Technology

Podcast subscribers want more podcasts

Published

1 year ago

January 10, 2023

That is Scorching Pod, The Verge’s publication about podcasting and the audio trade. Join right here for extra.

Hope you all had an incredible weekend. I don’t have any podcast ideas at present, however I did see the Roundabout Theater’s gender-reversed 1776, and it completely slapped. As my pal Olivia stated, 1776 was made as propaganda and has no enterprise being nearly as good as it’s (it’s additionally extra clear-eyed about American politics than Hamilton, however I digress). Plus, the film model has Mr. Feeny as John Adams — what a present.

Anywho, on the docket at present: Apple makes it simpler for podcasters to ship the products to their subscribers, Microsoft is making leaps within the text-to-speech AI area, and we’ve got some thrilling Scorching Pod Summit information!

Saying Scorching Pod Summit Brooklyn 🎤

It’s that point of yr once more, gang: Scorching Pod Summit is coming again to the Wythe Lodge in Brooklyn on February twenty third. We may have extra particulars quickly, however we will probably be switching it up a bit this time round. Along with panels with specialists from throughout the trade, the Summit will function new interactive programming, so keep tuned!

As at all times, the occasion will probably be invitation-only. Company will obtain invitations by e-mail with the ticket buy code by the top of the week. And if you don’t get an invitation instantly, don’t despair! You may apply for an invite by way of our ticket lottery on the On Air Fest web site.

On that notice, Scorching Pod Summit Brooklyn is being held in affiliation with On Air Fest 2023, which is able to happen February twenty third–twenty fifth. On Air Fest has some cool programming lined up, that includes On Being with Krista Tippett, Individuals’s Occasion with Talib Kweli, a dwell podcast penthouse, networking breakfasts, events, and extra. The occasion will even function On Air: The Podcast Expertise, an immersive podcast exhibition from the world of My Favourite Homicide and the Precisely Proper Community, On Being Challenge, The Coronary heart, and extra. The exhibit will run from February twenty third–twenty sixth, and tickets can be found at experiencepodcasts.com.

Apple (lastly) makes it simpler to distribute subscription podcasts

Final Might, Apple introduced that it will launch delegated supply for subscription podcasts within the fall. It missed that purpose by just a few weeks, however delegated supply is now dwell for a number of podcast internet hosting platforms, with extra to come back.

The function permits creators with subscription reveals to distribute episodes immediately from their host dashboards as an alternative of getting to manually add the content material by way of Apple Podcast Join. Taking part hosts for now embody Libsyn, Blubrry, Omny Studio, and RSS.com, with different common platforms like Buzzsprout and Acast to be added later. Anchor, the most important distributor of podcasts (and a subsidiary of Spotify), shouldn’t be a part of the preliminary batch of internet hosting suppliers.

What are subscribers prepared to pay for?

Talking of podcast subscriptions, Cumulus and Sign Hill launched a report that offers some perception into what (if something) will compel listeners to pay for podcasts. Unsurprisingly, the reply is extra content material (at all times extra content material! Feed the beast!).

Amongst weekly podcast listeners, 36 p.c stated they’d pay a month-to-month price for bonus episodes of one in all their reveals. Different perks that ranked properly have been entry to prolonged episodes (32 p.c), early entry to episodes (30 p.c), and behind-the-scenes content material (28 p.c). What do they not care about? Unique merch (22 p.c) and transcripts (13 p.c).

Whereas that’s nonetheless a fraction of standard podcast listeners who’re prepared to pay something in any respect, it does present that there’s some validity to the methods creators are utilizing to shore up subscriptions. Patreon creators use bonus episodes because the cornerstone of their memberships, whereas Wondery has leaned closely into the early-release mannequin for reveals like My Favourite Homicide and SmartLess.

Microsoft makes some (barely alarming?) advances in text-to-speech AI

Final week, I wrote about how Apple is utilizing fairly superior text-to-speech expertise to facilitate the manufacturing and distribution of audiobooks. Up to now, that function consists of 4 AI voices. Microsoft, in the meantime, introduced a text-to-speech mannequin referred to as VALL-E that may allegedly simulate anybody’s voice with only a three-second pattern.

If it really works, that might have large implications for the audio trade. There are undoubtedly upsides — improved text-to-speech might vastly enhance accessibility for individuals with visible impairment and, like within the Apple Books case, make audio content material creation simpler general. However additionally it is simple to think about how issues might go off the rails in a giant approach, with podcasts that includes “visitors” who aren’t actually there and deep fakes which can be arduous to fight. That would particularly be an issue whereas the trade figures out tips on how to average content material.

That’s all for now! See you subsequent week.

Technology

Yahoo resurrects Artifact inside a new AI-powered News app

Published

2 hours ago

June 14, 2024

Press Room

Yahoo resurrects Artifact inside a new AI-powered News app

Artifact is dead, long live Yahoo’s version of Artifact. The architecture behind Artifact, the news aggregation app built by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, will live on inside the body of a brand-new Yahoo News app.

Available to download today on iOS and Android, the new Yahoo News app brings an AI-powered personalized news feed for users based on their interests, while a feature called Key Takeaways can give a bullet summary of a news article when a reader is feeling TL;DR.

