An AI actress, a privacy-infringing TV... welcome to the future
The Always Be Watching newsletter today comes to you from the future. And a disturbing and dark future it is.
First up, we have news about the launch of YouTube Labs, which is a testing ground for YouTube. US account holders are able to sign up and test early prototype apps and features, largely using AI.
The first feature to roll out are AI music hosts, which are “designed to deepen your listening experience by sharing relevant stories, fan trivia, and fun commentary about your favorite music on the YouTube Music app.”
I’m left wondering why YouTube needs this when it has an entire platform built around actual human creators who would be more than willing to produce this type of material if provided the tools needed.
And now we move on to…
Say hello to AI actress Tilly Norwood
Back in 2001 we saw the release of the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The film was pretty terrible, but it had an interesting gimmick which was that the lead character in the film, a computer animated woman named Aki Ross, would later be seen in other movies playing different characters. The idea was that this film would see the birth of a new type of actor.
We’ve since seen similar ideas brought into the world, like the pop star Miku who is also computer animated, but appears on stage in real world concerts.
But, it feels like history is repeating itself with Tilly Norwood.
She’s the first creation to emerge from new AI talent studio Xicoia, a spin-off from producer Eline Van der Velden’s AI production studio Particle6. There’s an article about this in Variety today.
How much attention should we be giving this? I’d suggest very little.
Back in July, Norwood apparently posted this to ‘her Facebook’ account:
“Can’t believe it… my first ever role is live! I star in ‘AI Commissioner,’ a new comedy sketch that playfully explores the future of TV development produced by the brilliant team at Particle6 Productions.”
She added, “I may be AI generated, but I’m feeling very real emotions right now. I am so excited for what’s coming next!”
You can watch this comedy sketch, which is tremendously unfunny:
Note how little Tilly is actually featured in the video, which is made up of the sort of very quick cuts associated with AI video which struggles to create scenes with continuity of more than a few seconds.
The technology will get there. But it isn’t there just yet. And by the time it does, Tilly will have a lot of competition out in the AI video space.
Also, has anybody actually asked the question as to whether we want AI movie stars?
She is cute tho…
That free TV that violates all of your privacy and common sense
Reporter Emma Roth from The Verge has spent three months using Telly. You might remember it from around a year ago… it’s a free TV that you can accept in exchange for watching always-present commercials on your screen.
The idea of this is pretty horrendous, but I can also see how those financially strapped or, simply, not all that engaged in TV viewing, might see this as an appealing proposition.
I’m not sure there’s much in this article that speaks to Roth engaging with Telly over a three-month period. Most of the information in this would probably be evident from spending a weekend with it, but it’s still worth a read.
The TV also comes with a built-in camera with a privacy shutter and a microphone. The company’s terms of service state that it “may collect information about the audio and video content you watch, the channels you view, and the duration of your viewing sessions,” as well as detect the “physical presence of you and any other individuals using the TV at any given time.” This isn’t exactly comforting, and I found myself becoming paranoid that my viewing habits, conversations, and even footage from the built-in camera would somehow get directly in front of Telly employees.
Telly only opens the privacy shutter on its camera when you select an app that uses it, like Zoom. While trying out the built-in video conferencing app, I found that Telly’s camera is probably about as good as the webcam on my 2020 MacBook Air — meaning it’s a bit grainy but not distractingly so. I barely got to test Telly’s microphone, though; it cut off just moments after I started testing it. When I tried again at a later date, Telly’s microphone just emitted a buzzing sound.
News Desk
It seems like Peacemaker season 2 might be the end of the run for the series, but that characters from the show will move onto a new series. Read: Dark Horizons
Both Nexstar and Sinclair are back on board broadcasting Jimmy Kimmel Live! and it has me thinking… would they necessarily have gotten back on board if Disney hadn’t pulled Jimmy off the air and created all of the furore? Read: Deadline
Negotiations between Taylor Swift and the NFL for her to perform in the Super Bowl half-time show apparently collapsed after Swift demanded ownership of her performance and a certain number of promotional spots during the broadcast. Read: Complex
EA Sports is reportedly in talks for a $50b buyout deal that would see the company go private with investors Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Jared Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners. Read: WSJ
Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three kids have done a set visit for the new Harry Potter TV show. Just a reminder that this is no ordinary show. Read: Deadline
One-time child star Alana Thompson (you might remember her as Honey Boo Boo… a strange sentence to type out…) has been hospitalised after a car crash. Read: Prime Timer
Trailer Park
Actor Zac Efron, NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, country singer Morgan Wallen, and British MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett guest star in the Battlefield 6 trailer. It’s a gentle ribbing at celebrity-filled trailers for the rival Call of Duty franchise.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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