Digital world

  Video streaming giant YouTube is working on a new way to ensure users see ads and don’t skip them. This includes hiding the ‘Skip’ button option. The free viewing experience that users have been benefiting from, thanks to the Skip button, could soon be disguised from user view. But if you’ve really got a problem with ads, the app is giving you the chance to pay extra and subscribe to Premium. Google says ad monetization is one of the chief ways it makes money and helps creators get their rightful share. Hence, features like ad blockers have already made it hard for websites on the search engine to benefit and now the skip button is also hindering its monetization potential. We can see this as a smart tactic to push marketing of its premium tier. Remember, so many viewers are complaining about how ad segments keep getting longer by the day. And if you can’t skip them, it just adds to a not-so-pleasurable experience. The app has been very vocal about the ongoing debate against free...

  At Apple's yearly meeting, big shareholders have a chance to suggest changes. This year, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) wants Apple to share how it uses AI and its rules for using this technology safely. Norges Bank Investment Management and Legal & General, two of Apple's biggest shareholders, are  backing this idea . Norges Bank says Apple should think about how its work and products affect society. Legal & General talked to Apple about being more open with its AI plans but didn't get the details they wanted. They think Apple should be clear about how it uses AI and how it manages any risks. A big advisory group, Institutional Shareholder Services, is telling Apple's investors to support this AI proposal. They believe Apple's current rules don't fully cover the risks of using AI. This makes it hard for shareholders to understand the dangers. Apple, however, doesn't want this proposal to pass. T...

  Search engine giant Google has just  rolled out  a series of changes to its Misrepresentation policy related to ads on the platform. The company confirmed today how the goal is to address all kinds of issues involving deceiving practices where impersonation and fake affiliations were taking place at large. A new statement from Google was also published in this regard where they mentioned how Google Ads would be updating its Unacceptable business endeavors as a part of its Misrepresentation policy that entails grabbing users' attentio n by giving them data or funds through fake affiliations or by ads by public figures or brands that make it all seem so real. The policy change is set to begin as early as next month when Google Ads will begin rolling out new policies to limit those ads that falsely claim links with well-known names of famous personalities so that they can manipulate the users out there. There has been a little delay for some French advertisers who have til...

A recent study conducted by the European Commission highlights a concerning trend among social media influencers, with the majority failing to disclose paid content. This omission not only contravenes advertising guidelines but also raises legal implications for both influencers and the brands they promote. European Union regulations mandate influencers to maintain transparency in their posts, ensuring they do not disseminate false or deceptive information about products or services. Specifically, influencers must disclose any financial or non-monetary benefits received from endorsing a brand's offerings. The study examined  posts from 576 influencers across major social media platforms and uncovered significant deficiencies. While nearly all influencers (97%) shared content with commercial intent, only a minority 2 in 10 (or 20 percent to be exact) consistently disclosed the promotional nature of their posts. A notable portion (30%) omitted essential company details, such as conta...

  It’s a brave new world: we’ve got self-driving cars, airport robots helping you find your gate, and refrigerators that can tell you when you need milk. Regardless of their purpose, smart tech has more Americans attuned to the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape these days. For many, that means excitement about the growing cache of AI jobs out there. It’s true that opportunities in AI are taking off, and a  new study  by moveBuddha shows hotspots where this niche job market is booming. With California’s long-time dominance in tech and startups, it only makes sense that almost 25% of the country’s AI jobs are in the Golden State. But there’s plenty of gold to go around. Up-and-comers are competing for dominance, and two states even have more AI jobs per capita than California: Virginia and Maryland each have 6 jobs available for every 10,000 residents. The study shows where AI jobs are taking off — and where job seekers might want to take off and relocate. This post sh...

  Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, shared insights into his unconventional leadership style during a recent  episode of the Morning Brew Daily podcast . He expressed a reluctance towards delegating responsibilities, a principle that has sparked controversy within the business and leadership community. Zuckerberg emphasized the importance, in his view, for founders to immerse themselves in decision-making processes and various aspects of their company's operations. He acknowledged the necessity of recognizing personal limitations to avoid hindering progress. Despite his inclination towards hands-on involvement, Zuckerberg acknowledged the indispensability of a talented team to handle essential tasks beyond his capacity. Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen Reflecting on his evolving confidence over time, Zuckerberg asserted his commitment to delving deeply into various matters and steering them towards his envisioned direction. He acknowledged the inevitability of setbacks but...

  n August 2020, Apple stopped Epic Games from using its developer accounts. This was because of a big disagreement over how the iOS App Store works. Now, over three years later, Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, got its Apple developer account back. This is thanks to new rules in the EU. Epic Games said on Friday that they can now work on making the Epic Games Store for iOS devices. They plan to open it in 2024. The store and Fortnite in Europe will be run by Epic Games Sweden AB. The team there will lead the work. The problem started when Apple kicked out Epic Games because they didn't agree on the App Store's rules. Epic Games couldn't put Fortnite or other apps on Apple's devices after that. But things have changed in the European Union. A new rule called the Digital Markets Act made Apple change. Now, Apple has to let other companies make their own app stores for iOS in the EU. Epic Games and others still think Apple controls too much. Even Epic's boss, Tim Sw...

  Apple made a surprising announcement  in November , revealing plans to introduce RCS support for the iPhone within the year. The decision sparked speculation about the motivations behind Apple's change of direction. In an analysis featured on  Daring Fireball , John Gruber suggests that China played a pivotal role in Apple's decision-making process. According to Gruber, insights gathered from various sources indicate that China's regulatory environment exerted significant pressure on Apple to comply with RCS support requirements for 5G device certification. China, known for its proactive stance on RCS adoption, is in the process of enacting legislation mandating RCS support for 5G devices seeking certification. Despite concerns regarding the absence of encryption provisions within the RCS standard, the Chinese government appears steadfast in its commitment. Consequently, iOS support for RCS is largely perceived as a strategic move to align with China's regulatory fram...

  Tech giant Meta is facing great scrutiny from watchdogs located in the EU. The news comes after the rollout of ad-free subscriptions took center stage in 2023 but EU regulators feel the thought of the ‘pay or ok’ initiative is just worrisome and they’re making sure Meta knows how they feel about this. In the recently   published joint letter , several watchdogs from that part of the globe had people talking more on this front and speaking against the model for ad-free subscriptions. The leading concern is that there is a $14 monthly fee attached which Meta would take to ensure user data was secure and privacy was maintained at all times. The firms who are expressing concern include those hailing from Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands. There were plenty of concerned parties who felt Meta’s Pay or Okay policy might be too expensive and therefore they would find it hard to say no to the option that allows them to reject the offer. The document similarly goes on to point out ...

  Google just unveiled  Gemini 1.5 , its latest rendition of the conversational AI system. The product is said to entail a greater array of advances in better efficiency, long-form reasoning, and enhanced performance. The latest system was detailed in a post by Google’s AI head that entailed a large figure of architecture enhancements, ensuring the core model can perform on the same level as the big Gemini 1.0 Ultra endeavor, without using extra computing resources. This latter was rolled out in the past week. The biggest leap comes at a time when there’s a huge window for carrying out experiments that the company says have to do with long-form context comprehension. The standard model of Gemini analyzes several prompts within a small 128k token context. With this new upgrade, the model will have a large number of data to process which can now be done quicker than before. This huge leap arose at a time when we saw the firm’s CEO analyze and classify as well as summarize a huge...