News/Creator Economy
How AI is Reshaping the Creator Economy
The rise of generative AI challenges the creator economy: The emergence of AI-powered content generation tools has sparked a debate about the future of user-generated content and its impact on the creator economy. Generative AI models can now produce text, images, audio, and video content based on simple user prompts, potentially disrupting the traditional content creation process. The technology has implications for various creative fields, including writing, design, music, and video game development. AI's role in content creation: Generative AI is being integrated into various platforms and tools to assist or even automate content production. ChatGPT and similar text generators...
read Aug 21, 2024AI Art Project Captivates 700,000 Instagram Followers
The rise of AI-generated digital worlds: Tony Rapacioli's The Visual Dome has emerged as a groundbreaking AI art project, captivating a massive Instagram following and redefining the boundaries of digital creativity. From music to AI art: Rapacioli, a former music producer, discovered AI as a creative tool in late 2022, quickly developing The Visual Dome concept and leveraging his background in photography and sound design. The Visual Dome has amassed over 700,000 followers on Instagram, becoming a phenomenon in the AI art world. Rapacioli's transition from music production to visual art demonstrates the versatility of AI tools in various creative...
read Aug 20, 2024AI-Generated Cat Videos Are Going Viral on Social Media
The rise of AI-generated cat videos: A new trend of artificial intelligence-created cat videos featuring characters like "Chubby" and "Chubby Jr" has taken social media platforms by storm, garnering millions of views and strong emotional responses from viewers. These videos typically showcase AI-generated images of chubby orange cats in sad or unusual situations, set to AI-generated meow covers of popular songs. Despite their clearly artificial nature, the videos have struck an emotional chord with audiences on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. The phenomenon began in January 2024 when creators like @mpminds started producing this content after recognizing its viral...
read Aug 16, 2024Why AI-Generated Content is More Powerful and Less Harmful Than You Think
AI-generated content is rapidly transforming social media landscapes, with implications for creators, consumers, and the nature of online creativity itself. This shift is occurring faster and with less disruption than many anticipated. The rise of AI-generated content: Mark Zuckerberg's prediction of AI-dominated social media feeds is already becoming a reality, with AI-created content garnering tens of millions of weekly impressions across platforms. AI-generated images have reached a level of realism that makes them virtually indistinguishable from authentic photographs without close scrutiny. Open-source AI models like Flux and techniques such as LoRA have democratized access to highly realistic AI image generation...
read Aug 16, 2024WhatsApp Adds AI-Powered GIF Creation: Here’s How to Use It
New WhatsApp feature unveiled: Meta has introduced an AI-powered GIF creation tool within WhatsApp, allowing users to generate custom animated content directly in their chats. How it works: The new feature leverages Meta's AI capabilities to transform user-provided text prompts into animated GIFs, streamlining the process of creating and sharing personalized visual content. Users can access the tool by selecting the 'Imagine' button within the WhatsApp chat interface. After entering a text prompt, the AI generates an image that can be further animated into a GIF. The process is completed within the app, eliminating the need for third-party GIF creation...
read Aug 15, 2024X’s New Image Generator Will Create Pretty Much Anything You Want
Grok's new frontier: X, formerly known as Twitter, has expanded its Grok chatbot's capabilities to include AI image generation, marking a significant leap in the platform's AI offerings. The new feature is available exclusively to X Premium subscribers, integrating advanced image creation tools into the existing conversational AI. Grok's image generator stands out for its willingness to produce contentious and potentially harmful images, setting it apart from more cautious AI competitors. Users have been quick to test the limits of the system, generating a wide array of controversial images involving public figures and sensitive topics. Pushing boundaries in AI-generated content:...
read Aug 14, 2024New AI Image Generation Feature on X is Sparking Misinformation Concerns
The launch of xAI's Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini chatbots marks a significant evolution in AI technology, introducing image generation capabilities to the X platform and raising questions about content moderation and misinformation risks. New AI models with enhanced capabilities: xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, has unveiled Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, updated versions of its Grok chatbot with improved performance and new image generation features. The image generation functionality is powered by Black Forest Lab's Flux 1 AI model, allowing users to create and directly publish images on the X social platform. xAI describes Grok-2 as "more intuitive, steerable, and...
read Aug 14, 2024Elon Musk Deepfake Videos Contribute to Billions in Fraud
Deepfake videos featuring AI-generated versions of Elon Musk have become a widespread and lucrative tool for online scammers, targeting unsuspecting victims with fraudulent investment schemes. The rise of AI-powered scams: Thousands of deepfake videos featuring Elon Musk are being used to defraud people of their money, highlighting the growing threat of AI-generated content in online scams. These videos employ artificial intelligence to clone Musk's voice and manipulate his mouth movements to match fabricated scripts, creating convincing impersonations of the tech mogul. Musk's likeness is featured in nearly 90% of cryptocurrency-related deepfake scams, making him the most commonly used celebrity for...
