Google plans to test search and shopping ads in its AI Overviews, drawing from advertisers' existing campaigns; AI Overviews rolled out to US users last week (Paresh Dave/Wired)

Mediagazer: Google plans to test search and shopping ads in its AI Overviews, drawing from advertisers’ existing campaigns; AI Overviews rolled out to US users last week (Paresh Dave/Wired) Top News: Associated Press: Israeli officials reverse course and order the return of seized camera equipment to AP, after earlier seizing cameras and blocking AP’s live feed from Gaza— Israel’s communications minister ordered the government to return seized camera equipment to The Associated Press after blocking its live video of Gaza earlier Tuesday. Discussion: Freedom of the Press …, Reuters, AP Definitive Source, ABC News, Breitbart, @barakravid, The Guardian, Mediaite, Politico, @austinahlman, Deadline, Semafor, Committee to Protect …, @mairavz, Voice of America, New York Times, @tbridis, Axios, @onthemedia, @erikwemple, @megankstack, @margbrennan, @barakravid, Newser, @brianstelter, @jongambrellap, CNN, @andreas_krieg, @mehdirhasan, @frances_coppola, @ap_corpcomm, @barakravid, Reclaim The Net, The Daily Beast, @bgrueskin, @fpaispal, @rhijazi, @noa_landau, @jangelooff, @barakravid, The Wrap and عول … Discussion: Lauren Easton / AP Definitive Source: AP statement on Israel’s shutdown of live shot ABC News: Israeli officials seize AP equipment and take down live shot of northern Gaza, citing new media law Barak Ravid / @barakravid: BREAKING: Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi caves: “Since the Ministry of Defense wishes to examine the matter of the broadcasts from these locations in Sderot regarding the risk to our forces, I have now ordered to cancel the operation and return the equipment to Peter Beaumont / The Guardian: Israeli officials cancel decision to confiscate camera from US news agency Alex Griffing / Mediaite: AP Condemns Israel In ‘the Strongest Terms’ For Seizing Its Equipment, Cutting Live Feed From Gaza Zachary Leeman / Mediaite: Karine Jean-Pierre Asked By AP About Israeli Officials Seizing Equipment: ‘How Is That Acceptable Behavior in a Democracy?’ Austin Ahlman / @austinahlman: what a cool stunt to pull the day after lecturing everyone about how they’re a democracy with legitimate institutions capable of handling accusations of wrongdoing without international interventions Ted Johnson / Deadline: Israeli Officials Shut Down AP Live Shot, Seize Equipment For Violation Of Media Law Diego Mendoza / Semafor: Associated Press equipment seizure underscores Israel’s tenuous press freedoms Committee to Protect Journalists: Israeli authorities confiscate AP equipment broadcasting live feed of Gaza @mairavz: First they came for Al Jazeera, then for ⁦@AP⁩ . Supposedly because Al Jazeera receives live feeds of AP footage. https://www.haaretz.com/… Ted Bridis / @tbridis: Associated Press objects to Israeli government’s shutdown of live video feed showing Gaza, seizure of its equipment. Calls actions ‘abusive’ under new law https://blog.ap.org/… @onthemedia: Listen to our recent interview with Israeli media critic @OrenPersico who has been reporting on the passage of this new law: https://www.wnycstudios.org/ … @erikwemple: After Israel shut down Al Jazeera on May 5, there were lots of questions about how the ban would work. Well: The AP is reporting that Israeli officials have seized one of its cameras and other equipment because it was providing images to Al Jazeera: https://apnews.com/… Megan K. Stack / @megankstack: One obvious but important lesson of conflict reporting (or any reporting really) is that the ones who try to block journalists are almost always the ones who have more to hide. Margaret Brennan / @margbrennan: Stunning. The AP is a source of information and reporting for massive numbers of news organizations around the world. Barak Ravid / @barakravid: Israeli opposition Leader Yair Lapid: “The confiscation of the equipment of the AP, the world’s largest news agency, by minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi’s people, is an act of madness. This is not Al Jazeera, this is an American media outlet that has won 53 Pulitzer Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: AP statement: “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment…” https://apnews.com/… Jon Gambrell / @jongambrellap: An @AP statement on #Israel’s shutdown of live shot: “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment.” Dr Andreas Krieg / @andreas_krieg: After Al Jazeera Israel is going after the Associated Press When the truth can’t be subverted anymore through weaponized narratives, they choose coercion Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: “The only democracy in the Middle East” Frances ‘Cassandra’ Coppola / @frances_coppola: Israel ups its censorship of international press coverage of Gaza. This is not compatible with its claim to be a liberal democracy. Press freedom should be sacrosanct. Clearly, it is anything