Technology
Introducing Devin, the first AI software engineer
Scott Wu, founder of Cognition Labs and founder of the popular Lunchclub (though its future seems uncertain), has announced Devin. Devin is a language model that writes applications. Let’s be clear: it’s not a code writer or a software engineering co-pilot. It’s an application builder. It’s a software engineer. Give it an idea, and it will build a plan, write and debug the code, take your feedback, and launch the app. Pretty impressive. There are plenty of reasons why this first release isn’t great. Watch this space. It’s going to advance quickly.
CIO
CIOs share how they are harnessing gen AI’s potential at Nvidia GTC
Most early enterprise AI tinkering focuses on efficiency and productivity in the back office. I understand this bias. The back office is usually not customer-facing, so it is relatively low risk. Cost savings are the easiest business case to make with the CFO. But make sure you’re focused on both sides of the value equation. Saving money is great, but I recently heard about a marketer who was using AI to generate content—a pure savings of agency spend—at the expense of lower marketing results! Really?! AI doesn’t mean you don’t have to engage your brain.
Enterprise AI
AI Evolution: Challenges Persist Despite Growing Optimism
You don’t need a survey to tell you that enthusiasm is high, though Exasol did the math with a recent survey. Interestingly, while enthusiasm at the enterprise level is high, adoption is sluggish. My guess would have been that security, privacy, and skills would be critical reasons for sluggishness. Exasol’s research indicates another reason: data. Hard to access, voluminous, and costly, data management remains an Achilles Heel for enterprises.
Productivity
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
Choosing a digital notebook can feel like a big commitment. Not only is it burdened by usability, functionality, and platform choices, but some of the user communities have a cult-like follow. I’m looking at you, Obsidian. I’ve used Evernote since October 19, 2009. I’ve been with them through every stumble along the way and stick with them because it’s comfortable shoes. But every so often, I take a look around. I briefly flirted with Keep and had a torrid affair with Notion. But I keep coming back to Evernote.
Shameless Plug
B2B Wins #28: Niche is your secret weapon
We all have grand aspirations—whether you are climbing the corporate ladder, building the latest tech, or running a one-person consulting shop—but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be laser-focused. The more you focus, the more likely you’ll be able to zero in on adding value to the people you serve. That’s the key to extraordinary success.