If you just unwrapped a new Apple Watch this holiday season, there are a variety of tips and tricks that can help you get the most out of your new wearable. Read on for some guidance on our favorite Apple Watch features for health, activity, customization, and more.
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These days, podcasts are going video, and there are a number of visual trends we’ve noticed — some good, some not so much. We’ll show you.
Hello! Here's a holiday gift: an episode of the 404 Media Podcast that was previously only for paying subscribers! It gives a lot more context on the how and why we cover AI they way we do. Here's the original description of the episode:
We got a lot of, let's say, feedback, with some of our recent stories on artificial intelligence. One was about people using Bing's AI to create images of cartoon characters flying a plane into a pair of skyscrapers. Another was about 4chan using the same tech to quickly generate racist images. Here, we use that dialogue as a springboard to chat about why we cover AI the way we do, the purpose of journalism, and how that relates to AI and tech overall. This was fun, and let us know what you think. Definitely happy to do more of these sorts of discussions for our subscribers in the future.
Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism. If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player.
AI slop has consumed Facebook, is running Wikipedia editors ragged, is rapidly destroying Google search, probably put an extra finger on the scales of election influence, is confusing and annoying crafters, steals endlessly from authors, is on its way to demolish YouTube comment sections, and will probably end up in a movie theater near you sooner than you think. But if you’re streaming Christmas music today, did something seem a little off to you? If so, there’s a very good chance you’ve been listening to AI-generated carol-slop.
As spotted by video game developer Karbonic, YouTube compilation videos are sneaking AI generated songs into their mixes.
The Slop situation is getting so dire man
— Karbonic (@Karbonicc) December 4, 2024
I found a video with millions of views claiming to be Classic Christmas music, but all of it is just weird AI covers of the songs, with thousands of comments that seem unable to tell the difference pic.twitter.com/K6sg8R7FWU
The example they posted, “Best of 1950s to 1970s Christmas Carols ~ vintage christmas songs that will melt your heart 🎅🎄⛄❄️,” has more than five million views and more than 2,000 comments. A ton of the comments appear to be engagement-farming bots, saying things like “I'm looking forward to Christmas 2024, is anyone else like me?” but many seem human. “It takes me back to my childhood and I realize how wonderful life was before worries about money and so many futile things that dont matter,” one person wrote. Another commented, “Missing memories of my youth. But, grateful for the blessings in my life. Merry Christmas and God bless you.❤”
If I put this on in the background while doing something else, I might not think anything of it. But there are points in the one hour 18 minute video that give it away as AI: “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” around the 36:55 mark, is the lyrics of that song but the melody of “Silent Night.” If you compare it to an actual recording of Nat King Cole singing “O Little Town,” the difference is even more obvious. Once you start noticing the warped tunes, they’re hard to un-hear. “Oh Holy Night” is listed in the video as being by “Nei Diamond,” who as far as I can tell doesn’t exist, or is a typo of Neil Diamond, who is definitely not the singer in the song on this compilation. “The First Noel,” attributed here to Nat King Cole, is either an undiscovered recording where Nat and the choir run some really wild riffs, or is AI.
I won’t list every tell in this video, but there are many and they give me the heebie jeebies. Other videos in this channel, Holiday Serenade Library, seem to be pulling the same grift, sometimes with AI-generated video of people blurring around outdoor markets, Santa with a burning sleigh and reindeer on fire, or children with weird mustaches skipping through the snow.
