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☆ ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’: Climate activists who targeted famous Vermeer painting win court appeal against jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was targeted by climate activists in October 2022. Given the length of time that the demonstrators spent in pre-trial detention, the court said, a prison sentence would have been excessive. To punish these activists severely might have a “chilling effect” on others, the court said in a media statement. Just Stop Oil Belgium is not affiliated with its British namesake, environmental activist group Just Stop Oil. CNN was unable to contact the Belgian organization directly but has reached out to Extinction Rebellion Belgium for comment, as it has previously issued statements on behalf of Just Stop Oil Belgium.

Persons: Johannes Vermeer’s, Johannes Vermeer's, Lex Van Lieshout Organizations: CNN, Getty, Netherlands Public, Service, Hague, Appeal Locations: Belgian, Belgium, The Hague, Netherlands

When it comes to newer consumer-social startups, the environment they're entering is turbulent — investor checks have dwindled, users are facing subscription burnout, and successful advertising models require massive scale. AdvertisementSo how are the emerging, buzzy social startups approaching monetization in 2024? "There's really only two monetization business models for consumer products," said Tiffany "TZ" Zhong, founder of new social platform NoSpace and early-stage VC firm Pineapple Capital. 3 ways new social-networking startups are approaching monetizationWhile some newer social startups are already monetizing their product, many are still pre-revenue and experimenting with different models to see which will make sense for their product and audience. And Verse CEO Bobby Pinckney told BI that the social platform, centered around music, plans to add a premium subscription that will unlock advanced AI tools, analytics, and templates.

Persons: —, there's, Eric Wittman, Tiffany, Zhong, VCs, Bianca Ambrosini, Ambrosini, Marlon Nichols, Nichols, Emma Bates, Andrew Kahn, Danial Hashemi, Alexandra Debow, Bobby Pinckney Organizations: Service, Meta, Business, Pineapple, Mac Venture Capital, Twitter, Crush Ventures, Crush, BI Locations: Berlin

☆ Sam Altman is done playing nice with Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewWhen it comes to OpenAI, Elon Musk is not afraid to go for the jugular. He addressed his personal relationship with Musk directly in a memo sent to employees shortly after the lawsuit was filed. Though he said he'd considered Musk a personal hero, he expressed disappointment that Musk wasn't on OpenAI's side. AdvertisementThe Journal reported cited people close to Musk, who said Musk was jealous of OpenAI's success in the AI race. Representatives for Musk and Altman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI, execs, we've, Lex Fridman, Musk, Kara Swisher, he'd Organizations: Service, OpenAI, Business, Microsoft, Elon, Street Journal, Musk Locations: Elon

☆ Why 7 prominent VCs are investing millions in new social startups like Diem, Lex, and 222
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Mervana Parekh is a principal at Acrew and has invested in social startups like Diem, Afterparty, and Anything World. Best Nights VC. Nichols is a founding managing partner at MaC, which recently invested in social startups like Spill and Swsh. Boyce has backed a slew of new social startups, including Diem, Lex, Koodos Labs, and Swsh, alongside associate Rhian Horton. In 2024, Best Nights is looking to invest in companies that facilitate travel experiences after hearing people say their best nights have happened during trips or vacations, said de Silva.

Persons: —, Connie Chan, Mervana Parekh, Peter Boyce II, Marlon Nichols, Catalyst, Web3, Peter, Diem, Afterparty, Lorrain de Silva, Andrew Kahn, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Kahn, Aaron Matusow, Dan Kruchkow, Nichols, Elizabeth Weil, Kevin Weil, John Smothers, Boyce, Lex, Rhian Horton, Lorrain, Silva, BestNights, Aaron Leithäuser, Gen Z, Peter Boyce, de Silva, Acrew Organizations: Service, Business, Acrew, Stellation, MaC Venture, VCs, Stanford University, Startup, Pudgy Penguins, Crush Ventures, VC, Crush, MaC Venture Capital, MaC, Catalyst, Koodos Labs, Big Tech Locations: 1kx, San Francisco , New York, Lisbon, Acrew, San Francisco, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York, Los Angeles, New York, Rythm

☆ DC and Marvel are reprinting coveted crossover comics
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( John Towfighi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Comic-book store owner Jermaine Exum couldn’t believe his ears when a customer asked to reserve a copy of the upcoming 960-page “DC versus Marvel” comics collection. The "DC Versus Marvel Omnibus," to be released August 6, 2024, is a collection of various crossover comics, and just the second collaboration by DC and Marvel in two decades. From 1976 to 2003, crossovers between the DC and Marvel universes (“Superman vs. Uslan recalled similar “interplay” among the companies, citing a regular DC vs. Marvel softball match in Central Park as evidence of camaraderie. The comic "Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1", will be reprinted in the upcoming collection.

