Media & Entertainment

In a world where digital transactions are the norm, transparency should be a given, not a luxury. Yet, the online ticketing industry, dominated by giants like Live Nation and Ticketmaster, has been notorious for its lack of upfront pricing, leaving consumers to grapple with hidden fees at checkout. Continue Reading →

Twitter is facing a lawsuit from the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), which is seeking more than $250 million in damages for alleged copyright infringement. The NMPA, representing artists such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, argues that Twitter profits from the use of unlicensed music in user-generated content. Continue Reading →

Sir Paul McCartney has announced the creation of a new Beatles song with the help of AI. Using a technique called "stem separation," the technology was employed to isolate John Lennon's voice from an old demo. Continue Reading →

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is asking for your help. The Biden-Harris Administration is developing a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy that will chart a path for the United States to harness the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI. To inform this strategy, OSTP requests public comments to help update U.S. national priorities and future actions on AI. Continue Reading →

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the premiere of “Anthem,” a modern dance I composed for the Parsons Dance Company. It opened at City Center in New York City on May 5, 1998. I conducted the London Symphony Orchestra for the performance. Continue Reading →

The White House announced AI-focused initiatives ahead of a meeting with top tech CEOs from Alphabet, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Microsoft. Key actions include allocating $140 million in funding to seven new National AI Research Institutes and holding an independent exercise with major tech players to assess generative AI systems' adherence to the Biden administration's AI Bill of Rights blueprint. Continue Reading →

Generative AI has presented the music industry with new challenges. You've probably heard about the AI-generated song featuring cloned vocals of Drake and The Weeknd. It went viral, but was taken down because Universal Music Group (UMG) claimed copyright violations. (I'm not sure if copyright laws actually apply here.) Continue Reading →

For reasons that are theorized – but not fully understood – human beings "default-to-trust." This strategy has stood the test of time. We generally trust others until given a reason to do otherwise. However, as the output from large language models and generative AI becomes increasingly indistinguishable from that produced by humans, it's time to consider a new paradigm: "default to distrust." Continue Reading →

Canadian musician Grimes has expressed her willingness to share 50% of the royalties from her upcoming album with an AI program known as "WarNymph." The AI was created by Grimes's ex-partner, Elon Musk, and features on her album, producing some of the music. Continue Reading →

Chat interfaces for GPT-4 may soon take a backseat to a new approach: autonomous agents. Emerging versions such as AutoGPT, BabyAGI, and the no-code GodMode promise a simplified user experience by focusing on achieving user goals with minimal input. Although it's still early days, autonomous agents are poised to revolutionize how we interact with technology and each other. Continue Reading →