but. Barak Ravid / @barakravid: BREAKING: White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre told reports that the Biden administration is concerned by reports that the Israeli government confiscated equipment of the AP. She said journalists need to have the right and the ability to do their job Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: That “only functional democracy the Middle East” slogan is in deep trouble Rawan Hijazi / @rhijazi: Apparently it’s because Al Jazeera is using the live feed in its bulletins. Israel, the Middle East’s “only democracy”. Noa Landau / @noa_landau: Israel seized ⁦@AP⁩ equipment accusing the news organization of violating the country’s new ban on Al Jazeera, because AJ is among thousands of AP live feed clients. This is beyond ridiculous & just wrong. We warned this law is a slippery slope https://www.haaretz.com/… Jake Offenhartz / @jangelooff: “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment.” Barak Ravid / @barakravid: BREAKING: U.S. officials spoke today with officials in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, expressed concerns about the Israeli ministry of communications crackdown on @AP and asked to reverse this move, two sources with knowledge of the issue told me Natalie Korach / The Wrap: Israeli Government Shuts Down AP Live Feed From Gaza, Seizes Equipment as New Media Law Takes Effect Variety: Comcast says StreamSaver, a bundle of Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+, will be available starting next week to Comcast TV or broadband customers at $15/month— Comcast, as its legacy cable TV business continues to shrink, has built a new cable-style bundle for the streaming era. Discussion: Xfinity, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, StreamTV Insider, Reuters, Next TV, Adweek, The Hill, Advanced Television, Media Play News, Axios, The Verge, 9to5Mac, @loudmouthjulia, Jason Weitzel on LinkedIn, UPROXX, The Wrap, The Streamable, IndieWire, @tvgrimreaper, Cord Cutters News, WORLD SCREEN and Bloomberg Discussion: Dade Hayes / Deadline: Comcast Sets Price Of StreamSaver Bundle Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter: Comcast Reveals Pricing Details for Its Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ Bundle Bevin Fletcher / StreamTV Insider: Comcast details Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+, bundle for $15 per month Harshita Mary Varghese / Reuters: Comcast prices Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+ streaming bundle at $15 a month Daniel Frankel / Next TV: Comcast’s Dave Watson: Focus Is on Revenue, Not Broadband Additions Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Comcast releases pricing on ‘StreamSaver’ bundle Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Comcast Sets $15 Price For Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV+ StreamSaver Bundle Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac: Netflix, Apple TV+ and Peacock bundle priced at $15/mo for Comcast Xfinity customers Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: “More streaming, more consumption.” Comcast: broadband ARPU growth (3-4%) even as net adds stall. Wireless = high growth business, ~5% of Comcast’s business. Video declining, but margins still healthy. Peacock? TBD. You can where and why investment is. https://variety.com/… Jason Weitzel / Jason Weitzel on LinkedIn: It’s a total bargain. Comcast announced pricing for what was teased last week: the StreamSaver bundle combining Netflix, Apple TV+ and Peacock for new and existing Xfinity customers. … Nina Braca / UPROXX: The Price For Comcast’s Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV+ Bundle Sounds Too Good To Be True Matt Tamanini / The Streamable: Comcast to Offer First-Ever Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock Bundle for Just $15 @tvgrimreaper: $15/mo vs $25 if purchased separately. Ads versions of Netflix & Peacock only. Available to Comcast customers only. Given that many Comcast customers get Peacock “free”, the discount from $18 retail for the other 2 is comically trivial for them. Luke Bouma / Cord Cutters News: Peacock, Netflix, & Apple TV+ Will Soon Cost Just $15 a Month or $100 a Year to Comcast Customers Mansha Daswani / WORLD SCREEN: Comcast Unveils Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+ Bundle Molly Schuetz / Bloomberg: Comcast Sets $15 Monthly Tab for Netflix, Apple, Peacock Bundle The Daily Beast: Russian state-run channel Rossiya24 is broadcasting days-old episodes of Tucker Carlson’s show with a Russian voiceover— THEY’LL NEVER LET GO — Hilariously, the supposedly new program called “Tucker” is just days-old episodes of his show with a Russian voiceover. Discussion: Mediaite, Newsweek, New York Daily News, @neilpateltdc, @brianstelter, @billkristol and Boing Boing Discussion: Brendan Cole / Newsweek: Tucker Carlson Show Aired By Russian State TV Brian Niemietz / New York Daily News: Tucker Carlson show launches on Russian state television Neil Patel / @neilpateltdc: The Tucker Carlson Network has not done any deals with state media in any country. Whoever is currently pretending to be the old Newsweek brand would know that if they had checked with us before printing like news companies are supposed to do. Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: @AaronBlake Seems like they’re just picking up Tucker’s web videos and translating them? Bill Kristol / @billkristol: With the news that Tucker Carlson is launching a show on Russian State television, all one can say is that any ambiguity and hesitancy seems to have faded away, and that the spokesman has now embraced his master. [image] Bloomberg: Sources: Apple files a lawsuit at the EU’s General Court to challenge a March 2024 decision to impose a €1.8B fine for thwarting competition in music streaming— — Company files suit at EU’s General Court to topple penalty — Fine was sparked by long-running dispute with top music rival Discussion: Benzinga, MacRumors, AppleInsider, The Verge and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme » Discussion: Shivani Kumaresan / Benzinga: Apple Vs. Spotify: iPhone Maker Fights $1.95B EU Fine Over App Store Practices William Gallagher / AppleInsider: Apple takes EU to court over $2 billion Apple Music fine Jess Weatherbed / The Verge: Apple is challenging its $2 billion EU antitrust fine. Ben Lovejoy / 9to5Mac: Apple fights $2B antitrust fine over Spotify complaint, challenging EU in court Axios: Sources: Google is warning nonprofit newsrooms that passage of a new California ad tax bill would threaten to pause Google News Initiative funding in US— — That statement was made in response to a bill, introduced by California Assembly member Buffy Wicks last year, that would essentially … Discussion: @jmhaigh, @jason_kint, @matthewkeyslive, @dicktofel, @cjl4news, @bmorrissey, @lorenasgonzalez, @stevenwaldman and @mattdpearce Discussion: Jason Kint / @jason_kint: News flash. Google’s philanthropy exists to serve its market power. DOJ should investigate the allegations below as evidence of retaliation as trials and legislation seek to curb market power abuse. [image] Matthew Keys / @matthewkeyslive: I participated in the most-recent round of the Google News Initiative. I was never told this, nor were other participants. Richard Tofel / @dicktofel: Clarifying for anyone who thought Google engaged in GNI funding because of a commitment to a free and independent press @cjl4news: This is unacceptable behavior from Google. We’re going to address it at our upcoming event with @openmarkets & @GuardianUS on fighting disinformation — and protecting reliable information (the news!). Join us June 27: https://www.journalismliberty.org/ … Brian Morrissey / @bmorrissey: Nonprofit news as human shields. Hitching your business to these companies is insane. Lorena Gonzalez / @lorenasgonzalez: @californialabor stands in solidarity with ⁦@newsguild⁩ calling on the full senate to pass SB1327 today. If passed, this bill will dramatically improve the capacity of local newsrooms to deliver news that preserves democracy and informs communities. https://newsguild.org/… Steven Waldman / @stevenwaldman: Thank you CA labor unions! SB1327 would be the most significant support for local news in American history — nonpartisan, 1A-friendly tax credit for newsrooms to hire/retain local reporters, paid for by a tax on Google, Meta and Amazon. Senate vote is today. Weigh in! NBC News: Scarlett Johansson says she declined OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice offer and was “shocked, angered” that Sam Altman would pursue Sky, a voice “eerily similar” to hers— The “Her” actor released a statement following OpenAI pulling its “Sky” voice from ChatGPT, which many people said sounded like her. Discussion: NPR, @openai, CNET, The Wrap, Reuters, SlashFilm, Business Insider, The Verge, Digital Music News, Metro.co.uk, Global News, @alabut@techhub.social, Kathy Caprino on LinkedIn, Vanity Fair, Associated Press, GB News, @conorsen, @benjysarlin, Nishith Chennakeshava on LinkedIn, @katienotopoulos, @kyliebytes, @kattenbarge, @pkafka, @minimaxir, @maccaw, @lexnfx, The Hill, @gartenberg, @ashleymayer, UPROXX, @elonmusk, @tomaxwell, HuffPost, @SteveCooke@zirk.us, CMU, @mer__edith, @bcmerchant, Florian Niggemeier on LinkedIn, RTÉ, @willoremus, SheKnows, @markgurman, @minimaxir, Bill Bernard on LinkedIn, @drkatedevlin, @shiringhaffary, @chrisgeidner, @garymarcus, @fordm, @alexrkonrad, @loudmouthjulia, @eriqgardner, @shockproofbeats, Forbes, @cwarzel, @carnage4life, @kantrowitz, Us Weekly, The Register, Shelly Palmer, New York Times, Reuters, Zeynep Arsel on LinkedIn, Fox News, Liza Adams on LinkedIn, Benzinga, Page Six, David Deal on LinkedIn, @DAIR@dair-community.social, Fast Company, The A.V. Club, Platformer, New York Post, The Information, VentureBeat, Paul Roetzer on LinkedIn, Erika Hall on