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Co-founder of Scale AI and founder of Passes, Lucy Guo pivoted from the tech-bro world of artificial intelligence to the ‘ Hollywood ‘ creator space. But AI has its place in content creation, says Lucy

Lucy Guo, founder and CEO of Passes, wants to turn content creators into millionaires. The 30 year old recently became a billionaire in her own right, though it’s “all on paper” as she told Forbes right before they crowned her the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.

Passes is Lucy’s big bet in the creator economy. Speaking to The Mirror, she describes seeing “untapped potential” in the creator monetisation space back in 2020 after falling in with some content creators in Miami.

“I just saw how they could sell anything with an Instagram post or story” recalls Lucy. “I also saw how inconsistent their income could be.”

Her solution to the instability was for creators to monetise directly off their fan base, which would not only give creators direct, consistent income but the means to invest in other interests or business ventures. Ventures that could be passion projects or, as Lucy envisions, potentially large-scale product-based businesses.

READ MORE: Audible’s new AI plans will put jobs at major risk, say translators and voice actors

Given Lucy’s significant background in AI, Passes’ approach is decidedly tech-forward compared to other fan subscriber platforms. While the technical approach separates Passes from its competitors, there’s been a lot of scepticism from creators about AI – viewed as both a potential competitor and thief. But Lucy is adamant AI’s utility will become clear.

“When creators realise the benefits of AI, they’re going to change their perception and they’re going to be very excited about it. But at the moment, there’s a lot of fear. And fear prevents you from looking at all the upsides”.

She continues, “The entire world is like AI is going to take over,” and I’m just like, “No, it’s going to be our copilot.” It will be our best business partner.”

AI will enable content creators to post frequently and quickly, which Lucy believes is essential for long-term success. We’ve actually noticed that the creators who earn the most money are actually smaller. They have 200, 300, 000 followers”, says Lucy. My theory is that it’s because they keep producing more content because it’s not required to be perfect.

The question of what matters to fans boils down to speed and community, according to Lucy. “I would say in terms of what everyone wants it’s very, very fast customer service – whether the customer service they want is from the creator or from [Passes].”

Lucy adds that, in addition to being “better at it,” women generally lean more toward creating content.

“I think being a content creator requires a lot of empathy and being able to build relationships especially when they’re not in person. You’re building relationships with your fans digitally. And the traits needed to do that I think women are better at,” she explains.

AI, in Lucy’s opinion, will free up creator time to work with fans and come up with new ideas and ways to build those relationships. To test her bet, she will need to establish meaningful relationships with creators.

After Passes bought the competitor website, Fanhouse in 2023, Lucy faced criticism from independent website owners who were offended by the decision. The lack of content guidelines and AI push in Passes was alarming to creators.

As reported by TechCrunch at the time, some creators grew worried about a tweet of Guo’s in which she stated that Passes was working on technology that could optionally make AI likenesses of creators. Concerns escalated after Twitch streamer Riley Rose pointed out that Passes does not have content guidelines on its website.

Guo told TechCrunch, “It’s just that Fanhouse’s] content guidelines are very, very specific.” She claimed that because Fanhouse used Stripe as its payment processor, the company had to be very specific about what they can and cannot post. She explained that while there are content guidelines, it is just more lax.

Even if Lucy is promising substantial profits, convincing creators to embrace AI and attract their fan base to a new platform will prove to be a difficult sell. It’s not just about the money for the creators, just like with fans.

Martin Frizzell and Fiona Phillips, the former GMTV star’s husband, openly discussed his Alzheimer’s disease.

Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2023 and now her husband has made a heartbreaking confession as they deal with the condition. Martin Frizzell, 65, has admitted he wishes the former GMTV star, 64, had “cancer instead”.

Martin, who has been married to Fiona for 28 years opened up in the couple’s joint memoir titled Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer’s. The release comes after Fiona has continued to be open about her condition following her diagnosis two years ago.

