Google DeepMind has unveiled Genie 3, a world-building model that uses text and image prompts to generate 3D environments in real time. Still in research preview, Genie 3 can output “several minutes” of video that can be navigated in real time at 24fps and a resolution of 720p. Because it remembers the rules of the world it creates, Genie 3 allows agents to predict how the environment evolves and how actions affect it. Google says world models are “a key steppingstone” to artificial general intelligence, or AGI, since they can train AI agents in “an unlimited curriculum of rich simulation.” Read more

AI audio firm ElevenLabs has launched Eleven Music, which lets businesses and individuals generate studio-caliber music using natural language prompts. Users can generate tracks in any genre or style, even adding vocals in different languages. The Eleven Music model was developed in partnership with music licensing firm Merlin and independent publisher Kobalt. Artists and songwriters from the two groups will participate in the development of Eleven Music Pro, a subsequent model planned for release in the coming months. The company says it built-in guardrails to protect rightsholders. Read more

Live streaming service Sling continues to innovate in the price-performance category, adding a $5 Day Pass that consumers without full-feature (or even skinny) subscriptions will likely find convenient for sports and other special events. The company is offering a $10 Weekend Pass and $15 Week Pass to complement a regular monthly subscription price that starts at $46. “Just in time for football season … fresh, flexible ways to tune in,” Sling touts, proclaiming a “mission to challenge industry norms” with “fan-first streaming solutions at a time when consumers are demanding more control and less cost.” Read more

South Korea-based electronics giant Samsung has released the first TV set to use its new Micro RGB backlight technology. Measuring 115-inches, the 4K TV is being released in the company’s home country priced at roughly $32,300, with plans to hit U.S. shelves next, followed by a global rollout and additional screen sizes. Samsung’s proprietary Micro RGB technology arranges individually controlled red, green and blue micro RGB LEDs — each less than 100µm in size, less than the width of a human hair — behind the panel, enabling precision control over each color. The tech is drawing comments like “game changer” and “makes LED look outdated.” Read more

Meta Platforms has released an update for its Brand Rights Protection tools, which help businesses find and report misuse of their brand across advertising and user-generated content posted on popular social platforms Facebook and Instagram. Simultaneously, the company is expanding scam ad reporting to all Brand Rights Protection accounts, enabling businesses to report suspected scam ads at scale, and rolling out a simplified takedown request protocol to save brands time. The new features “include some of the most requested” tools by businesses who rely on these brand safety suites. Read more