read Aug 12, 2024Marketers are Using AI to Predict Influencers’ Political Leanings
The rise of AI-powered tools to assess influencers' political leanings marks a significant shift in brand-creator relationships, as companies seek to navigate the increasingly polarized social media landscape. The evolving influencer landscape: Marketing firms are leveraging artificial intelligence to analyze social media personalities and predict their likelihood of engaging in political discussions, particularly as the upcoming election approaches. AI-powered tools are being developed to grade the "brand safety" of influencers, providing marketers with insights into potential risks associated with partnering with specific creators. Captiv8, a marketing firm, has introduced a tool that uses AI to analyze online mentions of influencers...
read Aug 10, 2024Instagram’s AI Studio Fuels Surge in Virtual Companions
A new frontier in social media: Meta's recently launched AI Studio for Instagram has opened the doors to user-created AI chatbots, leading to an influx of virtual "boyfriends" and "girlfriends" on the platform. Meta's AI Studio allows US-based Instagram users to create digital versions of themselves or AI characters capable of conversing with others. The feature has quickly been adopted by users to create AI romantic partners, filling a niche for those seeking virtual companionship. This development marks a significant shift in how AI is integrated into mainstream social media platforms. The rise of AI companions: The emergence of AI...
read Aug 9, 2024YouTube’s AI Brainstorming Tool Supercharges Creator Productivity
New AI tool for content creation: YouTube is testing an innovative feature called "Brainstorm with Gemini" that leverages Google's advanced Gemini AI models to assist creators in generating video ideas, titles, and thumbnails. The new tool is designed to streamline the creative process for YouTube content creators by providing AI-generated suggestions based on broad topics or initial ideas. Creators can access this feature within YouTube Studio by entering a general concept and clicking the Brainstorm button to receive refined and related video concepts. The AI-powered tool aims to address common challenges faced by creators, such as overcoming creative blocks or...
read Aug 9, 2024AI Video Creator ‘Diffuse 2.0’ Gets Major Upgrade
Diffuse 2.0, an AI-powered video generation tool from Higgsfield, has introduced new features aimed at simplifying and democratizing high-quality video creation for social media and personal use. Major update to AI video creation: Higgsfield's release of Diffuse 2.0 marks a significant advancement in AI-driven video generation tools, offering a range of new features designed to make video creation more accessible and efficient. The updated tool includes a Selfie Animator feature, allowing users to bring still photos to life through animation. New video templates have been added to provide users with more creative options and starting points for their projects. A...
read Aug 8, 2024Reddit Will Begin Using AI to Summarize Long Threads
Reddit's AI-powered search summaries: Reddit is set to launch a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to generate concise summaries of search results, aiming to enhance user experience and content discovery on the platform. The AI-powered summaries will appear at the top of search results, providing users with quick overviews of long Reddit threads and discussions. This feature is designed to help users find relevant content more efficiently, potentially saving time and improving navigation through Reddit's vast array of communities and conversations. Reddit plans to implement both first-party and third-party AI models to create these summaries, indicating a hybrid approach...
read Aug 7, 2024Secretaries of State Demand Action in Grok Misinformation Spreading
Election officials raise alarm over AI chatbot misinformation: Five secretaries of state have voiced serious concerns about Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok spreading election misinformation on X, formerly known as Twitter. The officials sent a letter to Musk on Monday, highlighting that Grok provided incorrect ballot deadlines which were subsequently shared across social media platforms, potentially reaching millions of users. The false information persisted for 10 days before being corrected, raising questions about the speed and efficacy of error detection and correction mechanisms in AI-powered information systems. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon emphasized the critical importance of voters receiving...
read Aug 6, 2024X Exits San Francisco HQ as Tech Landscape Shifts
X abandons iconic San Francisco headquarters: Social media giant X, formerly known as Twitter, is set to close its global headquarters in San Francisco, marking the end of an era for the company and the city's tech scene. The big picture: CEO Linda Yaccarino announced in an internal email that X will transition its operations to new primary locations in the Bay Area, signaling a significant shift in the company's physical presence and potentially its corporate culture. Employees will be relocated to an existing office in San Jose and a new shared space with X.AI in Palo Alto. The move...
read Aug 5, 2024AI is Being Used to Shield Olympic Athletes From Online Abuse
The 2024 Summer Olympics will employ an AI-powered system to combat online abuse targeting athletes and officials, marking a significant step in protecting participants' mental health and performance in the digital age. Innovative AI solution for athlete protection: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to implement an AI algorithm called Threat Matrix to scan and identify abusive social media content directed at Olympic athletes and officials. Threat Matrix will analyze posts across major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). The system is capable of processing content in over 35 languages, ensuring comprehensive coverage of...
