Shrimpy, Hit Cancel, Write Your Story 🍤

Ever thought about getting your life story published? Of course you have. But writing down so many details and events of a big fat life can be exhausting and procrastinating. Luckily now there’s an AI to help you tell your life story. 

Imagine chatting about your favorite memories and feelings, and then having those chats turned into a beautifully written autobiography. That’s the magic the startup - Autobiographer - is offering.

The idea here isn’t about AI replacing creativity; it’s more like having a super-smart assistant guiding you to share your story in your own words. You chat with the AI, it organizes your memories, and you end up with a lovely PDF (and maybe even a printed book someday).

Matt Bowman, the co-founder and CEO served in the Army Special Forces, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s got amazing stories about his friends in the military and wants to share these with his godchildren. Matt teamed up with James Barnes, another ex-Facebook guy who played a big role during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Along with Luke Schoenfelder and Ivan Almaral, they’re experimenting with using AI to create personal narratives.

How does it work? 

Using the app is simple and secure. You have conversations with an AI agent that prompts you to tell stories about your adventures and memories. These are stored in an encrypted vault, ensuring your privacy. You can revisit and refine these stories, turning them into short stories or letters for loved ones.

While it’s not a replacement for a professional writer, Autobiographer is a great way to document personal histories or create keepsakes. It’s $199 a year—which is cheaper than a ghostwriter but still a bit of an investment. The startup, backed by $4 million in pre-seed funding, has partnered with journalist Katie Couric to help spread the word.

At the crack of dawn on Central Java’s southern coast, shrimp farmer Andriyono relies on Mas Ahya, an innovative AI assistant, to keep his ponds thriving. Mas Ahya, a project by aquatech startup eFishery, leverages AI to modernize aquaculture, ensuring healthier shrimp and better yields.

The app is designed to offer real-time insights into pond conditions. Developed with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, it answers questions in Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese, and English, making advanced aquaculture expertise accessible to farmers. The AI tool helps monitor water quality, market prices, and other critical factors, transforming how farmers manage their ponds.

eFishery, founded by former catfish farmer Gibran Huzaifah, aims to bring technology to traditional fish and shrimp farming. The company’s mission is to boost yields and promote sustainable practices in the industry.

Why is this tech needed? 

Half of the world’s seafood now comes from aquaculture, the aquatic equivalent to agriculture. In 2020, of the 178 million tonnes of seafood produced globally, 49% was bred through aquaculture, according to a report published in 2022 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

• For shrimp farmers like Andriyono, Mas Ahya means the difference between losing a pond to disease and maintaining a healthy, productive environment.
• The AI assistant helps him check water quality parameters, reducing the risk of disease and improving shrimp survival rates from 60% to 90%.
• With automated feeders and water quality monitors, eFishery’s tech collects data and presents it on the eFarm mobile app. Mas Ahya then provides farmers with instant, practical advice.
• The real-time data allows farmers to export 40% of the shrimp, a significant increase from the previous 30%.

eFishery recently hit Unicorn status with $108m series D.

In the first quarter of 2024, a record 50.4 million Americans canceled their streaming service subscriptions, according to Antenna data. This represents an 80% increase from two years ago. Despite the surge in cancellations, 56% of new subscriptions were to ad-supported tiers, suggesting viewers are accepting cheaper, ad-interrupted options similar to traditional TV.

The abundance of choices is driving consumers to frequently switch services.
Antenna's report highlights the crowded streaming market, with nine major services like Netflix and Disney+ and 32 niche options such as Hallmark Movies Now and Shudder.

📺 Streaming Ranks - Netflix, Disney+ and 6 other streamers, ranked from cheapest to most expensive right now. 

⛱️ Summer Fridays - Only 11% of employees in North America said their employer offered summer Fridays in 2023, down from 55% in 2019.

❓DYK - Windows AI takes screenshots of your desktop ‘Every Few Seconds’.

➿ No Loops for The Rich - The IRS is planning to close a tax loophole; they could raise more than $50 billion over the next decade by closing it. 

🎶 Billie Milestone - Billie Eilish has become the youngest artist to reach 100 million monthly Spotify listeners.

💔 Apple Caused a Divorce? - A UK man is suing Apple for ~$6.3m, the cost of his divorce. He blames Apple for his deleted texts syncing to the couple’s iMac, which is how his wife learned he was cheating.