Persons: Jermaine Exum couldn’t, “, ”, Lex Luthor –, ” Marvel, Exum, Michael Uslan, Carmine Infantino, Stan Lee, ” Uslan, Marvel, DC Walt Simonson, I’m, ” Simonson, Uslan, Walt Simonson, DC Ben Saunders, Denny O’Neil, George Pérez, Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr, Batman, Simonson, ” Saunders, Saunders, Federico Parra, James Gunn, Marvel’s, Peter Safran, Kevin Feige, ” Ethan Sacks, “ Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, William Moulton Marston Organizations: CNN, Marvel, DC, Warner Bros, Discovery, Disney, Hollywood, ” Comics, Teen Titans, New Teen Titans, University of Oregon, Acme Comics, “, Marvel Studios, Guardians, Galaxy, DC Studios Locations: Greensboro, North Carolina, Central, Greensboro , North Carolina, Venezuela, Caracas, AFP, Greece, Rome, Egypt

☆ Elon Musk was likely inspired by Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, its founder says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Elon Musk’s humanoid robotics dream might have been inspired by Boston Dynamics — the company behind the "Black Mirror" style robot dogs. Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert recently said that he believes Musk’s ambitions are being driven by seeing the progression of the company's bipedal robot, Atlas. Raibert spoke about Musk and the robotics industry on a recent episode of Lex Fridman's podcast.

Persons: —, Elon, Marc Raibert, Raibert, Musk, Lex Fridman's Organizations: Service, Boston Dynamics

A New York judge on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $364 million in damages for fraud he committed by inflating his net worth to obtain favorable treatment from banks and insurers. The blistering 92-page ruling from Judge Arthur Engoron was replete with references to the brazen nature of the misdeeds of Trump, his adult sons and his business organization. Here are nine key quotes from Engoron’s ruling. The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience.”On the reaction of Trump and his adult sons:“Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological. Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff.

Persons: Donald Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron, Trump, Justice Potter Stewart, ”, “, Bernard Madoff, ’, “ Donald Trump, Trump’s, Ivanka Trump, Rosemary, ” Ivanka Trump, fraudsters, Eli Bartov’s, Bartov, “ John Shubin, Mr, Shubin, Robert Unell, Unell, Birney, Donald Trump’s, Whitley Penn, Donald Bender, Mazars, Allen Weisselberg doesn’t, Allen, Weisselberg Organizations: United States Supreme, Trump Organization, ”, Trump, Deutsche, OAG, trifles, Allen Weisselberg’s Locations: York, ”, New York, ’

☆ Critics are calling Marvel's newest movie a 'Chernobyl-level disaster'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Madame Web" opens in theaters on Wednesday. Variety's Peter Debruge called it "a hollow Sony-made Spider-Man spinoff with none of the charm you expect from even the most basic superhero movie." Jessica Kourkounis/SonyThough "Madame Web" is set in the "Spider-Man" universe, this is truly a standalone movie. One critic called it the 'Cats' of superhero moviesDakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in "Madame Web." SonySo just how much did critics dislike "Madame Web"?

Persons: —, Tom Holland, Dakota Johnson, Peter Parker, Adam Scott, Sydney Sweeney, Lovia Gyarkye, Peter Debruge, Madame, Cassie, Madame Webb, Jessica Kourkounis, Sony Johnson, Richard Lawson, Lex Briscuso, Fair's Lawson, you'll, isn't, IndieWire's David Ehrlich, David Fear Organizations: Service, Marvel, Sony, Business, Hollywood Locations: Here's

☆ Mark Zuckerberg has had quite the week
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In today's big story, we're recapping earnings from three tech giants: Meta, Apple, and Amazon. The big storyMeta's mega-winMark Zuckerberg is smiling: Its profit margins are much improved — and that's partly because of a shrinking headcount. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images ; Isabel Fernandez-Pujol/ BIMark Zuckerberg has had quite the week. It lost $16 billion on the Metaverse in 2023, and Zuckerberg indicated more pain for years to come.) Following the success of Meta's "Year of Efficiency," Zuckerberg said that the company may never go back to large-scale hiring.