read Aug 3, 2024Reddit Acquires Memorable AI to Offer Improved Tools for Marketers
Reddit acquires Memorable AI, an AI-powered advertising analytics company, to enhance its advertising capabilities and offer improved tools for marketers. This move comes as Reddit seeks to maximize its advertising opportunities following its recent public listing. Enhanced ad performance and insights: Reddit's acquisition of Memorable AI aims to provide advertisers with advanced tools to improve campaign planning and effectiveness: Memorable AI's technology analyzes human reactions to create more effective ads, considering a broader range of elements. The acquisition will give Reddit advertisers access to tools that offer insights from previous ad performance and guide creative efforts towards maximum return on...
read Aug 1, 2024Reddit CEO Defends Decision to Block Web Scrapers
The CEO of Reddit, Steve Huffman, is defending the company's recent decision to block web scrapers from accessing the site's content without an AI agreement, which has sparked controversy and raised concerns about competition in the search engine market. Key developments: Reddit's move to restrict web scraping has significantly impacted search results and the competitive landscape: Reddit updated its robots.txt file to block bots from scraping the site, stating that it believes in an open internet but opposes the misuse of public content. As a result, search engines other than Google were temporarily unable to list recent Reddit posts in...
read Jul 31, 2024Meta AI Inadvertently Spreads Misinformation on Trump Assassination
Trump assassination attempt misinformation highlights challenges with AI chatbots, as Meta's AI assistant and other generative AI models struggle to handle real-time events accurately. AI hallucinations and misinformation: Meta's AI assistant and other generative AI systems are prone to "hallucinations," where they provide incorrect or inappropriate responses, particularly when dealing with recent events: Meta's AI initially asserted that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump didn't happen, despite the incident being widely reported. Joel Kaplan, Meta's global head of policy, acknowledges that this is an "industry-wide issue" affecting all generative AI systems, presenting an ongoing challenge in handling real-time...
read Jul 26, 2024TV Doctors Deepfaked, Exploited to Peddle Health Scams on Social Media
TV doctors "deepfaked" to promote health scams on social media: An investigation by the British Medical Journal has revealed that several well-known TV doctors, including Michael Mosley and Hilary Jones, have been "deepfaked" on social media platforms to promote fraudulent health products and scams. "Deepfaking" involves using artificial intelligence to create convincing videos of individuals by mapping their digital likeness onto someone else's body, essentially making it appear as if they are promoting or endorsing products they have no actual connection to. The investigation found videos on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, with one example showing a deepfaked Dr. Hilary...
read Jul 24, 2024AI vs. Journalism: How Tech Giants Threaten News Outlets’ Survival
The rise of AI presents an existential threat to the journalism industry as tech giants leverage news content without fair compensation, further disrupting already struggling news outlets. Key challenges facing publishers: AI tools from companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI can automatically scrape information from news archives and deliver it to audiences for free, potentially devastating the business models of news organizations: L.A. Taco editor Javier Cabral found that Google's AI appeared to lift content from an article he wrote without linking to the original, "enraging" him as he had spent significant time reporting the story. News outlets fear catastrophic...
read Jul 23, 2024As Misinformation Persists, Social Media Companies Are Getting Better At Spotting Deep Fakes
AI-generated deepfakes have not become the widespread misinformation catastrophe experts feared, as media outlets and tech platforms have improved at rapidly detecting and debunking AI-manipulated content. Effective fact-checking responses: Mainstream news organizations and fact-checking websites have demonstrated their ability to quickly identify and refute AI-generated misinformation: In the aftermath of the fictional Trump assassination attempt, numerous reputable media outlets, such as Reuters, The AP, Politico, BBC, and CNN, swiftly published fact checks debunking a doctored image depicting smiling Secret Service agents assisting Trump after the shooting. Fact-checking websites like Factcheck.org, Verify, and Politifact also promptly disproved the manipulated photo using...
read Jul 23, 2024TikTok Lite’s Missing Safeguards Put 1B+ Users at Risk, Study Reveals
TikTok's Lite version, popular in the Global South, lacks important safety features and content labels found in the main app, potentially exposing over 1 billion users to misinformation and inappropriate content. Key differences between TikTok and TikTok Lite: The report by the Mozilla Foundation and AI Forensics highlights several critical safety measures absent in the Lite version: AI-generated content is not labeled in TikTok Lite, unlike the main app, leaving users unaware of potentially deceptive material. Warnings about graphic content or dangerous behavior are missing in the Lite version. Resource hubs with credible information on topics like elections and health...
read Jul 22, 2024Condé Nast Accuses AI Startup Perplexity of Plagiarism, Demands Cease-and-Desist
Condé Nast has sent a cease-and-desist letter to artificial intelligence search engine Perplexity, accusing the startup of plagiarizing content from its publications and demanding that it stop using this content in search results. Legal challenge from major publisher: The letter from Condé Nast, which publishes The New Yorker, Vogue, and Wired, among others, represents a significant legal challenge for Perplexity: The cease-and-desist letter, sent on Monday, comes just a month after Forbes sent a similar letter to Perplexity, accusing it of copyright infringement. Condé Nast's demand adds to the growing legal scrutiny facing AI startups over their use of news...
read