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Taylor Swift's Instagram profile is seen in this photo illustration taken in Warsaw, Poland on 11 September, 2024. The musician announced her endorsement of Kamala Harris for president shortly after the current vice president debated Donald Trump on live television that evening.
Hard Numbers: Voters express AI skepticism, Mastercard’s latest purchase, China’s AI deficit, the Taylor Swift effect, Intel’s European delays
400,000: More than 400,000 people visited vote.gov after Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris last week and encouraged her fans to register to vote. Swift said she was spurred to make an official endorsement after Trump posted AI fakes on Truth Social showing her and her supporters endorsing him. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” she said.
64: Most Americans are skeptical of AI-powered election information, according to a new survey by the Associated Press. Only 5% of respondents said they’re very confident or extremely confident in the answers that AI systems give for political questions, 30% said they’re somewhat confident, and 64% said they’re not very confident or not at all confident in the accuracy of these services.
2.65 billion: Mastercard agreed to buy the threat intelligence company Recorded Future last week from the private equity firm Insight Partners for $2.65 billion. Recorded Future has already partnered with Mastercard, using machine learning to identify when credit cards might be compromised, and Mastercard said the partnership has already doubled the rate at which it can identify compromised cards compared to the year prior.
6: It’s no secret that the US is leading China in the AI race, but by how much? Kai-Fu Lee, founder of the startup 01.AI and former head of Google China, said that China’s large language models are likely six to nine months behind those in the US. “It’s inevitable that China will [build] the best AI apps in the world,” he said at a conference last week. “But it’s not clear whether it will be built by big companies or small companies.” China’s ability to do this depends on its firms’ ability to do cutting-edge research and its access to powerful chips, which despite US restrictions appear to be seeping through the country’s borders.
33 billion: Intel announced Monday that it has delayed its $33 billion chip factory in the German city of Magdeburg amid broader cost-saving measures across the company. The US chipmaker said the project would be delayed by two years as it tries to deliver $10 billion of cost savings in 2025. It’s also postponing plans for a new factory in Poland. Intel had expected to employ about 5,000 people across the two plants.Graphic Truth: Who has the highest youth voter turnout?
Ah, the elusive youth vote, a demographic that has been historically unreliable in terms of turnout — but will be key in the extremely close US election. In the 2020 election, about half of voters under 30 voted, up from 39% in 2016. Meanwhile, in Canada, youth participation tends to be higher and more stable, with projections indicating about 60% turnout for young voters in the next federal election.
Following the debate on Tuesday, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris, leading337,000 people to visit vote.gov, a website that helps first-time voters register to vote.
The pop icon’s endorsement, while unlikely to change the minds of many Donald Trump supporters, could have an outsized impact on turning out Democratic-leaning young voters to write Harris’ name in the “Blank Space”on their ballots.
For context, we looked at youth turnout in recent elections in the UK and France, which helped illuminate that when it comes to young voters nothing is guaranteed. In France, the rise of the far right in the first round of parliamentary elections led to a surge in youth turnout, at 57% of voters. This was up from 31% in 2022. Meanwhile, the UK saw youth turnout plummet to a mere 35% in the 2024 general election. This record low highlights deepening disengagement and frustration among British youth with the political establishment.
American singer songwriter Taylor Swift performing during the first night of the The Eras Tour in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Friday, February 16, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Swift concerts canceled, UK rioters sentenced, Puigdemont’s return, Family sues over sub implosion, China’s imports grow, Sudan's deadly flooding, Squad’s Bush loses primary
3: It’s a Cruel Summer indeed for Austrian Swifties who just learned that three of Taylor Swift’s upcoming concerts in Vienna had to be canceled because of suspected terrorist attacks. Two men have been arrested in Islamic State-linked plots that were allegedly targeting Swift’s concerts set for this week in the Austrian capital. The superstar has yet to comment, but the tour has promised to issue refunds.
7: Catalonian independence leader Carles Puigdemont set off a major manhunt in Barcelona on Thursday, having unexpectedly returned to Spain after seven years of self-imposed exile in Belgium. He is a wanted fugitive who fled in the trunk of a car in 2017 to avoid arrest for issuing an illegal — and ultimately failed — declaration of independence for Catalonia.
3: Three men were sentenced in a British court Wednesday in the first big sentencing since last week’s far-right riots broke out. Derek Drummond was sentenced to three years for punching a police officer in Southport, and two other defendants were sentenced to 20 and 30 months respectively for violence in Liverpool. Meanwhile, thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets nationwide on Wednesday, and police braced for more anti-Muslim riots because far-right groups have vowed to target asylum-seekers and law firms representing migrants.
