News/Creator Economy
Job alert: AI dating startup Keeper seeks science writer for $40K equity role
Keeper, an AI-powered matchmaking startup, recently posted an unusual job listing on LessWrong, a rationalist community forum, seeking a Science Writer and Social Media Manager for what might be one of the most intellectually demanding content creation roles in the dating industry. The position offers a fascinating glimpse into how AI companies are blending relationship science with social media strategy to build more effective matchmaking algorithms. The startup claims an impressive track record: approximately 10% of first dates arranged through their platform lead to marriage. This success rate stems from their approach of using relationship science and evolutionary psychology to...
read Jul 2, 2025Gen Z turns to AI chatbots amid social media-driven collapse in romantic trust
Generation Z is turning to AI chatbots, romantasy fiction, and anime porn to navigate intimacy in an era where human relationships feel increasingly risky and unpredictable. This digital retreat reflects a broader trust crisis, as young people seek safer alternatives to traditional romantic and sexual connections in a world where privacy breaches and public shaming have become commonplace. The big picture: Gen Z's embrace of digital intimacy stems from a fundamental erosion of trust in human relationships, where social media amplifies every misstep and deepfakes make exploitation easier than ever. In this landscape, technology offers a seemingly safer, more controllable...
read Jul 2, 2025False, flagged: Maine police caught using AI to fake drug bust photo on Facebook
The Westbrook Maine Police Department posted an AI-generated image of a supposed drug bust on Facebook, then doubled down and falsely claimed it was real when called out by residents. The incident highlights growing concerns about law enforcement's understanding of AI technology and the potential for digital evidence manipulation. What happened: Police shared an obviously fake photo over the weekend featuring telltale AI artifacts like gibberish text on drug packaging and scales. • When AI-savvy locals immediately identified the image as artificial, the department posted a defensive follow-up insisting "this is NOT an AI-generated photo." • Officers claimed the "weird"...
read Jun 27, 2025MrBeast backs off, removes $80 AI thumbnail tool after creator backlash
MrBeast has removed an AI-powered YouTube thumbnail generator from his platform after facing criticism from fellow creators who accused the tool of stealing their work. The world's most-subscribed YouTuber acknowledged he "missed the mark" with the $80-per-month tool and will replace it with links to human artists available for commission. What happened: The AI thumbnail generator allowed users to insert themselves into existing thumbnails and recreate other creators' work, sparking backlash from prominent YouTubers. PointCrow, a US streamer whose real name is Eric Morino, accused MrBeast of creating "something that can steal... hard work without a thought" and alleged the...
read Jun 26, 2025WhatsApp launches AI message summaries to tackle unread chat overload
WhatsApp users drowning in unread messages now have an AI-powered lifeline. Meta has introduced Message Summaries, a feature that leverages artificial intelligence to distill lengthy group chats and message threads into digestible bullet points, helping users catch up without scrolling through dozens of individual messages. The feature represents Meta's latest effort to weave AI capabilities into everyday communication tools, following a broader industry trend of embedding artificial intelligence into essential productivity applications. Unlike generic AI assistants that require separate apps or interfaces, Message Summaries works directly within WhatsApp's familiar messaging environment. How Message Summaries works Message Summaries appears as a...
read Jun 26, 2025YouTube tests AI-powered search summaries for Premium users
YouTube is bringing an AI Overviews-style feature to its platform, showing AI-powered search result carousels for YouTube Premium members in the US when they search for shopping, travel, or location-based content. The experimental feature represents Google's continued expansion of AI search capabilities across its product ecosystem, potentially changing how users discover and consume video content. What you should know: The AI-powered search results carousel displays a prominent video clip at the top, thumbnail previews of related videos below, and an AI-generated text summary responding to the user's query. Users can tap the main video clip to watch the full content,...
read Jun 26, 2025Reddit CEO fights AI “arms race” to protect human content
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says the platform is locked in an "arms race" to protect its human-generated content from artificial intelligence infiltration, as the company's 20-year repository of authentic conversations becomes increasingly valuable for training AI models. The social network has already struck multimillion-dollar partnerships with Google and OpenAI to license its content, while advertisers are flocking to the platform in what one agency chief called a "massive migration" to capitalize on Reddit's growing influence in AI-powered search results. The big picture: Reddit's authentic human conversations have become a critical resource for training large language models, positioning the platform as...
read Jun 20, 2025Deezer battles AI music fraud as streaming scams reach 20K daily tracks
Music streaming service Deezer will begin flagging AI-generated songs on its platform as part of an escalating battle against streaming fraud. The Paris-based company reports that 18% of daily uploads—roughly 20,000 tracks—are now completely AI-generated, nearly doubling from 10% just three months earlier, with fraudsters using these songs to manipulate streams and collect royalties illegally. The big picture: AI-generated music is becoming a vehicle for large-scale streaming fraud, with Deezer estimating that seven in 10 listens of AI songs come from bots rather than humans. Fraudsters "create tons of songs" and use automated systems to inflate play counts, earning substantial...
