 robot pets to older New Yorkers. They found that companion pets can improve depression and loneliness and enhance people’s well-being and quality of life. 

On the same note, Character.AI released a new update that allows users to call AI avatars. You can now TALK to Einstein, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, or anyone else you can think of. According to Character.AI, this can help users practice English, conduct mock interviews, and practice social interactions.

If Character.AI doesn’t ring any bell to you, it ranks 4th in the world’s most-used AI platforms. On average, people spend 2 hours a day talking to Character.AI, more than the time people at the age of 25 would spend with their children, family, and friends. 

What would you think when your children confide in an AI chatbot, and robot pets an effective answer to humans’ loneliness more than their human friends? 

Meta tests user-created AI chatbot on Instagram

Meta has launched a pilot program on Instagram that allows users to create and interact with their own AI chatbots. This initiative aims to enhance user engagement by offering personalized, real-time assistance and conversation capabilities.

Users can design AI chatbots tailored to their preferences, handling tasks like answering questions, providing recommendations, and engaging in casual conversation. This feature is set to revolutionize user interaction on the platform, offering dynamic and customized experiences.

Meta's experiment with AI chatbots on Instagram marks a significant step towards deeper AI integration in social media. It promises to transform online engagement while highlighting the need for careful ethical considerations.

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Read more news at the end.

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Best Productivity Tools To Try Out This Week

• Structured - Combines all your tasks and to-dos into a single visual timeline.
• Ayoa - Mindmap to connect your ideas.
• Milanote - Organizes your ideas and projects into a dashboard.
• Amazing Marvin - Employs behavioral psychology to help you beat procrastination.

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:

• NEW! The Top 40 HR AI tools
• The best AI Recruiting Software, AI Marketing Tools, AI Accounting tools.
• 10 AI Websites for Common Work Tasks Anyone Can Use (Writing, Powerpoints)
• 10 AI Productivity Tools (Meeting Notetaking, Writing, Brainstorming.) 
• And check our full 100 Top AI Tools
• Use our Prompt Generator to create 10x more powerful prompts and see more value from your ChatGPT usage.

In the News 

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

Perplexity’s grand theft AI

Perplexity AI is under scrutiny for allegedly plagiarizing content and spreading misinformation on Twitter, prompting debates over the ethical use of AI in content creation and distribution.

Apple reportedly working to bring AI to the Vision Pro

Apple is developing AI capabilities for its Vision Pro headset to enhance user experience through advanced features and functionalities.

Zuckerberg disses closed-source AI competitors as trying to ‘create God’

Mark Zuckerberg criticizes closed-source AI competitors, accusing them of attempting to monopolize AI development and likening their goals to "creating God."

3 Ways to Build a Culture That Lets High Performers Thrive

Lindsay McGregor and Neel Doshi, co-authors of the New York Times bestseller Primed to Perform, outline strategies for fostering a workplace culture that supports and maximizes the potential of high-performing employees.

Major Claude Upgrades: Time to Say Goodbye to ChatGPT?

We explore and compare how AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT are revolutionizing the future of work by enhancing productivity and streamlining operations.

Jobs to Level Up

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.