In response to plagiarism allegations, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says the company "is not ignoring" robots.txt, but does rely on third-party web crawlers (Mark Sullivan/Fast Company)

Mediagazer: In response to plagiarism allegations, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says the company “is not ignoring” robots.txt, but does rely on third-party web crawlers (Mark Sullivan/Fast Company)

Top News:

The Atlantic:

Scrutiny of Will Lewis' past is essential because WaPo's credibility has been built upon readers' trust that its reporters don't engage in deceptive practices— The uproar over a publisher's ethics is a matter of survival. — Hours after my Washington Post colleagues and I published …
Discussion:

Jill Geisler /
@jillgeisler: Important read:

Jeff Jarvis /
@jeffjarvis@threads.net: Yes. And the Murdochians must go. @clearing_fog: 📝 The fact that WaPo CEO Will Lewis and others used hacked/stolen data to create damaging stories about people at a Murdoch outlet in the UK is relevant for another reason: There is credible evidence that the “Hunter laptop” story from Murdoch's NYPost was the exact same thing.

Adrienne LaFrance /
@adriennelaf: The great @mccrummens won a Pulitzer for her investigative work at the Washington Post. Here's her latest, on how Will Lewis lost the newsroom, and why it matters: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... [image] @_eileenie_@threads.net: The controversy around Lewis is not some small matter of different journalistic methods. The reputation of the Post newsroom has been built upon readers' trust that reporters do not pay sources, much less steal documents, hack computers, or engage in other deceptive news-gathering practices …

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: Why Lewis' checkbook journalism in the U.K. will taint The Washington Post

Lydia Polgreen /
@lpolgreen@threads.net: A sort of “savvy” take has emerged that American journalists take themselves too seriously and a bit of British cheek would help shake them out of their torpor. This is a helpful antidote to that lazy POV: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...

RELATED:
Washington Post:

In an email to staff, Telegraph editor Chris Evans says Rob Winnett has decided to stay at Telegraph and will not join the Washington Post— Robert Winnett, hired by Washington Post publisher William Lewis, faced questions about his U.K. work, including stories based on stolen records.

Discussion:
The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, New York Times, @harrytlambert, @will_bunch, @benmullin, @bgrueskin, @dicktofel, @davidfolkenflik, @eduardosuarez, @farhip, @karaswisher, @lionelbarber, @karaswisher, @jayrosen_nyu, @jackshafer, @jamesrbuk, @davidfolkenflik, @jeffjarvis, @brianstelter, @semaforben, @davidfolkenflik, @emilybell, @jbenton, @benmullin, @sulliview, @jamesrbuk, @brianstelter, @jimwaterson, Financial Times, @therickstengel@threads.net, Poynter, Al Jazeera, Mike McGill on LinkedIn, Newser, Politico, @karaswisher@threads.net, The Information, @mossbergwalt@threads.net, New York Post, Business Insider, Media Nation, Associated Press, NPR, Semafor, The Wrap, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, @KimPerales@toad.social, Axios, Mediaite, MediaPost, Deadline, The Daily Beast, TVNewsCheck and Reuters

Discussion:

Etan Vlessing /
The Hollywood Reporter: The Washington Post's Incoming Editor Backs Away From Role Amid Controversy

Oliver Darcy /
CNN: Washington Post will not bring in Robert Winnett as its top editor after report raised ethical questions

Harry Lambert /
@harrytlambert: Breaking: Rob Winnett will NOT become the next editor of the Washington Post. Chris Evans, editor of the Telegraph, emails staff: “I'm pleased to report that Rob Winnett has decided to stay with us.”

Will Bunch /
@will_bunch: 2034: Max presents The Third Newsroom, written and produced by Aaron Sorkin

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: Scoop: Bezos confidant (and former Post C.E.O.) Patty Stonesifer made an appearance in the newsroom today to advise on a range of matters, including the forthcoming “third newsroom.” https://www.nytimes.com/...

Bill Grueskin /
@bgrueskin: @Sulliview Agree (barring any new bombshells). The Post's financial situation is dire; changing publishers now would be highly disruptive. And notably, Lewis's record at Dow Jones/WSJ appears (so far) to be clean. For Bezos, that might be the most relevant historical artifact.

Richard Tofel /
@dicktofel: @BGrueskin @Sulliview That may be their hope or intent, but hard to see it playing out that way. The publisher's most important job is picking the editor. This is a concession that Lewis failed in that.

