Techmeme: How the AI-generated music video for Washed Out's The Hardest Part was created entirely using OpenAI's Sora, a first from a major record label (Wendy Lee/Los Angeles Times)

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May 4, 2024, 2:20 AM

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Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times:

How the AI-generated music video for Washed Out's The Hardest Part was created entirely using OpenAI's Sora, a first from a major record label — “The Hardest Part,” a new song from indie pop artist Washed Out, is all about love lost, among the most human of themes.

More: Washed Out on YouTube, Interesting Engineering, TechEBlog, Stereogum, Boing Boing, Tom's Guide, VentureBeat, Cybernews.com, Mashable, Paul Trillo on Vimeo, TechRadar, Voicebot.ai, and Analytics India Magazine

Threads: @billyfx.ig and @patrickromeoau

X: @paultrillo, @ankitpr89, @vividfeverdrms, @thisisnalaa, @counternotions, @carlfranzen, @kennyle31, @abelowrob, @paultrillo, @paultrillo, @paultrillo, @realwashedout, @realwashedout, @realwashedout, @realwashedout, @realwashedout, and @realwashedout. LinkedIn: Kamila Sultanova

Forums: r/videos and r/washedout

See also Mediagazer

Ron Miller / TechCrunch:

Synergy Research: cloud revenue grew 21% YoY in Q1 2024 to $76B; Altimeter: AWS now has 31% market share followed by Azure with 25% and Google with 11% — Last year's doldrums are in the rearview thanks to AI — If you were concerned about slowing cloud infrastructure growth for a time in 2023 …

More: Synergy Research Group, Clouded Judgement, The Register, Channel Futures, Analytics India Magazine, and CIO Dive

X: @srg_research and @jaminball

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

X launches Stories on X, with news curated and summarized by Grok AI, available for Premium subscribers in the Explore tab on iOS and on the web — X, formerly Twitter, is now using Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok to power a feature that summarizes the personalized trending stories in the app's Explore section.

More: Engadget and TweakTown

Bluesky: @rocksizedrock.bsky.social and @annlaabs.bsky.social

X: @xeng, @brij, @matthewkeyslive, @lindayax, and @x

Alex Kantrowitz / Big Technology:

Elon Musk says he wants Grok to create news summaries by relying solely on X posts, without looking at article text, and improved story citations are coming

Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk:

Russian national Alexander Vinnik, one of the operators of crypto exchange BTC-e from 2011 to 2017, pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering — Vinnik was first arrested in 2017, but faced a lengthy extradition process that saw him spend time in Greece and France before being sent to the U.S.

More: US Department of Justice, Cryptopolitan, CoinGape, Bloomberg, and The Crypto Times

X: @nikhileshde, @usao_ndca, and @usao_ndca

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft outlines security principles and goals tied to executive compensation packages, following a scathing US Cyber Safety Review Board report in April 2024 — - Protect identities and secrets. … - Protect tenants and isolate production systems. … - Protect networks.

More: Source, The Verge, Ars Technica, Cybersecurity Dive, SiliconANGLE, The Official Microsoft Blog, Axios, WebProNews, SecurityWeek, Thurrott, GeekWire, TechRadar, PCMag, Neowin, CyberScoop, GeekWire, OSnews, CSO, and Beyond Search

Mastodon: @againsthimself@ioc.exchange. X: @msftsecurity, @tomwarren, @david_obrien, @ericgeller, @frankmcg, @cisagov, @markrussinovich, @hackinglz, @johnlatwc, @sherrod_im, @tomwarren, @stonepwn3000, @thurrott, @vasujakkal, and @cisajen

LinkedIn: Roger Grimes, Antonio Hawkins, Najat Messaoud, and Rich Mogull. Forums: r/technews

Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Roundtable:

Google updates its ad policy to ban the promotion of services that generate, distribute, or store synthetic sexually explicit content, starting May 30, 2024 — Google Ads, Shopping Ads, Admob, and other Google Ads products will soon disallow deepfake sexual content, synthetic sexually explicit content …

More: Google Help Center, iThinkDifferent, 404 Media, Google Help Center, and The Verge

See also Mediagazer

Tim Stelloh / NBC News:

Defense lawyers question the accuracy and reliability of Cybercheck, an AI tool used in thousands of US cases to identify suspects' locations and other details — Cybercheck's founder has said the software tops 90% accuracy. Defense lawyers have said he lied under oath about his expertise …

Forums: r/boulder

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:

Filing: CRM software maker Freshworks acquires Connecticut-based Device42, which helps companies manage their IT infrastructure and had raised $38.5M, for $230M — Freshworks, the publicly listed SaaS firm, is acquiring U.S.-based startup Device42 for $230 million, the company disclosed in an SEC filing.