50 million: Last summer, the world was gripped by news of a submersible that had fallen out of communication during its descent to the site of the Titanic. Within days, debris from the Titan submersible was found on the ocean floor, confirming that all five aboard had perished. On Wednesday, the family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the men who died in the sub, filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing the operator, OceanGate, of gross negligence. Lawyers say the family is seeking $50 million in damages and answers as to what happened.
7.2: China’s economy, which has been struggling with sluggish growth, got a little good news today: Its import growth in July topped expectations, with US dollar-dominated imports rising 7.2% — more than double the forecasted 3.5%. This suggests that domestic demand may be on the rise, signaling a potential burst in economic activity. But exports did not grow as much as expected, rising just 7% last month, compared to the predicted 9.7%.
17: Heavy rains in northern Sudan this week caused about 11,500 homes to collapse, killing 17 people and injuring 170 more. The Nile River often peaks this time of year, but owing to a year and a half of fighting between rival security forces, millions more have been displaced into flood zones, putting them at risk.
8.5 million: Second-term Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, a progressive member of the “Squad” and a favorite to win her Missouri primary on Tuesday, lost in an upset to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. Bush, who has been critical of the Israeli government in recent months, garnered just 45.6% of the vote. The pro-Israel Bell, meanwhile, saw the American Israel Public Affairs Committee throw $8.5 million behind his candidacy, helping him secure 51.2% of the vote.
A drone view shows a flooded area following heavy rainfall in Rock Valley, Iowa, U.S. June 22, 2024, in this still image obtained from a social media video.
Hard Numbers: Massive US floods, Dagestan attacks, Bad booze, Deadly Hajj, Toodaloo to Taylor Swift
1,000,000: Over a million people in the Upper Midwest were under flood warnings on Sunday after several days of heavy rain forced thousands to evacuate in parts of Iowa and South Dakota. Iowan officials said the inundation has already exceeded the 1993 flood that killed 50 people, and the worst of the flooding is expected Monday and Tuesday.
15: Terrorists in Russia’s Dagestan province killed at least 15 police officers, four civilians and an Orthodox priest in coordinated attacks on churches, synagogues, and police stations in two cities on Sunday. Dagestan is a majority Muslim region with a history of extremist violence, and the tragedy follows ISIS-K's brutal slaying of 140 civilians in a Moscow concert venue in March, but no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.
54: At least 54 people in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have died after drinking alcohol polluted with methanol. Dozens more have been hospitalized. Methanol is, chemically speaking, also a type of alcohol, but it needs to be filtered from ethanol (the fun stuff) or it can cause severe liver damage, blindness, and death. The likely culprit is homebrewed alcohol, which many in India consume despite the health risks because store-bought booze is too pricey.
1,000: Over 1,000 people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi officials said Sunday. No explanations were offered for the deaths, but the governments of Jordan and Tunisia blamed excessive heat, and reporters on the scene witnessed pilgrims passing out, vomiting, and collapsing under the searing sun.
88,446: Taylor Swift said 88,446 people attended her concert in London’s iconic Wembley Stadium on Friday. The Prince of Wales attended – he was celebrating his 42nd birthday – and netted a selfie with the pop star and two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert for the international "The Eras Tour" in Tokyo, Japan February 7, 2024.
Swifties rejoice: DOJ sues Ticketmaster
The Department of Justice announced Thursday it is suing Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, alleging the company has built an anti-competitive monopoly in live events. Over 70% of all major concert venue tickets in the US are handled via Ticketmaster, and the DOJ says their market dominance has crushed competition in the sector, stagnating innovation and subjecting consumers to unfairly high prices.
The lawsuit has been in the works for nearly two years, but it received a big jolt last year after Taylor Swift fans found themselves unable to buy tickets for the singer’s “Eras” tour because of a botched rollout on Ticketmaster. Suddenly, senators were holding hearings about Live Nation with one eye on the approval of these newly minted antimonopolists.
But Live Nation says it has little to do with the high prices fans are experiencing, alleging that artists and venues themselves are driving up the costs for fans. They claim that breaking up the company would not lower ticket prices for fans, but the DOJ disagrees and says the case isn’t solely about price. With Live Nation’s dominant market share, smaller companies can’t survive and roll out products that could make tickets cheaper and the industry more competitive.