LinkedIn, @crumbler@threads.net, @jbillinson@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @eshumarneedi@threads.net, @wongmjane@threads.net, @motorcityadam@threads.net, @kevinroose@threads.net, @bzamayo@threads.net, @sung.kim.mw@threads.net, @trevorcroker@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @mikehos3@threads.net, @makenakellyx@threads.net, @loveallthis@threads.net, Rolling Stone, New York Daily News, Boing Boing, Wired, E! Online, TechCrunch, @keith@cute.is, @MikeElgan@mastodon.social, Bloomberg, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @kagan@wandering.shop, TMZ.com, IndieWire, Variety, BGR, The Wrap, The Verge, CBS News, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, RTÉ, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Forbes, TechCrunch, TVLine, Deadline and CNN, more at Techmeme » Discussion: @openai: We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky. We are working to pause the use of Sky while we address them. Read more about how we chose these voices: https://openai.com/… Sareena Dayaram / CNET: Scarlett Johansson ‘Angered’ Over OpenAI’s Chatbot Mimicking ‘Her’ Voice Raquel ‘Rocky’ Harris / The Wrap: Scarlett Johansson Gets Support From SAG-AFTRA and Actors Over OpenAI Voice Scandal: ‘Just the Beginning’ Jeremy Mathai / SlashFilm: Scarlett Johansson Lashes Out At The AI Company Copying Her Best Performance Eammon Jacobs / Business Insider: Tangling with Scarlett Johansson is a move OpenAI may come to regret Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge: Scarlett Johansson told OpenAI not to use her voice — and she’s not happy they might have anyway Ashley King / Digital Music News: Scarlett Johansson Lawyers Up After OpenAI ‘Mimics’ Voice for ChatGPT AI Assistant Jen Mills / Metro.co.uk: It’s not only Scarlett Johansson who should worry about AI taking her voice Sarah Do Couto / Global News: Scarlett Johansson ‘shocked, angered’ over ‘eerily similar’ ChatGPT voice Al Abut / @alabut@techhub.social: Anyone remember when we used to describe Twitter’s founding team as “a clown car that crashed into a gold mine” back in the day? Looks like OpenAI is the new ongoing circus car wreck that keeps failing upwards. — https://www.nbcnews.com/… Kathy Caprino / Kathy Caprino on LinkedIn: I find this development (see article below, via NBC News, written by Kat Tenbarge) — deeply disturbing on many levels. … Associated Press: Scarlett Johansson Blasts OpenAI for Unauthorized Soundalike Chatbot — Company Apologizes, Pulls Voice Aaron Brown / GB News: ChatGPT slams brakes on flirty chatbot voice after ‘shocked’ Scarlett Johansson makes serious complaint Conor Sen / @conorsen: Now whenever a reporter or politician is trying to point out the IP issues of AI they can say “Sam stole ScarJo’s voice even after she denied consent.” It’s a much easier story to sell to the general public and members of Congress. Benjy Sarlin / @benjysarlin: Well I’m sure the AI company accused of stealing a famous actress’ voice and sticking it in a sexy robot after she refused a deal will be meticulous about making sure our articles, photos, music, and videos don’t get mixed up without compensation Nishith Chennakeshava / Nishith Chennakeshava on LinkedIn: I’ve always imagined AI as something that will liberate us from work, and give us the freedom to pursue tasks that we truly want to be doing … Katie Notopoulos / @katienotopoulos: lol they actually MET with her first, this is so much worse than I initially thought https://x.com/… Kylie Robison / @kyliebytes: Last Monday, I asked OAI CTO Mira Murati if the Scarlett Johansson voice was intentional, she said that wasn’t the case at all. One week later, ScarJo is coming for OAI with the receipts… [image] Kat Tenbarge / @kattenbarge: Re: Scarlett Johansson and AI, she has been one of the celebrities at the forefront of the nonconsensual deepfakes issue for longer than most people knew they existed. She spoke out about the legal impossibilites of fighting them back in 2018 https://www.washingtonpost.com/ … Max Woolf / @minimaxir: One interesting legal caveat is that the Sky voice isn’t “ScarJo”, it’s ScarJo as acted in the movie Her. An issue with VAs having their voice stolen by AI models is that they have no legal standing because their performance is owned by their client, and therefore no ownership. Alexei Oreskovic / @lexnfx: Skygate thoughts: 1. Shady as it is, not actually misuse of digital likeness. Just old fashioned subterfuge 2. This is a big, perhaps irrecoverable, blow to Altman’s credibility (if it’s true) 3. Calls into question gov penchant for having industry leaders on AI policy panels Nick Robertson / The Hill: Scarlett Johansson ‘shocked, angered’ by ChatGPT voice that sounded ‘eerily similar’ to hers Michael Gartenberg / @gartenberg: So basically, when Altman said Sky wasn’t modeled on Scarlett Johansson he was totally lying Ashley Mayer / @ashleymayer: When you shoot for Her and get Black Mirror instead. Aaron Williams / UPROXX: Scarlett Johansson Wasn’t Happy OpenAI’s New ChatGPT System Sounds Like ‘Her’ Elon Musk / @elonmusk: @cb_doge Dick move Thomas Maxwell / @tomaxwell: The creepiness of clearly imitating