More: Freshworks, The Hindu BusinessLine, CMSWire.com, Reuters, Freshworks, Inc42 Media, diginomica, TechCircle, Freshworks, and Inc42 Media

Joanna Stern / Wall Street Journal:

Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are a simple, reliable, and smartly priced AI gadget, whereas Humane's AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 are more akin to science projects — There's a new WANTED poster in town... PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1: The smartphone ACCUSED OF: Stealing your attention, sanity and well-being REWARD …

More: The Verge, The Wall Street Journal on YouTube, Engadget, BGR, 9to5Google, New York Post, CNET, Mashable, and Wccftech

Threads: @joannastern, @daultonvenglar, @daultonvenglar, @joannastern, @brian_c_weaver_, @phillydesign, and @joannastern

X: @joannastern, @tvanschadewijk, and @alexeheath

Agence France-Presse:

Ukraine unveils an AI-generated foreign ministry spokesperson called Victoria Shi, who will make official statements “written and verified by real people” — Victoria Shi is modelled on Rosalie Nombre, a singer and former contestant on Ukraine's version of the reality show The Bachelor

Sara Fischer / Axios:

A look at news publishers' conflicting approaches toward AI companies, and how the lack of a data marketplace makes it hard for buyers and sellers to set rates — - The new suits add heft to the Times' claims. … Several other large news publishers, including the Financial Times …

X: @sarafischer. LinkedIn: Digimentors and Peter Csathy

See also Mediagazer

Paul Sawers / TechCrunch:

Sources: Swedish PE firm EQT acquires a “significant majority” stake in WSO2, valuing the enterprise API and identity management company at “more than” $600M — WSO2, a company that provides API management and identity and access management (IAM) services for enterprises …

More: WSO2, PR Newswire, and Sanjiva Weerawarana

C.C. Weiss / New Atlas:

Natron Energy starts production of sodium-ion batteries that it says charge and discharge 10x faster than lithium-ion, initially for use at data centers — Two years ago, sodium-ion battery pioneer Natron Energy was busy preparing its specially formulated sodium batteries for mass production.

More: Bloomberg, CleanTechnica, and Tech Xplore

Mastodon: @HollyCo26588808 … and @ernie@writing.exchange. X: @perpetualmaniac

Forums: Hacker News and r/technology

Nico Grant / New York Times:

Google employees have mostly ignored the DOJ's antitrust case, and some expect only small business tweaks and some fines; closing arguments concluded on May 3 — They shrugged off concerns about the company's fate ahead of closing arguments in the Justice Department's lawsuit this week.

More: The Verge, Associated Press, The Information, PBS NewsHour, New York Post, Digiday, NTD, Reuters, NPR, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, Search Engine Land, and Channel NewsAsia

Threads: @alexheath and @shiraovide

X: @jason_kint, @nicoagrant, @daveyalba, @khushitavasant, @jason_kint, @daveyalba, and @jason_kint

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

Google says 400M+ Google Accounts have used passkeys since the rollout, logging 1B+ authentications, and expands passkeys to its Advanced Protection Program — Google is kicking off World Password Day by updating us on its efforts toward replacing the often hacked, guessed, and stolen form of authentication with passkeys.

