Lab Weekly - 02/28/2025
Amazon unveils Alexa+; Plus, the latest on ChatGPT-4.5, Instagram Reels, and more must-know news and stats
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Event Recap: Amazon Unveils Alexa+
On Wednesday, Amazon held a press event in New York City to unveil an AI-enhanced Alexa. Aptly named “Alexa+,” this new-and-improved version of Amazon’s flagship voice assistant marks the re-introduction of a previously dominant player into the ongoing AI arms race. Here’s what an AI-enhanced Alexa means for brand marketers.
In case you missed it…
The Future of Sports as a Media Business
The fragmented sports media landscape, and how brands can engage the fans in new, exciting ways
Closing the “De Minimis” Loophole: What It Means for the Ecommerce Players
The ecommerce landscape faces a major shake-up that could impact retailers large and small.
Brand Takeaways from the 2025 Super Bowl Ads
From the consumer AI products, to the rise of women’s sports, to balancing Gen Z humor with nostalgia, here are four interesting trends gleaned from this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads that collectively reflect the current technology and media landscape.
OpenAI Debuts GPT-4.5 In Research Preview [The Verge]
OpenAI has unveiled GPT-4.5, its “most knowledgeable model yet,” though with a careful disclaimer—it’s not a next-gen frontier model and may even underperform compared to O1 or O3-mini in some cases. Internally codenamed Orion, GPT-4.5 is currently in research preview and available exclusively to ChatGPT Pro subscribers. Early testers are reportedly singing praises for its warmth and emotional intelligence, making it a more natural conversationalist. This could one day enable brands using this model to engage with consumers in a more personalized and emotionally resonant way.
But if you’re eager to try it, you may have to wait. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits the company had to stagger deployment due to a critical shortage of GPUs — a problem plaguing AI labs worldwide. This hints at a broader industry bottleneck: cutting-edge AI may be advancing faster than the infrastructure can support. For now, Orion is OpenAI’s most capable offering, but it will be a while before regular users, and brands, can get their hands on it.
Related: Anthropic launches Claude 3.7 Sonnet, a new AI model that ‘thinks’ as long as you want [TechCrunch]; OpenAI expands Deep Research to all paying ChatGPT users [Engadget]
Instagram May Launch Reels as Separate App [The Information]
Instagram is reportedly considering the launch of a standalone Reels app, with improved algorithmic recommendations and allowing over three-minute-long videos, to better compete with TikTok. While a separate app could create friction if users have to toggle between Instagram and Reels, if Instagram integrates seamless cross-posting as it has done for Threads, brands with an established Instagram presence should have an easier time managing both apps.
Related: Meta plans to launch a standalone Meta AI app in Q2 and test a paid subscription service for Meta AI [CNBC]; Bluesky-based Instagram alternative Flashes launches publicly [TechCrunch]
Microsoft Is Testing Free Office For Windows Apps With Ads [The Verge]
To counter the growing threat of free alternatives like Google Workspace while expanding its ad business, Microsoft is testing an ad-supported Office suite, with banner and video ads and limited functionality. If Microsoft continues with this test, it could create a new digital advertising channel, especially for brands looking to reach enterprise customers, knowledge workers, and students.
While ads in Office apps present a unique opportunity to reach a high-intent, work-oriented audience, Microsoft will need to tread carefully to avoid disrupting users' productivity. Unlike social media or streaming platforms where ads are expected, professionals and students using the Office apps are usually focused on getting work done, and any intrusive or irrelevant ads could quickly become a source of frustration.
Related: YouTube plans lower-priced, ad-free version of paid video tier [Bloomberg]; Max pulls CNN and sports from ad tier in streaming pivot [THR]
Situational Awareness:
Lock screen platform Glance launches AI-powered shopping experience [TechCrunch]
By leveraging Google’s Gemini and Vertex AI models, Glance aims to transform the lock screen into a dynamic fashion feed, letting users see curated outfits on their AI-generated avatars with just a glance. This launch represents another step toward the future of hyper-personalized, anticipatory shopping experience, where AI-driven discovery engines replace traditional search, guiding users toward products before they even know they want them. For brands, this trend means shifting from reactive marketing to proactive engagement, where AI curates and surfaces products tailored to individual preferences in real-time.
Apple News+ gains recipes, restaurant reviews, and more in iOS 18.4 [MacRumors]
Apple News+ Food, launching with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, will offer curated food content, a recipe catalog, step-by-step Cook Mode, and offline recipe saving, featuring contributions from major food publishers, such as Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats. It is worth noting that, under the hood, there are also references in iOS 18.4 for a new framework called "CookingKit" and mentions of a forthcoming "Home" device, suggesting that Apple may be developing a kitchen-oriented product.
Apple overhauls child account setup and adds new age assurance features [MacRumors]
Apple introduced new child safety features aimed at giving parents greater control over their children's online experiences without sacrificing everyone else's privacy. These updates include enhanced age ratings, a more straightforward setup process for Child Accounts, and a new API that allows developers to verify users' age ranges. By implementing these measures, Apple is also preempting broader legislation that could impose stricter age verification requirements on the App Store.
A new report from Common Sense Media warns that AI-powered videos and apps are making it even easier for kids to spend hours in front of screens—sometimes with content that isn’t always kid-safe. It’s a growing concern, with young people averaging two-and-a-half hours of daily screen time (mostly watching short-form videos), according to the report.
Meta revealed Aria Gen 2, its next-gen glasses intended for third-party researchers [Road to VR]
While the device lacks a display, it boasts an upgraded sensor suite, including eye-tracking, spatial microphones, a heart rate monitor, and even a contact microphone for improved voice recognition. The inclusion of a heart rate monitor is a particularly interesting addition to the smart glasses, which could be used to track emotional response to content, especially when combined with eye-tracking.
YouTube continues to dominate podcast consumption, especially in its video form. The Google-owned company says it now has 1 billion monthly viewers for podcast content worldwide, Variety reports. YouTube users watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices in 2024
Amazon has surpassed Walmart in quarterly revenue for the first time in Q4, CNBC reports. Walmart reported $180.5 billion in sales during the most recent quarter while Amazon reeled in $187.8 billion. Walmart still leads the way in annual sales, though Amazon is gaining ground.
Live sports continue to boost living room viewing, both for linear TV and streaming. According to the latest Nielsen data, TV viewership in January increased by 5% compared to December, largely due to live sports on broadcast and cable leading up to the Super Bowl. Streaming accounted for 42.6% of total TV viewership, with Netflix, which accounted for 8.6% of all TV time spent in January, reaching a new height.
If you find our insights valuable and would like to have a deeper conversation on technology and media innovations, or need to sound smarter in a client meeting or a pitch, please feel free to reach out to Chelsea Freitas, our VP of Strategy, at chelsea@ipglab.com.
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