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Dateline: Woking, 10th April 2024.Elon Musk has talked about plans to turn Twitter, now known as X (or TwiX, to me) into a payments platform that will give users the ability to send money to one another and move money into and out of bank accounts. The company has committed to launch peer-to-peer payments, “unlocking more user utility and new opportunities for commerce, and showcasing the power of living more of your life in one place”. This is part of what seems to be a wider vision of X as a a kind of “super app”, a Western version of WeChat, where users will read the news, book travel, pay taxes and everything else. It’s an exciting and challenging goal, but I think it’s going to be difficult to disrupt this particular market.with kind permission of Helen Holmes (CC-BY-ND 4.0)Subscribe nowMoney & MonetisablePeople who are tweeting from time to time (eg, me) tend to think that everyone is on X. But they are not. It is not even in the top 10 most used social media networks. Facebook has more than three billion monthly active users, whereas X has a tenth of that and most of them are not particularly active, since data shows that almost all tweets (92%) come from just 10% of them. Most people come to X to check in on the news or find entertainment rather than to contribute to the sum total of human knowledge.Nonetheless, there are users (mostly male, dominated by the 25-34 age group) who do represent…Musk and Money Transmission

The phrase, “There’s a censorship problem in the United States,” is a homing beacon for political and social division — instantly casting a sense of wariness about who is uttering it and for what aim. But it’s also true. From continued legislative attacks on inclusive education to digital “shadowbanning” of accounts in social media algorithms, content is often gate-kept from the masses. Frida Uncensored, a new website launched alongside the cult favorite maternity brand’s new fertility products, addresses this ongoing issue from a different perspective: One that hopes to circumvent the censorship around conception, pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding product education.  Frida Uncensored provides Frida customers completely uncensored, anatomical tutorials for the use of their fertility and postpartum products — like a real-life version of the wholly unhelpful cartoons seen in the comically accordion-folded instruction packets for things like tampons and menstrual cups. The first set of videos, available today, feature adult entertainment actress and mom Asa Akira using tools like the at-home insemination kit and the Frida Mom peri bottle. Future videos will feature other real-life customers who can now apply to be a part of the Uncensored campaign. “Traditional and social media outlets are really effective tools to drive awareness that sites like this exist,” Frida founder and CEO Chelsea Hirschhorn told Mashable. “That being said, we have a hard time even advertising using the word ‘fertility.’ We’re at the whim of the algorithm, so to speak, and the algorithm needs a more human touch. The algorithm is not set up equitably.” Recent…This website offers uncensored, unfiltered sexual health education

It might be easy to forget at times, but technically, Twitter is no more. Elon Musk changed the name of the company to “X” last summer. Yes, the main domain name for Musk’s X is still Twitter.com. Yes, there are multiple official pages on the platform where the company still refers to it as “Twitter.” Yes, most people still call it “Twitter.” But, Musk’s social media platform is officially called X.On Monday, it appears X attempted to encourage users to cease referring to it as Twitter and instead adopt the name X. Some users began noticing that posts viewed via X for iOS were changing any references of “Twitter.com” to “X.com” automatically.   X user @___frye posted “Twitter .com” but on X’s app for iOS it shows as “X .com” Credit: Mashable Screenshot X’s Twitter dot com problemYes, you read that correctly. If a user typed in “Twitter.com,” they would see “Twitter.com” as they typed it before hitting “Post.” But, after submitting, the platform would show “X.com” in its place on the X for iOS app, without the user’s permission, for everyone viewing the post.And shortly after this revelation, it became clear that there was another big issue: X was changing anything ending in “Twitter.com” to “X.com.”As of publication of this piece, here’s how one post currently shows up on X’s website: Here’s how @Arcticstar0’s post looks like X’s website. Credit: Mashable Screenshot Here’s how the same post currently looks on X for iOS: Here’s how the same @Arcticstar0 post looks like…X automatically changed 'Twitter' to 'X' in users' posts, breaking legit URLs

