Spotify has allegedly spent less than 10% of a $100 million diversity fund it launched after its top podcaster, Joe Rogan, came under fire for spreading Covid-19 misinformation and using racial slurs in his podcast. The world’s largest music streaming service announced its $100 million Creator Equity Fund in February 2022 to support the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups. However, Bloomberg News reports that, after its first year, Spotify had spent less than 10% of the money on that work. Riddled with
It appears that TikTok US’s former head of product, has said the quiet part out loud. According to Sean Kim, TikTok’s Creator Fund isn’t concerned with helping creators monetize their content. In 2020, TikTok announced the launch of a $200 million creator fund to help US creators monetize. They later increased this fund to $2 billion. In Europe, the company announced a $70 million fund that was expected to rise to $300 million within three years. TikTok agreed to pay fund participants on a sliding scale based on how well their videos
Frequency People is the Black-owned social collaboration platform that lets creators control almost every aspect of the online communities they build. Individual users and businesses can create a public or private community to connect with those with similar interests. Followers can join these communities or networks and choose to pay for access to exclusive content. This means that brands, influencers, artists, and other creatives can seamlessly monetize their followers through ticket sales, ads, subscriptions to exclusive lives, AR content, and NFTs. Atlanta-based duo John York and John McAdory founded Frequency
Whether we’re talking about ChatGPT, AI lawyers or the chatbot that lets you chat with Tupac in real time – generative AI is taking the world by storm. But these systems are also reproducing many of the same biases we see in the real world – from sexist performance reviews to racist images. Leading AI ethicist Dr Timnit Gebru, known for her groundbreaking research on the risks of large language models, was forced forced out of her position as the co-head of Google’s AI ethics team after raising issues of
TikTok-owner ByteDance has launched a new app called Lemon8 that is helping some content creators monetize their work. What is Lemon8? Lemon8 is a social media app centered around lifestyle and community. The content-sharing platform has been designed to help creators monetize their work and reach a wider audience. The picture-based app, described as a fusion of Instagram and Pinterest, first launched in Japan in 2020 and is now available to download in several countries. To help the platform’s expansion, ByteDance has decided to start paying creators to post on the
Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry has partnered with AI platform Simplicity to help increase the quality of life for city-dwellers across the country. Simplicity is an AI-driven platform offering a one-stop shop for everything happening in a city. Through cutting-edge technology, Simplicity aims to simplify government services, streamline communication, and enhance cities’ relationships with local communities. The platform is already in operation in over 30 major cities across the US, from New York City to Austin and Los Angeles to Cleveland and more. Curry’s involvement with Simplicity is a natural extension of
If you don’t know Edward Tian yet, now is the time to get to know him. The 22-year-old senior at Princeton University has developed an app to counteract the abuse and misuse of the AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Who is Edward Tian? Tian is the mastermind behind the new tool GPTZero, which helps educators determine whether ChatGPT has written an essay or document. According to NPR, the entrepreneur never planned to create a sought-after program. After majoring in computer science and minoring in journalism at Princeton University, Tian planned to graduate from college and
According to a new report by Harvard researchers, overlooked Black businesses that added a ‘Black-owned’ label to their online shop saw a significant increase in sales last year. Many tech platforms, including Yelp, Amazon, and Instagram, have introduced a new feature with the aim of helping Black-owned businesses get the spotlight they deserve – but do they actually work? Since the feature has been rolled out, many have questioned whether it works or would prove problematic for smaller businesses in the future. However, Harvard says this feature has proved to be highly beneficial for Black-owned
If you could say anything to your favorite historical figure, what would you say? A new AI chatbot, Historical Figures, allows users to go back in time and speak to their favorite icons. The Historical Figures app, designed by Sidhant Chadda, is an artificial intelligence chatbox that allows users to travel back in time to speak to some of their favorite historical figures. The AI chatbot – which outlets have described as the ‘platform that lets famous dead people like to you’ – has taken social media by storm. After just being
Tech powerhouse Google has shared how it is working towards racial equity to celebrate Black History month. From prioritizing product inclusion to partnering with Black businesses and highlighting Black history – Google has spent the past few years highlighting the culture and the work of Black innovators. Showcasing Black creators Last year, Google partnered with three non-profit organizations to launch the Image Equity Fellowship. The project supported 20 Black and brown artists through their artistic journeys. The tech giant helped them receive unrestricted funding, mentorship support, and workshops to help them