The DOJ says it wants a full jury trial, and the attorneys general of 30 states have all signed on to the federal case. No verdict is expected anytime soon, but don’t worry Swifties — GZERO is on the beat.
American singer songwriter Taylor Swift performing during the first night of the The Eras Tour in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Friday, February 16, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Swift rocks the vote, ICC targets Russian commanders, Subianto eyes growth, Big Apple’s cash splash
2: The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Russian commanders, Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov, over alleged crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
8: Indonesia’s newly elected president, Prabowo Subianto, said Tuesday that within five years, his country can grow at 8% per year … without a government spending spree that unbalances the government’s books. That’s what Willis Sparks’ grandfather used to call a “good trick if you can do it.”
70: High interest rates continue to take a toll as nearly 70% of homes in New York City purchased in the final three months of 2023 were bought without a mortgage. (Some folks have apparently saved up their cash). It’s a record high and a jump from 55% in the same period of 2022.
Taylor Swift AI images & the rise of the deepfakes problem
In this episode of GZERO AI, Taylor Owen, professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University and director of its Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy, examines how Taylor Swift's plight with AI deepfake porn sheds light on the complexities of the information ecosystem in the biggest election year ever, which includes the US elections.
Okay, so full disclosure, I don't love the NFL and my ten-year-old son is more into Ed Sheeran than Taylor Swift, so she hasn't yet flooded our household. However, when one of the most famous people in the world is caught in a deepfake porn attack driven by a right-wing conspiracy theory, forcing one of the largest platforms in the world to shut down all Taylor Swift-related content, well, now you have my attention. But what are we to make of all this?
First thing I think is it shows how crazy this US election cycle is going to be. The combination of new AI capabilities, unregulated platforms, a flood of opaque super PAC money, and a candidate who's perfectly willing to fuel conspiracy theories means the information ecosystem this year is going to be a mess.
Second, however, I think we're starting to see some of the policy levers that could be pulled to address this problem. The Defiance Act, tabled in the Senate last week, gives victims of deepfakes the right to sue the people who created them. The Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, stuck in the House currently, goes a step further and puts criminal liability on the people who create deepfakes.
Third, though, I think this shows how we need to regulate platforms, not just the AI that creates the deepfakes, because the main problem with this content is not the ability to create them, we've had that for a long time. It's the ability to disseminate them broadly to a large number of people. That's where the real harm lies. For example, one of these Taylor Swift videos was viewed 45 million times and stayed up for 17 hours before it was removed by Twitter. And the #TaylorSwiftAI was boosted as a trending topic by Twitter, meaning it was algorithmically amplified, not just posted and disseminated by users. So what I think we might start seeing here is a slightly more nuanced conversation about the liability protection that we give to platforms. This might mean that they are now liable for content that is either algorithmically amplified or potentially content that is created by AI.
All that said, I would not hold my breath for the US to do anything here. And probably, for the content regulations we may need, we're going to need to look to Europe, to the UK, to Australia, and this year to Canada.
So what should we actually be watching for? Well, one thing I would look for is how the platforms themselves are going to respond to what is both now an unavoidable problem, and one that has certainly gotten the attention of advertisers. When Elon Musk took over Twitter, he decimated their content moderation team. But Twitter's now announced that they're going to start rehiring one. And you better believe they're doing this not because of the threat of the US Senate but because of the threat of their biggest advertisers. Advertisers do not want their content but put aside politically motivated, deepfake pornography of incredibly popular people. So that's what I'd be watching for here. How are the platforms themselves going to respond to what is a very clear problem, in part as a function of how they've designed their platforms and their companies?
I'm Taylor Owen, and thanks for watching.
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- AI vs. truth: Battling deepfakes amid 2024 elections - GZERO Media ›
FILE PHOTO: Taylor Swift attends a premiere for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 11, 2023.
Taylor Swift controversy sparks new porn bill
After nonconsensual deepfake porn of pop singer Taylor Swift bounced around the internet in recent weeks, US lawmakers have proposed a fix.
The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act, introduced by Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin with Republican cosponsors, would give victims of this digital abuse the right to sue for damages from anyone who “knowingly produced or possessed the digital forgery with intent to disclose it.”
Swift has reportedly considered taking legal action in light of the new images. Microsoft, meanwhile, has taken steps in response to the incident to close loopholes in its software that allowed users to make such images.The bill has bipartisan support in the Senate, but squeezing it through a legislative agenda crowded with bills on government funding, border security and Ukraine aid, there’s no clear path to a swift passage.