James Farrell
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YouTube is now testing experimental generative AI features on content
Google LLC-owned YouTube announced today that it’s rolling out several experimental generative artificial intelligence features for its Premium subscribers. The most interesting item in this bag of tricks is ‘YouChat,” which YouTube said will help viewers “dive deeper into the content they are watching.” Starting today, a select number of users will be able to ...
Beatles get back together for one last song with the help of artificial intelligence
The Beatles clocked up millions of views on YouTube today after their AI-enhanced song appeared on the platform, replete with the deceased John Lennon’s voice leading the way. The song “Now and Then” isn’t bad at all, but it’s not that great, either. It sounds more like Lennon’s solo stuff than anything the Beatles did ...
Google Brain founder Andrew Ng says threat of AI causing human extinction is overblown
Andrew Ng, a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence, said in an interview this week that he believes current talk about AI being an existential threat to humankind is vastly exaggerated. Ng, currently a professor at Stanford University, co-founded Google Brain and went on to be chief scientist at Baidu Inc.’s Artificial Intelligence ...
Meta is offering ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram to keep EU regulators at bay
Meta Platforms Inc. today announced an advertisement-free, paid subscription service available for users of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union. Starting in November, users in the 27 countries of the EU, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, will know what it feels like to scroll through the platforms while not being ...
Waymo’s driverless vehicles can now be ordered via an Uber
Uber Technologies Inc. will now offer rides in one of Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo LLC fully autonomous cars, the companies announced today. As part of a joint operation that was announced in May this year, the service will be available in Phoenix, Arizona. Users will have a choice to accept or reject a driverless car – ...
US attorneys join forces alleging Meta causes serious harm to the minds of American youth
A bipartisan group of 42 U.S. attorneys general today announced they are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harms they say Instagram and Facebook are perpetrating on young people. This is not the first time Meta has been accused of knowingly developing products that are detrimental to the well-being of youngsters. The company in the past ...
Japan’s antitrust watchdog begins probe into Google’s search engine dominance
Japan’s antitrust watchdog today announced that it has launched an antitrust probe into Google LLC, increasing pressure on a company no stranger to such probes. Japan’s Fair Trade Commission, or JFTC, is looking into whether Google has violated its Antimonopoly Act. It’s believed the company may have made a deal to share ad revenue with Android ...
Controversial US facial recognition company evades punishment in UK
One of the most controversial tech companies in the U.S., the facial recognition outfit Clearview A.I. Inc., has just beaten a case in the U.K. and avoided a £7.5 million ($9.1 million) fine. Clearview A.I. has been in business since 2017, founded by Australian entrepreneur Hoan Ton-That and U.S. politician Richard Schwartz. The company managed ...
X starts testing Not A Bot, a subscription model that will charge users $1 a year
New users to X Corp. in New Zealand and the Philippines will to have to pony up $1 a year for the privilege of using the platform previously known as Twitter. In what is being called the “Not A Bot” program, new users will have to pay one buck if they are to be granted ...
Biden campaign signs up for Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform
In what might seem like a surprising move, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign today launched an account on Truth Social. The social media platform was created by the Trump Media & Technology Group in April 2022 after former president Donald Trump found himself excommunicated from mainstream social media in 2021 following his comments on the ...