The contemporary world of artificial intelligence (AI) has a maxim: if something is not possible with state-of-the-art generative AI systems today, just wait—it will be next month. Serving as a powerful reminder not to underestimate the capabilities of rapidly emerging systems, this maxim is making its way into the halls of state power, exemplified by the United States’ strategy of tech containment in its great power competition with China. This competition unfolds as some Middle Eastern states, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), increasingly play an assertive role in the development of emerging technologies like AI, intertwining with AI’s modern maxim. Nothing exemplifies this optimism more than reports that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in talks with, among others, the UAE government to raise $5 trillion to 7 trillion (yes, trillion) for increased chip-building capacity, following news that Altman sought billions of dollars for a chip company focused on Tensor Processing Units. The newly minted Abu Dhabi-based investment fund MGX, chaired by UAE national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, is in “early” talks with OpenAI to help fund Altman’s chip-building endeavor. That such an endeavor is even being considered indicates that AI’s modern maxim is taking root among diverse actors who are intent on harnessing AI. The perception is that generative AI models will only get more sophisticated and those states intent on playing leading roles in the global economy of the future must act decisively now or find themselves irrevocably disadvantaged in the long-term. One could be forgiven for believing that generative AI has already fulfilled the…Is OpenAI's Sam Altman's future worth $7 trillion?

If you’ve been on X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly known as Twitter, over the past day or so, you’ve likely seen at least one influential account you follow share their shock (and dismay) over receiving a blue checkmark on their profile. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted As previously reported, Musk changed the verification rules on X – once again. Now, any user who has at least 2,500 followers who pay for the $8 per month X Premium subscription service will get a free X Premium subscription of their own. And one of the “perks” of the subscription service is the blue checkmark badge. Tweet may have been deleted Apparently, though, not too many noticed Musk’s new policy before the blue checkmarks began forcing their way on to their accounts.Well, if you received a blue checkmark on the house courtesy of Elon Musk…welcome to the club!Last April, I became one of the first recipients of a “spite” blue checkmark, as some have come to see these badges, because I was a member of a small group including @dril who covered the Block the Blue campaign — an effort from some of the platform’s power users to block any paying blue checkmark user on the site.Here’s what it’s likeMany users have asked me about it over the past year, inquiring just how “paid” X looks for a user that is, well, not paying.I can confirm that involuntarily badged users not only get the blue checkmark badge…I’ve been forcibly blue-checked on Elon Musk's X. Here’s what it’s like.

This column was written entirely by me, with no involvement or assistance from artificial intelligence whatsoever. The same, however, cannot be said of robocalls made January in the New Hampshire primary that appeared to be from President Joe Biden; nor of recent audio that seemed to capture the voice of Manhattan Democratic Party leader Keith Wright. Both of these high-profile incidents were deepfakes — phony recordings generated by artificial intelligence designed to sound authentic but in reality are fabricated. And whether it’s an imposter President Biden or a counterfeit Keith Wright, both episodes portend the threat posed to our elections and our democracy by bad faith actors skilled at manipulating AI.    The era of artificial intelligence in politics is officially here, whether we like it or not, and the truth is the current regulatory landscape is insufficient to prevent the dangers of widespread fraud and disinformation. This will be the dominant tech story of the 2024 election cycle, up and down the ballot, and the consequences of how we respond now will reverberate for years. But the choice before us is a simple one: Do nothing and let deception further corrupt our politics, dupe voters and imperil free societies; or demand real regulations that not only defend the voting public against fraud — but allow us to unleash the positive benefits that AI can offer us all. Artificial intelligence possesses enormous potential to democratize politics by transforming voter contact with nuanced communication at massive scale, and reducing dependence on big donors. It’s exciting to…The era of AI in politics is here. With the right safeguards, it can benefit society

Well how much fun was that. The amazing Eva Pascoe and the good folk from the Cybersalon think tank invited me up to the launch of “All Tomorrow’s Futures” at the British Science Fiction convention in Telford at the weekend.ShareEva kindly wrote the forward to my new book “Money in the Metaverse” but is better known for co-founding Cyberia, the first internet cafe in UK, located at 39 Whitfield Street in the heart of London’s famous West End.As an aside, Ironbridge (just outside Telford) was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, so I could not help but stop off and pay homage to the structure itself.I had lovely day out learning about coke. Meanwhile back at the Telford International Centre, Eva was gearing up to the book launch.“All Tomorrow’s Futures” is anthology of new speculative fiction produced through an interesting combination of art and science. The writers produced rough drafts of the these stories and the stories and then sent them out to domain experts (eg, me) for comment and critique. The writers then took the expert input and used it to refine their work.I was a subject matter expert for Part 3, the section on Finance and Digital Money, and I have to say that I loved it! It was so interesting (and fun) working with the writers and watching them evolve material far more imaginative and expressive than I would have thought of myself.Editor Stephen Oram, Contributor Eva Pascoe and “Expert” Me (Next to actual physical books!)The book…All Tomorrow’s Futures – TODAY!