Martin’s devastating confession was revealed in an excerpt from the book. He said, “It’s shocking to say, but at least she might have had a chance of finding a cure, and she most likely would have had a treatment plan and a range of support and care packages,” when describing his wish that she had instead been diagnosed with cancer.

The Mail quoted a statement that read, “But that’s not there for Alzheimer’s.” similarly to the absence of funny or inspiring TikTok videos or fashion shoots featuring happy, healthy, and in-remission survivors.

After receiving their diagnosis, Martin continued, “the pair had been left to cope alone.” He acknowledges that he has taken on tasks that he had previously assumed to be unimportant since receiving the diagnosis. Additionally, the pair has hired a trained caregiver to give the former TV star the best care possible. In February, Martin resigned from his ITV position to take care of Fiona.

Martin explained how Fiona experiences confusion when her parents, who have sadly passed away, call in on difficult days. Fiona also mentioned how initially she was having trouble accepting the diagnosis.

In her own words, she said the challenges she faces are like “trying to chase a £5 note that’s fallen out of your purse on a gusty day”. She candidly said that it felt as though every time she had caught it, it blew out of reach once more.

Fiona explained the couple’s motivation for writing the book, saying, “Gradually, Martin and I thought maybe I should start telling more people. Martin believed that if more people knew what was going on with me, they wouldn’t judge me if I ever started acting strangely, which I didn’t believe I did. I hardly ever yelled at people while walking down the street in my underwear.

Alzheimer’s disease is the UK’s most prevalent cause of dementia, according to the NHS. A group of symptoms known as dementia are related to an ongoing decline in brain function, which can affect memory, thinking, and other mental abilities.

When Fiona first started experiencing “brain fog and anxiety,” she initially believed she was experiencing menopause symptoms.

Unfortunately, the actress already had firsthand knowledge of Alzheimer’s after receiving the condition from both of her parents.

In a heartfelt tribute to her late father, who battled dementia, BBBC star Nina Warhurst has shared the heartbreaking news about him. The 44-year-old journalist, who hosts BBC News at One live from Salford, took to Instagram on July 6 to share the depressing news to her 46.7k followers. She posted a striking black and white image of her holding her father’s hand.

She shared their final moments, which were filled with emotion and family memories, in a deeply moving message.

She wrote, “My Dad passed away on Wednesday night.” My mother and sisters spent time with him around the clock, singing, crying, laughing, and sharing memories, from Sunday.

The Manchester Evening News reports that on his last day, we had nursing home afternoon tea, chippy chips, and wine.

He gently veered off with Amy holding him while Amy told him to “go head.” We’ll see you soon. He did, too. As the ripples stopped and softened, I placed my hand on his heart.

A peaceful life’s end is what. I’ll never forget the days I spent with so much love, laughter, and sunshine.

As we adjust to a world without him, Nina continued, “He is in my mind forever.” That’s still not completely true, in my opinion. However, we believe that knowing that the end can be peaceful and beautiful is extremely important for anyone going through this.

We can’t thank Kim, Daniel, Anna, Moody, Charlotte, Clara, Eddie, Obi, Sarah, Kat, Michael, Colin, Dorothy, Helen, and Gracie as well as the care home staff and residents who made our world our home for those days and nights.

In the comments section, Nina received a lot of support from both her followers and friends. It was beautiful, her sister Amy said. We’re not fortunate, are we? I adore you, Nines X.

A follower expressed her compassion by apologizing, “Nina, I’m so sorry.” My mother passed away in the same circumstances as my mother, who was also a dementia patient. He’ll be there for you forever. I will never forget how caring the entire family was throughout my mother’s illness thanks to the care home staff. They really don’t get enough credit for what they do. Take good care of your family and yourself.

Another expressed sympathy for your loss, “Oh Nina. You were there with him as he passed, and you gave him a lovely send off, which is very important. Thinking a lot of you and your entire family xxx.

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