More: The Hacker News, TechSpot, The Keyword, Biometric Update, TechCrunch, ZDNet, Neowin, PhoneArena, Android Headlines, Thurrott, and Chrome Unboxed

LinkedIn: Kent Walker, Grace Hoyt, and Heather Adkins

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft rolls out passkey support for all consumer accounts; Microsoft account owners can generate passkeys across Windows, Android, and iOS

More: BleepingComputer, TechRadar, iLounge, WinBuzzer, BetaNews, MySmartPrice, O'Grady's PowerPage, Microsoft Security Blog, Ghacks, Silicon Republic, The Register, Gizchina, 9to5Mac, Android Headlines, Laptop Mag, FIDO Alliance, iMore, TweakTown, PCWorld, AppleInsider, and ZDNet

Threads: @rstephens. X: @tomwarren. LinkedIn: Sangeeta Ranjit, Joy Chik, Scott Bingham, and Vasu Jakkal

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From Mediagazer

Brian Stelter / CNN:

After Trump won, US journalists question what a “red wave” election says about the information environment and the media's credibility, influence, and audience

Dade Hayes / Deadline:

In an earnings call, David Zaslav says the Trump Administration may be more merger friendly, enabling a “real positive and accelerated impact on this industry”

Austin Fuller / Current:

How public media newsrooms in Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oklahoma are enhancing their statehouse journalism with funding from CPB

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Vikas SN / Moneycontrol:

Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal's Krutrim launches an Android app for its eponymous AI chatbot as the startup prepares to launch its developer offerings on May 4

More: YourStory. X: @krutrim and @krutrim. LinkedIn: Krutrim

Alison Snyder / Axios:

CSET: global AI research more than doubled between 2017 and 2022; Chinese Academy of Sciences was the top producer of highly cited AI papers, followed by Google

More: Emerging Technology …, Emerging Technology …, and Blockworks

X: @emergingtechobs, @emergingtechobs, @csetgeorgetown, and @emergingtechobs

Christina A. Cassidy / Associated Press:

In a letter, several Democrats serving as their state's top election officials ask Meta to repeal a policy allowing ads that claim the 2020 election was stolen

X: @nicktuell

Reuters:

Sources: Fei-Fei Li raised a seed round for a “spatial intelligence” startup using human-like visual data processing to create AI capable of advanced reasoning

More: The Information. X: @lexnfx

Counterpoint Research:

Global smartphone market grew 6% YoY to 296.9M units in Q1; Samsung recaptured the top spot with a 20% market share; Apple shipments fell 13% but ASP grew 2%

More: International Business Times, Light Reading, Gizchina, Android Headlines, and Investing.com. X: @carnage4life

Dan Primack / Axios:

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More: VCWire, SVB Financial Group, Reuters, Silicon Valley Business …, The Information, and Finextra

X: @koolhead17, @pitdesi, and @danprimack

Eva Dou / Washington Post:

The FCC warns that US rural areas may lose cell service if Congress does not fill a $3B funding shortfall for US carriers to replace Huawei and ZTE equipment

More: The Verge, Huawei Central, and Android Headlines

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

What to expect from Apple's May 7 event: OLED iPad Pros possibly with M4 chips, 10.9" and 12.9" iPad Airs, and updates to the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard

Earlier Picks

Ashley Stewart / Business Insider:

Sources: Bill Gates remains intimately involved in Microsoft's operations, advising on strategy, nurturing Microsoft's relationship with Sam Altman, and more

More: Fox News, CRN, Benzinga, and Windows Copilot News

Bluesky: @marypcbuk.bsky.social. X: @tomwarren, @_darrencohen, @timothywschwab, @hkanji, @timothywschwab, and @scottjla

LinkedIn: David Subar, Ashley Stewart, and Alistair Barr

Lisa O'Carroll / The Guardian:

Germany “unambiguously” finds that Russian state-backed hacker Fancy Bear was behind cyberattacks in 2023 that took down several German government websites

More: mzv.gov.cz, Politico, Cyber Daily, DataBreachToday.com, BleepingComputer, ComputerWeekly.com, Associated Press, Euractiv, Reuters, and Metacurity

X: @georgeszamuely. LinkedIn: Berta Jarosova. Forums: r/worldnews

Lindsay Clark / The Register:

A committee of UK legislators says the government's “reticence” to address alleged copyright theft is a “de facto endorsement” of how tech companies build LLMs

More: Lords Communications and Digital Committee, Cryptonews, diginomica, TechRadar, ComputerWeekly.com, The Times, and Cointelegraph

X: @lordscommscom and @lordscommscom

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Filing: Google pushes back on Epic's demands after its antitrust win, saying the proposed remedies are “unnecessary” and “far beyond the scope” of the verdict