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In this week's edition, wave goodbye to typing frustration with smarter speech-to-text AI, explore new career possibilities with Google's latest innovation, see why fast food is craving more AI, and discover smart tech to pamper your houseplants.

Let’s get started!

AI Productivity

Ever find yourself with brilliant ideas but fingers that can't keep pace? A typical complaint: "I can speak my thoughts clearly, but typing slows me down and breaks my creative flow".

Our team member Justin faced the same challenge after our previously recommended dictation app, Flow, suffered a serious accuracy decline. His search eventually led him to TalkText.io, a Mac-based dictation alternative that delivers the functionality we loved in Flow but with noticeably improved accuracy and reliability.

Justin put TalkText through its paces with a 20-minute dictation session. 'What stood out immediately was how well it captured exactly what I meant,' he explains. 'Instead of spending time deciphering misinterpreted text, I could focus on refining my actual ideas'.

What makes TalkText stand out is its AI "polish" feature that transforms conversational speech – complete with all our natural "umms" and mid-sentence redirections – into coherent text that flows directly into any Mac application.

At $10/month (or $6.50/month with annual billing), it's an accessible solution that can save valuable hours each week. There is also a generous free tier for testing that we highly recommend.

For readers who think faster than they type, TalkText.io offers a practical solution that preserves your natural voice while eliminating the friction of traditional typing. Sometimes the most impactful technologies are the ones that simply get out of your way.

Use AI as Your Personal Assistant

Ready to save precious time and let AI do the heavy lifting?

Save time and simplify your unique workflow with HubSpot’s highly anticipated AI Playbook—your guide to smarter processes and effortless productivity.

Download the free guide today.

AI Career Builders

When it comes to our careers, some of us take a more winding road than others. At times, it’s hard to see where one position might lead to the next. Career Dreamer is an early-stage experiment from Google that uses AI to help people explore different career options.

Using advanced AI, Career Dreamer connects the dots between your experiences, education, skills, and interests, while building a cohesive professional narrative. It clarifies how your skills align with various career opportunities, making it easier to understand where your unique strengths fit best in the job market.

With Career Dreamer, you can:

• Craft your story: Create a personalized Career Identity Statement to clearly showcase your strengths. Use this to enhance your resume, professional profile, and interview conversations.

• Explore opportunities: Identify careers that closely match your skills and experiences, leveraging real-time data from Lightcast and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Take actionable steps: Work alongside Gemini, Google's AI assistant, to draft cover letters, fine-tune your resume, or spark ideas for new career directions.

Additionally, Career Dreamer provides resources for skill-building, such as Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Skills Boost.

During its development, Google partnered closely with organizations supporting a broad spectrum of users, including students launching their first careers, recent graduates entering the workforce, adult learners pursuing new paths, and military members transitioning to civilian life.

Whether your path has been unconventional or you're just starting to map your future, Career Dreamer offers guidance tailored specifically to you.

AI Food & Drink

The fast-food industry is going all in on AI. After a rough start with early missteps over AI-powered drive-throughs, the technology is advancing quickly to streamline operations, improve profitability, and enhance the customer experience.

McDonald's is rolling out AI upgrades across its 43,000 global restaurants, aiming to cut wait times and elevate both customer and employee experiences. Upgrades include AI-driven drive-throughs, connected kitchen equipment, and predictive tools to foresee equipment failures before they happen.

McDonald's is also experimenting with computer vision technology—think facial recognition minus the faces—to verify order accuracy before items reach customers. A "generative AI virtual manager" is in the works, poised to handle administrative tasks like shift scheduling, traditionally managed by humans.

Wendy's is also ramping up AI adoption. Its AI voice assistant, "FreshAI," successfully tested in roughly 100 locations, will soon expand to around 600 restaurants nationwide.

• FreshAI nudges customers to order more, boosting average spending per visit.

• The initiative aligns with Wendy's broader push toward digital upgrades, including smart menu boards, AI-driven kiosks, and behind-the-scenes automation.

Miso Robotics, backed by NVIDIA, recently unveiled an upgraded robotic kitchen assistant named "Flippy."

• The new Flippy Fry Station model is quicker and occupies half the footprint of its predecessor, requiring just hours to install—75% less time than before, significantly reducing operational disruptions.

• Major brands like White Castle and Jack in the Box are already jumping on board.

Experts envision a future where ordering fast food feels less transactional and more intuitive, with AI-driven apps anticipating customers' needs based on previous orders, dietary preferences, and even the time of day.

Fast food's AI push is quickly moving from experimental to essential, reshaping the way we order, eat, and experience convenience. A big question looms: will all this tech gobble up fast-food jobs?

AI Home & Garden

At this time of year, when the light shifts and the days get longer, our house plants need a little extra TLC. Are they getting enough water? Too much sunlight? Is the indoor humidity level just right?

If you’re someone who struggles with a not-so-green thumb, the future of houseplant care is here. LeafyPod bills itself as the future of houseplant care. It connects your planters to Wi-Fi and the LeafyPod app, serving as a communication hub for multiple planters.

The sleek new planter features AI-powered watering, real-time monitoring of plant health, and a sleek cordless design. The app features tailored care information for more than 100 common houseplants.

Here’s how it works:

• Once you download the LeafyPod app on your phone, you will be prompted to choose the type of plant that is in the planter, then the planter will begin to learn how your plant and the soil react when it is watered.

• After the first few waterings, the smart planter will create an ideal watering routine for the plant and alert you if it needs more light or to be moved due to temperature or humidity changes.

• The water reservoir in the planter can also hold up to four weeks of water, so if you leave for a vacation, the plant will still be cared for while you're away.

Every planter comes with a filter pre-installed, and additional filters can be purchased from the Add-Ons section. Control and monitor everything conveniently through the LeafyPod app. Curious to know what it looks like? Check out the LeafyPod video.

LeafyPod was launched on Kickstarter and is available for preorder now with prices starting at $148.00. If we’re going to spend that kind of money on a planter, the plants better be worth the money. We found this article on 2024’s 10 Most Expensive House Plants. Who knew a rare Monstera Adansonii Variegata once sold for $38,000!

AI in the News (in case you missed it)

• AI chatbots infected with Russian disinformation. Read here.

• AI tries to cheat at chess when it’s losing. Read here.

• Could AI be the cure to the loneliness epidemic? Watch TedTalk here.

• AI can steal your voice and there's not much you can do about it. Read here.

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Here.Now.AI Editorial team: Lori, Justin, and Lisa