ScarJo’s voice, after she met with OpenAI and said no thanks, combined with how it felt sort of flirty in the demo videos, is kind of what bothers me more than the IP stuff. But also reminds me of the old FB days when it was releasing Nick Visser / HuffPost: Scarlett Johansson ‘Shocked, Angered’ After OpenAI Bot Has Voice Eerily Like Hers @SteveCooke@zirk.us: It has been apparent for a long time that what the AI tech-bros really want is not artificial intelligence, but an entirely subservient woman to do their chores for them. — https://www.nbcnews.com/… Chris Cooke / CMU: Scarlett Johansson accuses ChatGPT of stealing her voice Meredith Whittaker / @mer__edith: The edge lord disrespect, unprofessionalism, strategic blundering typical of actual decision making in the AI industry speaks infinitely louder than all the voluntary safety pledges ever could. In fact, those pledges serve mainly to highlight how far the walk is from the talk. Brian Merchant / @bcmerchant: “Open” AI is now a company that: -keeps all of its training data and key operations secret -forced employees to sign powerful NDAs or forfeit equity -won’t say whether it trained its video generator on YouTube -lies to movie stars then lies about the lies “Open.” What a farce. Florian Niggemeier / Florian Niggemeier on LinkedIn: Welcome to the latest episode of the shitty soap opera that is “Artificial Intelligence”. “Oh, Scarlett doesn’t want to sell her voice for propaganda purposes? … Will Oremus / @willoremus: This seems pretty brazen until you remember that it’s the official stance of OpenAI and other tech giants that they have the right to scrape pretty much anyone’s published work at any time without permission in order to train their models to imitate it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ … Giovana Gelhoren / SheKnows: Scarlett Johansson’s Latest Legal Battle Shows How Recent Technology Can Really Threaten Celebrities Mark Gurman / @markgurman: Three weeks until WWDC Max Woolf / @minimaxir: ScarJo may not have standing, depending on the contract (I suspect hers is much different than typical VA). It might have to be Annapurna Pictures that sues OpenAI instead. Bill Bernard / Bill Bernard on LinkedIn: Hypothetical: — You’re the leadership of an AI company that is already facing some serious good-will issues with content creators … Kate Devlin / @drkatedevlin: If OpenAI wanted to “bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives” they could start by fairly compensating people whose work was stolen to feed the machine. Shirin Ghaffary / @shiringhaffary: Scarlett Johansson claiming that Sam Altman reached out to her prior to 4o’s release, wanted to use her voice, and when she declined, went ahead with it anyway. Not a good look for OpenAI as it’s trying to make partnerships w/ Hollywood industry Gary Marcus / @garymarcus: The OpenAI board was right. Even on little things, Sam is not consistently candid. Earlier today OpenAI said the resemblance to ScarJo was a “coincidence”. It was not: Alex Konrad / @alexrkonrad: Contacting ScarJo twice for permission to use her voice, not getting it and doing it anyway, then swiftly taking it down… not a good look for OpenAI if true 🤨 Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Concerning thing is upon being told no, OpenAI weighed the potential consequence of a prolific artist speaking out against the potential benefit of showing off a piece of technology fetching tens of billions in valuation, knowing where its backers would stand, and went “we win.” Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Scarlett Johansson vs. OpenAI is a blockbuster legal case in the making… and couldn’t come at a better time for SAG-AFTRA as it pushes for passage of No AI FRAUD Act @shockproofbeats: Clearly not the main point here, but there’s something so thunderingly literal about OpenAI wanting to replicate Scarlett Johansson’s voice in the first place. Even aside from the fact that Her was a sad film about sad people, they just have no original ideas of their own. Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel: just a microcosm of the extractive ai training dynamic. ‘we are building a thing that will bring us fame and fortune and maybe change the world (do you want that? well, it’s not up to you) and here’s the catch: it’s trained off your human output. you have two options. partner Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: This is nuts. Sam Altman asked Scarlett Johansson to voice ChatGPT 4o and when she refused, OpenAI hired someone else to mimic her voice from “Her” only to take it down after she complained. Wow. 