read Jun 19, 2025Google Photos developing AI “Remix” feature to transform videos into artistic styles
Google Photos is developing a "Remix" feature that will use generative AI to transform both photos and videos into different artistic styles, according to code discovered in the latest app version. The feature, internally codenamed "Bluejay," represents Google's entry into the popular AI-powered content remixing trend that has gained traction on social media platforms. What you should know: The Remix feature will offer three distinct style options for video transformation through generative AI. "I'm Feeling Lucky" provides a random style transformation "Subtle Movements" offers more restrained visual changes "Go Wild" delivers dramatic stylistic alterations How it works: Code strings found...
read Jun 19, 2025Snapchat launches AI ad tools to challenge Google and Meta dominance
Snapchat has launched Smart Campaign Solution, an AI-powered advertising suite designed to compete with Google's Performance Max and Meta's Advantage+ tools. The platform is targeting advertisers who are frustrated with returns from Meta and Google, positioning itself as a credible alternative rather than trying to beat the tech giants outright. The big picture: Snap believes it doesn't need to surpass Meta and Google entirely—it just needs to give enough underwhelmed advertisers a compelling reason to diversify their ad spending. Chief business officer Ajit Mohan argues that Meta and Google have become "the equivalent of broadcast television; you can't get fired...
read Jun 18, 2025Google’s Veo 3 AI will let creators generate videos inside YouTube Shorts
Google will integrate its Veo 3 AI video generator with YouTube Shorts this summer, allowing creators to produce AI-generated content directly within the platform's short-form video format. The move capitalizes on YouTube Shorts' explosive growth, with viewership increasing 186% over the past year to reach 200 billion daily views. Why this matters: This integration could dramatically expand AI-generated content creation, making sophisticated video generation accessible to millions of creators while potentially transforming how short-form content is produced and consumed. The numbers behind Shorts' success: YouTube Shorts has outpaced the platform's overall growth trajectory, establishing itself as a dominant force in...
read Jun 18, 2025Pokémon goes wellness: Google’s Veo 3 AI-generated ASMR videos rack up millions of views
AI-generated ASMR videos using Google's Veo 3 are gaining millions of views on platforms like TikTok, featuring surreal content like glass fruit being sliced and people eating molten rock. While these videos trigger some viewers' relaxation responses, they lack the human intimacy that traditional ASMR enthusiasts value, creating a divisive new category in the wellness content space. What you should know: Google's Veo 3 Fast has become the most popular AI video generator for creating ASMR content, producing 720p videos at double the speed of standard models. Gemini Pro users can create three videos per day, while Flow Pro users...
read Jun 16, 2025AI avatars on TikTok could reshape the $21B influencer economy
TikTok is expanding its Symphony AI ads platform to generate virtual influencer content that mimics human creators, including AI avatars trying on clothes, holding products, and demonstrating apps. This development represents a significant shift toward automating influencer marketing, potentially reducing costs for brands while raising questions about the future of human content creators in the digital advertising ecosystem. What you should know: The new Symphony features go far beyond basic AI-generated videos to replicate authentic influencer behavior and interactions. Advertisers can upload images and text prompts to generate videos with virtual avatars modeling clothing, displaying branded apps on phone screens,...
read Jun 13, 2025Investors pour $250M into Musk’s xAI at $113B valuation
Two dozen venture capital firms and other investors are investing approximately $250 million in xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence and social media company, through a tender offer that values the company at $113 billion. The deal allows current and former xAI employees to sell portions of their shares to prominent investors including TPG, ARK Invest, Sequoia Capital, and Fidelity, which is purchasing $20 million worth of shares. What you should know: This tender offer represents a significant liquidity event for xAI employees and provides insight into the company's current market valuation. The $113 billion valuation reflects substantial investor confidence in...
read Jun 9, 2025YouTube creators fight AI music flood with “No AI” playlist labels
YouTube creators are increasingly labeling their background music playlists as "No AI" as artificial intelligence-generated content floods the platform's ambient music space. The trend highlights how AI-generated music has become so pervasive that curators must actively distinguish their human-created content, while some channels exploit AI tools to rapidly produce monetizable playlists without crediting artists or disclosing their methods. What you should know: AI-generated music has infiltrated YouTube's popular background music ecosystem, particularly affecting lo-fi and instrumental playlists that millions use for studying and relaxation. Music influencer Derrick Gee discovered that one popular lo-fi playlist channel used almost entirely AI-generated tracks,...
read Jun 9, 2025Duolingo CEO surprised by backlash over AI replacing human contractors boast
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn expressed surprise at the intense backlash he received after publicly boasting about replacing human contractors with AI earlier this year. The controversy highlights growing consumer resistance to AI automation in the workplace, forcing the language-learning company's leadership into damage control mode as users threatened to abandon the platform en masse. What happened: Von Ahn initially embraced AI replacement with enthusiasm, stating that Duolingo would "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle" and that the company would "rather move with urgency and take occasional small hits on quality than move slowly and...
