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☆ Streaming is getting more expensive for consumers. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-16 | by ( Justine Fisher | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Now, looking for a return on their content investments, Disney , Warner Bros. Disney said last week that its combined streaming services — Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — were profitable for the first time during its fiscal third quarter. Ahead of earnings, Disney announced it's raising streaming prices by $1 to $2 a month for Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. Similar to Disney, Paramount Global said last week in its quarterly earnings conference call that its streaming business, centered on flagship service Paramount+, reached profitability. Discovery said during its second-quarter earnings conference call that streaming ad revenue doubled year over year.

Persons: Jaque Silva, Mike Proulx, Disney, Bob Iger, Iger, Discovery's Max, Comcast's Peacock, Gunnar Wiedenfels, Forrester's Proulx, Proulx, Discovery's Wiedenfels, Discovery, Tim Nollen, Ted Sarandos, Sarandos Organizations: Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros . Discovery, Forrester, Hulu, ESPN, Warner Bros, Paramount, Paramount Global, Discovery, Max, Hub Entertainment Research, Getty, Media, Macquarie, Westend61 Locations: Paramount's, Peacock

This digital ad posted by Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, about a week before Biden eventually dropped his bid, was the blueprint. Almost immediately, Democrats saw a surge of support — mostly from disillusioned Democratic voters. As of this writing, it’s now Republicans in battleground states and districts who are begging their nominee to change course. As for the GOP, Trump and his allies have done everything they can to mold the GOP in Trump’s image, and anyone who doesn’t share that view has essentially been purged. Of course, the real challenge for both Republicans will be figuring out how to navigate Trump’s appearances in their respective states.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, “, Dave McCormick, Democratic Sen, Bob Casey’s, Kamala Harris, it’s, Donald Trump isn’t, Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump, Harris, Ramaswamy, Hillary Clinton, Nikki Haley, wouldn’t, they’d, —, Sen, Pat Toomey, Toomey, McCormick, Brian Kemp, Larry Hogan, Domenici, Sherrod Brown, Clinton, I’d, Mike Rogers, can’t Organizations: Democrats, CBS News, Democratic, Republican, Senate, Trump, GOP, NPR, Republican Party, Biden, Republicans, White, Democratic Party, Republican Gov, Rogers Locations: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Trump, Michigan

Businessman Eric Hovde won the Wisconsin Republican primary for Senate, NBC News projects, setting up a critical battleground state race against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Baldwin’s seat is a top priority for both parties in the battle for control of the closely divided Senate. Baldwin has also fared better than the top of the Democratic ticket in some recent Wisconsin polling. An independently wealthy businessman, Hovde, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2012, has already loaned his campaign $13 million. With Hovde long viewed as the favorite to win the GOP nomination, the two candidates have already been trading barbs.

Persons: Eric Hovde, Democratic Sen, Tammy Baldwin, Hovde, Donald Trump, Baldwin, Joe Biden, “, Eric Hub, ”, Tony Evers ’, Ilhan Omar, Don Samuels, Michelle Fischbach, Fischbach, Steve Boyd, Angie Craig, Joe Teirab, Teirab, Craig, Jahana Hayes, Sen, George Logan, Hayes, Logan, Biden, Chris Murphy, Matthew Corey, Phil Scott, Bernie Sanders, Sanders, Gerald Malloy, Esther Charlestin, Scott Organizations: Wisconsin Republican, Senate, NBC News, Democratic, Republicans, White, GOP, Democratic Gov, Associated Press, Minneapolis City, Hamas, Trump, District, Marine, Republican, AP, Republican Gov, Middlebury Selectboard Locations: Wisconsin, Minnesota , Connecticut, Vermont, Minnesota, Washington, Connecticut's, Connecticut

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., fended off several primary challengers Tuesday, NBC News projects, a victory for progressives after two of her fellow members of the “squad” suffered defeats this summer. Omar defeated former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who lost to her by just 2 percentage points in the 2022 primary, and two other challengers in Minnesota’s 5th District. Unlike other progressives who have sharply criticized Israel, Omar did not face an onslaught of attack ads from outside groups. At the same point in the 2022 primary, her campaign had spent just $71,000. Samuels’ campaign, meanwhile, spent $1.2 million on this year’s race.

