Wednesday, November 20, 2024

New Study Shows YouTube is Dominating Over Spotify and Apple in Podcasts

According to a study conducted by Edison Research, YouTube is the most used platform when it comes to podcasts. A similar study had been conducted (recently) by Signal Hill Insights and Cumulus Media and they highlighted the same results. According to that study, YouTube has 31% market share when it comes to podcast platforms, followed by Spotify with 21% share and Apple with 12% share. The results of Edison Research again showed YouTube being the podcast platform with the most market shares (31%), followed by Spotify (27%) and Apple (15%).


It is the only study that has been on the listening time across different platforms, rather than study on different metrics like downloads etc. The study by Edison Research showed younger audiences being the ones to use YouTube for podcasts the most, with half of the active listeners on the platform being Gen-Z.
49% of the Gen-Z said that it is better to listen to podcasts as well as watch their favorite podcasters. 45% said that they feel more connected to the podcasters they are listening to if it's a video podcast. There are also some other factors that have driven YouTube’s popularity among people who listen to podcasts. When Google Podcasts got shut down, many users shifted to other platforms and YouTube was the preferred platform. It is also to be noted that YouTube and YouTube music were listed as separate platforms when pollings were being done.

On the other hand, Spotify and Apple are also trying hard to engage its audiences. Apple has announced a podcast app for the web too which means that even if someone doesn't own an iOS device, they'll be able to listen to podcasts. Spotify is also pushing new creator tools and improved analysis for podcasters so they can engage more audience.

Read next: How Global Social Media Users Spend Time: Instagram Reigns, Afternoon Posting Peaks
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Instagram Surprises Users With New Upcoming Feature That Resets Algorithmic Suggestions

Social media giant Instagram is allowing users to reset their algorithmic recommendations.

If you’re an avid user of the app, you might have noticed that many of the suggestions popping up for content on your feed are a little stale. This might be the reason why, Meta is testing out an option that resets the algorithm. This would apply to the feed, Reels, and Explore sections.

The company called the latest offering a new test but hopes to launch the update soon for all users around the globe. This latest change will reset all suggested content through the app’s preferences section.

This might be the fresh start that many users were searching for, considering how so many complaints were launched against the platform showing material that didn’t interest them.
While this might get you the Instagram feed that you require as it reflects your current interests, Meta did note how such a reset is quintessential as it does not get rid of any data from the platform or alter the way ads are served.

Meta calls this latest change a part of its latest drive to provide the latest features to teenagers even if it’s for all users. It explained how the goal is to provide teens with more ways to shape the whole in-app experience so it better reflects their likes and interests.

It’s about time the app took some action against the growing number of criticism that was seen time after time from users. Many were sick of the unwanted recommendations that regulatory bodies such as those in the EU referred to as dangerous and addictive in nature.

The tech giant confirmed how it does have more specific features for teenagers that stop the youth from witnessing anything inappropriate. It also rolled out teen accounts that come with greater privacy settings and tried to block any kind of harmful material from popping up on the feed.


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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Researchers have Developed an AI that Can Detect Phone Batteries Exploding

Every other day, we hear about new developments in AI that can be helpful for us humans. Recently, Researchers from NIST have created an AI that can detect if our phone battery is about to implode. Even though AI is not able to prevent fire yet, it can send a warning about imploding lithium-ion batteries so people can protect themselves and things around them quickly.

This idea came to researchers after they watched a video of batteries exploding and it happens when the battery slot breaks because of too much heat which makes a hiss sound. Even though mobile users may not be able to detect that sound, the AI they have developed will be able to detect the sound and will give a warning.

The researchers made the AI algorithm by recording the sounds of 38 exploding batteries and then separating the pitch and speed of each sound. After doing that, they got 1,000 unique and distinct sounds which they then fed to the algorithm. There was a 94% success rate after testing it on AI, and it could easily detect the upcoming danger because of the microphone about two minutes before the battery caught on fire.
The researchers tried to confuse the algorithm too by producing similar sounds but it got confused only a number of times. The researchers said that once they fully develop this AI detector, it can be used in homes and offices as well to give warning to people that a fire is near and they need to evacuate.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Ray-Ban Meta Breaks Records as Top Display-Less Smart Glasses with AI and Lightweight Design
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Ray-Ban Meta Breaks Records as Top Display-Less Smart Glasses with AI and Lightweight Design

According to Counterpoint Research's smart glasses shipment forecast, Meta’s Ray-Ban has crossed the one million mark. This makes it the most successful display-less smart glasses and it seems like it has a promising future. Ray-Ban Meta has everything you need in a smart glass– from countless functionalities to good battery life. It is powered by the Qualcomm AR 1 Gen 1 and this makes the glasses have fast wireless connection for both Bluetooth and WI-FI 7.

Ray-Ban Meta can access all features from Meta AI and can provide real time translations, analyze photos and capture videos. This makes it a smart digital assistant too. It has been paired up with NXP MCU (MIMXRT685SF) chipset which increases its battery life and can process and sense data. Ray-Ban Meta also had speakers which perform way better than other smart glasses.