A quick search around the internet to see if anyone else has encountered other holiday-flavored AI slop turned up a recent Reddit thread where people were complaining about seemingly fabricated Spotify artists haunting retail workers during an already agonizing season. They list Dean Snowfield, North Star Notesmiths, Sleighbelle, Frosty Nights, The Humbugs, Snowdrift Sleighs, and Daniel & The Holly Jollies as artists on Spotify that have snuck into Christmas playlists but have little to no trace of a career outside of the streaming platform. Some of them, like several of Dean Snowfield’s songs, sound like midi mixes with a stilted voice singing the lyrics. These artists make it onto huge, popular playlists like “Old Christmas Music” alongside real songs. It’s honestly hard to tell whether these artists are AI-generated or just mass produced. But their Spotify artist bios often have the same exact text, or follow this pattern:
“Dean Snowfield are songwriters, artists, and musicians who have combined forces to release holiday themed cover songs on their independent record label, distributed by Warner Music's ADA. In November and December, their ‘A Nostalgic Noel’ sampler managed to generate over 8,000,000 streams across Spotify and Apple Music. As a collective of artists, Sleighbelle have a great deal of respect for the original songwriters and producers who created these beloved holiday classics, and ask that you support them by streaming their original versions. Without songwriters like Edward Polo, George Wyle, Huge Martin, and Ralph Blane, we wouldn't have this music to interpret and cover. Thanks for listening to our labor of love, and make sure to follow us on our socials. - Dean Snowfield”
They didn’t just appear this year: Third Bridge Creative, a music creative agency, noticed these artists dwelling in the uncanny valley last Christmas, too. “Is it a coincidence that each of their top songs match up with the respective iconic Christmas hits? Why would I ‘immerse [my]self in the enchanting world of Christmas music with Dean Snowfield’s’ low-key creepy Nostalgic Noel when I can put on The Dean Martin Christmas Album instead?,” they wrote.
These artists are still massively popular on Spotify, with hundreds of thousands of listeners each. The North Star Notesmiths and Dean Snowfield have a very similar male singer’s voice on several songs. Frosty Nights and Daniel & The Holly Jollies also sound awfully alike. They’re all signed by Warner Music’s ADA label, according to their Spotify bios—the “label services arm of Warner Music Group, breaking brand new artists and supporting industry legends,” according to the label’s site—so I’ve reached out to Warner Music to ask what is going on here and will update if I hear back. Spotify also did not respond to a request for comment.
Getting sick of Spotify shoving obvious AI slop with ridiculous holiday band names into a Christmas Oldies playlist like nobody will notice. pic.twitter.com/pFHIvR85ZK
— em ☀️ sylvan kaleidoscope (@boxesofdoom) December 16, 2024
Again, it’s still not clear whether these artists are AI-generated or human, but a lot of people seem to think there’s something amiss. To make it all a little weirder, after I emailed ADA for comment, Dean Snowfield commented on one of my Instagram posts and said “Congrats on the book release!” I hadn’t interacted with, or found a way to reach out to, Snowfield at all prior to his comment. Snowfield’s Instagram account is private, and he keeps rejecting my requests to follow it. He has 36 followers and 3 posts.
In the meantime, stay vigilant out there and Merry Christmas from a real human.
This year showed that a roguelike can be almost anything.
We’re huge fans of the Ottocast suite of connected car accessories, and 9to5Mac readers can upgrade the car entertainment system while saving 20% for the holidays! From the wireless CarPlay AI box to the newly launched CloudSIM solution, Ottocast has the best solutions for enhancing your trip.
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If you received a bunch of gift cards for the holidays, consider it a blessing. Whoever gave them to you likely wanted to give you a gift you'd actually use, and rather assume (incorrectly), they wanted to ensure you'd get their money's worth on something you actually like. Maybe there's nothing on your wish list at the moment, but you're keen to spend that gift card on something that will make your commute easier or your home feel more cozy. Below are some of our favorite items that are well worth that $50 gift card you're eager to use up, from power banks to streaming sticks to smart lights.
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-ways-to-spend-your-50-gift-card-130021816.html?src=rss©
© Engadget
Sharing security advice can go a long way in protecting your loved ones from the most common and damaging online threats.
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Getting a new phone — be it your first or the routine upgrade — can be overwhelming given the variety of features there are to explore. We have a few tips on how to set up and get the most out of your new Google Pixel.
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Hey, look at that! Another year has flown by, and I suspect many people would say "good riddance" to 2024.
The 2020s have been quite the decade so far. No matter what insanity has transpired by a particular December 31, the following year has shown up and promptly said, "Hold my beer."
The biggest news at Ars in 2024 was our first site redesign in nearly a decade. We're proud of Ars 9.0 (we're up to 9.0.3 now), and we have continued to make changes based on your feedback. The best kind of feedback, however, is your clicks. Those clicks power this recap, so read on to learn which stories our readers found especially compelling.
© Aurich Lawson | Getty Images
