Rest of World / Charis McGowan
The AI artist who used Bad Bunny’s voice — and shot to fame →“[Mauricio] Bustos is at the vanguard of discussions on how the new era of generative AI tools could change music as we know it. While established artists are calling for greater protection from AI cloning, Bustos believes AI is a democratizing tool that challenges an industry monopoly and gives grassroots producers and songwriters a better shot at breaking through. AI simply means that he doesn’t have to limit himself to his own technical or vocal skills — he can be ‘any voice he wants,’ he said.”
Bloomberg / Laura Dhillon Kane
TikTok, Instagram influencers help aging NATO connect with Gen Z →“The military alliance is this week wrestling with such heady topics as the eventual accession of Ukraine and the ailing health of the octogenarian US president. To stay relevant in the modern era, it has turned to a group of 20-something influencers to spread its message.”
Second Rough Draft / Richard J. Tofel
What’s really needed at The Washington Post →“Yes, the losses can be cut, probably to zero, at least in the near term. But if that’s the objective, the Post will — all the rhetoric about three newsrooms notwithstanding—join the majority of American metro papers in charting a fitful and painful decline, albeit starting from a much higher altitude, and perhaps at a slower pace, given its still-considerable remaining assets in terms of brand, quality and talent. Alternatively, I don’t think it’s too late for the Post to take yet another run at the Times, as it has done occasionally over the last half century, and possibly to prevail, or to reach an acceptable and profitable parity. But that approach, I believe, would require major new investment…”