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Spotify’s AI is no match for a real DJ

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Spotify’s AI is no match for a real DJ

At the risk of stating the obvious, AI is absolutely everywhere lately. There’s AI in your car, AI in your messaging app, AI in your glasses. I’ve gotten pretty desensitized to it all as a hazard of the job, but it was Spotify’s AI DJ that actually got my attention. 

I’ve listened to a top 40 radio station in the past two decades, so I’m familiar with the concept of a robot picking music for me. In that context, an AI DJ doesn’t seem like much of a stretch. But after using it on and off for a week, I’m convinced it’s the perfect analogy for our AI-everything moment. It’s eerily human, and it plays a lot of music I like. But take it from someone with access to a high-quality local indie radio station — one that employs human DJs! — there just ain’t nothing like the real thing.

Spotify’s AI DJ has been around since early 2023, but it piqued my interest recently when I was scrounging around the app looking for some work-friendly tunes. The AI voice greeted me by name, then after a little preamble, told me it had some “dream pop and neo-psychedelic waves” picked out. As the music started, I was annoyed at how extremely my shit it was. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that Spotify has nearly a decade’s worth of data on my musical listening habits. It drew on my previous listening for the next track, too: a song by Classixx, whose Hanging Gardens album I listened to on repeat last year. But while I listened to Hanging Gardens on Spotify, I didn’t discover it there. I heard it first on KEXP — a local station where real humans pick the music.

“DJ X” is represented by an animated green circle that moves as it talks.
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Do I want to listen to Santigold? Yeah, but it’s more meaningful coming from a human curator.

See, here in Seattle, we’re extremely spoiled. In between the robot-programmed, conglomerate-owned stations, we have a real honest-to-god independent station on our radio dials: 90.3, to be precise. I started listening to KEXP through their online stream years before I moved to Seattle. Being a local has only made me more of a fan; I celebrated the opening of the “new” KEXP location in 2016 and saw one of my favorite bands play a free in-studio show there not long before they broke up. I’ve logged countless hours working on my laptop in the community gathering space. Being able to walk into my favorite radio station and just like, hang out, remains cool as hell all these years later. I wish every city in the country had a KEXP.

It’s not that I like everything that I hear on KEXP. “The Friday song” is banned in my house because my husband and I are both so sick of it. And as much as I’ve tried, I can’t get into Wet Leg. It’s a me problem. But that’s kind of the point of a radio station, isn’t it? You hear some stuff you like and some stuff you’re not as into. Maybe you hear a song you forgot about but love or a band you dig that you’ve never heard before. It’s a well-rounded meal, while an AI-curated set feels like a dessert buffet. It’s all the stuff you love, and it’s great at first, but then it gives you a stomach ache after a while.

It hits different than when it comes from an algorithm

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In the era of Spotify algorithms and top 40 stations, a DJ might seem like an abstract concept. But KEXP’s DJs are very much real people that I see out in the community, emceeing local music festivals and shopping at the co-op grocery store. It’s an obvious but crucial difference. When a real human plays a song you really like because they really like it, too, it hits different than when it comes from an algorithm. 

Being on air and sharing music is “a way of connection with thousands of people across the world,” says Evie Stokes, DJ and host of KEXP’s Drive Time. “It’s a great way for me to be honest and have accountability and community that I think we so desperately need.”

Her connection to the audience is built through and alongside the music; Stokes has shared her journey into sobriety with her listeners. “Every time I talk about it on air… I get an influx of messages from folks who are going through similar paths in their life.” That connection simply can’t exist when the only thing running the station is a robot.

One of the downsides of being employed as a writer is that it’s basically impossible for me to listen to the radio while I work. I can’t write to songs with lyrics, and I definitely can’t write while a DJ is talking. So I turn to Spotify a lot during the workday, and I’ve listened to plenty of “lofi” and “smooth jazz beats” playlists while blogging. I’ve used another of Spotify’s AI features, too: AI-created playlists. For the purpose, they’re fine. Best of all, there’s no pretense that a human is picking the music for me. I tell the computer what mood I’m in, and it assembles a playlist of tunes that fit the assignment. 

