Creative Tech Bytes

Version 3.0

Written & Compiled by Macklin Andrick, GPJ Sr. Creative Technologist

GPJ Experience Technology is your trusted guide through the latest technological shifts and how they might benefit your next experience.

Another week, another opportunity to explore some of the weird and wild things going on in the tech world! Fortnite and Nike team up, NASA convinces people to live in a real life Mars replica for a year and Github Copilot turns 1 with “1.5 Trillion in Global GDP”.

Fortnite and Nike’s Air Max IP Merge With New ‘Airphoria’ Experience

Building upon its partnership with Epic Games, Nike announced the launch of its newest immersive gaming experience, Airphoria, last Tuesday that operates within Fortnite. This collaboration merges Nike’s iconic Air Max IP with Fortnite’s immersive world and story building, powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite. “Airphoria represents a new, immersive experience for Nike as it amplifies its efforts in gaming and virtual products.” said Ron Faris, VP/GM of Nike Virtual Studios. Faris says that this partnership is another opportunity for the brand to “seek authentic ways” to deepen its connection with fans and bring consumers into Nike’s digital ecosystem.

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Embarking on a 1-Year, Virtual Mission On Mars

Last Sunday, four volunteers entered a simulated Mars habitat created by NASA, where they are expected to remain for 378 days while facing a range of challenges designed to anticipate a real-life human mission to the red planet. The participants — research scientist Kelly Haston, structural engineer Ross Brockwell, emergency medicine physician Nathan Jones and U.S. Navy microbiologist Anca Selariu — were selected from a pool of applicants to be part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) in its first yearlong mission. None of them are trained astronauts.

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The Economic Impact of the AI-Powered Dev Lifecycle

GitHub Copilot is an AI tool that helps developers write code by suggesting lines of code as they type. Launched one year ago, it has generated over three billion accepted lines of code, and is the world’s most widely adopted AI developer tool, activated by more than one million developers and adopted by over 20,000 organizations. A new study by GitHub found that AI-powered developer tools like Copilot could boost global GDP by over $1.5 trillion. The study also found that less experienced developers have a greater advantage with tools like Copilot. As developers use these tools to upskill, they will become more fluent in prompting and interacting with AI to power the development lifecycle.

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Tesla to Add 3rd Party App Support for Supercharger Integration

Tesla has added a new section referring to Third Party Apps on the accounts portion of its website, where users will be able to manage access to smartphone apps and services that have been developed by organizations other than Tesla, according to NotATeslaApp. While not fully operational yet, the feature hints at the future integration of the company’s Supercharger network with the smartphone apps developed by rival EV makers, in the context of Ford, General Motors, Rivian, and Volvo striking deals to get access to Tesla’s DC fast charger network starting next year.

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Joby Aviation Receives Permit to Fly First Production Line eVTOL

Joby Aviation has reached a series of milestones that put it on track to deliver its first electric aircraft to a customer by 2024 and commercialize an air taxi service by 2025. Joby’s Marina, CA pilot production plant, which operates in partnership with Toyota, has rolled out its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle). The aircraft is Joby’s first production prototype, and it means Joby is one step away from having a commercially viable eVTOL for passenger use. The production prototype eVTOL also received a special airworthiness certificate issued by the FAA and can now begin flight testing.

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Amazon’s Vision: An AI Model For Everything

Amazon believes that AI models will eventually be able to do everything, from writing code to generating creative content. They are currently working on a number of projects, including a new AI-powered search engine that can understand natural language queries and a generative AI model that can create text, images, and code. Amazon believes that these AI models will have a major impact on the way we live and work, automating many tasks that are currently done by humans, freeing up our time for more creative and productive activities. Amazon also acknowledges that there are some potential risks associated with AI, such as job displacement and bias, committed to working with governments and other stakeholders to ensure that AI is developed and used in a responsible way.

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More Cool Stuff We Found

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