What the age of AI music says about the future of art
We’re living through transformative times. I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing. When Nick Arter first downloaded Suno and Udio – off-the-shelf AI music tools – he wasn’t thinking about a career comeback. He was a 35-year-old call-centre drone in Washington, D.C., who’d long since abandoned dreams of being a...
Current in Technology
Coca-Cola misses the mark with AI-generated Christmas ad again
After last year’s debacle, Coca-Cola has doubled down on its use of generative AI for its annually anticipated Christmas ad. The public reaction is even worse this time around. ‘Tis the season, it’s always the real thing’… except for when it’s not. Halloween is officially over, and Guy Fawkes Night will...
Considering dating an AI partner?
AI promised us a better future. Yet here we are, one step away from asking our AI therapist how to cope with our AI partner’s latest update. OpenAI is getting ready to launch a new ChatGPT feature by the end of the year, letting verified adult users have romantic or...
Trump pressures Apple into removing ICEBlock from the App Store
The app’s name may have made it sound like a game. In reality, it was far from one and served as a vital tool to help individuals evade ICE agents within their own cities. In the past year alone, countless acts of cruelty have been committed under the guise of...
AI actress Tilly Norwood is causing a significant stir in Hollywood
Several talent agencies are genuinely interested in Tilly Norwood, an AI actress recently created and unveiled by the world’s first ‘AI talent studio’ Xicoia. The pushback from Hollywood has been significant. Hollywood and controversy go together like popcorn and butter, but this latest palaver is wholly unique – in that...
ChatGPT is increasingly substituting critical thought
OpenAI’s latest usage report on ChatGPT sheds light on how people are moving away from having the chatbot complete ‘doing’ tasks, but are leaning on it for advice, problem solving, and outsourcing judgement calls. Is this cause for concern? You know who doesn’t ever get brain fog? ChatGPT. Use of OpenAI’s...
Albania appoints world’s first AI-powered minister
The nation did the unthinkable and put an AI entity in charge of public procurement in an effort to combat the nation’s high levels of corruption. Artificial intelligence is everywhere. From aiding students in their studies to detecting diseases, our lives are becoming increasingly intertwined with AI. This also applies to governments worldwide, some of which use it to automate processes or even to make e-portals easier for citizens...
Rwanda launches Africa’s first self-flying electric air taxi
The East African country is now the first in the continent to have a public flight of a self-flying electric air taxi, adding to its fast-growing reputation as a hub for advanced aviation and technology innovation. In a demonstration of the pilotless aircraft, which followed an agreement with an implementer from China’s Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), Rwandan skies witnessed an air taxi that embodies not only technological advancement but...
Google’s five-year antitrust lawsuit results in a slap on the wrist
Google has finally seen the end to a lawsuit filed way back in 2020 and a trial that began in 2023. The Department of Justice alleged that Google held a monopoly over the search and advertising market, but it’s gotten away with a slap on the wrist. After years of legal foreplay, a US judge has finally ruled on whether Google’s stranglehold on search is technically unfair or just annoyingly...
AI chatbots increasingly linked to child suicide cases
The past months have seen an increase in lawsuits against AI companies by parents who have lost their kids to chatbots. These bots have been found to enable conversations about suicide and self-harm. Despite its past stigmas and accessibility problems, mental health is still a pertinent topic in many domains, ranging from lifestyles to policymaking. Today, a new factor is complicating the normalisation of mental health and how it...
