A late happy Easter
The sun is peeking out more often, and the temperature is slowly rising. With the body and head recharged after a few Easter holidays, we are once again ready to give everything we got. That’s why we also have 5 digital news ready for you.
X is giving out premium memberships, Meta is changing its policy on AI-generated content, and soon TikTok’s new photo app might be coming to market.
There is plenty to dive into. So, get ready: it’s time for the April edition of Xtracts, your digital news overview.
1. X is giving out Premium memberships
Elon Musk’s plan to hand out free Premium and Premium Plus memberships to users with a certain number of verified followers is now in progress. All X accounts with over 2,500 verified followers receive a free Premium membership, while accounts with over 5,000 receive a free Premium Plus membership.
It also means that more users are finding that the familiar blue verification mark has appeared next to their name without them having paid for it – and without their permission. Not everyone appreciates this gesture or wants to be associated with having bought the blue mark.
Previously, when the platform was still called Twitter, the blue mark was reserved for profiles belonging to politicians, journalists, and celebrities, so users knew that it was the person’s real profile. When this was made into something that everyone could pay for, many lost their mark, and the dissatisfaction was palpable – and it seems to be once again.
Source: The Verge
2. OpenAI and Google have used YouTube for training their AI models
The two tech giants, Google and OpenAI, have transcribed YouTube videos as part of training their AI models. And it may well be against the creators’ copyright.
It’s not just a few videos, but more than a million hours of content. According to reports, OpenAI used Whisper, a speech recognition tool, to transcribe the many hours of content, and subsequently fed it to the AI system GPT-4 – the system that ChatGPT’s chatbot is run by.
Not only is it in conflict with the creators’ copyright, but it is also in conflict with Google’s own rules. Google claims they have no knowledge of what OpenAI has been up to. Whether it is true, or whether they have not acted because they were in the process of doing the same thing themselves, is anyone’s guess.
Source: Mashable
3. Meta updates their policy on AI-generated content
Recently, Meta updated their policy regarding AI-generated content on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads – with a greater focus on transparency rather than content removal.
Until now, Meta’s definition of “manipulative media” has only been in relation to video, but it now also includes sound and images. The updated policy is particularly based on not being perceived as restricting freedom of expression. Therefore, there is more focus on transparency by labeling content that can be categorized as potentially problematic, rather than always removing it.
Two labels have therefore been introduced: Made with AI and Imagined with AI. In this way, users are made aware of what has been made with AI and what has been changed with AI. However, this does not mean that all content is allowed on Meta’s channels, and harmful content will therefore still be removed – regardless of whether it is made by humans or AI.
Source: Search Engine Journal
4. TikTok may soon expand with new photo app
TikTok Notes. That’s the name of TikTok’s new app, dedicated to images. It has been a long time coming, but now it seems that it won’t be long before the new app becomes a reality. Already, some users have started getting notifications that the pictures they share in TikTok are also being shared on TikTok Notes.
The app is a clone of what Instagram originally was, filled with images that have already been shared on TikTok’s main channel. Maybe that as well as the name is a hint for Meta?
In the wake of a potential ban on TikTok in the US, the new photo app can be seen as an attempt to live without the popular video app. Time will tell whether TikTok succeeds in creating a successful sister channel just for images.
Source: Social Media Today
5. Instagram ready with useful sticker for your stories
Recently, Instagram added a new feature to their stories. Or rather, a new sticker: Notify. It should help content creators maintain a stronger connection with their followers. If the followers click on the sticker, they get the option to choose to be notified when the profile in question posts new content on their profile – either in the form of posts, stories, reels, or live videos.
The algorithms are constantly changing, and over a long period of time it has been difficult for content creators to get their content out among their followers. Therefore, the sticker can be a welcome friend to avoid or at least mitigate this problem – also for companies active on Instagram.
Source: Social Media Today