Cool New App Perfect For Truckers

I just downloaded Autio the other day. I heard a commercial voiced by Kevin Costner while listening to a podcast. It uses your phone's location to tell you interesting facts and short stories about things you are passing, like towns, lakes, historical sites, mountain ranges, etc. I even learned some new stuff I'd never known about the founding of the university I drive by every day in my city. Check it out.

https://autio.com/

The TLDR;

Free Offers In-App Purchases

"Autio could be the biggest thing I’ve ever been a part of."

Kevin Costner

CO-FOUNDER (owner)

Android Coming Soon

I can almost guarantee it's AI-powered. You feed your location to AI and it spits out facts. Anyone could build an app like that in like two hours. Not everyone can afford to hire Kevin Costner to be a spokesperson, though.

CGI Kevin Costner?

It's more than just Siri spitting out some facts in her robot voice though. They're like 3-5 ish minute stories narrated by human beings, including some celebrities like John Lithgow and I think Costner himself.

It's more than just Siri spitting out some facts in her robot voice though. They're like 3-5 ish minute stories narrated by human beings, including some celebrities like John Lithgow and I think Costner himself.

The information they're reading could have easily come from AI. It's called "generative AI" which means it will actually generate unique content based on the facts it has. I'll give you an example:

I typed into AI:

Give me three paragraphs of information about Columbus, Ohio that people would find interesting. This is information for tourists from out of town. Make it interesting, intriguing, and filled with little-known facts.

Here is what it returned:

Columbus, Ohio, is a vibrant and exciting city that offers visitors a wealth of attractions and activities. From its rich history to its innovative arts scene, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Here are three little-known facts about Columbus, Ohio, that will make your visit to the city even more interesting:

Columbus is home to the largest university in the United States. The Ohio State University (OSU) was founded in 1870 and has since grown to become the largest university in the country, with over 60,000 students. Visitors to Columbus can tour the beautiful OSU campus and enjoy its many museums, including the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

Columbus is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. The city has been recognized as one of the top startup cities in the United States, thanks in part to the presence of companies like CoverMyMeds, Root Insurance, and Beam Dental. Visitors can explore the city's vibrant startup scene by attending events at the Columbus Idea Foundry or touring the Columbus Collaboratory, a unique innovation hub that brings together companies from various industries to collaborate on new projects.

Columbus is home to some of the most stunning public art in the country. The city's Art Walk features more than 100 works of art scattered throughout the downtown area, including the iconic "Short North Pole" sculpture and the vibrant "As We Are" interactive selfie station. Visitors can also explore the city's many murals, which range from colorful and abstract to realistic and historical, and are sure to inspire and delight.

As you can see, AI can do a lot already, and a new version just came out which is like 1,000 times more powerful than the previous version. Honestly, I'm not even sure which version I'm using right now. Regardless, AI has already changed everything for people who generate content or need to process and understand large amounts of information.

It's more than just Siri spitting out some facts in her robot voice though. They're like 3-5 ish minute stories narrated by human beings, including some celebrities like John Lithgow and I think Costner himself.

Ever heard of this new voice generating AI? It's technology that is capable of mimicking celebrity voices. It's nearly perfect in sounding like the people it is mimicking. That could be what this app is using. Basically, the app tracks your movement (by the way, this information is quite valuable to companies for advertising and marketing) and scours the area for landmarks of various types. Using information freely available on the internet, the app creates a script that is "read." Instead of having voice actors read hundreds of hours of script on places all over the country, it generates a mimicked voice for the celebrity reading the script to you.

This is just an idea of what this app COULD be doing.

The real truth of it is that it's providing a service that really isn't needed until you learn that it's available. This is a type of Trojan Horse through which the app has free access to your daily activity. This information is sold to companies for advertising and marketing. Anyone using the app is unwittingly opening themselves up to being the target of endless ads for things that you really don't need. On top of this, people using the app are further inviting corporations into their personal lives.

No thank you.

I think this is a cool idea for anyone that could be traveling and not just truckers. I have often wondered about areas I'm driving through such as small towns, rural and historic areas.

Ryan B, you sound like a good buddy of mine. Concerned that everyone is watching. He always tells me stories about how Chinese folks are watching you on their tv's from your smart tv, computer, or cell phone. He states that the federal government is tracking your every move if you sign up for certain things. I tell him that I'm sure they are. But if you truly feel that way then why have a cell phone @ all? No one makes purchase much anymore without some form of bank card. Just about everyone uses a computer one way or another. I mean the only way to get away from those thoughts is to be 100% off grid with no electronics and use paper money or bartering. His common response is always that he plans to end up like that one day.

I don't like the idea either but we are used to living this way now and not sure how we can half ass it. I mean they are making it so you have to use cards to make payments. They are trying to tax online purchases. Hell every time you use a cell phone something pops up that you were just talking about. Tell me that doesn't freak you out. So yes, everyone is listening and watching. Do we go hide in a cave? The only way to fix it is a electronic reset.

Ryan B, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't cracking on you. It's a enjoying conversation my buddy and I have almost every time we hang out and I just laugh. I mean I agree with you and him and I don't like it myself. I just have a hard time understand what can be done about it other than not use or do something when in reality you can't not. Everything we do is no longer private unless you have not electronics around. I mean folks have cameras all over the place. In your homes, outside, automobiles, tv's, PC's, gaming consoles, cell phones. And now we are building AI dogs and robots that can do everything humans and pets can. It's like the movie Terminator. What can be done?

“Why have a cell phone at all?”

The trucking industry has become dependent on cell phone usage. Could a driver do his job without a cell phone within reach? If so, I’d like to know how.

My opinion is that the cell phone is so necessary, companies should provide the phone and the service to their drivers.