Google launched Android 14 in NYC today at its Made By Google event. Android 14 has new customization, accessibility, and more, the company said. Pixel devices are getting Android 14 today, and Samsung Galaxy, iQOO, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices will get it later …
Read More »Google Assistant gets many improvements on Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
Google launched the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at a hardware event this morning. Temperature sensor, off-device video processing, and improved photo editing are highlights. Both have substantially improved AI features thanks to Google Assistant. Google Assistant can summarize, read aloud, and translate web pages on the Pixel 8 …
Read More »Humata AI summarizes and answers PDF questions
Stanford biology graduate and two-time entrepreneur Cyrus Khajvandi struggled to balance scientific research with his daily workload. Khajvandi developed an AI platform to summarize and answer questions about documents, particularly scientific studies, after realizing he wasn’t alone and AI technology was becoming more accessible. Former Labelbox founder Dan Rasmuson became …
Read More »Spotify discovered prompt-based AI playlists
Spotify may soon add AI-powered playlists to its app after the success of its AI-powered DJ feature and AI-translated podcasts. According to app code, the company may be developing generative AI playlists users can create with prompts. Tech veteran-turned-investor Chris Messina post screenshots of Spotify app code referring to “AI …
Read More »Unitary AI receives $15M for multimodal video moderation
Online media content moderation remains controversial. New regulations and public concern will likely keep it a priority for years. Weaponized AI and other tech advances make it harder to address. Cambridge, England-based Unitary AI believes it has found a better way to moderate content by using a “multimodal” approach to …
Read More »First contract for SpaceX’s defense-focused Starshield satellite internet business
SpaceX received its first U.S. Space Force contract for Starshield, its defense-focused Starlink satellite internet service. The one-year contract can reach $70 million, a U.S. Air Force representative told Bloomberg. “The contract provides for Starshield end-to-end service via the Starlink constellation, user terminals, ancillary equipment, network management and other related …
Read More »Fortnite creator Epic Games laid off 16%, affecting 870 workers
On Thursday, Fortnite maker Epic Games laid off 16% of its workforce, affecting 870 people. The company also divested Bandcamp, an online audio distribution platform it acquired last year, and spun off most of SuperAwesome, a kid-safe technology developer it acquired in 2020. Layoffs were first reported by Bloomberg. Epic …
Read More »Tesla is sued by the federal government for Black worker discrimination.
On Thursday, the EEOC sued Tesla for tolerating widespread and ongoing racial harassment of its Black employees and retaliating against those who opposed it. Tesla faces multiple racial bias lawsuits from the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws. Tesla was sued by the California Civil Rights Department in 2022 …
Read More »Steroid videos on TikTok are exploding, sometimes targeting teens
A new report by a social media watchdog group details how steroid content is exploding in some TikTok communities, promoting dangerous and illegal substances and unattainable body image ideals for boys and young men. In the last three years, U.S. users have watched over 580 million videos tagged with hashtags …
Read More »Reddit is doing away with the option to disable ad personalization based on user behavior
On Wednesday, Reddit announced it was updating its privacy settings in an effort to standardize ad personalization and account visibility controls. Specifically, it’s doing away with the option to disable ad personalization based on users’ Reddit behavior. Unnamed “select countries” will still have the option to opt out, the company …
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