Persons: Ilhan Omar, ”, Omar, Don Samuels, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Missouri —, Bush, Bowman, Samuels, Samuels ’, Joe Biden’s, “, ” Samuels, ” “ Omar, Biden’s, Biden Organizations: NBC News, Minneapolis City Council, Democratic Party’s, United Democracy, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel, EV, Daily Locations: Minnesota’s 5th, New York, Missouri, Israel, Minnesota, Minneapolis

☆ How ‘Deepfake Elon Musk’ Became the Internet’s Biggest Scammer
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Stuart A. Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

How ‘Deepfake Elon Musk’ Became the Internet’s Biggest Scammer An A.I.-powered version of Mr. Musk has appeared in thousands of inauthentic ads, contributing to billions in fraud. Mr. Beauchamp, an 82-year-old retiree, saw a video late last year of Mr. Musk endorsing a radical investment opportunity that promised rapid returns. “I mean, the picture of him — it was him,” Mr. Beauchamp said about the video he saw of Mr. Musk. Original A.I. Audio Original Original A.I.

Persons: ‘ Deepfake Elon, Musk, Steve Beauchamp, Elon, Beauchamp, —, ” Mr, ‘ Pick, ’ that’s, “ It’s, ”, Francesco Cavalli, Scammers, Thorold Barker, Sensity, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, “ Elon, Donald J, Trump, Elon Musk, Andrew Forrest, scammers, Lou Steinberg, Cavalli, Eastern Europe — cobble, “ There’s, Molly White, Finn Brunton, Davis, “ I’m Organizations: A.I, Deloitte, Wall, Street, Amazon, India, Facebook, YouTube, Better Business Bureau, CNET, Meta, Hong Kong’s Securities, Futures Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigations, TED, Fox News, Eastern Europe —, Tesla, University of California, CNN, New York Times, Magna, The New York Times, Better Locations: Sensity, India, Russia, China, Eastern Europe, Ontario, Canada

☆ Reddit's increased reliance on Google traffic has Wall Street anxious to see if visitors sign up
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Reddit calls them logged-out users and, based on some industry estimates, they only monetize at about one-third the rate of logged-in users. The number of logged-out users surpassed logged-in users in the fourth quarter, and the gap has since widened. Logged-in users increased 31% in the second quarter to 42 million, while logged-out users increased at a much more robust rate of 74% to 49.2 million. Alan Gould, managing director at Loop Capital, said Google makes up "the vast majority of the logged-out users." By 2025, Reddit's logged-in users could represent an ARPU of $17.60 compared to $5.90 for logged-out users, Black said, based on the firm's estimates.

Persons: Spencer Platt, Tom Wahlin's, Hacker, Wahlin, we're, Lily Ray, Amsive, Ray, Reddit, Alan Gould, Daniel Konstantinovic, Konstantinovic, Benjamin Black, monetization, they'll, Reddit's, Black, Jen Wong, Wong, Steve Huffman, They'll, Huffman Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Getty, Aer, Google, U.S, Loop, Deutsche Bank, CNBC, AllGear Digital, YouTube Locations: New York City, U.S, Reddit

☆ After Democrats' long-held edge, Team Trump starts to close the battleground ad spending gap: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

After Democrats’ long-held edge, Team Trump starts to close the battleground ad spending gapBy Ben KamisarIf you live in a swing state and are already sick of seeing presidential campaign ads, buckle up. Over that same period of time, the Trump campaign spent less than $230,000. But over the last two weeks, a dramatic shift from the Trump campaign has helped close the gap. It has spent a total of $13 million in those key states, compared to $16.5 million from the Harris campaign. But we’ve written before about how Republicans have cut into the Democrats’ fundraising edge, and these ad spending numbers show the fruits of that effort.

Persons: Ben Kamisar, Alex Tabet, ’, Team Trump, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Harris, Biden, they’ll, it’s, Ruben Gallego, “ Ruben Gallego, David Hathaway, Kari Lake, Gallego, —, ” Gallego, Nasr, ted Auto W, ged Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, Phoenix, Democratic, Team, Republican, Republican National Convention, Trump, Biden, Democrats, Democratic Rep, Arizona Senate, GOP, NBC News, rac Locations: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Mexico, Santa Cruz County, It’s

More manpower.”It’s far from the only border security ad on Arizona’s airwaves. They want border security, but they also want to fix our broken immigration system,” Gallego argued in an interview with NBC News. Border security has long been one of Trump and the GOP’s top issues and a weakness for Biden and his party. That was very clear, and that’s why I voted for it.”How Gallego's roots inform his campaignIntertwined with Gallego’s border security and immigration stances are his own identity. The remarks didn’t mention border security or creating a pathway to citizenship, typical talking points of Gallego on the trail.

