The Influencer AI Review: This AI Replaces Influencers

69% of consumers say they trust recommendations from influencers over information from a brand. But what if that influencer isn’t real? I'm not talking about some clunky 3D avatar or robotic CG [...]

Estonia is the rare EU country opposing child social media bans

As child social media bans spread across Europe and beyond, Estonia isn't having it. On Friday, the country's education minister said the bans won't "actually solve problems," [...]

LimeWire acquires Fyre Festival, has vague plans to offer 'real experiences'

LimeWire has announced that it's acquired the rights to Fyre Festival, the disastrous, influencer-fueled 2017 music festival. The newly revived company — which now acts as a NFT music marketpla [...]

Flipboard's 'social websites' are a new spin on decentralized social media

Flipboard has been one of the biggest boosters of decentralized social media. Now, the company, which is known for its social news reading app, is rolling out its latest experiment, "social websi [...]

Anthropic acquires Vercept to give Claude sharper eyes for reading and controlling computer screens

Anthropic acquires Vercept to boost Claude's computer use with the startup's screen recognition model "VyUI."<br /> The article Anthropic acquires Vercept to give Claude shar [...]

Amazon acquires autonomous robotics startup Rivr

Amazon has acquired Rivr, a startup focused on autonomous robotics. Rivr is based in Zurich and was valued at $110 million in a funding round from August 2024, which both Amazon and its CEO's Bez [...]

OpenAI acquires AI finance startup Hiro, which built a "personal AI CFO"

OpenAI acquires the team behind AI finance startup Hiro. The service is shutting down, and all user data will be deleted.<br /> The article OpenAI acquires AI finance startup Hiro, which built a [...]

In 2025, quitting social media felt easier than ever

For a tech writer, being very offline is sort of like being a marathon coach who doesn’t run. So in 2025, I tried to reverse years of studied avoidance towards the most ubiquitous technological phen [...]

New York State will require warning labels on social media platforms

The State of New York will now require social media platforms to display warning labels similar to those found on cigarettes. The bill was passed by the New York Legislature in June and signed into la [...]