Zhang Yiming founded ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, but previously served as the CEO of 99Fang, a Chinese home finder startup with “very powerful” tech for search, image processing, and recommendations.

Now, The New York Times reports that former contractors suing Susquehanna, an investor in both companies, claim technology they developed for 99Fang was used to create TikTok without compensating them.

Futurism spotted what looks to be AI photo shenanigans in Netflix’s What Jennifer Did, a true crime documentary detailing a murder-for-hire plot. The possible AI-generated images appeared in scenes describing the subject, Jennifer Pan’s personality. Futurism rightly points out that fake AI images in a true crime documentary are controversial, at the least.

In 2020, Apple sued a recycling partner after more than 11,000 pounds of gadgets disappeared. But a Bloomberg report reveals that workers pilfering iPhones isn’t the only problem with Apple’s recycling program.

The company regularly ordered the recycling partner to destroy “tens of thousands” of refurbishable devices, legal filings show. Such waste occurs regularly throughout the globe.

Co-CEO Greg Peters says the streamer doesn’t have a “set position” on a ceiling for its subscription pricing:

You can look at pay TV as a potential markers for where people have spent before but we really actually don’t think of it so much is defined by that... As we add more entertainment value, then of course we can go back to our subscribers and ask them to pay a little bit more to keep that virtuous cycle moving.

Josh Dzieza got a rare glimpse at the meticulous work of undersea cable repair — the secretive industry that keeps internet infrastructure around the world up and running. If you haven’t read his excellent feature yet, here’s a quick overview of how cable repair works.

If it pushes through, the European Commission could look into whether Microsoft’s $13 billion investment into OpenAI restricts competition, Reuters reports. The commission floated the possibility of an investigation in January.

The partnership between the two companies already drew scrutiny from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the Federal Trade Commission in the US.

Eisenberg sent the price of MNGO tokens up, then withdrew $110 million in crypto. He did not testify.

His defense pointed out the was permitted by the crypto’s code. Turns out code isn’t law!

The Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act has been circulating since at least 2020, seeking to close this loophole in constitutional privacy protections. A version of the bill finally passed Wednesday evening, in a 212–199 vote.

Spyra recently sent me its new $54 SpyraGo electric water blaster, so I decided to bring back a literal blast from the past: a 1998 Super Soaker CPS 2500, one of the most effective hosers ever made.

Below, see how they perform against the flagship $179 SpyraThree and the $15 X-Shot Epic Fast Fill, one of the best budget soakers you can buy!

It’s never easy to tell whether M. Night Shyamalan’s about to whip out another banger like Split, or a dud like Old. And the trailer for Trap — Shyamalan’s new thriller about cops luring a killer into the open with a concert — makes it extremely hard to tell which camp it’s going to fall into.

As we saw in the beta release this new version of Adobe Express packs the same creative, editing, and generative AI features that desktop users have into an iOS and Android app.

It’s free to use, but to access Firefly and the full suite of editing tools you’ll need a $10 per month Premium membership.

The Short Stack: a scale model of a Nintendo Wii one-thirteenth the size, with an actual trimmed Wii motherboard inside. Four headset jacks do duty as working GameCube controller ports, attached to custom PCBs that add USB-C power, HDMI output, and microSD storage.

Update: Here’s a video of it working, GameCube pad and all!

“No journalist is going to catch Swift in her sweatpants backstage and write about it.” I loved this profile of Tree Paine, perhaps the most influential celebrity publicist in the game. 

We’ve seen Zuck in his grilling phase (both meat and in front of Congress) as an MMA athlete, a metaverse CEO, and now... announcing AI updates as a middle-aged man wearing a chain.

The good news is that, unlike the “gold” chain I bought on Virginia Beach in the 90s, I doubt it will turn his skin green.

A group of key senators introduced the Future of AI Innovation Act Thursday to promote artificial intelligence research and innovation and create global standards for the technology.

The group’s sponsors include Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), a member of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s AI working group, and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).

Federal antitrust enforcers are working with the Department of Health and Human Services to collect examples of harm to healthcare competition through a new website. If you think your healthcare provider is keeping you in the dark about the cost of services or is using your health data unfairly, you might be able to submit a complaint.

Alex told us they were coming, but it looks like Meta is flipping the switch as we speak — adding Meta AI searches alongside traditional ones in each app’s default search box. Oh, and some Ask Meta AI mini-prompts, too. If Meta AI has an answer to something you type, it’ll show a blue-violet circle next to that search result.

Microsoft has been testing an Xbox Mastercard for more than six months and it’s now opening it up to everyone in the US today. The Xbox Mastercard is a no annual fee credit card issued by Barclays, and purchases made using the card will generate points that can be redeemed on Xbox games and add-ons.