Persons: Ruben Gallego, “ Ruben Gallego, David Hathaway, Kari Lake, Gallego, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald “, Harris, AdImpact, —, ” Gallego, Jorge Maldonado, “, Trump, Biden, It’s, Marquette University Law Scott, Lake, Gallego “, ”, “ Ruben, “ I’ll Organizations: PHOENIX, Democratic Rep, Arizona Senate, GOP, Democratic, NBC News, NBC News ., Marquette University Law, NPR, PBS, Marist, Republican, Lake, Census, NBC, Harvard, Marines Locations: Mexico, Arizona, Santa Cruz County, Nogales, Arizona , Nevada, Georgia, Washington ,, United States, Washington, Colombian, Mexican, U.S, Chicago, Iraq

Trump’s allies are also publicly making their pitch for him to refocus his attention on the race. “You’ve always got to be assessing the state of the race, and I would like to see more offense from the Trump campaign. On a swing of battleground states last week, Harris and her new running mate were greeted by a groundswell of supporters at each stop. "This was a TRUMP idea — She has no ideas, she can only steal from me," Trump wrote on Truth Social. In an appearance on Real America’s Voice last week, Trump’s political director, James Blair, made the case that it is a state-by-state race.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump, ”, ” Trump's, “, Harris, Joe Biden's, Brian Kemp, Kevin McCarthy, “ You’ve, ” McCarthy, Tim Sheehy, Dan Eberhart, —, Biden, ” Trump, outpacing Harris, ” Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s, Walz, David Lee, Chris Grant, James Blair Organizations: Republican, Trump, NBC News, Fox News, Montana, Democrat, ”, Mar, Biden, ABC, Harris, Privately, CNBC, Democratic, “, Labor, MAGA Inc, Politico, Real America’s Voice Locations: Georgia, Bozeman, Asheville , North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Las Vegas, Arizona, Michigan , Wisconsin , Nevada, North Carolina

Tuesday’s primaries will also determine the matchups for some notable House seats, with Republicans looking to defend their slim majority. While Steil is expected to face Democratic former Rep. Peter Barca, multiple Democrats are competing to take on Van Orden. The top fundraisers in the Democratic primary include nonprofit leader Rebecca Cooke, state Rep. Katrina Shankland and activist Eric Wilson. Teirab is the top candidate in the Republican primary after his chief rival dropped out last month. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is looking to faces multiple opponents in the deep-blue 5th District, which includes Minneapolis.

Persons: Eric Hovde, Donald Trump’s, Democratic Sen, Tammy Baldwin, Amy Klobuchar, Connecticut’s Chris Murphy, Vermont’s Bernie Sanders —, Klobuchar, Royce White, Derrick Van Orden, Bryan Steil, Steil, Peter Barca, Van Orden, Rebecca Cooke, Katrina Shankland, Eric Wilson, Democrats — Minnesota’s Angie Craig, Connecticut’s Jahana Hayes —, Hayes, Sen, George Logan, Trump, Joe Teirab, Craig, Ilhan Omar, Don Samuels, Omar, outspent Samuels, Samuels, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Michelle Fischbach, Fischbach, Steve Boyd, “, ”, Mike Gallagher’s, — Gallagher, Tony Wied, André Jacque, Roger Roth, Kristin Lyerly, Will, Evers, Tony Evers Organizations: Senate, Republican, Democratic, Republicans, NBA, GOP, Rep, Van, Democrats, Marine, Tuesday, Minneapolis City Council, United Democratic, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel, Trump, America Leads Inc, Wisconsin’s, Republican Rep, Green Bay Packers, OB Locations: Wisconsin , Minnesota , Connecticut, Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut’s, Minnesota’s, Teirab, Minneapolis, New York, Missouri, Washington, District, Will Wisconsin

☆ 'We haven't seen the bottom in this correction': Dan Niles names 2 tech stocks to ride out a potential recession
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Hedge fund manager Dan Niles is betting on Apple and Meta Platforms as two stocks that can ride out a potential U.S. recession. Apple Niles expects strong revenue growth in the coming year as consumers upgrade to AI-enabled iPhones. "Their revenue growth has been minuscule the last three years because people already have a smartphone. "I think that revenue growth goes to double digits over 10% probably next year, as people upgrade to an AI-enabled smartphone." Meta Niles expressed particular confidence in Meta's prospects, praising the company's effective use of AI in its core business.

