Artificial intelligence has proven to be a creative enabler, though also a headache when it comes to protecting intellectual property rights. And for some, like Spotify, it is both. Even as the platform takes pains to accommodate AI-powered bands like The Velvet Sundown it is simultaneously “waging war” against content-farmed AI tunes. In the past 12 months Spotify says it has removed over 75 million spammy tracks. Now it is rolling out an even more robust spam filtering system while stepping up enforcement of impersonations and mandating AI disclosures for music with industry-standard credits. Read more

Qualcomm has released two new chips within the Snapdragon X Series portfolio. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite are “the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PCs,” according to the company. The 3nm chips boast up to 43 percent less power consumption than the prior generation. They were unveiled at the Snapdragon Summit in Maui, where Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon talked about the 6G future, which he described as a “dynamic, adaptive network of intelligence” that will be contextually sensitive, feeding across an ecosystem of personal devices from phones and laptops to smart glasses and connected cars. Read more

Google Labs is experimenting with a new AI feature called Mixboard that lets people explore and develop design ideas. Users can visualize concepts ranging from home decor to event themes, or just about anything, for DIY projects or other creative pursuits. New projects can be launched from a text prompt or selected from pre-populated boards and developed by uploading images or using AI to generate them. “Create new versions of your ideas with one-click options like ‘regenerate’ and ‘more like this’,” explains Google, noting you can generate text based on content from any of the board’s images. Read more

Instagram has hit 3 billion monthly users, parent Meta Platforms announced this week, an increase of one billion since the company last disclosed figures in October 2022. Meta’s other social platforms, Facebook and WhatsApp, both crossed the 3 billion mark earlier this year. The milestone coincides with a redesign of the Instagram app’s homepage putting more emphasis on Reels short-form videos and private messaging that have largely driven the platform’s growth. Meta has begun testing a version of the app in India that opens directly into Reels instead of a traditional feed. Read more

OpenAI has laid out plans for five new U.S. data centers to bring its Stargate AI infrastructure project to a total of 7 gigawatts of capacity within three years. The company says that puts OpenAI on track to formalize its $500 billion, 10-gigawatt plans for Stargate by the end of 2025, ahead of schedule. The disclosure follows media coverage critical of OpenAI for moving too slowly toward its goals. There is also a SoftBank-imposed deadline of January 1 to corporately restructure in a way that allows investors to more fully participate in profits or risk losing $20 billion in funding. Read more