🎙️ AI Voice Too Real?, Digg’s Comeback, Meta’s Face Check
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, March 05. Today we are covering:
Eerily realistic AI voice demo sparks amazement and discomfort online
The Return of Digg, a Star of an Earlier Internet Era
Meta brings its anti-scam facial recognition test to the UK and Europe
Microsoft's $13 Billion OpenAI Investment Cleared by UK Watchdog
Qualcomm CEO says its new modem creates a 'huge delta' in performance versus Apple
Let’s dive in
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Eerily realistic AI voice demo sparks amazement and discomfort online
By Benj Edwards via Ars Technica
Sesame AI's new Conversational Speech Model (CSM) has sparked both amazement and unease by achieving near-human voice realism, mimicking natural speech patterns, emotions, and imperfections—leading some users to form emotional connections with its voices, "Miles" and "Maya."
Reactions to Sesame's AI range from awe to discomfort, with users on platforms like Hacker News and Reddit calling it "jaw-dropping," while others, including a PCWorld editor, found it unsettlingly lifelike, resembling real human interactions too closely.
Concerns over deception and misuse are rising, as advanced voice AI could supercharge voice phishing scams and impersonation, with some users already reporting emotional bonds—raising ethical and security challenges in the future of AI-driven conversations.
𝕏: Excited to share a peek of what I’ve been working onWe @sesame believe voice is key to unlocking a future where computers are lifelike. Here’s an early preview you can try! We’ll be open sourcing a model, and yes… we’re building hardware! - Justin Alvey (@justLV)
The Return of Digg, a Star of an Earlier Internet Era
By Mike Isaac via The New York Times
Kevin Rose has repurchased Digg and is relaunching it with Alexis Ohanian, aiming to compete with Reddit by prioritizing community engagement and avoiding the pitfalls of modern social media.
The original Digg, once a Web 2.0 giant, collapsed after a failed redesign, while Reddit thrived under Steve Huffman, leading Rose to rethink the platform’s potential amid increasing dissatisfaction with Reddit’s moderation policies.
The new Digg will focus on AI-powered features, mobile-first accessibility, and improved moderation tools, with early invitations rolling out soon and ambitions to disrupt the current social media landscape.
𝕏: I'm working on something new... but also old... but also very new... sign up now to get early access! I'm so excited to be working with @kevinrose on this. More to come. - Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian)
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Meta brings its anti-scam facial recognition test to the UK and Europe
By Ingrid Lunden via TechCrunch
Meta is expanding its facial recognition anti-scam test to the UK and European Union, aiming to combat scams using likenesses of public figures and assist users in regaining compromised accounts.
The rollout follows regulatory engagement in the UK, where public figures will receive opt-in notifications for "celeb-bait" protection, and all users will have access to an optional video selfie verification tool.
Despite Meta’s history with biometric data controversies, the company asserts that facial data is deleted after a one-time comparison and is not repurposed, positioning this as a response to ongoing criticisms of scam ads and impersonation issues.
𝕏: Meta continues to work on future cool things like facial recognition for compromised accounts. Although I have a suggestion for you Meta - why not enable MFA by default!!! 2025 and it’s still just an “option” bahahaha!!!! - Jake Moore (@JakeMooreUK)
Microsoft's $13 Billion OpenAI Investment Cleared by UK Watchdog
By Upmanyu Trivedi via Bloomberg
Microsoft's $13 billion investment in OpenAI has been cleared by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), ending months of regulatory uncertainty.
The CMA ruled that the 2023 deal does not meet the criteria for a full antitrust investigation under UK merger rules.
The regulator had initially examined whether the partnership granted Microsoft undue control or influence over OpenAI, but ultimately found no grounds for further scrutiny.
Qualcomm CEO says its new modem creates a 'huge delta' in performance versus Apple
By Arjun Kharpal via CNBC
Qualcomm unveiled its latest high-end modem, the X85, which CEO Cristiano Amon claims delivers a “huge delta” in performance compared to Apple’s newly released C1 modem in the iPhone 16e.
Amon emphasized that the X85 leverages AI to improve signal performance, positioning premium Android devices ahead of iPhones in connectivity capabilities.
Despite Apple's push to develop in-house modems, Amon reiterated that Qualcomm expects to stop supplying Apple with modems by 2027, while maintaining its leadership in AI-driven connectivity.
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