Dove has joined a campaign to bring natural and protective Black hairstyles to the emoji keyboard. Partnering with London-based youth nonprofit RISE.365, the brand is calling on the Unicode Consortium to approve four new emoji designs representing afros, braids, cornrows, and locs. The push comes as Unicode prepares to review new emoji proposals this month. The #CodeMyCrown campaign The #CodeMyCrown campaign, backed by global pop star Mel B, is challenging the lack of representation of Black hair among the nearly 4,000 emojis currently available. While over 90 percent of the
This week on Techish, Michael and Abadesi dive into those viral Studio Ghibli-style AI images from ChatGPT and what they mean for creative jobs, copyright, and the climate. They also break down what 23andMe’s bankruptcy, what shows like Netflix’s Adolescence reveal toxic masculinity and gender-based violence, and the hype around Apple TV’s Severance. Chapters 00:00 The Dark Side of ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli AI Art11:03 23andMe Goes Bankrupt16:40 Adolescence and the Rise in Incel Culture*26:18 Severance and the Future of AI in Streaming *Please note that this section contains discussions of
Over the past year, we’ve seen no shortage of deception: some of it clever, some of it outrageous, and some of it deeply revealing. We’ve seen fake identities used to expose bias, deepfakes spread like wildfire, and high-profile figures go to great lengths to hide the truth (or rewrite it entirely) From a lying ex-husband and cross-country Uber pranks to investor fraud, corporate lawsuits, and social media misinformation, here are ten stories to catch up on this April Fools’ Day. 1. 10 years for scamming investors – or not Carlos
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened an investigation into Disney and its subsidiary ABC, examining whether their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies violate federal broadcast regulations. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr requested the probe, raising concerns that Disney’s DEI initiatives may conflict with the agency’s equal employment opportunity rules. Disney holds broadcast licenses for its ABC affiliate stations, which the FCC regulates. DEI Under Scrutiny In a letter to CEO Bob Iger dated March 27, Carr said he wants to ensure the company is not engaging in “invidious forms
President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of Carlos Watson, the founder and former CEO of Ozy Media. Watson was just hours away from reporting to a federal prison in California when he received word of the clemency, CNBC reports. Watson, 55, was sentenced to 116 months in prison following his conviction on multiple counts of fraud and identity theft related to his leadership of the now-defunct digital media company. Trump also commuted the sentence of one year of probation imposed on Ozy Media for the company’s conviction in
On March 11, 2025, United Negro College Fund (UNCF) partnered with TikTok to champion HillmanTok University for using social media to transform education and motivate the Black community. HillmanTok at Capitol Hill HillmanTok educators like Dr. Leah Barlow, Shyia Simmon, CPA Thurman Brooks, Gyllian Carter, Kyra Brown, and Denise Francis went to Capital Hill in Washington, DC, for a special reception to commemorate the educators and meet with members of Congress, according to a TikTok news release viewed by AFROTECH. “UNCF is proud to partner with TikTok to amplify the transformative
Vince Martin, Founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Upsides Network LLC, has announced the launch of his new platform, BlackShares. The platform aims to bring the Black community together for social and professional networking, as stated in a press release. The company is calling for a boycott of X, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn and suggests switching to BlackShares to support a Black-owned platform instead. The platform will allow experts to be paid for their knowledge, encouraging wealth within the Black community. Putting money back into the community Black consumers’ collective economic
Kendrick Lamar’s startup pgLang is number 15 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025. The multidisciplinary creative communications company was founded by Lamar and  filmmaker and record producer Dave Free in 2020. The company establishes itself as a hybrid model in the creative spaces, operating across different industries and platforms such as music, film and live events. This year, they creatively directed and co-produced the Super Bowl halftime show where Lamar performed his number 1 hit “Not Like Us.” pglang’s influence The creative agency has
Kevin Hart is working with the Fifteen Percent Pledge to support Black founders using AI. The AI Illumination Grant will teach Black-owned entrepreneurs how to use AI to expand their businesses. The Fifteen Percent Pledge is partnering with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz’s (A16z) Cultural Leadership Fund to launch the grant, according to AFROTECH. “We know AI can seem intimidating, but these dynamic webinars will break it down and empower you to embrace this powerful technology with confidence,” the Fifteen Percent Pledge website says. The AI Illumination Grant Qualified
Over 400 Hollywood creatives, including actors and directors, have signed an open letter calling for the government not to scale back on copyright laws related to artificial intelligence. Variety reported that the list included names such as Ava Duvernay, Janelle Monáe, Michaela Coel, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and hundreds of others. “We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” they said in the letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy last week. Why are Hollywood
