Inside The Hunt For TikTok’s New CEO—And What’s Next For The World’s Hottest App
In the first quarter, TikTok was downloaded 315 million times across Apple and Android phones, the most quarterly installs for an app ever, according to SensorTower, which monitors app downloads. And with the world stuck in lockdown usage has surged, with total downloads now reaching more than 2 billion. Even more menacing for its competitors: 40% of its users are between16 and 24, and addicted, spending nearly an hour on the app each day on average.
...“We’re pulling some of our best creatives and ‘some of our best talent and taking time that normally would be spent on YouTube and putting them on TikTok. It’s a massive, massive opportunity.”
The first calls went out three months ago after Mayer was bypassed for the coveted Disney prize of succeeding outgoing CEO Bob Iger in favor of former parks and experiences chief Bob Chapek. Zhang had been searching for the right candidate since October, someone with the right mix of digital savvy and leadership experience to manage TikTok’s growth across the U.S., Europe, India and Brazil.
Mayer clearly fit the bill as the executive credited with building Disney’s lone bright spot in a business crushed by the pandemic: Disney+, the wildly successful streaming service. He had the digital and strategic chops Zhang needed to get TikTok to the next level.
But his presence has guys like Pace–and other content providers like him–salivating. Whatever TikTok can’t create, Mayer will be poised to buy, a veteran of some of the company’s most prescient acquisitions, including Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel and its latest big gulp, Fox.
Zhang is looking to the Harvard Business School graduate for much more, naming him ByteDance’s chief operating officer as well, making him the billionaire's right hand in managing an ecosystem of apps that are widely popular in Asia, including Lark (a bit like Slack plus video conferencing) and Helo (a bit like Facebook).
“Essentially they hired him to be an American face of a Chinese company,” says Rohit Kulkarni, an MKM Partners analyst who covers internet companies. “And to be a bridge with advertisers.”
Ricoh’s New Spin-Out Company Brings 360 Cameras Into Focus
Ricoh will continue to make 360 cameras—the spherical videos captured by these devices have proven popular among amateurs and professionals creating immersive content. However, Shu Ubukata, the brains behind 360 imaging products like the original Theta series, will be leaving Ricoh (along with his team) to lead Vecnos as CEO. Vecnos will operate as a subsidiary of Ricoh, which is also the new brand's largest investor.
"The majority of Ricoh's business is office equipment," Ubukata told WIRED (with Vecnos senior vice president Kiyoshi Hashimoto serving as a translator). "To make a new product, a new culture, they decided we should make a new company. We are part of Ricoh, but Ricoh decided we should be very independent like a startup company."
See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/vecnos-360-camera-company/
Scientists create a cyborg eye that mimics the real thing
Scientists have been working on artificial eyes for years, but mimicking the shape and behavior of a real eye has been difficult. A breakthrough might just lead to a practical design, though. Researchers have created (via New Scientist) a cyborg eye whose function and structures share many things in common with its human counterpart. A nanowire photosensor array formed inside a hemispherical aluminum oxide membrane serves as the retina, while wires formed from a liquid metal (eutectic gallium-indium alloy) replicate nerves by sending signals from those sensors to external processing. It even mimics the vitreous humor (the gel between the lens and retina) with an ionic liquid.
With enough refinement, this could lead to implants that restore eyesight while preserving the natural look. The scientists also believe they could one day power the eye with sunlight — you might not need a separate power source, at least until it gets dark.
See the full story here: https://www.engadget.com/biomimetic-cyborg-eye-022130469.html
Sphero appoints new CEO, spins off robotics startup for first responders
Sphero just announced that it has spun off another company. Once again, the new startup has a decidedly different focus from its parent company’s core of education-focused products. While still a robotics company at its heart, the underwhelmingly named Company Six will create robotic systems designed for first responders and other humans whose work requires them to put themselves in harm’s way.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/20/sphero-appoints-new-ceo-spins-off-robotics-startup-for-first-responders/
Blumhouse Plans Film Shoot on Universal Lot Despite Insurance Risks
As Hollywood yearns to get back to work in the COVID-19 era, Universal Pictures and producer Jason Blum are working out a daring plan to shoot a low-budget film on the studio lot. Cast and crew would live in a hotel nearby and a set of safety protocols would be in place. Forget craft services, for example.
Also, forget about insurance that would cover a shutdown due to a coronavirus-related outbreak of illness.
This source adds: "Blumhouse and Universal aren't moving forward with any plans until we get the green light from city, county and public-health officials. None of this preproduction planning work is being conducted on the lot itself. A small team of filmmakers and studio executives are currently working on those plans remotely. Safety of everyone involved is a huge priority, and nobody wants to rush into anything."
If the $6.5 million project goes forward, the source continues, "There will be a lot we'll be able to learn from this when the time comes as we think about starting up other productions."
The challenge is such that the MPA and the Independent Film & Television Alliance — which advocates on behalf of such non-MPA companies as Lionsgate and Millennium Films — are pushing for a federal approach. Insurance broker Kingman likens the current era to post-9/11, when no insurer would write a policy covering terrorism.
But Marshall says one big silver lining to the insurance crisis is that it will force productions to be zealous in enforcing measures to protect cast and crew: "One of the beauties of insurance is it can actually promote good behavior."
See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/blumhouse-plans-film-shoot-universal-lot-insurance-risks-1294936
How Can Augmented Reality and AI Better Help us Adapt to the (New Normal)?
[PhilNote: this is a light opinion piece.]
However, what if there was a safer way to more slowly reopen the world without sacrificing the engagement, immersion and stories you’re looking to bring to end users?
With AI and AR, that could be possible.
