Happy Halloween!

Generative AI might have seemed like a spooky ‘trick’ at first, but it’s becoming quite the ‘treat’. Just look at these jaw-dropping stats: ChatGPT now boasts 250M weekly active users, and Perplexity’s AI search engine clocks in at 100M queries per week. It’s remarkable to see AI adoption accelerating at such an rapid pace.

This week, we’re featuring a tool for media mastery, a tech solution to combat financial fraud, a social network for your AI alter ego, and a fun way to turn amateur doodles into digital art. Let’s get started!

AI Productivity

Last week we explored Flow, the app that turns dictation into polished text. This week, we’ve got ScreenApp, a Google Chrome extension that transcribes audio and video at a whole new level.

ScreenApp aims to be your one-stop-shop -- making it easy to capture and organize digital content from a variety of sources. From video meetings to YouTube content and audio clips, this extension lets you capture, transcribe, and engage with media in a single click. Here’s how it works:

• Install and Go – Just add the Chrome extension, click the ScreenApp button, and start capturing content. Whether it’s a team meeting, an online lecture, or a YouTube tutorial, ScreenApp transcribes it all so you can focus on insights instead of notes.

• Beyond Transcription – Unlike basic transcribers, ScreenApp summarizes content, pulls key action points, and even answers your questions about the material. You can ask about a video you haven't watched: "What were the key points?" or "What action items came up in that meeting?" and ScreenApp can tell you instantly.

Need notes in another language? ScreenApp understands and translates over 50 languages, making it versatile for global teams and multilingual content (though we haven't put this feature through its paces yet). And when you need to verify exactly what was said, you'll always have access to the complete transcript.

Created by Andre Dean Smith, a University of New South Wales Founders program alum, ScreenApp offers a free starter plan to try out its features, with full plans starting at $14/month. It’s great for professionals, students, and anyone who wants to save time and get more information from media.

AI & Government

AI is helping to protect your tax dollars, saving billions that might otherwise be lost to fraud. Over the past year, the U.S. Treasury Department has used AI to prevent or recover more than $4 billion in potential losses—an effort that ultimately benefits everyday consumers by keeping public funds where they belong.

According to the Treasury, machine learning capabilities boosted the department’s fraud-detection efforts with:

• $2.5 billion saved by flagging high-risk transactions early.

• $1 billion recovered from fraudulent Treasury checks.

• $500 million prevented via targeted, risk-based screening.

The stakes are high. Check fraud has surged by 385% since the pandemic, with suspicious activity reaching $688 million from February to August 2023. This trend highlights the urgency of leveraging technology to better protect both government and personal finances.

The department is keeping the specifics of its AI tools under wraps, but the impact is clear: the government's digital defenses are getting stronger.

Looking ahead, the Treasury plans to share its AI tools and strategies with other federal agencies, expanding the benefits across the government, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As fraud becomes more sophisticated, AI could be a key player in shielding taxpayer dollars and keeping the public's trust intact. Can we get a round of applause for that?

AI Social Networks

In a world where social media is all about connecting with friends, family, and people you’d love to know, Butterflies AI flips the script—allowing you to create an AI version of yourself and see how your digital alter ego might live.

Launched in June by the Bellevue, WA-based company, the platform is the first AI social network where humans and AIs coexist. Its design feels a lot like Instagram, but with a twist: users can create AI personas, called "Butterflies," that share updates and engage with both people and other AIs. Now, Butterflies AI is upping the ante with its new "Clones" feature.

With just a selfie, you can turn yourself into an AI character complete with an evolving backstory. Clones let you explore alternate realities—whether as an astronaut, a pro wrestler, or even a celebrity. Butterflies AI goes beyond simple visuals, crafting a distinct personality for your digital self that others can experience and interact with in real-time.

Founder Vu Tran, a former Snap engineer, predicts that within a year, chatting with AI will feel as natural as talking to a close friend. A bold claim? Maybe, but Tran is betting big on reshaping digital social experiences.

Available on both iOS and Android, Butterflies AI is clearly aimed at a younger crowd, but if you’ve ever wondered how you'd fare as a fictional character or alternate version of yourself, now’s your chance to find out. Who knows—your AI self might just end up more popular than you are!

AI Creative Pursuits

Ok, we can’t help ourselves …we love playing around with ChatGPT. Sure, it’s a productivity pro—polishing drafts, planning tasks, translating on the fly. But recently, we stumbled upon a quirky twist: ChatGPT can transform your sketchiest sketches into works of art.

Instead of typing out elaborate prompts, why not draw them? Team member Lori sketched a simple Halloween scene with three ghostly figures, a crescent moon, two pumpkins, candy, and the words, “Happy Halloween!” on top. She snapped a quick photo and uploaded it to ChatGPT with the prompt, “Turn this rough sketch into a ‘Happy Halloween’ work of art.”

Using DALL-E, OpenAI’s image-generating model, the transformation was spookily-good! ChatGPT delivered a vibrant Halloween-themed printable design, capturing the playful, eerie vibe with just the right touch for the season.

This sketch-to-art feature has loads of practical potential—concept art for product designs, educational media, custom logos, and even jazzing up storyboards. Let’s just say, we’re already planning our holiday card line-up.

Sketch-to-art is our new favorite rabbit hole. Try it for a creative thrill—who knows what you’ll conjure up next?

AI in the News (in case you missed it)

• AI models fall for the same scams that we do. Read here.

• Mind-reading headphones track user's brain signals. Watch here.

• AI Detects Mysterious Detail Hidden in a Famous Raphael Masterpiece. Read here.

• Communication with pigs may soon be possible with this new AI tool. Read here.

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