on cancel culture + AI artists

💬 Tech talk

Gen Z has started turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for skincare advice, taking advantage of the technology’s immediacy, affordability, and personalisation. Noticing this new trend, brands are racing to improve their algorithmic relevance to ensure their product lines will be featured in AI-generated skincare routines. While helpful, there are risks involved for both brands and consumers when we seek skincare advice from AI. Any skin diagnosis should always be approved by a human professional, as even the best chatbots are still known to respond incorrectly quite often. Brands, on the other hand, could land in legal trouble if someone has a bad skin reaction after using a product recommended by ChatGPT.

Should smartphones finally be banned in schools? – the financial times

This question has been swirling for years, but it seems to be gaining some serious attention in recent months. Regular use of social media has been proven to cause mental health + body image issues in people of all genders, but especially for impressionably young people between the ages of 11-15. With a growing number of UK schools banning smartphones from the classroom, is it time we enforce wider measures to protect young people around the world from constant exposure to the digital world? It is kind of weird that 8 year olds and 50 year olds have the same internet, when you think about it.

🧐 Politics + society

Violence broke out on the streets of Amsterdam following a match between the host city’s Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv football teams. Mainstream news outlets swiftly reported that the clashes were rooted in antisemitism, given that they took place between Israelis and pro-Palestinian locals. Videos posted online showed a completely different story, however, with visiting Israelis seen tearing down Palestinian flags, shouting anti-Arab slurs, instigating physical violence, and singing genocidal songs which praised the IDF’s brutal attacks on Gaza. Many major broadcasters have since backpedaled on their initial reports after conducting investigations facilitated by content on social media.

$1.1 bn of Somalia’s debt cancelled in ‘historic’ financial agreement – the guardian

The United States just cancelled a quarter of Somalia’s outstanding debt (a total of $1.1 billion) making it one of the most historic economic agreements to date! This is a huge win, as debt justice organisations have been calling on Global North countries to cancel the outstanding debt owed to them by Global South countries. They’ve pointed out that that it would be impossible for debtors to ever pay rich nations back while setting themselves up for prosperous futures. Cancelling paralysing national debt means countries can pursue the road to greater economic stability, sustainable energy solutions, and climate adaptation.

👩‍🍳 Recommendation

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Until next time,