Persons: Dan Niles, Niles, CNBC's, AAPL, Apple Niles, Meta Niles, Meta Organizations: Apple, Niles Investment Management, Meta, Google, Microsoft

☆ Texas judge in X's lawsuit against advertisers recuses himself after report he owned Tesla stock
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The judge overseeing X's lawsuit against advertisers has recused himself following a news report that showed he owned shares of Tesla . In a recusal notice dated Aug. 13, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Texas backed out of X's case against the World Federation of Advertisers, which was filed last week. X, formerly known as Twitter, is owned by Elon Musk, who is also the CEO and largest shareholder in Tesla. On Monday, NPR reported that O'Connor had owned shares of Tesla in 2022, the date of his last available disclosure, posing a potential conflict of interest. In X's lawsuit, the company accused a number of advertisers of engaging in antitrust behavior when they stopped ad campaigns on the site.

Persons: District Judge Reed O'Connor, Elon Musk, O'Connor, weren't, Ed Kinkeade, Sen, John Cornyn Organizations: Tesla, District, World Federation, Elon, NPR, Companies, Unilever, Mars, CVS Healthcare, Orsted, WFA, Global Alliance, Responsible Media, X, Media Matters, America Locations: U.S, Texas, Tesla, Europe, North Texas, China

☆ How Elon Musk has turned X into a pro-Trump machine
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But now Musk, who is not only the owner but also the most followed user on X, has shifted to more direct campaigning for former President Donald Trump. Musk announced his official endorsement for Trump in a post last month that received 2.3 million likes. Weeks after it was posted, the video is not labeled with a “community note,” X’s community fact-checking feature that Musk used as justification for slashing the company’s trust and safety team. In a letter, the secretaries urged Musk to “immediately implement changes” on the X platform. But on Monday night, Musk offered to take a role in the potential future Trump’s administration helping to rein in government spending.

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Musk, He’s, Hunter, Trump, YOU, Trump’s, “, Elon, ” Trump, Kamala Harris, doesn’t, ” Wendy Weiser, Brennan, Harris, ”, ” Weiser, Kamala, …, White supremacists, X, Musk’s, chatbot, Harris ’, ” Lara Cohen, informercial, he’s, ” Musk, “ I’d Organizations: New, New York CNN, Elon, Twitter, Biden, White, Trump, CNN, Fake News, Fake News Media, Center, “, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School, Democratic, Street Locations: New York, United Kingdom

☆ Progressive Coalition Shifts $25 Million Campaign to Back Kamala Harris
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Jazmine Ulloa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Amplify, a coalition of progressive groups, released its first digital ad supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for the White House, part of a $25 million voter outreach campaign targeting Democrats and disaffected independents in battleground states. The ad reflects a unified message from the left that the organizations began testing in the 2022 midterms, and which they say helped blunt what had been expected to be a sweeping victory for Republicans. The members of the coalition said they plan to spend $1 million on the ad’s release. The theme has been widely used by Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that year. Ms. Harris, who has long made discussion of abortion rights a major part of her stump speeches, has also fashioned the freedom theme into a core part of her campaign’s message.

Persons: Kamala Harris’s, Donald J, Trump, Biden, Roe, Wade, Harris Organizations: White, Republicans, Gutsy Media, Democratic, Freedoms, ” Locations: Arizona , Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina , Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

☆ How Harris is reversing Biden’s biggest weakness in the campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Trump’s plan for blunting Harris’ momentum, some Democrats believe, could reprise elements of the 1988 presidential campaign that George H.W. “I think the Harris campaign has to be prepared for it.”The two sides are already hotly contesting the terrain of strength. Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who conducted surveys for Biden’s 2020 campaign, said his strength deficit to Trump had become a nearly insurmountable obstacle for his 2024 campaign. The surveys have also found a huge gender gap in the assessments of whether Harris and Trump are strong. Most important, voters have reached these initial assessments of Harris’ strength before Republicans have really begun their campaign to portray her as weak.

