Never did I think, 25 years ago, that this little corner of the internet would still be around all these years later, serving up laughs and content to zillions of folks all over the world, every moment of every day.
A UK startup has tapped ChatGPT to build a text-to-music playlist generator. The AI system is the brainchild of Uppbeat, an audio platform based in Leeds. Targeting content creators, the feature finds copyright-free tracks for video soundtracks. Uppbeat claims it’s the first tool that lets people use their own language to find the songs they want. “Generative AI music is rife with copyright and overall quality issues,” said Lewis Foster, CEO of Uppbeat, in a statement. “Our catalogue is full of incredible artists and AI doesn’t come closet. But, we asked ourselves, ‘What if we can use AI to help creators pinpoint…
It’s as if I am chatting to a merchant on a European dockside more than a century ago when I ask Jorne Langelaan, founder and CEO of Dutch shipping startup EcoClipper, how his vessel’s maiden voyage is going. “In the beginning the winds were really favourable,” he says of the progress made by the 1912-built De Tukker, which recently embarked on a regular sailing schedule taking it to ports around Europe. Chocolate, olive oil and wine are among its first items of cargo. On the way from The Netherlands to Portugal, like many thousands of mariners in centuries gone by,…
It’s been 66 years since the EU first introduced the principle of equal pay for male and female employees conducting work of equal value. Yet, the gender pay gap stubbornly persists in the bloc. Women earn, on average, around 13% less than men, with significant variations among member states. To narrow this gap, the European Parliament and Council recently approved a set of new rules that establish binding pay transparency measures. For the first time in the union’s history, this legislation also tackles intersectional discrimination (on the combined basis of ethnicity, race, religion, etc.) and addresses the rights of non-binary…
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, really wants AI regulation. Truly, madly, deeply, he wants it. Because of safety and stuff. Unless, of course, it’s the type of regulation that he doesn’t want. If that’s the case, he’ll threaten to withdraw his services instead. Altman issued the warning this week during a tour of European regulators. He said OpenAI could “cease operating” in the EU if it can’t comply with the bloc’s impending AI Act. The 38-year-old is particularly worried about the plans for “high-risk” systems. Under the current proposals, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4 models would both be designated high-risk,…
BMW has partnered with Swiss gaming platform AirConsole to bring in-car gaming to its new all-electric 5 Series. Drivers and passengers can play the games to kill time while the vehicle is charging, for example. Sadly, but probably for the best, you can’t play while the car is moving. In addition to the new BMW 5 Series, which debuted this week, the AirConsole app will be rolled out in other BMW vehicles. The service has been available on TVs for some time, but this is the first time it has been available in a car. To use the gaming…