Particularly in the case of AR (and its siblings virtual reality and extended reality), virtual experiences can be developed that deliver true immersion without unnecessary gathering or contact.
What if there were specific points throughout the space where, simply by using their mobile device, employees could get access to real-time information about safety measures, meetings, and more?
In short, it’s all about understanding the needs of the end user and delivering a unique, multisensory experience that inspires.
In the quest for robust and innovative AI and AR solutions, AV solutions and integrators will lead the way in helping the world keep pace, just as they have for innumerable technologies in the past.
See the full story here: https://marketscale.com/industries/pro-av/augmented-reality-and-ai-adapt/
Kaleido, a project offering seniors unique experiences via virtual reality, seeks active support in the Hack the Crisis virtual hackathon
The Flying Kale team has completed the initial testing of the entire concept at the Chodov Seniors’ Home and has received an outstanding response. However, the development of the Kaleido tool and its introduction to the market has been significantly complicated by the pandemic, which has hindered access to all funding for additional services and redirected all energy toward ensuring safety and basic care. “Therefore, we launched a crowdfunding campaign on HitHit, where people can contribute any amount to the project. In return, they can choose from a broad offer of handmade products from the seniors themselves, such as a candle or crocheted seat cushion, or they can plan their own trip with us and such! If we succeed in collecting the target amount, we will be able to deliver VR headsets and tailored trips for seniors to homes completely free of charge, thus beautifully enriching their lives and making this extremely difficult time more pleasant,” Marek adds. The HitHit campaign runs until 18 June 2020
Two Projects Are Filming Again. Here’s How They’re Doing It.
Armed with expansive medical staffs, stringent protocols and imposing security guards willing to yell “Two meters!” whenever anyone gets too close, Kormakur and Foster are the unlikely trailblazers at the dawn of a new era in filmmaking.
See the full story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/movies/virus-filming-details.html?fbclid=IwAR3sIa7WuromPyWvIoA3QGvL_AGsLFdRn1DLV-4pssV17B1EJXqd6Wi8dDo
Ethical artificial intelligence: Could Switzerland take the lead?
Thanks to its unique features – a strong democracy, its position of neutrality, and world-class research – Switzerland is well positioned to play a leading role in shaping the future of AI that adheres to ethical standards. The Swiss government recognizes the importance of AI to move the country forward, and with that in mind, has been involved in discussions at the international level.
The European initiative – the Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing initiative PEPP-PT – advocated a centralized data approach that raised concern about its transparency and governance. However, it was derailed when a number of nations, including Switzerland, decided in favour of a decentralized and privacy-enhancing system, called DP-3T (Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing). The final straw for PEPP-PT was when Germany decided to exit as well.
"In Switzerland, the central government does not impose an overarching ethical vision for AI. It would be incompatible with our democratic traditions if the government prescribed this top-down," Daniel Egloff, Head of Innovation of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) told swissinfo.ch. Egloff added that absolute ethical principles are difficult to establish since they could change from one technological context to another. "An ethical vision for AI is emerging in consultations among national and international stakeholders, including the public, and the government is taking an active role in this debate," he added.
Pascal Kaufmann, neuroscientist and founder of the Mindfire Foundationexternal link for human-centric AI, ... In order to be ethical, I suggest to hurry up and create AI for the people rather than for autocratic governments or for large tech companies. Inventing ethical policies doesn't get us anywhere and will not help us create AI.''
Anna Jobin, a postdoc at the Health Ethics and Policy Lab at the ETH Zurich, doesn't see it the same way. Based on her research, she believes that ethical considerations should be part of the development of AI: "We cannot treat AI as purely technological and add some ethics at the end, but ethical and social aspects need to be included in the discussion from the beginning."
For Peter Seele, professor of Business Ethics at USI, the University of Italian-speaking Switzerland, the key to resolving these issues is to place business, ethics, and law on an equal footing.
If Switzerland were to take a lead role in defining ethical standards, its political system based on direct democracy and democratically controlled cooperatives could play a central role in laying the foundation for the democratization of AI and the personal data economy.
See the full story here: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/regulation_ethical-artificial-intelligence--could-switzerland-take-the-lead-/45754096
Cloud wars target local agricultural space
Hand holding light bulb against nature on green leaf with icons energy sources for renewable, sustainable development. Ecology concept. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.
“So, whether you’re a smaller farmer, a larger co-op, or a company supplying the agricultural industry, you are now able to make use of the latest infrastructure that can be paid for as it is used without the upfront Capex investment requirements. The clincher is that you can easily dabble in new technologies, regardless of your size, with access to the best in cognitive learning, AI engines, predictive forecasting, weather apps, and so on, right at your fingertips.”
And the time to use AI to help us solve massive problems is now, he adds. “Today, it’s all about the data – data from farms, from transactions and from customers – and how AI can be applied to this data to help us make the right decisions around areas like irrigation, planting, livestock, ensuring the best yield and more, by learning from technology.”
“Datacentrix believes we need to bring both worlds together, getting humanity and technology to work together as a single solution. We need to look beyond the ‘Industrial Revolution 4.0’, and instead aspire towards ‘Humanity 4.0’, a place where technology is embraced as an integral part of our everyday lives; where it helps us to move forward.
The missing link is education at root level, he says. “We’ve seen many successful programmes in South Africa, but our children must be exposed to understanding code and taught how to access technology. Once we start opening up, we’ll see how AI is aiding so many sectors – medicine, finance, construction, architecture, contact centres and more – and how it has a critical place within agriculture too. It is time to start the cloud journey.”
See the full story here: https://www.itweb.co.za/content/P3gQ2MGxy1gqnRD1/p6GxRKMYDa7b3Wjr