Persons: CNN — Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, –, Harris, Trump, ”, Democratic pollster Evan Roth Smith, “ Kamala Harris, …, it’s, blunting Harris, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Lee Atwater, Michael Dukakis, Tad Devine, Dukakis, “, She’ll, ” Trump, ” Harris, Kamala Harris, Biden —, Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Nikki Haley, Marquette, “ Trump, Whit Ayres, Ayres, Harris blunts, ” Lake, “ Joe Biden, White, she’ll, MAGA, Devine, Republicans pilloried Dukakis, Willie Horton, Horton, Bush, ” Devine, ” Ayres, won’t, Roth Smith, ’, Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock, Dana White Organizations: CNN, White, Voters, Democratic, Massachusetts Gov, Trump, Fox News, Marquette Law School, Biden, Marquette Poll, CBS, New York Times, Gallup, Republican, Siena, Republicans, MAGA Inc, Politico, ”, Fighting Locations: George H.W ., Marquette, Siena, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Celinda, Massachusetts, San Francisco, California, “ San Francisco

☆ Democrats in competitive House races want Harris’ momentum without running toward her
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

In conversations with nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers and candidates running in competitive races across the country, a common theme emerged. Tim Walz, Democrats have felt a tangible bump of energy in their districts, through spikes in volunteers, donations and event turnout. Rep. Chris Deluzio, who supports Harris, told CNN he was glad to see that she has moved away from her previous position on fracking. The Republican campaign arm has seized on some of her past positions from his first presidential run, including fracking, as they’ve attempted to develop a strategy to target Democrats in tough races. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty ImagesWalz serves ‘meat-and-potatoes’ politicsIn selecting Walz, the Harris campaign provided many down ballot Democrats running in competitive races with a welcomed partner.

Persons: Susie Lee of, Lee, Kamala Harris, ” Lee, Harris, “, Tim Walz, Kirsten Engel, Caitlin O'Hara, ” Engel, Trump, Biden, ”, Joe Biden, Chris Deluzio, “ I’m, hasn’t, Rudy Salas, David Valadao, Irfan Khan, Will Rollins, Ken Calvert of, Rollins, Harris ’, ” Rollins, “ It’s, Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images Walz, Walz, Ann Kuster, ” Kuster, Tim, Vicente Gonzalez, Donald Trump’s, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Biden’s, Jahana Hayes, Hayes, Sue Altman, Thomas Kean Jr, ” Altman, wasn’t, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN — Democratic, Democratic, CNN, Representatives, Nevada Democrat, Minnesota Gov, Bloomberg, Getty, Republican, Democrat, Republican US, Los Angeles Times, GOP, Getty Images, Minnesota, Republicans, ”, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Ohio, Army National Guard, Democratic Rep, Trump, Democratic House Locations: Susie Lee of Nevada, Nevada, Arizona, Phoenix , Arizona, Lee, Mexico, Pennsylvania, Bakersfield , California, Harris, California, Salinas, Ken Calvert of California, University's, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, AFP, ‘, New Hampshire, Vicente Gonzalez of, Iraq, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, New Jersey, Alabama, Montgomery

☆ AI's big marketing problem: People don't want to hear about it
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Advertisers love talking about AI, but they face a big problem: consumers are suspicious of the tech and don't want to be bombarded with messaging about it. This issue was on full display at the Olympics, where Google face-planted with an ad for its Gemini AI tool. To date, 575 companies have bought ads to market AI products in 2024, up from 186 in all of 2023. "In the same way, I wouldn't trumpet that my new product was designed in Photoshop, so why would I talk about how my product was designed using AI? One of the top-performing US ads of 2023 came from Adobe, which ran a spot featuring a girl using AI to create a birthday card.