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If nothing else, the AI DJ is a kind of totem of the particular AI moment we’re in. Generative AI is buzzy, and tech companies are busy shoving it into every corner of every product they make, whether it has any business being there or not. There’s plenty of stuff AI can do and probably will do for us in the near future. But standing in for a real human, especially in creative applications, isn’t one of them. Take it from the Polish radio station that tried — and failed spectacularly — to replace its human presenters with AI characters

A podcast is just humans talking to each other

Does anyone actually want an AI DJ calling them by name? Does anybody want an AI-generated DM from their favorite creator? Does anyone want to have a Zoom meeting with your AI avatar? Maybe, but I think the tech executives pushing for more of this stuff are vastly overestimating this demand and underestimating the value that a real human brings to an exchange. People want to listen to podcasts, for Christ’s sake. A podcast is just humans talking to each other. Conceptually, listening to a podcast is about as advanced as gathering round the radio for your favorite program like people did a hundred years ago. Some things are constants.

On the day I started listening to the Spotify AI DJ, I got in the car that afternoon to pick my kid up from daycare. DJ Riz was hosting Drive Time on KEXP, and the first thing I heard him play was “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” by Lesley Gore, released in 1963. It’s a bop that’s as syrupy-sweet as the candy in its title. Riz followed that up with Love from Mos Def’s 1999 album Black on Both Sides. I’m sure I wouldn’t have listened to either of those songs on my own that afternoon, let alone back to back. But it worked, and the juxtaposition made me smile. You just don’t get that kind of thing from AI.

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Swiggy market debut fuels India’s food, quick commerce wars

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Swiggy's public listing

Shares of Swiggy dropped 4% to 401 rupees on Wednesday as the food delivery and quick commerce startup concluded India’s second-largest IPO this year, in a closely watched debut that puts it in direct comparison with what analysts have long considered the benchmark Indian internet stock: Zomato.

The listing of the 10-year-old Bengaluru-headquartered firm marks a milestone for India’s startup ecosystem, where several firms are eyeing similarly large public offerings in the next 24 months. It also delivers a major liquidity event for Swiggy’s backers, including Prosus, whose paper returns have already reached $2 billion, as well as SoftBank and Accel. Some 5,000 employees stand to collectively reap about $1 billion in wealth.

In the run-up to the IPO, Swiggy set its valuation at $11.3 billion, a notably conservative figure given rival Zomato’s recent $29 billion market capitalization. In an interview, Swiggy co-founder and chief executive Sriharsha Majety said the firm wanted to make the offering exciting for new investors. Shares of Zomato is also down 8% this month as foreign institutional investors continue to sell billions in Indian shares.

“One of the things I am most excited about is that Swiggy itself is happening at an incredible time,” he said in a speech Wednesday. “When we look at the next one to two decades, I think it’s India’s next two decades. There’s so much economic growth in front of us. The Indian pride is at an all-time high.”

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Swiggy enters public markets at a pivotal moment in India’s digital commerce landscape. While it has established itself as India’s second-largest food delivery platform with 14 million monthly active users, it trails market leader Zomato across key metrics. Its annualized gross order value of $3.3 billion in food delivery lags about 25% behind Zomato’s, according to Macquarie research.

The gap widens further in quick commerce – the rapid delivery segment promising grocery deliveries in 10 minutes. Swiggy’s Instamart service, operating through a network of over 550 dark stores, has 5.2 million monthly users compared to 7.6 million for Zomato’s Blinkit. More concerning for potential investors is that while Blinkit has reached adjusted EBITDA breakeven, Instamart remains loss-making even at the contribution margin level.

“We believe each of Swiggy’s business segments deserve to get lower target valuation multiple compared to that of Zomato’s due to poor execution in the past, which has led to widening of the market share gap,” JMFinancial analysts said Wednesday.