Persons: —, Phil doesn't, Zuck, Mark Zuckerberg, Josh Edelson, Isabel Fernandez, Sarah Jackson, Meta, Zuckerberg, BI's Peter Kafka, Peter, Richard Drew, Wall Street's, Rufus, BI's Eugene Kim, Amazon, Aaron Schwartz, Diem, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb Organizations: Service, Apple, Business, Getty, Pujol, Meta, Amazon, Xinhua, Microsoft, Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil, Cigna Locations: AFP, China, New York, London

☆ Milly Alcock is the new ‘Supergirl’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —“House of the Dragon” star Milly Alcock is set to star in “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.”Alcock, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series, and will play Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El in the upcoming movie. DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn posted the news to Instagram. “Milly is a fantastically talented young actor, and I’m incredibly excited about her being a part of the DCU,” Gunn wrote. “Yes, I first became aware of her in House of the Dragon but I was blown away by her varied auditions and screen tests for #Supergirl. DC Studios, like CNN, is part of Warner Bros.

Persons: CNN —, Milly Alcock, ” Alcock, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Kara Zor, James Gunn, “ Milly, ” Gunn, “, Kara, @tomking_tk, Ana Nogueira, David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult, Lex Luthor, Sara Sampaio, Eve Teschmacher, Nathan Fillion, Mister, María Gabriela de Faría, Anthony Carrigan, Skyler Gisondo, Jimmy Olsen Organizations: CNN, CNN — “, HBO, DC Studios, DCU, Warner Bros . Locations: Isabela Merced

☆ Elon Musk's latest Tesla robot video shows it folding a shirt, but some viewers were quick to question how the video was made
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk posted a video of the Tesla robot Optimus appearing to fold a shirt. AdvertisementElon Musk admitted that a video showing Tesla's Optimus robot folding a shirt is "not yet" possible, leaving online observers to wonder how the video was created at all. In a short video posted Monday to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Tesla robot stands at a table, slowly folding a black shirt, seemingly without assistance. Musk simply said of the video, "Optimus folds a shirt." Musk has shared videos of Tesla's Optimus robot in the past performing tasks like yoga stretches, squats and picking up an egg.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, —, 3F5o3jVLq1 — Elon, Marques Brownlee, Brownlee, Tesla, Gromit, Lex Friedman Organizations: Service, Twitter, Tesla, Wallace

☆ Jeff Bezos says he and Elon Musk are 'very like-minded' despite not knowing each other
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewJeff Bezos and Elon Musk haven't always seen eye to eye. But in an interview with Lex Fridman, Bezos said he and Musk are "very like-minded." AdvertisementBezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 and Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. SOPA Images/Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesDespite their similarities, Bezos and Musk are far from friends. "I don't really know Elon very well," Bezos told Fridman.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk haven't, Lex Fridman, Bezos, Musk, I'm, Fridman, Joe Raedle, They've, Elon Organizations: Service, Elon, Business, SpaceX, NASA, The New York Times, Mount

☆ Jeff Bezos describes his perfect meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-18 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos has a specific method for running the "perfect meeting." The billionaire has a very specific way he likes his meetings to run, and the "perfect meeting" starts with days of prepping. "I like a crisp document and a messy meeting," Bezos said. In his efforts to encourage more truth seeking at work, Bezos recommends people do away with compromise. AdvertisementBezos has also implemented a "two pizza rule" into his past work meetings.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, —, Jeff Bezos isn't, Bezos, Lex Fridman, Andy Jassy Organizations: Service, Amazon, Origin Locations: prepping

☆ Elon Musk says Israel should try to thwart Hamas with 'conspicuous acts of kindness' in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Musk said that Israel should display "conspicuous acts of kindness" toward Gaza. Musk told Fridman that there's "no easy answer" to solve the conflict, but he did have some suggestions for Israel. Musk suggested that Israel should do something "counterintuitive" and try to "thwart" Hamas with "conspicuous acts of kindness." AdvertisementAdvertisementBut Musk told Fridman that Israel should also focus on "unequivocal" acts of kindness during the conflict. Musk told Fridman.

Persons: Elon Musk, podcaster Lex Fridman, Musk, —, Lex Fridman's, Fridman, Israel, you've Organizations: Hamas, Service, New York Times, Washington Post Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestine

☆ Elon Musk says his mind is a 'storm' and people 'may think they'd want to be me but they don't know'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk doesn't think most people would really want to be him. Asked about challenges in his life, Musk said, "My mind is a storm. I don't think most people would want to be me. They may think they'd want to be me but they don't know, they don't understand." "There are times when I feel lonely," Musk said last year in an interview with Mathias Döpfner, the CEO of Insider's parent company, Axel Springer .

