There is a large digital divide affecting low-income and Black or Indigenous majority schools, a recent report by Internet Safety Labs (ISL) has found. Ads and trackers The report “Demographic Analysis of App Safety, Website Safety, and School Technology Behaviors in US K-12 Schools” explores technological disparities in American schools, focusing mainly on marginalized demographics. This research expands on ISL’s previous work on the safety of educational technology across the country and is supported by the Internet Society Foundation. It reveals how schools of different backgrounds use technology and the risks involved. One
TikTok star Tareasa Johnson, known on the platform as Reesa Teesa, has revealed how much she made through the TikTok creator fund after her “Who TF Did I Marry?” series. Johnson has become a viral sensation in the buzzing world of TikTok, resonating deeply with millions through her candid 50-part TikTok series “Who TF Did I Marry?” Who TF Did I Marry? Johnson’s ascent to TikTok fame began with a spontaneous video in which she shared shocking revelations about her ex-husband, Legion, who is dubbed for his deceitful nature. The
Lucy Guo, a self-made millionaire and co-founder of the $7 billion-valued unicorn Scale AI, is making headlines again with her platform Passes, according to Fortune. Lucy Guo And Passes At 29, Guo has secured $40 million in Series A funding for her new venture, Passes, a creator monetization platform. Passes, previously used by Black Chyna, aims to revolutionize how content creators earn money. The $40 million round was led by the San Francisco-based Bond, spearheaded by Kleiner Perkins alums Mary Meeker and Mood Rowghani. Skims co-founders Emma and Jens Grede
Tesla has given $2,000 to The Giving Pies, a small Black woman-owned bakery in San Jose, following its cancellation of a significant pie order during Black History Month. The order, initially set for 2,000 pies and then doubled, was worth between $6,000 to $16,000. However, the cancellation left the bakery with a financial loss of approximately $2,000 and missed opportunities during Black History Month. Musk’s Intervention Voahangy Rasetarinera, the bakery owner, took to Instagram to detail the financial strain caused by Tesla’s decision. “To me, it was clear that Tesla’s
In honor of this year’s Black History Month theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” we are exploring the intersection of the Black arts and tech. We have curated a listicle of films that showcase how Black innovators have merged their artistic vision with technological processes. From the untold stories of African-American mathematicians in NASA to the futuristic visions of Afrofuturism, these films span a broad spectrum, reflecting the diversity and richness of Black contributions to technology. Hidden Figures This film tells the true story of three African American women working at
Pinterest’s use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered inclusive filters is proving popular among its Gen Z users. Pinterest Using AI Pinterest is a digital inspiration space with nearly 500 million users that aims to enhance user satisfaction with inclusive AI. The inception of AI-powered filters in 2018 marked a significant stride for Pinterest. These filters, designed for skin tone, body type, and hair patterns, enable users to find images resonating with their personal features. According to Business of Fashion, results show that in 2023 alone, searches utilizing hair-pattern filters surged by 41%,
Google’s latest AI tool, Gemini, designed to create diverse images, has been temporarily stopped after sparking controversy over its depiction of historical figures. AI Tool Gemini Gemini was made to create realistic images based on users’ descriptions in a similar manner to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Like other models, it is trained not to respond to dangerous or hateful prompts and to introduce diversity into its outputs. However, users reported that Gemini, in its attempt to avoid racial bias, often generated images with historically inaccurate representations of gender and ethnicity. For example,
Twitch streamer Kai Cenat has announced his partnership with Nike, becoming the first streamer to forge such a connection with the global sportswear brand. Meet Kai Cenat Cenat is a 22-year-old American content creator who streams on Twitch and posts videos to YouTube. He shared his first video on his main YouTube channel in 2018, and the channel now has nearly 5 million followers. Since then, he has grown his audience across two different YouTube accounts and his Twitch channel, now with 9 million followers. Cenat has also won Streamer
Black Americans consume more media than any other US population, but almost 70% wish they saw better representation, a Nielsen report has found. Black Audiences Consume The Most Media Nielsen’s “The Global Black Audience” report highlights Black America’s significant engagement with media and their perspective on representation in content and advertising. Black Americans remain today’s core audience, spending more time with media than any other US population, 81 hours weekly. Black audiences 18 and older in the US spend the most time on media daily – nearly 12 hours. The
Two computer science majors, Leslie Jones-Dove and Devshi Mehrotra from the University of Chicago, have raised $3 million for their AI platform, JusticeText. Making the criminal justice system fairer Jones-Dove and Mehrotra developed their idea during a class project that they both worked on during their university years. Following protests after the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, the duo decided to interlink their interest in technology and the criminal justice system. “Across the country, there are a number of public defender’s offices where they’re underpaid and overworked,” James-Dove told AfroTech. “It means that they have a