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: After uproar over ethics, new editor of ‘Washington Post’ Robert Winnett won't take the job. Whether his pal and patron Wash Post publisher Will Lewis, who faces equal scrutiny, hangs on, remains uncertain. My story for NPR https://www.npr.org/...

Eduardo Suárez /
@eduardosuarez: Among the many lessons from the Winnett-Lewis fiasco at @washingtonpost these are perhaps the most valuable when looking for a new leader: Establish a proper process, with the right checks and balances | Respect your organisation culture | Don't hire a crony | Knowledge matters

Paul Farhi /
@farhip: An old quote from @washingtonpost publisher Will Lewis announcing the appointment of now-resigned would-be editor Rob Winnett hasn't aged well, given that the Post's “investigative rigor” helped raise questions about Winnett's fitness for the job. [image]

Kara Swisher /
@karaswisher: The first move is to get the Post to calm after this pointless and damaging period. Bezos needs to channel the Grahams in tone and gather diverse people who are actually good and innovative at digital media to work with a newsroom dying for leadership: https://www.nytimes.com/...

Lionel Barber /
@lionelbarber: His mate Rob Winnett is out, but Will Lewis stressing this time there will be a rigorous, transparent process for selecting the next editor of The Washington Post. Meanwhile, “internal affairs” continue to investigate their own publisher

Kara Swisher /
@karaswisher: Next: Lewis stays unless there is another problematic story. (Narrator: There will be another problematic story and I am not guessing this time.) Unless the third newsroom is a golden solution to fixing the Post — it is not, just an hand waving plan when simplicity is needed.

Jay Rosen /
@jayrosen_nyu: Now that's “losing the newsroom.” https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ... [image]

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: I do sometimes wonder why journalists are surprised the public don't trust us as much as we think they ought to - given we ask the public to simultaneously believe this was all high-minded reporting about ethics, and in no way related to internal office politics.

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: New WashPost editor withdraws - stays in Britain after uproar over his journalistic record, and that of his patron and pal, Post publisher Will Lewis We predicted this Monday on NPR: https://www.npr.org/... Will Lewis hang on? Fresh story posting shortly on NPR [image]

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: “We will soon announce both the recruiting firm and process we will utilize to ensure a timely but thorough search for this important leadership role,” Lewis adds. In other words, there WILL be a process this time.

Ben Smith /
@semaforben: These Brits now exist in pure caricature in the U.S. — the guy is really widely thought of as a great editor....

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: @Sulliview Lewis is at about a half-Licht. This was necessary for him to have even a chance to prove that his acumen for innovation and biz strategy can help the Post to a stronger future.

Joshua Benton /
@jbenton: Telling to feel the need to specify “U.S. elections,” as if the Washington Post newsroom would otherwise assume he meant some other elections

Margaret Sullivan /
@sulliview: I think the deal is Will Lewis stays, for now; Winnett's pre-ouster is the sacrifice/compromise. ... (Was his tenure even less than a single Scaramucci?)

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: If that's how things shake out, I think the Washington Post newsroom has lost out: Winnett is a talented editor, who has overseen serious and impactful reporting projects, who I suspect the Post staff would've got along with, in time. (2/2)

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: The assumption here will be that Winnett was thrown overboard in a bid to keep Will Lewis - about whom more serious and more recent concerns were raised, versus Winnett (1/2)

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Washington Post staffers are about to be told the same thing — Robert Winnett is no longer the incoming exec editor

Jim Waterson /
@jimwaterson: Telegraph staff told that news boss Rob Winnett has decided to stay in the UK and not join the Washington Post after all..... that. “He's a talented chap and their loss is our gain,” Telegraph editor Chris Evans has told staff.

Richard Stengel /
@therickstengel@threads.net: I'll let others address the ethical questions, but would you hire an editor of the Yorkshire Post who had never lived in Yorkshire or the UK? I don't think so. At a time of deep reckoning in America, you need journalistic leaders who understand and care about the country, and not just publishing a newspaper. …

Mike McGill /
Mike McGill on LinkedIn: One of those days when I wish I was still working on Reliable Sources and could do a segment on the hows and whys. …

Jenn Gidman /
Newser: WaPo Drama Continues as New Editor Jumps Ship

Jared Mitovich /
Politico: Robert Winnett withdraws from becoming next Washington Post senior editor

Kara Swisher /
@karaswisher@threads.net: My rat boy prediction aged well. Largely since I am familiar with the Amazon style perfected by Bezos of only giving up the ground you need to. Next: Lewis stays unless there is another problematic story. (Narrator: There will be another problematic story and I am not guessing this time.)