Persons: Elon, Lex Fridman's, —, Elon Musk, Musk, Walter Isaacson, Grimes, Fridman, Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, SpaceX, The Boring Company, Twitter

☆ Elon Musk says he'd 'like to be friends again' with Google cofounder Larry Page after they got in a spat over AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk says he wants to rebuild his friendship with Google cofounder Larry Page. Page reportedly once called Musk a speciesist in a discussion about humanity and AI safeguards. We were friends for a very long time," Musk said of Page on Lex Fridman's podcast. AdvertisementAdvertisementElon Musk wants to be on good terms with Larry Page again after the two fought over AI safeguards. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The future of AI should not be controlled by Larry," Musk told Hassabis, according to the biography.

Persons: Elon Musk, Larry Page, Page, Musk, Lex Fridman's, —, Larry, Walter Isaacson's, DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, Tucker Carlson, OpenAI, Sam Altman Organizations: Service, Google Locations: DeepMind

☆ OpenAI forms new team whose mission includes researching and preparing for catastrophic scenarios like biological and nuclear threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI is building a new "Preparedness" team to further AI safety. The ChatGPT-maker's newest team aims to address potential risks linked to advanced AI, including nuclear threats. The Preparedness team is hiring for a national security threat researcher and a research engineer. The Preparedness team will help "track, evaluate, forecast, and protect against catastrophic risks," including chemical, biological, nuclear, and cybersecurity threats. As part of the team, OpenAI is hiring for a national security threat researcher and a research engineer.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Aleksander Madry, Aleksander Madry didn't, Elon Musk, cofound OpenAI, Sam Altman, Lex Fridman's, we're, Claude, Yann LeCun Organizations: Service, MIT, Intelligence

☆ Why Jordan and Egypt are saying 'no' to accepting Palestinian refugees from Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jordan and Egypt have said they won't take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza. AdvertisementAdvertisement"There will be no refugees in Jordan and no refugees in Egypt," said Jordanian King Abdullah II this week, declaring it a "red line" that would not be crossed. It is also the country that hosts the largest number of Palestinian refugees, according to Amnesty International. Not being seen as complicit in Palestinian displacement"Palestinians themselves, of course, are very wary about fleeing to Egypt, because 70% of the population of Gaza are refugees," said Doyle. Many of the Palestinians who live in Jordan, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region first arrived there after being displaced in 1948, or following the Six-Day War in 1967.

Persons: Jordan, —, Israel's retaliations, King Abdullah II, Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, Hasan Al Momani, Al Momani, Chris Doyle, Doyle, there's, Lex Takkenberg, Mustafa Bakri, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, Takkenberg Organizations: East, Service, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Egypt's, Foreign Affairs, University of Jordan, West Bank, United Nations, Refugees, Amnesty, Council, Arab, UN, Democracy and, Saudi, Al, Al Arabiya TV, of America News, ISIS Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Jordan, Gaza City, Rafah, British, United States, Sinai, Al Arabiya, Sisi, Cairo

☆ Mark Zuckerberg agreed it could be possible to use the Metaverse to bring back the dead virtually
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Mark Zuckerberg recently demoed his humanlike VR avatars in an interview in the Metaverse. In a recent interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed the future possibilities of VR and the Metaverse. During the interview, which took place in the Metaverse, Fridman said: "I would love to talk to people who are no longer here that are loved ones. Meta has struggled to maintain consumer and investor interest in its Metaverse after being hyped as the next big thing. Reality Labs, the division that handles metaverse work, lost nearly $14 billion in 2022 and was hit by layoffs.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, —, Lex Fridman, Fridman, Meta Organizations: Service, Eiffel, Labs

☆ Mark Zuckerberg just previewed Meta's new VR avatars – and they don't suck
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg showed off Meta's new photorealistic VR avatars in his first "Metaverse interview." Zuckerberg was mocked on social media last year for posting a selfie of his cartoonish VR avatar. AdvertisementAdvertisementMark Zuckerberg has demoed Meta's brand new photorealistic avatars, and they are scarily lifelike. And unlike the company's original Metaverse avatars , which were mocked for being legless, dead-eyed, and deeply disconcerting, these projections are extremely realistic. The photorealistic projections are a dramatic improvement over the cartoonish avatars used for Horizon Worlds, Meta's free VR gaming and social platform.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, —, Lex Fridman, Meta, Zuckerberg's, Mark Zuckerberg Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Service, Eiffel

☆ Cough syrup deaths overseas prompt US crackdown on toxic testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Defendants and lawyers attend a court hearing in the case of child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan August 16, 2023. Cough syrups made in India and Indonesia have been linked to deaths of more than 300 children globally. The medicines were found to contain high levels of DEG and EG, leading to acute kidney injury and death. IMPORT ALERTSThe FDA warning letters give manufacturers an opportunity to fix quality control problems or face penalties. In addition, 13 U.S. makers of consumer products like earwax removers, nasal spray, hand soap and shampoo, including Lex, were threatened with possible seizures and injunctions by the FDA.

