Author: Nxtvertex
In February 2023, Spotify announced the launch of its new AI feature, called the “DJ,” which provides personalized music selections and spoken commentary to the users. Similar to a radio DJ, this feature aims to offer a curated selection of songs, delivered alongside AI-powered spoken commentary about the tracks and artists you like. The DJ feature is the company’s attempt to get to know users so well that the DJ can choose what to play for them when they hit the button. Spotify aims to become a “lean-back,” passive experience, especially for those who don’t want to spend time looking…
Artifact, the personalized news reader built by Instagram’s co-founders, has been opened to the public, no sign-up required. In January, Instagram’s creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger unveiled their latest venture as an invite-only experience. Today, Artifact is dropping its waitlist and phone number requirements, introducing the app’s first social feature and adding feedback controls to better personalize the news reading experience, among other changes. The app’s initial version required a phone number and an invite to try out, which drove initial demand. But it also kept the app out of the hands of many potential users in the near…
Mercedes-Benz and Google have formed a long-term partnership to provide the automaker with more control over its intellectual property and market, while offering drivers navigation, maps, and YouTube provided by the tech giant. The partnership is designed to strike a balance between offering the Google services consumers want without ceding control over the entire operating system in the car. The licensing agreement will bring the Google Maps platform, Cloud, and YouTube into future Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the automaker’s next-generation operating system called MB.OS. Mercedes-Benz has been developing its own MB.OS operating system for several years now, which will launch…
The US Copyright Office has reversed its decision to grant copyright protection to Kristina Kashtanova for the images in her comic book Zarya of the Dawn, which were created using an artificial intelligence (AI) image generator called Midjourney. In a letter to Kashtanova’s lawyer, the associate Register of Copyrights, Robert Kasunic, explained that the text of the book was authored by Kashtanova, but the images themselves were not the product of human authorship. The registration originally granted for the images was therefore cancelled. The Copyright Office justified its decision by citing previous cases involving the authorship of non-human spiritual beings,…
Microsoft announced that it will begin testing a new feature that will let users choose the tone of the chat, with options for Precise (shorter, more focused answers), Creative (longer, more chatty answers), or Balanced for a mix of both. Microsoft is already loosening restrictions it recently placed on interactions with the Bing AI chatbot. Microsoft implemented new guidelines last Friday that restricted the number of interactions testers may have and their duration in response to reports of weird behavior (such as the time it split into multiple personalities and one of them offered us furry porn). The restrictions limit…
On February 21, when Justice Elena Kagan stated, “We are a court—we really don’t know about these things,” there was a chuckle heard throughout the US Supreme Court. We don’t rank among the top nine experts on the internet. Reynaldo Gonzalez, whose daughter was killed in an ISIS terror attack in Paris in 2015, filed Gonzalez v. Google on February 21. Gonzalez claims that YouTube’s algorithm helped facilitate the attack by recommending the group’s recruitment videos to people who would be most receptive to their message. The decision of the case could determine how social media platforms operate globally in…
The leader of the important U.S. business association for crypto advises that the United States Congress take control of crypto legislation to make it a more “open process” where the entire market is examined “comprehensively.” Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said in a Feb. 22 Bloomberg interview that despite the process being “extremely long” and regulators “stepping in” in the interim, the sector wants U.S. lawmakers to lead crypto legislation. Smith remarked that although regulators are “moving extremely swiftly,” legislation is being developed “behind closed doors,” suggesting that increased industry participation in a “open process” that would be visible to…
With the number of idle coins almost reaching a new all-time high, Bitcoin is once again mostly not moving. The amount of Bitcoins, known as “old supply,” that have not been traded in at least six months currently stands at 14,99 million, or around $370 billion at today’s values, according to blockchain analysis company Glassnode. According to Glassnode, the all-time high was 15.029 million in December. So why is this taking place? Decrypt was informed by Arkham Intelligence, a different blockchain company, that this is due to Bitcoin investors’ renewed emphasis on long-term gains. CEO Miguel Morel noted that the…
The largest US cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase Global Inc., reported a $557 million loss and saw revenue drop 75% in the fourth quarter as trading volumes fell due to a number of high-profile industry bankruptcies and scandals. Although the $629 million in sales for the three months that ended in December above the $581 million average analyst expectation, it was still just about 25% of the $2.5 billion earned during the same time last year. The business said in a statement on Tuesday that the loss, which amounted to $2.46 per share, was in contrast to nett profits of $840 million,…
You’ve just unpacked your pricey appliance or finished constructing your 4K gaming PC. You must be very pleased with your purchase, right? Sadly, when you turn it on for the first time, you are greeted with the startling realisation that a surge has just hit your home and destroyed all of your expensive electronics. This would not have happened if you had acquired some high-quality surge protectors in the first place, right? Nevertheless, there are some APC types available on Amazon, and they start at $30 while providing both safety and peace of mind. There are also two UPS battery…