Martin Peers /
The Information: Washington Post's Editor-to-Be Withdraws

Walt Mossberg /
@mossbergwalt@threads.net: Norm Pearlstine is one of the finest top editors I have ever known or worked for. He has high journalistic values and a strong business sense. He was brilliant as the top editor at the @wsj and @time Inc. So when he says Jeff Bezos needs to do more and better at the @washingtonpost , take him seriously. cc @karaswisher @mbrauchli

Ariel Zilber /
New York Post: UK Telegraph's Robert Winnett won't become top editor at Washington Post

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: Washington Post update: Winnett withdraws while Lewis hangs on — for now

David Bauder /
Associated Press: Newly named Washington Post editor decides not to take job after backlash

David Folkenflik /
NPR: After uproar over ethics, new ‘Washington Post’ editor won't take the job

Mizy Clifton /
Semafor: Washington Post's next editor withdraws from role

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Washington Post Incoming Executive Editor Robert Winnett Withdraws

Jim Waterson /
The Guardian: UK editor backs out of top Washington Post job after US scrutiny of his past

Kim Perales /
@KimPerales@toad.social: Public pressure worked, Winnett will not join the WaPo as editor: — Robert Winnett, the British journalist recently tapped to become editor of The Washington Post later this year, will not take the job and will remain at the Daily Telegraph in London, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post on Friday. …

David Gilmour /
Mediaite: NEW: Top Editor at Washington Post Out Before Even Starting Amid Paper's Turmoil

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Robert Winnett Won't Be Moving To The Washington Post As Next Editor; CEO Will Lewis Announces New Search

Norman Pearlstine /
The Daily Beast: Why Jeff Bezos Is Failing The Washington Post

Michael Malone /
TVNewsCheck: Spectrum News Ramps Up D.C. Bureau

Politico:
The allegations facing Will Lewis and Rob Winnett are not remotely in line with either UK or US journalism ethics; blaming British media culture is wrong

Discussion:

Dylan Byers /
Puck: Inside the Post Coup

Brian Cathcart /
Byline Times: Will Lewis and The Washington Post: 'Real Journalists Don't Ignore the Failings of Their Own Industry the Way the UK Press Does'

Anna Morales /
@tallulahb2012: @jamesrbuk @POLITICOMag Why do you think the phone hacking and invasion of privacy intrusions cases continue to taint British media culture?

David Clinch /
@davidclinchnews: @jamesrbuk ... I agree.

James Ball /
@jamesrbuk: @TallulahB2012 @POLITICOMag As I say opening the piece, I think it's because it's what first comes to mind when most Americans think of British journalism

Rob Crilly /
@robcrilly: @jamesrbuk @POLITICOMag Great piece

Ted Johnson /
TVNewsCheck: Robert Winnett Pulls Out Of WaPo Editor Consideration

Oliver Darcy /
CNN: Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalists call for leadership change amid publisher scrutiny

Tom McTague /
The Atlantic: Revenge of the Brits — British editors are suddenly leading several U.S. publications. Can it last?

Justin Ling /
@justinling.bsky.social: you people love a phone hacking! stop trying to pretend like you don't [embedded post]

Jeff Jarvis /
Jeff Jarvis on LinkedIn: Excellent by James Ball: Don't blame differing culture for shock at the Lewis gang's past. Yes. Blame the ethical and journalistic lapses of them and their companies: both News Corp and Telegraph. …

John Robinson /
John Robinson on LinkedIn: A failure of leadership: — You might think a decisive leader who founded Amazon would take decisive action to clean up his mess at the Washington Post. …

Jeff Jarvis /
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social: Excellent by @jamesrbuk: Don't blame differing culture for shock at the Lewis gang's past. Yes. Blame the ethical and journalistic lapses of them and their companies: both News Corp and Telegraph. — Opinion | The Wrong Culprit in the Controversy at the Washington Post https://politi.co/3VMsfFs

Wired:

Perplexity closely summarized a Wired story about Perplexity allegedly scraping parts of websites blocked by developers; experts are mixed on the legal impacts— Experts aren't unanimous about whether the AI-powered search startup's practices could expose it to legal claims ranging …

Discussion:

Steve Thompson /
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social: “Perplexity Plagiarized Our Story About How Perplexity Is a Bullshit Machine” — https://www.wired.com/... “Experts aren't unanimous about whether the AI-powered search startup's practices could expose it to legal claims ranging from infringement to defamation—but some say plaintiffs would have strong cases.”