🤯 [image] Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: Nuts. Pretty sensitive situation for actors when tech takes their talents, doesn’t pay, and makes it available at scale. Nicole Massabrook / Us Weekly: Scarlett Johansson Speaks Out About ChatGPT’s Sky, Declined Offer to Voice AI System Simon Sharwood / The Register: ScarJo voices anger at OpenAI’s unauthorized soundalike Tripp Mickle / New York Times: Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her Zeynep Arsel / Zeynep Arsel on LinkedIn: When your whole business plan is built on the idea of stealing intellectual property to sell composites of it to those who want to plagiarize … Liza Adams / Liza Adams on LinkedIn: It seems like AI companies are in the “ask for forgiveness” rather than “ask for permission” mode. With OpenAI and the “Sky” voice … Ananya Gairola / Benzinga: Scarlett Johansson ‘Forced To Hire’ Lawyer Over AI Voice Mimicry By Sam Altman-Led OpenAI: ‘I Was Shocked, Angered And In Disbelief’ Bernie Zilio / Page Six: ‘Angered’ Scarlett Johansson declined offer from OpenAI before company used voice ‘eerily similar’ to hers David Deal / David Deal on LinkedIn: Don’t mess with Scarlett Johansson. Disney learned that lesson painfully in 2021 when she filed a breach of contract lawsuit over her compensation for “Black Widow.” … Dair / @DAIR@dair-community.social: “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference…Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional … Jesus Diaz / Fast Company: OpenAI says its ChatGPT voice isn’t a Scarlett Johansson rip-off. Johansson disagrees Matt Schimkowitz / The A.V. Club: Scarlett Johansson shuts down OpenAI’s cursed Her remake Casey Newton / Platformer: OpenAI loses its voice David Propper / New York Post: Scarlett Johansson ‘shocked’ and ‘angered’ over ChatGPT voice that sounds ‘eerily similar’ to hers — says she rejected offer to do it Shubham Sharma / VentureBeat: ‘Not an imitation’: OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice that sounded like Scarlett Johansson Paul Roetzer / Paul Roetzer on LinkedIn: Last Monday, when OpenAI debuted its new voice model that was expressive, fast, and maybe a bit too flirty, people were impressed. … Erika Hall / Erika Hall on LinkedIn: So gross in so many ways. — “The new voice assistant will be publicly available in the coming weeks. … Casey Newton / @crumbler@threads.net: This is really looking like one for the “never tweet” hall of fame Josh Billinson / @jbillinson@threads.net: Really inspires a lot of confidence that this company has such poor judgement on something as low stakes as what the voice assistant will sound like. Probably no cause for alarm on their judgement in any other areas. Casey Newton / @crumbler@threads.net: It’s insane that OpenAI trotted out poor Joanne Jang to pretend that this was all just a big misunderstanding today when Altman had been negotiating to get ScarJo’s voice the whole time https://www.theverge.com/… @eshumarneedi@threads.net: Sam Altman’s “Her” tweet was absolutely ridiculous and he should’ve never sent it. This kind of unserious nonsense is only going to get the company in trouble. Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane@threads.net: So it seemed like @sama’s “her” tweet voided the plausible deniability and gave ScarJo the ammo to pursue the C&D Adam Cook / @motorcityadam@threads.net: Not that I think Apple is some bastion of ethics, but in my view, Apple would do well to cut loose of their recently-disclosed partnership with OpenAI. What Sam and OpenAI management did here flies in the face of Apple’s brand image if Apple wants to view it that way. And of course, the whole thing is just gross. … Kevin Roose / @kevinroose@threads.net: For a company that is usually so careful about PR, it’s wild that OpenAI didn’t anticipate that picking a fight with one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood (with a history of litigation!) would backfire. What did they think would happen? Benjamin Mayo / @bzamayo@threads.net: openai is going for the lawsuit speedrun challenge Sung Kim / @sung.kim.mw@threads.net: I am confused why Sam Altman would do this since Scarlett Johansson has a history of suing companies. She sued Disney for not guaranteeing an exclusive theatrical window for her movie during the pandemic. She was the ONLY actor who sued. Trevor Croker / @trevorcroker@threads.net: Now we know why Sam needed that $7T Casey Newton / @crumbler@threads.net: (reading Johansson statement on OpenAI) now that’s what I call a Scarlett letter!!!!!!! Mike / @mikehos3@threads.net: Sam Altman is the kind of coworker that takes your lunch from the office fridge that you have clearly labeled with your name. Makena Kelly / @makenakellyx@threads.net: the sheer confidence in seemingly moving ahead on all of this says a lot about openai and how it thinks about creatives, journalists, and basically anyone posting online Sarah Emerson / @loveallthis@threads.net: It is baffling — BAFFLING — that Sam Altman would go ahead with using Scarlett Johansson’s voice without permission, knowing he’ll alienate most of Hollywood. Tomás Mier / Rolling Stone: Scarlett Johansson ‘Shocked, Angered’ After ChatGPT Used Voice ‘Eerily Similar’ to Her Own Theresa Braine / New York Daily News: Scarlett Johansson lashes out at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for using voice ‘eerily similar’ to hers in ChatGPT Rob