Persons: Stringer, Paul Hastings, Peter Lindsay, syrups, Lex, Charlene Paz, Greg Landry, Patrick Wingrove, Rishika, Joyce Lee, Michele Gershberg, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, FDA, Drug Administration, EG, Reuters, South, South Korea's LCC, LCC, Daxal Therapeutics, Herbals, South Korea’s KM Pharmaceutical, Sangleaf Pharma, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Thomson Locations: Tashkent, Uzbekistan, U.S, India, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Egypt, Washington ,, Indonesia, United States, Florida, South Korea's, South, New York, Rishika Sadam, Hyderabad, Seoul

☆ Spotify is launching an eerie new AI-led feature that mimics podcasters' voices and translates them into different languages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spotify is launching a new feature called "Voice Translations" powered by AI including ChatGPT. The feature will replicate the voices of podcasters and translate them into different languages. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementSpotify is rolling out a new AI feature mimicking the original voice of podcasters and translating them into additional languages for a more "authentic listening experience," the company announced Monday in a blog post . AdvertisementAdvertisementSpotify is working with podcasters like Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Lex Fridman, Bill Simmons and Steven Bartlett to produce voice translations for specific episodes in languages such as Spanish, French, and German.

Persons: —, Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Lex Fridman, Bill Simmons, Steven Bartlett, Drake's, Stephen Fry, Harry Potter Organizations: Spotify, Service

☆ Spotify will use AI to replicate podcasters' voices and translate them to other languages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek joins author and comedian Trevor Noah to discuss the future of storytelling at Spotify Beach in Cannes, France, on June 20, 2023. Spotify on Monday announced a new artificial intelligence-powered feature that can translate podcasts into different languages using the host's own voice. The technology can create "realistic synthetic voices" from just a few seconds of speech, OpenAI said in a release. Spotify said it will help make the podcast listening experience more authentic and natural by maintaining podcasters' "distinctive speech characteristics." Spotify said it plans to make the feature accessible for more creators and languages in the future.

Persons: Daniel Ek, Trevor Noah, OpenAI, Dax Shepard, Lex Fridman, Monica Padman, Steven Bartlett, Bill Simmons, Trevor Noah's Organizations: Spotify Beach, Spotify Locations: Cannes, France

☆ Spotify tests voice translation feature for podcasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Spotify logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 25 (Reuters) - Spotify Technology (SPOT.N) is testing an AI-powered feature that will translate podcasts from the likes of Dax Shepard and Lex Fridman to other languages, the audio-streaming company said on Monday. The translated versions, powered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI's newly released voice generation technology, would mimic the original speaker's style and will be more natural than traditional dubbing, Spotify said. The company had also worked with other podcasters including Monica Padman, Bill Simmons and Steven Bartlett for the feature. The voice translations would be available in languages including Spanish, French and German for a select number of catalog episodes and future episode releases, said Spotify, which could expand the audience of the shows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Dax Shepard, Lex Fridman, Monica Padman, Bill Simmons, Steven Bartlett, Jaspreet Singh, Shinjini Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Spotify Technology, Microsoft, Spotify, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Swedish, Bengaluru

☆ Elon Musk's ex-wife told his biographer that deep inside the Tesla CEO 'is this manchild still standing in front of his father'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Isaacson said Musk's second wife, Talulah Riley, said inside Musk is a manchild standing before his father. His newest opus, a biography of Elon Musk, was released on Tuesday. "Love and family are kind of associated with those psychological torments" for Musk, Riley told Isaacson. AdvertisementAdvertisementIsaacson himself described Errol Musk on the podcast as "psychologically problematic and difficult." Errol Musk added that he had learned about the entire incident from the headmaster of Elon Musk's school at the time.

Persons: Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, Lex Fridman, Isaacson, Musk's, Talulah Riley, Riley, Musk, she's, TJ, Isaacson —, Errol Musk, Lex Fridman's, Tesla, Elon, Jane, Rachel Levine Organizations: Service, Elon Musk's, Biz News, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, British, X's

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