Ali Winston /
@awinston: Copyright attorneys licking their chops right now

Kristi Hines /
@kristileilani: Most Perplexity pages continue to get indexed in Google Search results within 12 - 24 hours. It's also interesting to note that since the launch of Perplexity pages, keyword visibility for the company's domain increased by 84.63%. 🤯 According to Semrush data, the number of [image]

Kristi Hines /
@kristileilani: The latest Perplexity pages indexed in search results cover the introduction of Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet model and details about Ilya Sutskever's new Safe Superintelligence company. Although the latter page mentions the post by Sutskever on X, the sources for the content [image]

Tim Marchman /
@timmarchman: New: Perplexity, the AI-powered search startup, plagiarized a story @dmehro and I wrote about how Perplexity is a bullshit machine. Experts in IP law say it could be liable for claims including infringement and defamation. https://www.wired.com/...

Tim Marchman /
@timmarchman: Interestingly, one expert says the company could be exposed to defamation claims specifically because, he argues, it may sacrifice protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act when it bullshits while generating summaries of news articles.

Katie Drummond /
@katiedrumm@threads.net: In a perfect twist, Perplexity has now plagiarized @wired reporting about how Perplexity is a bullshit machine. https://www.wired.com/... @johnvoorhees@mastodon.macstories.net: “...But even as we recognize this, we see the potential for undermining, and ultimately eviscerating, the ecosystems that enable creators to make a living from their work. That's the conundrum we need to solve—not eventually, but now.” — https://www.wired.com/...

@johnvoorhees@mastodon.macstories.net:
“The opening ante question is, where do we go from there? And the greater question in the long run is, how do we ensure that creators and creative economies survive? Ironically, AI is teaching us that creativity is more valuable and in demand than ever... https://www.wired.com/...

Robb Knight /
@robb@social.lol: ⭐ Perplexity Plagiarized Our Story About How Perplexity Is a Bullshit Machine https://www.wired.com/... “Grimmelmann sees a host of potential issues for Perplexity, among them consumer protection, unfair advertising, or deceptive trade practices claims he believes could be made against a company that says it respects the Robots Exclusion Protocol but doesn't follow it.” …

Sharveya Parasnis /
MEDIANAMA: Perplexity's Persistent Problems: WIRED Reveals AI Chatbot Misinformed, Crawled Webpages Without Permission

RELATED:

Fast Company:

In response to plagiarism allegations, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says the company “is not ignoring” robots.txt, but does rely on third-party web crawlers— Recent reports raise questions about how the answer engine works, including its use of third-party content crawlers.

Discussion:
@luke_metro: honestly it's amazing that robots.txt held up as a self-regulation for 25 years [image]

Rafael Brown /
Rafael Brown on LinkedIn: So Wired has proven that Perplexity ignores protocol and scrapes everything they can find. And Business Insider is saying the same thing about OpenAI and Anthropic. …

Glenn Gabe /
Glenn Gabe on LinkedIn: Oh boy, so a mysterious third-party is crawling and indexing your site and feeding that to Perplexity. … @bsmall2@mstdn.jp: Automated Plagiarism for BS (not me, the other BS, Harry Frankfurt's) : — > Robots.txt is a single bit of code that's been used since the late 1990s as a way for websites to tell bot crawlers they don't want their data scraped and collected. It was widely accepted as one of the unofficial rules supporting the web... …

@johnvoorhees@mastodon.macstories.net:
Six days later, what started as a ‘WTF is going on?’ moment for @robb, @viticci, and me has become something else entirely. — The latest from Business Insider, which reports that OpenAI and Anthropic are ignoring publishers' robots.txt files too. — https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... …

Mariella Moon /
Engadget: AI companies are reportedly still scraping websites despite protocols meant to block them

Kali Hays /
Business Insider: OpenAI and Anthropic are ignoring an established rule that prevents bots scraping online content

Katie Paul /
Reuters: Exclusive: Multiple AI companies bypassing web standard to scrape publisher sites, licensing firm says

Jenn Cutter /
@jenncutter.bsky.social: Lemme summarize: “We're not ignoring robots.txt! We're just specifically partnering with services that do. No, you can't know their names. It's fine! All you whiners can sit down, shut up, and like it.” [embedded post]

Don Marti /
@dmarti@federate.social: the top two go-to replies from techbros caught doing crimes and the Perplexity CEO got them in 1 quote, achievement unlocked — * what we do is highly technical, you don't understand — * it wasn't us it was a third party service/contractor/vendor — https://www.fastcompany.com/ ...