Beschizza / Boing Boing: Scarlett Johansson denied OpenAI the right to use her voice. They used it anyway. Lindsay Weinberg / E! Online: Scarlett Johansson Slams OpenAI for Using “Eerily Similar” Voice on ChatGPT’s Sky System Keith Kurson / @keith@cute.is: https://www.npr.org/… OpenAI is a company built on stealing things from other people. I’m not surprised by this, but they’re about to finally meet someone with a team of lawyers that made Disney pay up. Mike Elgan / @MikeElgan@mastodon.social: Scarlett Johansson got Sherlocked by OpenAI. They tried to hire her to voice GPT-4o. When she turned them down, they copied her voice and denied they copied it. Now they’re removing the fake ScarJo voice. This is the company inventing the future? — https://www.nbcnews.com/… [image] Rachel Metz / Bloomberg: Scarlett Johansson Hired Lawyers to Push Back on ‘Eerily Similar’ OpenAI Voice Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor@mastodon.social: …and, still aboard the Big Tech sleazeball express: “Open”AI used Scarlett Johansson’s voice even after being told not to do that. https://www.npr.org/… @kagan@wandering.shop: It’s really telling that after Scarlett Johansson’s lawyers asked OpenAI to detail how they created their new assistant’s voice, they didn’t answer in the form of, “Here’s how we did it, see, it doesn’t use Scarlett’s voice.” Instead, they just took it down. … Todd Spangler / Variety: Scarlett Johansson Says She Was ‘Shocked’ and ‘Angered’ Over OpenAI’s Use of a Voice That Was ‘Eerily Similar to Mine’ Andy Meek / BGR: Scarlett Johansson issues blistering statement against OpenAI and Sam Altman over ‘Sky’ Sharon Knolle / The Wrap: Scarlett Johansson Says She Declined ChatGPT’s Proposal to Use Her Voice for AI — But They Used It Anyway: ‘I Was Shocked’ Emilia David / The Verge: OpenAI is ‘in conversations’ with Scarlett Johansson over the ChatGPT voice that sounds just like her Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter: OpenAI to Pull ChatGPT Voice That Sounds Similar to Scarlett Johansson Nick Robins-Early / The Guardian: ChatGPT suspends Scarlett Johansson-like voice as actor speaks out against OpenAI Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times: Scarlett Johansson also thinks OpenAI’s new voice sounds like her. She’s not happy about it Ariel Zilber / New York Post: OpenAI to pull ChatGPT voice that sounds like Scarlett Johansson character in film ‘Her’ Robert Hart / Forbes: OpenAI Says Its Pulling ChatGPT Voice ‘Sky’ That Sounds Like Scarlett Johansson Nick Caruso / TVLine: Scarlett Johansson Says She Was ‘Shocked, Angered and in Disbelief’ After Hearing ChatGPT Voice That Sounds Like Her — Read Statement Deadline: Scarlett Johansson Had To Threaten OpenAI With Legal Action To Get Soundalike Voice Taken Down, Wants “Appropriate Legislation” To Stop Such Deepfakes — Update Variety: London’s High Court rejects Prince Harry’s bid to include claims against Rupert Murdoch and Piers Morgan in his phone hacking suit against News Group Newspapers— Harry — along with more than 40 other plaintiffs — is suing Murdoch’s U.K. newspaper business News Group Newspapers over claims … Discussion: Daniel Thomas / Financial Times: Prince Harry fails in attempt to include Rupert Murdoch in phone hacking trial Ben Chapman / GB News: Prince Harry warned he could ‘dissipate his fortune’ after suffering ‘expensive blow’ Richard Palmer / @royalreporter: Prince Harry and others cannot widen claims of unlawful news gathering at News Group Newspapers to bring in claims against Rupert Murdoch, Mr Justice Fancourt has ruled at the High Court in London. The judge said trying to include the media magnate amounted to a new case. Emily Ferguson / Daily Express: Prince Harry dealt major blow in his court case against publisher of The Sun Michael Holden / Reuters: Prince Harry cannot take allegations against Rupert Murdoch to trial, court rules Alexandra Topping / The Guardian: Prince Harry fails in bid to name Rupert Murdoch in phone-hacking case Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette: Harry barred from adding claims against Rupert Murdoch to unlawful reporting trial Rowena / @justrowena: Interesting that the Judge seems to have picked up here the same issue that so incensed Hugh Grant. That the trial is not an inquiry, nor a mechanism for press coverage on your issue. He’s got deeper pockets even than Grant, but he may be equally frustrated by the outcomes Sky News: Prince Harry cannot expand case against Sun’s publisher to include claims about Meghan, High Court rules Holly Evans / The Independent: Prince Harry suffers legal setback against Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper over hacking claims David Gilmour / Mediaite: Judge Blocks Prince Harry’s Claims Against ‘Trophy Targets’ Rupert Murdoch, Piers Morgan in Hacking Case Richard Palmer / @royalreporter: Lawyers for Harry and others asked the court in March to update their case, arguing Mr Murdoch knew of unlawful activity as early as 2004 but turned a