A Taste of Sunday Brunch

Top Story

Virtual influencers promote real product. Lil Miquela, a fictional avatar with three million followers, is being used by Dior and BMW, among others, to promote their brands. According to a PitchBook report, another virtual influencer, Cindy, was introduced at 13 shopping centers in the U.S. to drive traffic across stores and digital properties. Virtual influencers can save brands time and money but lack the consumer trust cultivated by real influencers. A Sprout Social survey found that about half of respondents make purchases based on influencers’ advice but were split on whether they would be open to brands using AI influencers. (Retail Dive)

Talk Nerdy to Me

• Newsom says no. The California Governor vetoed an AI safety bill saying he did not agree “we must settle for a solution that is not informed by an empirical trajectory analysis of AI systems and capabilities.” (CNN)?

• A not-so-hidden agenda. The FTC cracked down on five companies that it said used artificial intelligence in deceptive and unfair ways.?(Reuters)?

Under the Influence

• License to scrape. Content licensing start-up Calliope Networks wants creators to get paid for AI-training data. (Wired)??

• “The Future of Tech and Creativity.” YouTube released a report detailing how influencers can use generative AI tools to streamline labor-intensive tasks, develop new ideas and improve content. (Social Media Today)?

Media Navel-Gazing

• What’s gone wrong in Wichita? A deep dive into why a seemingly successful nonprofit news organization can’t keep its reporters. (Nieman Labs)??

• Let me count the ways. From enhanced news writing to personalized news consumption, here are the roles AI is playing in impacting journalism. (Forbes)?

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