Casey Newton /
Platformer: How to stop Perplexity and save the web from bad AI

Jonathan Bailey /
Plagiarism Today: Why AI Has a Plagiarism Problem

PCMag:

In an interview, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati says “some creative jobs maybe will go away” due to AI, “but maybe they shouldn't have been there in the first place”— OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati isn't worried about AI's impact on creative professions.

Discussion:
Dartmouth Engineering on YouTube, @thayerschool, @nealstephenson, @cake_of_canola_oil …, @olifranklin, @rahll, @dartmouth, @nbababysecret, @edzitron, @zaphodgjd, @iamhappytoast, Jan Rydzak on LinkedIn, @andantonius, @perpetualmaniac, @meganroseruiz, @shakeelhashim, @carnage4life, @nickmurftweets, @abebab, @its_adamneely, @chrisg@fosstodon.org, @carnage4life, @seamusblackley, @robertfreundlaw, @kevinbparry, @darthbluesky.bsky.social, @moviessilently.bsky.social, @whet.bsky.social, @evacide.bsky.social, @gregpak.bsky.social, @rincewind.run, @cyanogic.com, @brooklynmarie.bsky.social, @jesseltaylor.bsky.social, @brendelbored.bsky.social, @rhymeswithnick.bsky.social, @jann@twit.social, BGR, Know Your Meme, r/Fauxmoi and r/singularity

Discussion:
@thayerschool: During Commencement weekend, @OpenAI CTO and Thayer alum @miramurati spoke at a special “AI Everywhere” event at Thayer, and received an honorary degree from @dartmouth. AI is getting smarter, but she predicts that smarter AI will be more helpful AND safer. https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/ ... [image]

Neal Stephenson /
@nealstephenson: Started a Substack. Have soft-pedaled it as I was learning my way around. Then along came today's Mira Murati furor, which happens to dovetail perfectly with the first post I put up just a few days ago after OpenAI's previous gaffe https://open.substack.com/... @cake_of_canola_oil@threads.net: She's certainly quite smart in her chosen field. It's also pretty obvious her chosen field is not “media”. Every time she does one of these it highlights everything wrong with OpenAI, I'm surprised they keep choosing her as the messenger

Oli Franklin-Wallis /
@olifranklin: When you spend much time with tech people, as I have, you realise many are just like those who work for defence companies. They develop their own distorted ethics, in order to avoid the fact that what they do is morally unconscionable.

Reid Southen /
@rahll: This is insane. Won't say OpenAI didn't train on YouTube, and now basically implies some of those jobs shouldn't have been there in the first place if the “content is not very high quality.” So, they'll steal from and replace you if they think you're of “low quality”. Yikes. @dartmouth: .@OpenAI Chief Technology Officer @miramurati, @thayerschool '12, predicts that as AI gets smarter, it will not only be more helpful, but safer. Her thoughts on the future of artificial intelligence ⤵️ https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/ ...

Ed Zitron /
@edzitron: this is a declaration of war against creatives and it should be reported as such

Graeme Devine /
@zaphodgjd: I want AI to let us all have creative jobs while AI is washing the dishes and weeding the garden. @iamhappytoast: 'Maybe artists shouldn't have existed' says woman who makes money stealing from those artists and destroying their careers while also pushing a tool that will put children off learning to paint or draw in the future.

Jan Rydzak /
Jan Rydzak on LinkedIn: In a week of prominent Freudian slips, this one stands out. — No company has a mandate to pass judgment on the value of jobs and livelihoods beyond their own. …

Jon Neimeister /
@andantonius: This is one of the most revolting things I've ever heard one of these leeches say. Their models are trained on OUR work and you have the AUDACITY to say our jobs shouldn't have existed in the first place? Mira, Sam, the lot of you, I say this with the utmost venom: go to hell. @perpetualmaniac: Remember how the elites said AI is nothing to worry about then they turn around and admit many jobs are going away but “maybe they shouldn't have existed at all in the first place.” More rug pulls coming.

Meg /
@meganroseruiz: The thing that gets me about Gen AI is that it literally doesn't have to exist. It doesn't fill a previously untapped market. The only thing it accomplishes is making it easier for corporations to avoid paying creative people. It's useless. Also Mira Murati's job shouldn't exist

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life: I've always found it gross that people praise OpenAI's “noble mission” to create AGI when it's a bunch of ex-Googler's with $10M pay packages working to kill the jobs of people making 1% of what they do. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...

Nick Murphy /
@nickmurftweets: If the creative jobs weren't there in the first place, Mira, there'd be nothing for you to steal.

