IFTF Emerging Media Lab director Toshi Hoo speaks with Jules Terpak, a Gen Z content creator known for her work unpacking technology and culture trends on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The conversation centers around the implications of recent breakthroughs in generative AI, particularly in how these advances may shape the future of work and creativity.
Key Points:
- Jules has been active on social media for over a decade, starting with YouTube at age 10. She's seen how platforms rise and fall, and how algorithms shape content.
- Generative AI like DALL-E is opening new creative possibilities, but still has limitations around generating longer form video.
- Social media algorithms already curate our feeds, and now generative AI will start generating personalized content at scale.
- The NPC trend (https://theconversation.com/people-are-pretending-to-be-npcs-on-tiktok-and-its-not-just-weird-its-also-lucrative-210795) on TikTok shows people mimicking repetitive AI-like behavior for views and money. An interesting signal as AI advances.
- Loneliness as a market opportunity - rise of virtual companion bots like Replika and emotional labor replacements.
- Gen Z is questioning traditional work as they've grown up exposed to influencer careers. But sustainability is a challenge. Need to find your niche fans.
- As AI advances, optimizing human-AI collaboration will be key.
- Jules is cautiously optimistic about human-AI futures with proper governance and conscious use. Focus on human needs like security.
Resources:
Jules' YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JulesTerpak
Jules' Twitter: https://twitter.com/julesterpak/
Growing Digital TikTok series: https://www.tiktok.com/@julesterpak
Replika virtual companion bot: https://replika.com