Persons: Iain Thomas, Sora, Josh Campo, Razorfish, Matt Rebeiro, Iris, Rebeiro, System1, Dove, Microsoft's, chatbot —, Thomas, JLo Organizations: Service, Olympics, Google, Business, Sounds, Washington State University, of Hospitality Marketing, Management, Yahoo, Publicis Media, YouTube, Enterprises, Adobe, Cadbury Locations: MediaRadar

☆ Kamala Harris is going on the offensive on border security. It could keep Arizona blue and cut off Trump's path to victory.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewLast Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. AdvertisementTrump can't take Arizona for grantedBefore Biden won Arizona in 2020, it last voted for a Democratic presidential nominee in 1996. AdvertisementHowever, for Trump, a Harris win in Arizona would be a huge blow in his attempts to win a second term. Biden's 2020 victories in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada — as well as his wins in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — effectively cut off Trump's path to victory that year. Should Harris neutralize the border security issue — a feat that seemed unimaginable when Biden was still the presumptive nominee — it'll give her a major opening to win Arizona.

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, It's, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Harris, Trump, it's, Greg Abbott —, Biden, scrambles, Biden's, Democrat Mark Kelly, Katie Hobbs, Donald Trump's, Mario Tama, — it'll Organizations: Service, Minnesota Gov, Democratic, State, Business, Trump, Arizona, Republican, Texas GOP Gov, Biden, Republicans, Central America, Democrat, White House, GOP, — Locations: Glendale , Arizona, Phoenix, Mexico, New York, Chicago, California, Central, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona's, Arizona , Georgia, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

☆ Marketers are living in an AI advertising minefield
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This issue was on full display at the Olympics, where Google face-planted with an ad for its Gemini AI tool. "There seems to be this fundamental misunderstanding of what we should be using AI for," said Iain Thomas, who cowrote a book on AI, "What Makes Us Human?," and is a founder of Sounds Fun, an agency that helps marketers harness AI. To date, 575 companies have bought ads to market AI products in 2024, up from 186 in all of 2023. "In the same way, I wouldn't trumpet that my new product was designed in Photoshop, so why would I talk about how my product was designed using AI? One of the top-performing US ads of 2023 came from Adobe, which ran a spot featuring a girl using AI to create a birthday card.

Stars from Hollywood's golden age are being reborn through celebrity estate AI voice cloning deals, a sign of how some of the "Wild West" concerns about unauthorized AI impersonation are being addressed by new business models. Safeguards include active moderation of content, accountability enforceable with bans, and special provisions for safeguarding the impact of AI voice on the 2024 election. Among the current generation of actors, there remains significant anxiety surrounding the use of AI in generating voice content. Voice actors for video games have raised concerns, and last year's film and television strike had significant roots in anxieties over the use of AI. AI voice licensing could alleviate workload for voice actors, he added, without supplanting them, as they "intercede in the process by focusing on offering correction or enhancement to ineffable aspects such as intonation, warmth, and emphasis, which still present challenges."

Persons: Burt Reynolds, Andreessen Horowitz, Judy Garland, James Dean, Sir Laurence Olivier, ElevenLabs, Sam Sklar, Scarlett Johansson, " Sklar, Frito, Tom Waits soundalike, Waits, Lovo, Steve Cohen, Pollock, Cohen, Bette Davis, Sklar, Nauman Dawalatabad, Dawalatabad, Michele Cobb Organizations: Golden Globe, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Sequoia, New York Times, Washington Post, Disney, Google, Apple, MIT Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Audio Publishers Association, CNBC

☆ A crypto data leak led the FBI to America's most wanted sex trafficking fugitive. Now, the victims want his bitcoins.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Four bitcoin wallets that led to sex-trafficking fugitive Michael Pratt's capture are seen in the bottom left corner. AdvertisementFrom Michael Pratt's 2019 criminal complaint. Federal prosecutors say Pratt increased traffic by forwarding each victim's video link to her school, work, family, and social connections. Michael Pratt's Swiss ID and Barcelona Mailboxes Etc. AdvertisementThese days, DeBarber runs the Baltimore-based Phoenix AI cybersecurity firm with cofounder Justine Li, a Girls Do Porn victim and plaintiff.