Not to sound hyperbolic, but April Fools’ Day is the worst. Not because of all the shitty pranks by attention-starved YouTubers, but because of the shitty pranks by attention-starved multinational corporations.April Fools’ Day is meant to be light-hearted and fun, but nothing takes the winds out of its sails than the onslaught of bad brand jokes. Thus to our torture, and to save you some time, we’ve gathered some of the worst April Fools Day tweets made by companies that are supposedly worth millions of dollars. Allegedly, all the money can’t go to funnier jokes.8 brands that dropped the cringiest online pranksFunnily enough, X kicked things off for us “announcing” that the company is planning on making all DMs, drafts, and bookmarks public as part of its effort to “celebrate transparency.” Tweet may have been deleted X CEO Elon Musk added to the cringe by tweeting that he’d be joining Disney as its new Chief DEI Officer to help make its content “more WOKE.” Tweet may have been deleted On the more light-hearted side of cringe brand tweets, Oreo announced that the cookie and the creme were going through a severe divorce and that each would be offered separately. Tweet may have been deleted Several other food brands followed suit with similar fake announcements, although Burger King has stayed suspiciously quiet (I wonder why?). Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted View this post on Instagram Eye-rolling jokes and poor taste announcements…April Fools' Day: 8 brands that dropped cringey online pranks

It’s hard being a DEI in a time like this, ain’t it?In the aftermath of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday, many on the right have blamed the tragedy on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives. SEE ALSO: Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse put the internet’s conspiracy brain on gross display Thus, “DEI” seems to be turning into a new alt-right buzzword in the same vein as “CRT” and “Woke” — dog whistles meant to rally like-minded readers against efforts at racial equity. See, for example, this X user calling Baltimore’s elected mayor, Brandon Scott, the “DEI mayor.” Tweet may have been deleted This post in particular kicked off a wave of backlash amongst Black Twitter, who immediately saw the tweet as thinly veiled racism, essentially calling Baltimore’s mayor the n-word. Of course, Black Twitter loves a good joke, and because “DEI” was so oddly used as a not-so-subtle adjective, they ran with it. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted This post from user Alecia Renece explains, that calling Mayor Scott the “DEI Mayor” was meant to harm Black folk, who instead turned it into a joke, thus de-weaponizing something that was meant to hurt us. Will it stop alt-right…Conservatives turned 'DEI' into another dog whistle. Black Twitter isn’t having it.

The New Hampshire state House advanced a bill Thursday that would require political ads that use deceptive artificial intelligence (AI) disclose use of the technology, adding to growing momentum in states to add AI regulations for election protection.  The bill passed without debate in the state House and will advance to the state Senate. The bill advanced after New Hampshire voters received robocalls in January, ahead of the state’s primary elections, that included an AI-generated voice depicting President Biden. Steve Kramer, a veteran Democratic operative, admitted to being behind the fake robocalls and said he did so to draw attention to the dangers of AI in politics, NBC News reported in February. New Hampshire’s attorney general’s office has said the calls violated the state’s voter suppression law. The new bill would require disclosure when deceptive AI is used in political advertising within 90 days of an election, and the disclosures would be used to explain that the ad’s image, video, or audio has been “manipulated or generated” by AI and “depicts speech of conduct that did not occur.” The bill includes exemptions for satire and parody. The new measure is part of a growing trend of states taking on bills aimed at adding AI regulations for election-related content. An analysis released by Voting Rights Lab earlier this week tracked more than 100 bills in 39 state legislatures that contain provisions intended to regulate the potential for Ai to produce election disinformation.   The digitally-altered robocall depicting Biden in New Hampshire reignited…New Hampshire House passes AI election rules after Biden deepfake