Yet the opportunity ahead is substantial. Morgan Stanley estimates India’s quick commerce market could reach $42 billion by 2030, representing over 18% of the country’s total ecommerce market. The sector has already grown at a blistering 77% annually since its pandemic-era inception, far outpacing traditional retail’s 14% growth.

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JPMorgan reports that quick commerce platforms have already captured 56% of online grocery delivery from traditional e-commerce players.

However, competitive pressures are intensifying. Traditional retail giants like Flipkart and Reliance’s JioMart are launching their own rapid delivery services. Questions persist about the viability of the quick-commerce model beyond major urban centers, given its reliance on dense networks of small warehouses.

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Trump says Elon Musk will lead ‘DOGE’ office to cut ‘wasteful’ government spending

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Trump says Elon Musk will lead ‘DOGE’ office to cut ‘wasteful’ government spending

I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”). Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the “Save America” Movement. “This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!” stated Mr. Musk.

It will become, potentially, “The Manhattan Project” of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of “DOGE” for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.

I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to “WE THE PEOPLE.” Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 – A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. I am confident they will succeed!

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Google rolls out 4 useful upgrades for Google Chrome on iOS

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Two phones on a blue background showing Google Chrome on iOS

  • Improvements are rolling out now for Chrome for iOS
  • Google Lens gets improved searches
  • Tighter integrations with other Google apps

If you’re using Google Chrome on your iPhone, you’ll be interested in the four upgrades that have just been announced. They’re improving Google Lens search, online shopping, and integrations with Google Drive, Google Photos, and Google Maps.

First, as outlined in the official Google blog post, we’ve got an upgrade for Google Lens. You can already run Google Lens searches inside Chrome for iOS using a photo from the camera or your gallery – just tap the search box, then the Google Lens icon – and the new update lets you refine those searches with extra text.

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Now anyone in LA can take Waymo robotaxi rides 24/7

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Now anyone in LA can take Waymo robotaxi rides 24/7

It just got much easier to take a robotaxi ride in Los Angeles. Waymo announced on Tuesday that anyone in the Californian city can now take fully autonomous rides, removing the need to join a wait list.

Alphabet-owned Waymo started offering paid robotaxi rides in Los Angeles earlier this year via its Waymo One app, but strong demand resulted in a waitlist of nearly 300,000 people to join the service.

But now anyone can download the app and book a ride using self-driving Waymo car.

“Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride,” Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO, Waymo, said in a post on Waymo’s website. “Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving.”

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Waymo riders can now criss-cross nearly 80 square miles of LA County, with the company planning to expand its service area over time to cover more of the city.

To date, driverless Waymo cars have taken care of hundreds of thousands of paid trips throughout the city, with riders rating the experience at 4.7/5 on average. Also, a recent survey by Waymo of Los Angeles riders found that 98% were satisfied with the service.

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the company in recent months. Earlier this year, the U.S. government’s highway safety agency launched an investigation into crashes and alleged traffic violations involving Waymo’s autonomous cars, which besides Los Angeles also operate in San Francisco and Phoenix. And there was also the recent case of Waymo cars keeping residents awake at night as they honked their horns incessantly for no apparent reason. Waymo has since implemented a fix.


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Oil could plunge to $40 in 2025 if OPEC unwinds voluntary production cuts, analysts say

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Oil sell-off fuels stock gains — plus, AMD earnings loom and CrowdStrike counters Delta lawsuit


A pump jack in Midland, Texas, US, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. 

Anthony Prieto | Bloomberg | Getty Images

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Oil prices may see a drastic fall in the event that oil alliance OPEC+ unwinds its existing output cuts, said market watchers who are predicting a bearish year ahead for crude.

“There is more fear about 2025’s oil prices than there has been since years — any year I can remember, since the Arab Spring,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at OPIS, an oil price reporting agency.