blind eye. NGN has denied the claims, describing them as scurrilous and cynical. Lily Ford / The Hollywood Reporter: Prince Harry Cannot Take Claims Against Murdoch, Involving Meghan Markle, to Trial, Judge Rules Victoria Ward / Telegraph: Prince Harry loses bid to include Rupert Murdoch in phone hacking claim against The Sun Dorothy Reddin / GB News: Prince Harry suffers fresh blow in bitter legal battle Jon Blistein / Rolling Stone: Prince Harry Can’t Add Rupert Murdoch, Princess Diana, Meghan Markle Claims to Tabloid Snooping Suit Bloomberg: Pixar lays off ~175 employees, or around 14% of its workforce, the biggest restructuring in Pixar’s history, and plans to stop making original shows for Disney+— About 175 employees are getting layoff notices Tuesday, the company said. — The reductions reflect a decision to refocus Pixar … Discussion: Rebecca Rubin / Variety: Pixar Hit With Layoffs as 175 Staffers Cut Pamela McClintock / The Hollywood Reporter: Pixar lays off ~175 employees, or around 14% of its workforce, the biggest restructuring in Pixar’s history, and plans to stop making original shows for Disney+ Brooks Barnes / New York Times: Pixar Lays Off 14% of Its Staff and Will Stop Making Shows for Disney+ Samantha Masunaga / Los Angeles Times: Pixar layoffs are underway. About 175 jobs are being cut Anusuya Lahiri / Benzinga: Disney’s Pixar Cuts 14% Staff, Shifts Focus to Potential Blockbuster ‘Inside Out 2’ Charles Pulliam-Moore / The Verge: Pixar cuts 14 percent of workforce, shifts focus back to feature films Thomas Buckley / Bloomberg: Pixar Cuts 170 Jobs as Part of Disney CEO’s Cost-Reduction Efforts Jackie Szymanski / Jackie Szymanski on LinkedIn: Major Pixar Layoffs, Long-Expected, Now Underway In Restructuring. Roughly 14 percent of the workforce is cut as part of Disney’s company-wide cost-cutting measures. … New York Times: A US federal judge dismisses a sexual assault lawsuit against ex-Grammy Awards CEO Neil Portnow “without prejudice”; the plaintiff sued Portnow in November 2023— The plaintiff, who had filed her suit anonymously, told a judge that she feared the consequences if efforts to reveal … Discussion: Andy Malt / CMU: ⏩ One Liners: Zayn, Glastonbury, Neil Portnow + more CNN: Vox launches a subscription program for $5 per month or $50 per year that gives access to exclusive content, including newsletters and a digital magazine— Vox is preparing to celebrate its 10th birthday — making a major change to its business model that reflects how digital news publishers … Discussion: @rebexxxxa, @trengriffin, Vox, @jason and @oliverdarcy@threads.net Discussion: Rebecca Jennings / @rebexxxxa: huge news Vox relaunched the website which means my beautiful words will now finally be in SERIF FONT 😍💕🥰 https://www.vox.com/… [image] Tren Griffin / @trengriffin: @Jason That subscriptions are an easy revenue model is a triumph of hope over experience. Customer acquisition cost and churn are stone cold business killers. Swati Sharma / Vox: Introducing Vox’s next chapter @jason: Advertising is trending toward the giant networks (Google, meta), the shopping carts (uber, amazon, Instacart) and podcasts — leaving crumbs for content sites. Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy@threads.net: Vox is preparing to celebrate its 10th birthday — making a major change to its business model that reflects how digital news publishers are scrambling to evolve as they are increasingly starved of referral traffic and advertising revenue. Details in @cnnreliablesources: https://cnn.it/4bNbDm6 Next TV: TiVo debuts TiVo One, an ad platform designed to optimize audience-based campaigns across multiple screens and devices, including in-car players— “Homepage ad” designed to amplify messages — TiVo, a division of Xperi Inc., said it introduced TiVo One an ad platform designed … Discussion: Media Play News, Telecompaper, Advanced Television, Xperi, Inc. and TVNewsCheck Discussion: Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Xperi Bows ‘TiVo One’ Ad Platform for Connected Televisions Telecompaper: Xperi launches TiVo One cross-screen ad platform, expects TiVo OS roll-outs in Europe ahead of summer sports Colin Mann / Advanced Television: TiVo One debuts — Entertainment technology company TiVo has debuted its TiVo … Xperi, Inc.: Xperi’s Independent Media Platform Expands With TiVo One, a Cross-Screen Ad Platform for Maximizing Engagement and Monetization Telegraph: ITV starts offering voluntary buyouts as it aims to save £50M/year amid an ad slump and a slowdown in sales of its shows; sources: ITV expects to cut ~200 jobs— Broadcaster’s restructuring programme aims to save £50m a year, says Carolyn McCall Discussion: Max Goldbart / Deadline: ITV Set To Make Dozens Of Layoffs The Verge: Microsoft debuts a new AI feature for Edge to translate spoken content via dubbing and subtitles live, on YouTube, news sites like Reuters, LinkedIn, and more— Microsoft Edge will soon offer real-time video translation on sites like YouTube, LinkedIn, Coursera, and more.