Brandon Hurst has built a loyal social media following and a growing business selling plants on TikTok, where a mysterious algorithm combined with the right content can let users amass thousands of followers. Hurst, who’s based in the San Fernando Valley, sold 20,000 plants in three years while running his business on Instagram. After expanding … Read more
It is shaping up to be perhaps the biggest case in the history of the UCLA Police Department: how to identify dozens of people who attacked a pro-Palestinian camp at the center of campus last week. The mob violence was captured on live television, but it took three hours for police to bring it to … Read more
For the first time since suffering a stroke, Randy Travis has released new music — with the help of artificial intelligence. The country star’s latest single, “Where That Came From,” arrived Friday after Travis and his wife, Mary Travis, permitted his record label to re-create his soulful vocals using AI, according to the Associated Press. … Read more
Elon Musk and X asked a federal judge to dismiss former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s lawsuit claiming they defrauded him by canceling a partnership on the social media platform following a contentious interview. In a Monday night filing in San Francisco federal court, Musk said he did nothing wrong by allegedly telling Lemon there was “no need” to sign … Read more
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Dozens of protesters blocked the entrance of Google’s developer conference in Mountain View, Calif., for roughly 90 minutes on Tuesday, demanding that the tech giant drop its work with the Israeli government amid the country’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The protest group, which accuses Israel of committing genocide against … Read more
Eight TikTok creators sued the U.S. government on Tuesday, alleging their rights to free speech are being violated by a new federal law that would ban the social video app if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell it. U.S. politicians have raised security concerns about the app, saying that TikTok’s ties to its Chinese parent company, … Read more
When YouTube launched nearly two decades ago, its first clip was a grainy video of co-founder Jawed Karim speaking to the camera while standing in front of the elephants at the San Diego Zoo. Not exactly must-see TV. Since, then the online video giant has increasingly been the entertainment of choice for billions of people. … Read more
Sony Music Group is sending letters to 700 artificial intelligence developers and music streaming services warning them to not use its artists’ music to train generative AI tools without its permission. The company — one of the three largest recorded music firms — said it is explicitly opting out of the use of its music … Read more
As lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. consider policy born of their Big Tech concerns such as data privacy and artificial intelligence, they should carefully consider how such changes could end up trampling the small and midsize businesses that drive innovation and competition. While policymakers may have Google and Facebook in mind, the actual policies … Read more
When OpenAI debuted its new voice assistant technology this month, it immediately drew comparisons to the 2013 Spike Jonze sci-fi film “Her.” As it turns out, the likeness may have been too close for comfort. Actor Scarlett Johansson, who voiced the computer program in “Her,” said she hired lawyers after discovering OpenAI released a ChatGPT … Read more