Abeba Birhane /
@abebab: this is too much for a company that has been built on the backbone of stolen work, largely from the creative community

Chris Gioran /
@chrisg@fosstodon.org: “Some creative jobs maybe will go away, but maybe they shouldn't have been there in the first place,” the CTO said of AI's role in the workplace. “I really believe that using it as a tool for education, [and] creativity, will expand our intelligence.” — Word soup. …

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life: OpenAI CTO, Mira Murati, says AI will cause some creative jobs to go away, but maybe they shouldn't have existed in the first place. OpenAI's mission is to create AGI that can replace people in every viable economic activity. Killing jobs is the end goal. [video]

Seamus Blackley /
@seamusblackley: Tell me why people hate Silicon Valley without saying the word Silicon Valley.

Rob Freund /
@robertfreundlaw: “If our new product can eliminate your career, maybe you should never have had that career” is an absolutely wild position to take. The sheer arrogance and inability to read the room.

Kevin Parry /
@kevinbparry: My wisdom is that if you're celebrating this and thinking you can finally have a creative career because you can prompt, you'll for sure be replaced by the evolving tech or someone who can type faster. Art is hard, and even harder to turn into a career. There are no shortcuts. @darthbluesky.bsky.social: i can think of other things that maybe should not be here in the first place tbh [embedded post] @moviessilently.bsky.social: There's a scene in LITTLE CAESAR where Edward G Robinson's character sees a painting in a gilt frame. He asks how much, is told that it was $$$$$ and remarks “Boy, them gold frames sure cost plenty of dough.” — He can't understand the painting itself being valuable and he would have cleaned up in AI [embedded post]

Whet Moser /
@whet.bsky.social: “AI is going to replace work that didn't need to be done” huh? [embedded post] @evacide.bsky.social: I have known many CTOs that did not need to replaced by AI because they could have been replaced much more easily with a very short shell script. [embedded post]

Greg Pak /
@gregpak.bsky.social: Imagine the deep moral vacuity you'd have to have to use the phrase “shouldn't have” here. Like it was somehow WRONG or IMMORAL for creative people to get paid for their work. Work that OpenAI has pirated to fuel their immoral, unethical machine. Deeply, deeply repugnant worldview. [embedded post]

Micah /
@rincewind.run: they lie about how this will help and not hurt people until they feel that they don't need to do that anymore — and then we get the truth — the breathless headlines should keep that in mind next time, but they won't [embedded post] @cyanogic.com: “maybe they shouldn't have been there in the first place” — AI bros are not beating the allegations of hating art/artists and wanting to make the entire profession suffer [embedded post]

Brooke Binkowski /
@brooklynmarie.bsky.social: When they tell you what they are, believe them. [embedded post]

Jesse /
@jesseltaylor.bsky.social: The jobs will go away for a short while, then come back, but the people hiring will use their unsuccessful foray into AI to lower the amount paid for the creative work under the threat of pivoting back to the thing that didn't work [embedded post]

Brendel /
@brendelbored.bsky.social: Writers, artists, actors, musicians, all those things are bullshit. Being a “Chief Technology Officer”? That's real as hell dawg [embedded post] @rhymeswithnick.bsky.social: The creatives who survive this era of bullshit won't forget. [embedded post] @jann@twit.social: SO SO SO tone deaf! — #Apple, are you REALLY partnering with this company???? #OpenAI — In an interview, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati says “some creative jobs maybe will go away” due to AI, “but maybe they shouldn't have been there in the first place” (Kate Irwin/PCMag) — https://www.pcmag.com/...

Andy Meek /
BGR: OpenAI CTO thinks AI will kill some jobs that shouldn't have existed in the first place

Adam Downer /
Know Your Meme: OpenAI's Mira Murati Says AI May Kill Some Jobs That 'Shouldn't Have Been Jobs In The First Place' And Draws Ire From AI's Critics r/singularity: OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati -AI Could Kill Some Creative Jobs That Maybe Shouldn't Exist Anyway

RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:

Upwork Research Institute's Kelly Monahan says freelance jobs that require basic writing or translation have been disappearing on Upwork since ChatGPT's debut— There's now data to back up what freelancers have been saying for months — Jennifer Kelly, a freelance copywriter in the picturesque …

Discussion:

Dan Murray /
Dan Murray on LinkedIn: This is a sobering take on AI's impact, but it does include upsides for some. (I don't agree with the freelance writer that AI-generated text is always flat and dull.) …

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life@mas.to: Freelance jobs like creating concept art for movies and writing business content have dried up by up to 21% on Upwork since the launch of ChatGPT. — The more a job is strictly about writing about a known topic or creating art, the more likely it is replaceable by generative AI. …

Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic /
Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic on LinkedIn: “These findings echo those of more than a dozen other researchers at institutions including Harvard Business School, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Hong Kong. …

TechCrunch:

Spotify debuts a new Basic streaming plan in the US for $10.99/month, which includes all the benefits of Premium without the monthly audiobook listening time— Spotify is introducing a new “Basic” streaming plan in the United States, the company announced on Friday.

