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Apple’s Podcasts app will let you ‘seamlessly’ switch between audio and video shows

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Apple is upgrading its Podcasts app to let users "seamlessly" swap between audio and video podcasts using its HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. While listening to a show, users will be able to switch to a horizontal video version of the podcast and download the video versions of a podcast for offline viewing. By giving users the option to quickly change between audio and video, Apple might be able to keep users from jumping to other platforms to watch episodes of their favorite shows. Video is becoming an increasingly popular way to consume podcasts, with YouTube saying last February that more than 1 billion people watch podcasts on the … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/AGXB3Kv

After spooking Hollywood, ByteDance will tweak safeguards on new AI model

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Hollywood groups have spoken out against Seedance 2.0 since generated videos like fight scenes between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt went viral. | Image by Dave Benett / WireImage via Getty TikTok creator ByteDance says that it is working to improve safeguards on its new AI video generator after Disney, Paramount, and Hollywood trade groups accused the tool of violating copyright protections. Concerns were raised after hyperrealistic videos generated by the Seedance 2.0 model went viral last week, with the likeness of actors, such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, and characters from Dragon Ball Z , Family Guy , and Pokémon . "ByteDance respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0," a ByteDance spokesperson said in a statement shared by CNBC . "We are taking steps to strengthen current saf … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/aQLM4cF

A Star is born

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Two hours before one of the most important live events in Netflix's history, LA's sprawling CBS Radford Studio Center is abuzz with the strangest combination of things. As I walk through one cavernous soundstage on a Tuesday afternoon, I hear multiple people warming up their voices to sing. I pass a man carefully waving a hair dryer in front of a piano. Outside, a man and a woman, both in scant black leather, walk past with a wave. I'm told they're aerialists. Somewhere in this enormous rehearsal space, there's also a 74-year-old budding standup comedian, an 11-year-old gospel singer, and a dancing border collie. Such is the wondrous, bizar … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/NQ2ISPE

OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI

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Sam Altman announced on X that Peter Steinberger, the man behind the trendy AI agent OpenClaw , was joining OpenAI. He said that Steinberger has "a lot of amazing ideas" about getting AI agents to interact with each other, saying "the future is going to be extremely multi-agent." He also said that this ability for agents to work together will "quickly become core to our product offerings." OpenClaw, previously known as Moltbot and Clawdbot, exploded on the scene earlier this year and became the darling of the tech world . Its rise was swift, but not without its bumps along the way. Earlier this month, researchers found over 400 malicious skil … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Du6q03i

Apple’s first-gen AirTags are still worth buying now that they’re $16 apiece

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The first-gen AirTag remains a good tracker, though remember you’ll need to buy a separate accessory to attach it to your belongings. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge With Apple’s second-gen AirTags now widely available, we’re already seeing inventory of the first-gen model begin to dwindle. Case in point? Amazon is no longer selling a single AirTag, and it’s unclear when — or if — the retailer will restock the first-gen model. Thankfully, you can still grab a four-pack of the first-gen location trackers for around $64 ($35 off) at Amazon , Walmart , and Best Buy for Presidents Day, which is $2 shy of the bundle’s best price to date. If you just want one, you can also buy a single tracker at Walmart for $17 ($12 off). Apple AirTag (first-gen) Where to Buy: $99 $64 at Amazon (four-pack) $99 $64 at Walmart (four-pack) $99 $64.99 at Best Buy (four-pack) If you’re an iPhone owner, you’d be hard-pressed to find another tracker that’s as precise or as helpful as Apple...

AI can’t make good video game worlds yet, and it might never be able to

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This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about video game industry's pushback against generative AI, follow Jay Peters . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started Long before the generative AI explosion, video game developers made games that could generate their own worlds. Think of titles like Minecraft or even the original 1980 Rogue that is the basis for the term "roguelike"; these games and many others create worlds on the fly with certain rules and parameters. Human developers painstakingly work to make s … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/AByL9uk

Jikipedia turns Epstein’s emails into an encyclopedia of his powerful friends

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Lesley Groff, Epstein’s executive assistant. | Image: Jmail The folks behind Jmail are at it again with a clone of Wikipedia that turns the treasure trove of data in Epstein's emails into detailed dossiers on his associates. Entries include known visits to Epstein's properties, possible knowledge of Epstein's crimes, and laws that they might have broken. The reports are dense, listing how many emails they exchanged with Epstein, basic biographical information, and details about how they're connected. Beyond that, there are entries for the properties Epstein owns , detailing how they were acquired and the alleged activities that took place there. There are also entries for his business dealings, incl … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/aHtLliW