Chaos & Amazement #2312 TikTok Getting Fried, Text to Video, and Ice Ice Matrix
Welcome to this week’s serving of Chaos and Amazement, including stories about AI-generated images and videos, cryptocurrency regulation, social media policies, and more.
TikTok getting fried in Congress
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified on the social media company's consumer privacy and data security practices and its relationship with the Chinese government at a House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing. It was brutal. https://www.youtube.com/live/_E-4jtTFsO4
TikTok has launched "Project Clover" in Europe, a data safeguard initiative to enhance the platform's security. The move follows the launch of "Project Texas" in the US. https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/setting-a-new-standard-in-european-data-security-with-project-clover
Advances in Generative AI
Microsoft's Bing Image Creator, which allows users to create images using text prompts, will be integrated into Bing chat, starting with Creative mode. This feature was introduced last month alongside the new AI-powered Bing and Microsoft Edge, which aim to enhance search and content creation experiences. Source: https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/03/21/create-images-with-your-words-bing-image-creator-comes-to-the-new-bing/
RunwayML's Gen-2 advances the progress of AI-generated video by enabling the creation of videos from scratch using typed descriptions. https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/20/23648113/text-to-video-generative-ai-runway-ml-gen-2-model-access
Revolutionizing Video Content Creation: Wonder Dynamics Automates 90% of Objective VFX Work with AI: Wonder Dynamics, an AI-driven visual effects venture, claims to automate up to 90% of the objective VFX work with no need for complicated 3D software, expensive hardware, or even motion capture technology.
Deepfakes in the news
Fake images of Trump arrest show' giant step' for AI's disruptive power. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/22/deepfake-trump-arrest/. This Washington Post article discusses the recent proliferation of deepfake images and how they are outpacing regulation and control measures.
Auralnauts' Ice Ice Matrix: The Auralnauts, a dynamic duo of Craven Moorhaus and Zak Koonce, have created a hilarious music video combining the two. Using deepfake technology, the Auralnauts have manipulated footage of characters from The Matrix to appear as if they're singing "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.
Time to panic
Twitter has announced that it will begin winding down its legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks starting on April 1, 2023. Individuals who wish to keep their blue checkmarks can sign up for Twitter Blue.
Coinbase warned by SEC of potential securities charges. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/coinbase-warned-by-sec-of-potential-securities-charges.html. This CNBC article discusses how the SEC has warned cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase of possible securities law violations. The legacy financial system finally took notice of crypto and tries to rattle their cage.
According to health officials, Candida auris, a deadly and drug-resistant fungus, has spread rapidly in the US during the pandemic and is now in more than half of the 50 states. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/20/health/candida-auris-us-fungus.html
From my blog
Marshall McLuhan's Vision of the Age of Personalized Information: In this blog post, we explore Marshall McLuhan's 1966 interview, where he envisioned personalized information, which has become a reality thanks to AI-powered chatbots.
FAIRY Project: A New Type of Flying Robot for Artificial Pollination: Researchers at Tampere University in Finland have developed a new type of flying robot called FAIRY, which could help solve the issue of the loss of pollinators by mimicking their natural behavior.
The Australian Army is demonstrating a new system that allows soldiers to control robot dogs with their minds. The technology uses brain signals to direct the robot's movements. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9751743/Killer-robot-dogs-controlled-soldiers-MINDS-set-war.html
Protect Your Unique Art Style with Glaze: A Tool to Foil AI Copycats: Many artists are worried about their unique style being used to train AI systems that could generate copycat art. Glaze is a tool that adds tiny changes to original artwork to prevent AI models from copying an artist's style.
