📰Trace Lab Newsletter #12

🌍 Welcome back Tracers!🌟

In today’s edition, we're diving into the hottest AI breakthroughs shaping our world — from YouTube's creator superpowers and McDonald's smart kitchens, to Sora’s arrival inside ChatGPT.
We're also highlighting the most promising new tools and GPTs to help you work faster, create smarter, and stay ahead of the curve.

🚀 Whether you're in content, production, marketing or strategy — this is your weekly shot of AI inspiration to keep your edge sharp.

👉 Swipe down, click through, and don’t forget to try out the tools. Your future self will thank you 😉

And if you don’t want to read it, you can now listen to it! 🎧
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LATEST NEWS

Perplexity
🧠 Perplexity goes deep with freemium AI research agent

Perplexity is stepping up its game. The AI-powered search engine has just launched its own Deep Research feature — and it's free to try. This new tool takes aim at premium offerings from OpenAI and Google, making high-quality AI research more accessible.

Key Points:

• Deep Research automates dozens of searches and synthesizes findings from a wide range of sources — from social media and blogs to academic papers and news articles — into structured reports in 2–4 minutes.

• It outperformed competitors like Gemini and Grok in benchmark tests, though still trails behind OpenAI.

• Free users get 5 reports per day, while Pro users unlock extended access — a direct challenge to OpenAI’s $200/month version.

• CEO Aravind Srinivas made waves by boasting on X that he "mogged" Sam Altman with this release.

🔗 Full article here

Why it matters for Trace

Research is core to content creation, programming decisions, trend analysis, and audience insight. With tools like Perplexity, Trace teams can now access deep, multi-source intelligence — from TikTok trends to scientific reports — in minutes. It’s a powerful boost for editorial speed, accuracy, and creativity.

YouTube
🎥 YouTube supercharges creators with new AI features

YouTube just dropped a major AI update. CEO Neal Mohan announced a wave of new features that aim to revolutionize how creators produce, translate, and moderate content — all powered by AI.

Key Points:

• A new AI detection tool helps creators identify and manage content using their likeness or voice, giving artists more control over deepfakes or unauthorized AI use.

• Auto-dubbing is now available to all monetized creators — a game-changer for reaching global audiences. YouTube says dubbed videos account for 40%+ of watch time.

• An AI-based age estimation system will roll out, using viewer behavior (not just account data) to adapt content restrictions and recommendations.

• Tools like Dream Screen and Dream Track (for Shorts) now tap into Google Veo 2 — bringing enhanced AI-generated visuals and music to creators everywhere.

🔗 Full article here

Why It Matters for Trace
This is big for multilingual and global content strategies. With AI-powered dubbing, adaptive content safety, and new creation tools, Trace can reach broader audiences, faster — while protecting artists and streamlining production. Think faster localization, safer uploads, and more creative Shorts with less overhead.

McDonald
🍔 McDonald’s rolls out AI-powered restaurants worldwide

McDonald’s is going full AI. In partnership with Google Cloud, the fast-food giant is transforming its 43,000+ locations with smart systems that optimize everything from burger flipping to promo offers — all powered by real-time data and artificial intelligence.

Key Points:

• New edge computing systems will allow real-time AI processing directly in-store, improving speed and responsiveness.

• Planned features include predictive maintenance for kitchen machines, computer vision to check order accuracy, and a generative AI “virtual manager” to assist employees.

• The tech also helps staff juggle drive-through, in-app, and delivery orders — a key pain point in modern fast-food ops.

• AI will analyze weather, past behavior, and location data to offer ultra-personalized deals — like a McFlurry on a hot day.

🔗 Full article here

Why It Matters for Trace

This is a masterclass in AI for operations. Just like McDonald’s uses AI to smooth out service across high-pressure environments, Trace can do the same for content delivery, broadcast workflows, and audience engagement. Personalized content recos and smart scheduling? It’s all on the table.

OpenAI
🎬 Sora video AI is finally available on ChatGPT

OpenAI just confirmed that its highly anticipated video-generation tool, Sora, is now available directly inside ChatGPT. The news dropped during the company’s first “Sora Global Office Hours” Discord session, as OpenAI aims to make AI filmmaking more accessible — and more integrated.

Key Points:

• The ChatGPT version will offer limited features compared to Sora’s web platform (which includes advanced editing and splicing).

• A dedicated mobile app for Sora is also in the works, and OpenAI is hiring engineers to scale video capabilities.

• A Sora-based image generator (possibly surpassing DALL·E 3) and a Sora Turbo model are also being developed.

But let’s be real: Sora is not alone in this race. These tools have already made moves before it:

🎥 Runway Gen-2 – Text-to-video since March 2023, popular in indie and creative circles
🎞️ Pika Labs – Real-time video generation with motion control features
📺 Synthesia – Corporate-friendly avatar videos and scene customization
📽️ Luma Labs – 3D-to-video rendering engine with stunning depth realism
📹 Google Veo – High-def video generation with audio, used in YouTube Shorts testing

🔗 Full article here

Why It Matters for Trace

AI-generated video will soon be as easy as typing a prompt. Integrating Sora into ChatGPT lowers the barrier for producers, content creators, and social teams — making ideation, prototyping, and localized video faster and cheaper. But Trace teams should also keep an eye on more mature competitors like Runway and Veo, which already offer advanced creative controls.

NEW PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

GPTs and AI Tools Spotlight

📋 Canvas - Gemini: Gemini’s new collaborative workspace for document editing and coding, launched March 21, 2025.

🤖 Manus: A fully autonomous AI agent capable of handling real-world tasks — from planning to action.

🎙️ Podcastle: All-in-one software for creating, editing, and publishing podcasts and videos.

📚 Tutor Me GPT: Your personal AI tutor by Khan Academy — learn math, science, and humanities step by step.

🔍 GptOracle: A prompt-generation GPT for Deep Research. Perfect for ChatGPT or Perplexity research workflows.

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

Let’s keep exploring — together!

This newsletter is your playground. AI is moving fast, but we're moving faster 🚀
Try the tools, test the features, and don’t hesitate to reach out to Trace Lab if you want help testing, building, or brainstorming anything AI-related.

📬 Got something cool you’ve tried? Let us know! Your discovery might power next newsletter’s edition.

Stay sharp, stay curious, stay creative.

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