Discussion:
Spotify, Billboard, @film_girl@mastodon.social, Neowin, BGR, UPROXX, Engadget, Digital Trends, The Hollywood Reporter, 9to5Mac, Variety, 9to5Google, Reuters and The Verge

Discussion:

Glenn Peoples /
Billboard: SiriusXM Shares See Double-Digit Gain on Reverse Stock Split Amid Overall Down Week for Music Stocks

Christina Warren /
@film_girl@mastodon.social: PSA: Spotify doesn't make it super clear, but you can downgrade from your Family Premium plan to Family Basic, which removes the audiobook stuff and saves $3 a month. I just did that since I pay for Audible. If Spotify actually offers hi-fi music, I might re-upgrade to the premium plan but I won't pay $3 a month for audiobooks I didn't listen to. https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...

Joe Wituschek /
BGR: Spotify now has five different plans - here's what each one includes

Derrick Rossignol /
UPROXX: What Do You Get With Spotify's New ‘Basic’ Plan?

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Spotify Launches Less Expensive “Basic” Premium Plan, Without Audiobooks

Chance Miller /
9to5Mac: Spotify adds cheaper ‘Basic’ plan that ditches audiobooks

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Spotify Launches Basic Plan in U.S. That Excludes Audiobooks for $10.99 per Month — a Discount of One Whole Dollar

Ben Schoon /
9to5Google: Spotify adds cheaper ‘Basic’ plans without audiobooks; $11 for individual, $17 for family

Juby Babu /
Reuters: Spotify launches new basic streaming plan in US

Jay Peters /
The Verge: Spotify's $10.99 ‘Basic’ plan drops the audiobooks

The Verge:

Interviews with several journalists who helped saturate the web with Game of Thrones coverage, leveraging fans' obsessions for traffic via SEO and social media— For a crucial decade in print media's transition to the internet, HBO's fantasy series Game of Thrones was a boon in traffic... for everyone.

Discussion:
Tedium, @andyorin, @evanromano, @waywardboobs.bsky.social, @pjmaciak, @kimrrenfro and @loudmouthjulia

Discussion:

Ernie Smith /
Tedium: Finish The Job, Adam

Evan Romano /
@evanromano: there were two moments early in my media career that felt like I was truly in the presence of history: when I was an intern at Esquire in 2015 sharing the subway with people in the city to see the Pope, and when I interviewed for a job with BuzzFeed on the day this was happening [image] @waywardboobs.bsky.social: Ah so it was an op all along. Would they have been paid enough to hype up Black Sails at a volume ear drums crack. [embedded post]

Phillip Maciak /
@pjmaciak: This is an incredible piece on the Recap Era, but specifically the strange way that online writing form both follows and jets past its own economic context. If @knguyen wanted to write, say, a book about this broad phenomenon, I'd read it! https://www.theverge.com/...

Kim Renfro /
@kimrrenfro: honored to be a piece of this incredible feature from @knguyen on the traffic-driving phenomenon that was Game of Thrones https://www.theverge.com/...

Knight Foundation:

The Knight Foundation releases a report on its $107M+ in funding for digital media research, and how the research has impacted journalists, tech companies, more— Jeff Horwitz was chasing down a tip on Instagram last year when he stumbled on a particularly troubling finding.

Discussion:
John Sands on LinkedIn, @russellbrandom, @knightfdn, @sarahscire, @ericfraz@threads.net

Discussion:

John Sands /
John Sands on LinkedIn: Technology and algorithms increasingly mediate our relationship to information, ideas, and each other. — We are only beginning to grasp the magnitude of both the challenges and opportunities. …

Russell Brandom /
@russellbrandom: A really compelling report from @issielapowsky about the interplay between tech platforms, social research, and journalism. This is really where the rubber meets the road on holding tech companies accountable. https://knightfoundation.org/ ... @knightfdn: In a comprehensive new report, journalist @issielapowsky examines how independent research and nonpartisan policy insight can inform action—impacting how we engage with technology and harness its potential for the common good. https://knightfoundation.org/ ...

