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. Continue reading Instagram Touts 3 Billion Global Users, Redesigns Homepage

Google is giving the Play Store an AI makeover with a new strategy behind Play Games and a new You tab for personalized content. A new Guided Search feature will help users find apps and games by typing in keywords or a generalized description rather than the app’s name. The hope is that artificial intelligence can turn the mobile marketplace into more of a destination rather than just a place to download apps. More than 4 billion people use Google Play, and the company would like to have them spend more time there. Play’s integrated gaming platform and You tab will begin rolling out this week, starting with select Play Points markets, and will be adding additional countries on October 1. Continue reading Google Optimizes Play Store for Games, Adds Personalization

Alibaba Cloud’s newest AI model, Qwen3-Omni-30B-A3B, has debuted with a splash. The Chinese company is touting it as “the first natively end-to-end omni-modal AI unifying text, image, audio & video in one model.” While Qwen3-Omni can accept prompts of text, image, audio and video, it only outputs text and audio. Alibaba Cloud has released the three versions of Qwen3-Omni so users can select based on their needs, choosing between general multimodal capabilities, deep reasoning or specialized audio understanding. Alibaba has also developed an AI chip called T-Head that performs comparably to Nvidia’s H20. Continue reading Alibaba’s Qwen3-Omni AI Ingests Text, Images, Audio, Video

AI-powered creator tools were a central focus at this week’s Made on YouTube event, where the company unveiled Veo 3 Fast, a “quicker and more cost effective version” of Google’s powerful video model, Veo 3 that is being made available free for creators in YouTube Shorts. Veo 3 Fast generates outputs with lower latency at 480p and also generates sound, a first for YouTube Shorts. YouTube created the mobile-first Veo 3 Fast model in partnership with artificial intelligence research lab Google DeepMind. Video creators will soon be able to leverage Veo 3 Fast to add backgrounds and objects or change styles using prompts. Continue reading YouTube Unveils Array of New AI Tools, Including Video Model

YouTube Live is getting upgrades including AI-generated highlights and soon the ability to simultaneously broadcast in both horizontal and vertical formats, allowing creators “to reach viewers on every screen.” Playables on live minigames have been added as a way to ease newbies into live streaming. Creators can chat with their audience while playing from among 75+ games, monetizing the stream just like any other live broadcast. Next year, YouTube will begin testing live reactions, enabled by starting a mobile live stream to share reactions with others who are currently live. Continue reading YouTube Adds Dual-Format Streaming, Live Minigames, More

Nvidia has designed a new class of GPU for massive-context inference, the Rubin CPX, due in late 2026. Purpose-built to speed the million-token applications used to generate video and create software, the Rubin CPX functions as a specialty accelerator, working in concert with Nvidia Vera CPUs and Rubin GPUs packaged inside the upcoming Vera Rubin NVL144 CPX rack platform. “The Vera Rubin platform will mark another leap in the frontier of AI computing,” revolutionizing massive-context AI just as RTX did graphics and physical AI, said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Continue reading Nvidia Says Rubin CPX Inference Accelerator Coming in 2026

Roblox is launching an in-app feature called Roblox Moments, a scrollable short-form video feed for users 13 and older to upload and share clips. The company is also debuting new AI tools including one that generates 4D objects “where the fourth dimension is interaction.” Real-time voice chat translation and agentic updates to the Roblox Assistant AI helper are among the other features announced at the Roblox Developers Conference, where the company promoted an 8.5 percent bump in creator revenue potential and introduced an “age estimation” initiative that will use facial ID in addition to other tools. Continue reading Roblox Demos ‘Moments’ Short-Form Video Feed, AI Features

Google wants to heighten the profile of its Veo 3 video generator, and to help do so has named Henry Daubrez, the longtime creative chief at the multidisciplinary Dogstudio/DEPT, filmmaker in residence at Google Labs. In addition to working with the Google team to continue developing the Veo 3-powered Flow AI filmmaking tool, Daubrez will mentor artists in a new pilot program called Flow Sessions. Select filmmakers will get unlimited access to Flow, a subscription product starting at $20 per month, plus mentorship and AI education as part of Flow Sessions. Continue reading Google Pushes Generative Video with Filmmaker in Residence