read Jun 6, 2025Bluumly AI cuts small business marketing time from 10 hours to 30 minutes
Bluumly has launched the public beta of its AI-powered marketing platform designed specifically for micro and small businesses, following a private beta that began in April. The platform aims to automate digital marketing campaigns for the 32 million small business owners in the U.S. who struggle with limited time and resources, reducing weekly marketing tasks from 5-10 hours to just 30 minutes per month. What you should know: Bluumly's AI generates fully designed, brand-consistent campaigns across multiple social media platforms after users simply describe their marketing goals. The platform supports Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest with smart scheduling to...
read Jun 5, 2025Grok stands alone as X restricts AI training on posts in new policy update
X's new developer agreement restricts AI companies from using its content to train their models, signaling a strategic positioning in the growing market for licensed AI training data. This move aligns with recent industry trends toward monetizing platform content through exclusive AI training partnerships, as demonstrated by Reddit's Google deal and subsequent lawsuit against Anthropic for unauthorized data scraping. The big picture: X has updated its developer policy to explicitly prohibit using content from the platform to "fine-tune or train a foundation or frontier model," creating potential opportunities for exclusive AI training deals. Strategic implications: The policy change positions X...
read Jun 5, 2025WhatsApp users can soon create custom AI chatbots
WhatsApp is expanding Meta's AI ambitions by introducing AI Studio directly within the messaging app, enabling users to create personalized AI assistants without technical expertise. This integration represents a significant extension of Meta's AI strategy, allowing WhatsApp's massive user base to develop custom AI tools through an intuitive, guided process—potentially democratizing AI assistant creation in a way that could reach billions of users worldwide. The big picture: WhatsApp is rolling out an in-app AI Studio to a limited number of beta testers on iOS and Android, bringing Meta's custom AI assistant creation tools directly to the messaging platform. The feature...
read Jun 4, 2025AI vids criticizing Trump tariffs proliferate on Chinese social media
China's strategic use of AI-generated content reflects a new battlefront in US-China tensions, where digital propaganda leverages emerging technology to shape domestic opinion on trade issues. As President Trump implements new tariffs against China, state-backed digital content is spreading across Chinese social media platforms with narratives that mock US trade policy while bolstering confidence in China's economic resilience. This coordinated digital response demonstrates how artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly central to modern information warfare and public diplomacy. The big picture: Chinese social media platforms are flooded with AI-generated videos portraying President Trump as an impulsive tariff-wielder, with Beijing authorities allowing...
read May 22, 2025Gaming YouTuber claims AI voice cloning has taken the words right out of his mouth
YouTube gaming commentator Mark Brown is facing an increasingly common problem in the AI era: someone has stolen his voice. A channel called Game Offline Lore published videos using an AI-generated version of Brown's distinctive British voice, creating content he never narrated or authorized. This incident highlights how AI voice cloning is enabling a new form of identity theft that goes beyond traditional content plagiarism to appropriate someone's actual vocal identity. The big picture: A YouTube channel is using an AI clone of gaming commentator Mark Brown's voice without permission, representing a disturbing evolution of digital identity theft. The unauthorized...
read May 21, 2025AI friends face FTC and co. skepticism as Meta pursues social network domination
Zuckerberg's internal contradiction at the FTC trial reveals Meta's strategic pivot in social media. In testimony aimed at deflecting monopoly concerns, the CEO claimed personal sharing on social platforms is declining in importance while simultaneously developing AI tools to mine and leverage exactly this type of intimate content. This paradoxical position highlights Meta's struggle to redefine its business amid regulatory scrutiny, technological shifts, and changing user behaviors. The big picture: Mark Zuckerberg testified at the FTC's monopoly trial that Meta no longer views dominating personal social networking as strategically important, contradicting the company's recent product decisions. During testimony, Zuckerberg claimed...
read May 14, 2025Pinterest adds AI labels to help users spot and control AI-generated content
Pinterest is rolling out AI transparency tools that empower users to identify and control AI-generated content across its platform. The move comes as tech platforms increasingly grapple with the need to distinguish between human and AI-created material, reflecting Pinterest's strategy to maintain user trust while embracing generative AI technologies. These new features represent a significant step toward responsible AI implementation in social media environments. The big picture: Pinterest has launched global "AI modified" labels that appear on image Pins detected as generated or altered using AI technologies, following months of testing. The labels appear in the bottom left corner of...
read May 9, 2025YouTube users, including Premium subscribers, demand “block channel” feature
YouTube's limited content filtering options leave users exposed to AI-generated content and unwanted channels, highlighting a growing tension between Google's AI ambitions and user experience. The platform's current "Don't recommend channel" feature fails to provide comprehensive blocking capabilities, frustrating even paying Premium subscribers who seek greater control over their viewing environment. The big picture: YouTube's recommendation algorithm effectively suggests new content but offers no true "block channel" option, forcing users to repeatedly encounter unwanted content in search results and other areas of the platform. The current "Don't recommend channel" feature only prevents suggestions on the Home page while allowing the...
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