“You could get down to $30 or $40 a barrel if OPEC unwound and didn’t have any kind of real agreement to rein in production. They’ve seen their market share really dwindle through the years,” Kloza added.

A decline to $40 a barrel would mean around a 40% erasure of current crude prices. Global benchmark Brent is currently trading at $72 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures are around $68 per barrel.

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Oil prices year-to-date

Given that oil demand growth next year probably won’t be much more than 1 million barrels a day, a full unwinding of OPEC+ supply cuts in 2025 would “undoubtedly see a very steep slide in crude prices, possibly toward $40 a barrel,” Henning Gloystein, head of energy, climate and resources at Eurasia Group, told CNBC. 

Similarly, MST Marquee’s senior energy analyst Saul Kavonic posited that should OPEC+ unwind cuts without regard to demand, it would “effectively amount to a price war over market share that could send oil to lows not seen since Covid.”

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However, the alliance is more likely to opt for a gradual unwinding early next year, compared to a full scale and immediate one, the analysts said.

Should the producers group proceed with their production plan, the market surplus could nearly double.

Martoccia Francesco

Energy strategist at Citi

The oil cartel has been exercising discipline in maintaining its voluntary output cuts, to the point of extending them.

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In September, OPEC+ postponed plans to begin gradually rolling back on the 2.2 million barrels per day of voluntary cuts by two months in an effort to stem the slide of oil prices. The 2.2 million bpd cut, which was implemented over the second and third quarters, had been due to expire at the end of September. 

At the start of this month, the oil cartel again decided to delay the planned oil output increase by another month to the end of December.

Oil prices have been weighed by a sluggish post-Covid recovery in demand from China, the world’s second-largest economy and leading crude oil importer. In its monthly report released Tuesday, OPEC lowered its 2025 global oil demand growth forecast from 1.6 million barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels per day.

The pressured prices were also conflagrated by a perceivably oversupplied market, especially as key oil producers outside the OPEC alliance like the U.S., Canada, Guyana and Brazil are also planning to add supply, Gloystein highlighted.

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Bearish year ahead for oil



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YouTube testing AI Music Remixes with some creators

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YouTube testing AI Music Remixes with some creators

YouTube is testing a new “AI Music Remixes” feature. As the name indicates, the feature will allow some creators to use AI for restyling licensed songs. Participants would be able to create short, modified audio clips.

YouTube testing multiple AI features on its platform

YouTube has been actively exploring the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The largest crowd-sourced video-sharing platform recently changed the gesture navigation on its mobile app. Instead of exiting the app or video when swiping, the now simply starts playing the next video that YouTube AI has recommended.

YouTube Premium subscribers using Android devices for YouTube also gained the ability to use conversational AI to search for videos. Google’s Gemini Gen AI can control YouTube Music playback.

YouTube is now moving beyond viewers, and offering Gen AI to creators for modifying licensed music. What’s even more surprising is that the platform has managed to get a few popular songwriters and singers on board.

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How does the AI Music Remixes feature work in YouTube Studio?

YouTube has confirmed it is testing “AI Music Remixes.” The feature lets some YouTubers use AI to “restyle” licensed songs.

Also called the “Dream Track experiment“, the feature allows some creators to make or modify songs using the AI-generated voices of artists. It is important to note that YouTube has restricted the feature to a select few participants.

Currently, the AI Music Remixes features reportedly include voices of artists such as Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, and John Legend. It is possible the platform could tie up with more artists and companies in the future.

YouTube hasn’t yet confirmed which songs or even how many songs are available to be modified using AI. Although the names of music labels haven’t been announced, YouTube will allow its AI to generate a 30-second audio clip. Creators would be able to alter the mood or genre of the remixed audio clip.

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YouTube has confirmed that the restyled soundtracks will have clear attribution to the original song. As the remixed song would be available for YouTube Shorts, the Shorts audio pivot page will indicate that the track was restyled with AI.

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