As ByteDance approaches the latest U.S. deadline to sell TikTok or face being banned here, it continues to add new features, with barely a ripple of news concerning a sale. The legislation that contained the sales clause became law in April 2024. The most recent of several extensions was issued in June, pushing the deadline to September 17. In July Reuters reported a deal was “close,” with TikTok building a new U.S. version of its app ahead of a planned sale “to a group of investors.” Now the platform is adding voice notes to DMs and image uploads in chats. Up to nine images or video clips can be added to individual or group chats. Continue reading TikTok Adds Voice Notes for DMs and Image Uploads in Chats

Hype, a YouTube feature that helps smaller channels break through to wider audiences, uses a point system that lets fans help emerging creators get onto a new ranked leaderboard. Launched as a test last year, Hype is now live in 39 countries, including the U.S., UK, Japan and India. Viewers can take advantage of a free opportunity to “hype” up to three long-form videos per week for creators with from 500 to 500,000 subscribers. Videos receive points for being hyped, with “bonus points” awarded on a sliding scale that benefits smaller creators. Only videos uploaded within the last 7 days are eligible. Continue reading YouTube Boosts Hype Feature to Help Creators Expand Reach

Google has released a free consumer version of the Veo-powered Vids generative video creation and editing tool that debuted in November 2024 as part of the Google Workspace productivity suite, a subscription product starting at $7 per month for individual users. Subscribers will continue to have access to a more full-featured Vids app, which has been updated with AI avatars, image-to-video capability and automatic transcript trimming that removes “filler words and awkward pauses with just a few clicks.” But the free tier provides basic AI-enhanced editing and video creation using templates that casual users will no doubt find helpful. Continue reading Google Releases Free Version of Veo 3-Powered Vids Editor

The Rokid Glasses set to ship in November boast something smart spec aficionados have been clamoring for — a screen built-into the lens. Set to retail for $600 ($700 including the charging case) the AR-equipped specs will likely be a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the new Ray-Ban Metas, expected to be the company’s first screen-equipped smart glasses. The word is they’ll be showcased at Meta Connect, September 17-18. The Rokid Glasses raised $900,000 within 48 hours of their global unveiling on Kickstarter, where those who pre-order receive a limited-time discount of 15 to 20 percent. Continue reading Rokid to Launch AR Smart Glasses Featuring Built-In Screen

Netflix has issued partner guidelines outlining use of generative AI in content workflows. The guidelines emphasize circumstances in which the use of generative AI requires advanced written approval, such as altering a character or performance, any inclusion of generative AI in the final product or using AI in a way that materially impacts union work. Fabricated content that could be “mistaken for real events” is to be avoided. Use of AI for “ideation” is deemed generally acceptable if done within guidelines. Allowing models to train on input or output of material destined for Netflix is off-limits. Continue reading Netflix Publishes Partner Guidelines for GenAI Production Use

Insta360 has a new compact action camera, the GO Ultra, which shoots 4K at 60fps with an improved sensor for low light. The tiny hands-free unit weighs in at just 1.87 ounces — 3.8 ounces with the screen-equipped Action Pod. While that’s slightly heavier than the Insta360 GO 3S, it has a 1/1.28-inch image sensor — more than 2x larger than that of its predecessor — and is powered by a 5nm AI chip that “delivers imaging previously impossible in the GO series,” according to Insta360. The f/2.85 aperture has a 14.27mm focal length and captures photos at up to 50MP. Continue reading Insta360 GO Ultra Action Camera Records 4K Video at 60fps

The ESPN mobile app has been revamped to coincide with today’s debut of the ESPN DTC streaming service, which offers the sports network’s 12 program outlets together for the first time. The ESPN app has added a vertical feed of video shorts accessible through a “Verts” tab and the homepage carousel. The Verts feed includes game highlights and analytics as well as user-generated content. A vertically delivered “SportsCenter” called “SC for You” delivers daily updates personalized for favorite teams, leagues and sports, available on the app, ESPN.com and some smart TVs. Continue reading ESPN Updates Mobile App with Vertical Video for DTC Launch