Persons: —, Michael James Pratt —, Pratt, Michael Pratt's, Michael Pratt, it's, Charles DeBarber, ike, ake, ould, ong, hough, erving, J ames, rove, ratt, ong K ong, egan, ove, arlene, lew, anni, rooke,, rian H olm,, wiss Organizations: Service, Spanish, Business, Spain's Policia Nacional, Policia Nacional, ust Locations: New Zealander, Madrid, Southern California, Spain, bitcoin, omiting,, ife, ictim

☆ How to increase your attention span amid digital overload
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Riane Lumer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

While a dwindling attention span is not due to a personal failing (despite individual variability) a majority of the time, experts say there are changes you can make to regain control over your mind. “Tech companies and ad marketing companies use this information to construct profiles about us, and then they design algorithms that are targeted to capture our attention,” Mark said. “We have a tank of attentional resources (that) gets drained when we keep switching our attention,” Mark said. Additionally, he suggested using an app that places time limits on social media or websites you find yourself addicted to using. “The way I feel at the moment is like somebody is pouring itching powder over us all day,” Hari said.

Persons: I’m, it’s, Gloria Mark, Mark, Graham Burnett, ”, Burnett, Henry Charles Lea, ” Mark, Shoshana Zuboff, “ I’m, Johann Hari, ” Hari, Hari, ’, There’s Organizations: CNN, University of California, Computing Systems, Institute, Strother School, Princeton University, “ Tech, Harvard Business School, Facebook, New York Times, Association of Computing Locations: Irvine, Brooklyn , New York, New Jersey, Boston, Silicon Valley

☆ Here's why the creator of Gmail thinks Google fell behind in the AI arms race
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

But Google's AI rollouts have been anything but groundbreaking. Its new AI search feature, AI Overviews, promised to deliver neat, AI-generated summaries with Google search results. That's when its focus shifted to preserving its monopoly over search, Buchheit said. AdvertisementThat's not just Buchheit's analysis; it's something Page and Brin noted in their seminal 1998 paper introducing Google. With Google, however, their goal was to "provide high-quality search results over a rapidly growing World Wide Web."

Persons: —, Google's cofounders, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Paul Buchheit, Bard, Buchheit, Sundar Pichai, there's, That's, Brin Organizations: Service, Gmail, Business, Google

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Vice President Kamala Harris made immigration a key component of her stump speech Friday night during a packed rally in a Phoenix suburb after making no mention of the topic during rallies this week in Michigan and Wisconsin. “We will move forward and take on the biggest issues facing our nation, for example, the issue of immigration,” Harris told the crowd of supporters. Harris has faced intense scrutiny on immigration from the Trump campaign since rocketing to the top of the Democratic ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Gov. Ross D. Franklin / APSince launching her presidential bid, Harris has touched on immigration during past visits to Sun Belt states.

Persons: Kamala Harris, “, ” Harris, Harris, Donald Trump, “ Donald Trump, ”, Trump, Biden, Gov, Tim Walz, Sen, Mark Kelly, Gabby Giffords, Ross D, Walz, Kamala Harris ’, Halee Dobbins, Joe Biden, ’, Arizona Sen, Kelly, ” Kelly, “ Tim, Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake, Gallego Organizations: ”, Democratic, Republicans, Northern, Desert Diamond, Franklin, AP, Sun, “, Republican, Arizona, Arizona’s Senate, Marine Locations: GLENDALE, Ariz, Phoenix, Michigan, Wisconsin, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Glendale, Georgia, Arizona, Arizona’s, Iraq

☆ Elon Musk's battle with Mark Zuckerberg is looking like a lost cause
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewElon Musk might just be losing any hopes he had of one-upping his arch nemesis, Mark Zuckerberg. A lost battleElon Musk is facing a tougher battle with Mark Zuckerberg's social media empire. Beata Zawrzel/Getty ImagesOne of Musk's biggest challenges in turning X into a legitimate rival to Zuckerberg's social media platforms is generating revenue. In Musk's own words, it's a declaration of "war" with the very people he needs to boost falling revenue at X. But none of this helps Musk in its effort to outdo Zuckerberg at his own social media game and widen X's appeal.

Persons: —, Elon, Mark Zuckerberg, wakeboarding —, reputationally, Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Mark, Beata Zawrzel, Musk's, Musk, Linda Yaccarino, X, it's, Lara O'Reilly, GARM, Tommy Robinson, Robinson, Stephen Yaxley, Lennon —, 4W5ZOssbEY, Josh Self, Kier Starmer, it'll Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Business, Twitter, Musk's, The New York Times, Meta, Global Alliance, Responsible Media, Center, Britain, Financial Times Locations: San Francisco, Meta's, Texas, Southport, Liverpool, Falkland, Britain

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