Other features of the Yahoo News app include Top Stories, which picks up on trending stories for users to read and will soon include key takeaway summaries. You can block stories with undesired keywords, as well as filter out certain publishers to your preference. And just like Artifact, Yahoo News also lets you flag content like clickbaity headlines, then lets AI rewrite them to something better.

Yahoo is also taking some of what it’s building in the News app to the Yahoo News online homepage. Starting today, the website has a new layout that highlights top news, gives personalized recommendations, and shows trending topics. The new homepage experience is opt-in.

Technology

Former head of NSA joins OpenAI board

Published

9 hours ago

June 13, 2024

Press Room

OpenAI has appointed Paul M. Nakasone, a retired general of the US Army and a former head of the National Security Agency (NSA), to its board of directors, the company announced on Thursday.

Nakasone, who was nominated to lead the NSA by former President Donald Trump, directed the agency from 2018 until February of this year. Before Nakasone left the NSA, he wrote an op-ed supporting the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the surveillance program that was ultimately reauthorized by Congress in April.

OpenAI says Nakasone will join its Safety and Security Committee, which was announced in May and is led by CEO Sam Altman, “as a first priority.” Nakasone will “also contribute to OpenAI’s efforts to better understand how AI can be used to strengthen cybersecurity by quickly detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats.”

Recent departures tied to safety at OpenAI include co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who played a key role in Sam Altman’s November firing and eventual un-firing, and Jan Leike, who said on X that “safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products.”

“Artificial intelligence has the potential to have huge positive impacts on people’s lives, but it can only meet this potential if these innovations are securely built and deployed,“ board chair Bret Taylor said in a statement. “General Nakasone’s unparalleled experience in areas like cybersecurity will help guide OpenAI in achieving its mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”

Technology

Chilling fake of birthing 30,000 babies in eerie artificial wombs

Published

9 hours ago

June 13, 2024

Press Room

Chilling fake of birthing 30,000 babies in eerie artificial wombs

The intriguing yet fictional video, “EctoLife: The World’s First Artificial Womb Facility,” has recently regained traction on social media, likely due to creator Hashem Al-Ghaili releasing another fake video – on head transplants called “BrainBridge” – sparking discussions and raising questions about the EctoLife video’s authenticity.

However, both videos are conceptual presentations and do not depict an existing facility or technology.

An image from the controversial concept video (EctoLife)

A thought-provoking concept, not a reality

The EctoLife video, created by Hashem Al-Ghaili, a science communicator and filmmaker, presents a futuristic concept of an artificial womb facility that claims to offer a safe and pain-free alternative to natural pregnancy and childbirth.

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The video showcases rows of fetuses in clear, football-shaped pods inside a high-tech building, accompanied by a narrator describing the facility’s capabilities.

However, it’s crucial to understand that the EctoLife video is a concept video and not a representation of an existing reality. Al-Ghaili himself has clarified that the technology depicted in the video does not yet exist, and the video is marked as a “concept” near its end.

Controversial concept video (EctoLife)

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Partial ectogenesis: A more realistic approach

While the concept of complete ectogenesis (gestating a fetus entirely outside the womb) remains a distant possibility, researchers are making progress in the field of partial ectogenesis. In 2017, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia successfully gestated premature lambs in artificial womb-like “biobags” for several weeks. However, experts emphasize that these efforts are focused on potential life support options for premature human babies, not an alternative to full gestation.

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Controversial concept video (EctoLife)

Sparking discussions and ethical considerations

While the EctoLife video may not depict a current reality, it has succeeded in igniting discussions about the potential implications and ethical considerations surrounding artificial womb technology. As scientific advancements continue, it is crucial to engage in thoughtful dialogue and address the complex ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise.

As Hashem Al-Ghaili stated, the main goal of creating the video was “to ignite the discussion about an emerging technology and to highlight scientific progress in the field of ectogenesis.” By presenting a thought-provoking concept, the video has sparked conversations that could shape the future development and regulation of artificial womb technology.

Controversial concept video (EctoLife)

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Kurt’s key takeaways

While the resurfacing of the EctoLife video has reignited discussions and raised eyebrows, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. The video, though intriguing, is a conceptual presentation and not a depiction of an existing reality. However, its creator, Hashem Al-Ghaili, seems to have a knack for sparking conversations with his thought-provoking, albeit fictional, videos.

The recent release of Al-Ghaili’s “BrainBridge” video on head transplants has likely contributed to the renewed interest in the EctoLife concept. While these videos may not represent current scientific capabilities, they serve as a reminder of the rapid pace of technological advancements and the ethical considerations that must accompany them.

As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, it’s crucial to engage in thoughtful dialogue and address the complex ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise. The EctoLife video, though fictional, has succeeded in igniting discussions about the potential implications of artificial womb technology, and these conversations could shape the future development and regulation of such technologies.

Ultimately, while we may not have artificial womb facilities like EctoLife just yet, the video serves as a thought-provoking glimpse into what the future might hold and a reminder to approach such advancements with careful consideration and ethical responsibility.

What are your thoughts on the implications of artificial womb technology? If a facility like the conceptual “EctoLife” were to become a reality in the future, what potential concerns would you have? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.