Sarah Scire /
@sarahscire: timely new paper from @issielapowsky and @knightfdn on the relationship between digital media researchers and journalists, policymakers, and the tech industry [image]

Sarah Scire /
@sarahscire: “The clearest evidence that journalists consider this research to be vital is their shared concern about rising political attacks against researchers in this space.” https://knightfoundation.org/ ...

Eric Frazier /
@ericfraz@threads.net: Much needed. Bravo @knightfdn!

Variety:

A Las Vegas jury convicts five men for operating Jetflicks, which charged $9.99 per month and officials say was one of the largest illegal streamers in the US— Five men were convicted by a federal jury in Las Vegas this week for their part in operating Jetflicks, which officials …

Discussion:
US Department of Justice, Karyn Temple on LinkedIn, Engadget, The Guardian, CBS News, Gizmodo, The A.V. Club, The Verge, Deadline and Fortune, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Karyn Temple /
Karyn Temple on LinkedIn: This is a huge win for creators and the legal streaming market. Tremendous work by the #usdoj and the MPA studio witnesses who provided key evidentiary support during the trial! …

Danny Gallagher /
Engadget: Five men face jail time for running the illegal streaming service Jetflicks

Kerry Breen /
CBS News: 5 convicted of operating massive, illegal streaming service called Jetflicks

Emma Keates /
The A.V. Club: The inevitable movie about the Jetflicks lawsuit basically writes (and distributes) itself

Charles Pulliam-Moore /
The Verge: The DOJ has convicted five men for running a Netflix clone full of pirated TV shows

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Operators Of Jetflicks, An Illegal Streaming Service With A Catalog Larger Than Netflix, Prime Video And Hulu Put Together, Convicted By Federal Jury

Amanda Gerut /
Fortune: Five men were convicted for running Jetflicks, a low-cost streaming service that amassed more TV shows than Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime combined

Engadget:

X plans to make the ability to create live streams a premium feature, making it the only major social platform to charge for the feature— The company will charge for a feature that's free on every other major platform. — X will soon be moving the ability to live stream behind its premium paywall, the company announced.

Discussion:
9to5Mac and Neowin, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Filipe Espósito /
9to5Mac: X will soon limit the ability to livestream to Premium subscribers

John Callaham /
Neowin: You won't be able to do any live streaming on X without a paid subscription soon

Nieman Lab:

The Baltimore Banner launches a new section, Education Hub, and says it now has 49K paid subscribers, as it celebrates its second birthday— The Baltimore Banner celebrated its second birthday this week with a “B” cake, balloons, and a pair of announcements.

Discussion:
@mskerrygraham, @jessmgallagher, @baltimorebanner, @lizbowie and The Baltimore Banner

Discussion:

Kerry Graham /
@mskerrygraham: Proud of two years' worth of bylines in @BaltimoreBanner, and grateful for more to come.

Jessica Gallagher /
@jessmgallagher: Thank you to everyone who has supported the banner these past two years! None of this is possible without you. I will link some of the work I've done at the banner over the past two years! @baltimorebanner: Today is the second anniversary of The Banner's launch. We can't thank you enough for your continued support! [image]

Liz Bowie /
@lizbowie: @BaltimoreBanner is two years old today. We still have a long way to go, but we are a newsroom of 80 journalists looking to tell Maryland's stories. We hope to be around for many years to come. If you haven't yet subscribed, please try us out.

Yahoo Finance:

An excess of ad supply on streaming video services, after Amazon's Prime Video joined the market in January, means CPM rates have dropped for now— Amazon (AMZN) entered the ad-supported streaming space in January by defaulting all of its Prime Video subscriptions to ads.

RELATED:

Variety:
Sources: Disney is lowering ad CPM rates for Disney+ in a bid to win overall commitments during the upfront market; rivals fret about matching Disney's rates

Discussion:
Eric Lloyd on LinkedIn, @bristei, Dcn. Charlie Echeverry on LinkedIn

Discussion:

Eric Lloyd /
Eric Lloyd on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/... Interesting developments in this year's upfront. Sports still getting traction, but heavy discounts are out in market to combat slowing demand. …

Brian Steinberg /
@bristei: MORE: Despite the upcoming presidential election, media buyers indicate advertisers are not lining up for news programming, and pullbacks by some pharma cos could further undermine support https://variety.com/...

Brian Steinberg /
@bristei: ALSO: Disney, NBCU and Fox seem to be writing the most ad deals in current upfront market, per execs familiar with negotiations. WBD, trying to get big money for Max, is having some issues.... https://variety.com/...

Brian Steinberg /