It also has impressive storage of 32 GB with a 12 MP RGB camera. Counterpoint Research says that the production price of Ray Ban Meta is $135, while its retail price is $299.
Even though there's an absence of display in RayBan Meta, it still gives interactive experience to users, mostly because of Meta AI. It also weighs very less at 49 grams only so users can wear it indoors as well as outdoors. Because of the success of RayBan Meta, other smart glasses manufacturers are also trying to improve the quality of their glasses.


Read next: How Global Social Media Users Spend Time: Instagram Reigns, Afternoon Posting Peaks
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Generative AI: Key Trends to Watch in 2025 as Technology Transforms Industries and Security

Generative AI has become a trendy topic in all areas of life. Ever since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, Artificial intelligence (AI) has infiltrated every business and company. Governments all around the world are promoting the use of AI for different purposes and many companies have already invested millions of dollars for adaptation of generative AI. This year Nobel Prizes were also given to people who were AI researchers. It is not wrong to say that generative AI is here to change the world.

Top 6 Generative AI Trends in 2025

AI is already driving vehicles and is on its way to do more amazing things. In 2024, AI was seen most trendy in tech companies which are doing everything to push for its adoption. Even though generative AI has a long way to go in the tech industry, experts are already making predictions about how AI is going to shape the tech industry in future.

According to an IEEE Study, 91% of the respondents said that 2025 is going to be the most crucial year for artificial intelligence and it is going to be one of the most important technologies in 58% areas of life. The question is even though a lot of experts are looking forward to the success of generative AI in the near future, is AI really going to meet all the expectations?

1- Get Ready to Hear More About AI Agents

With all the trends going around artificial intelligence, AI agents are going to get quite popular in 2025. AI agents are defined as semi-autonomous generative AI that can carry out instructions and tasks for environments that are not able to handle complete AI models. In 2025, AI agents are going to be marketed heavily and can be an evolving stage for AI copilots. They can help a lot in carrying out different tasks independently while the human workers can do other tasks productively. This will probably save a lot of time and will increase the efficiency of workers.

2- AI Will be a Friend and a Foe to Security

We all know there is a rise in cyber attacks and it is all due to advancement of technology, including AI. Cybersecurity attackers use AI for cyber theft, phishing and fraud. But on the other hand, generative AI is also being used by cyber security defenders to write codes, detect any threats in the system and eliminate any bad actor that can be harmful for the system. But AI can also present information that is inaccurate and security professionals have to double check everything. Generative AI models can also get malicious actors but by 2025, AI models will be capable of accurately detecting cyber attacks, including the ones which are harder to detect.

3- AI Will be Soon Incorporated into All Large Scale Businesses

Many companies are already adopting AI into their workplaces but there are also some companies who are not sure if generative AI is going to add some value to the organizations. Because of the high costs and unclear goals of AI, many companies are hesitating to adopt AI. But there are also some companies that are incorporating AI on large scales and are seeing amazing results. Google and Meta say that AI can increase the capital expenditures even if user numbers decline. Google’s AI Overviews and other AI infrastructure is making Google earn a good fortune, while Meta is also getting satisfactory results after the incorporation of AI in its apps.

4- AI and Scientific Research will Go Hand in Hand

In addition to a lot of AI trends in corporations and enterprises, AI is also bringing a huge change in scientific research. In 2024, four people used AI in their research and won the Nobel Prize. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper won the Nobel Prize for chemistry because they predicted the structure of proteins using AlphaFold2. Geoffrey Hinton and John J. Hopfield won the Nobel Prize for Physics for their works about developing neural networks. These people used AI for their research. AI can help researchers in their study because AI has the capability to turn complex tasks into simple ones.

5- AI will be Used for Environmental Predictions

Talking about science, AI can also work as an environmental tool for predicting weather or optimizing energy use. The environmental impacts for building data centers for this purpose is another debate as it requires large amounts of water and electricity. Many companies are going to claim that AI can save energy and is overall environment friendly. These are all the strategies companies are going to make for generative AI in 2025.

6- AI will be Widely Used for Customer Care and Communication

Generative AI is also going to enhance customer interactions too. In 2025, AI will be used for product recommendations and companies will use it for feedback about their products. AI companies are also going to refine voice and languages which will make communication with AI models more easy and seamless. Small to medium sized businesses are going to use AI models for these purposes more commonly.

Some Advanced AI Tools that will be Helpful in 2025

Right now, some most popular generative AI products are ChatGPT by OpenAI, Gemini by Google, CoPilot by Microsoft and DALL-E 3 for image generation. AI models are going to become more advanced in 2025, with the latest versions of AI set to release. Right now, the most advanced AI model is GPT-4o. Gemini Ultra by Google and Jiutian by China Mobile are also considered most advanced. All of these models were determined advanced after undergoing various testing like Codeforces Competition, Measuring Massive Multitask Language Understanding, International Mathematics Olympiad, etc.


Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google In Jeopardy As DOJ Finalizes Requests For Forced Sale Of Chrome In Search Monopoly Case

The Google monopoly case continues to haunt the tech giant after the US Department of Justice made a list of structural remedies for the company.

This includes recommendations for the forced selling of the Chrome browser to the judge overseeing the case. Spinning off Android was another suggestion to help prevent the company’s monopoly behavior in the world of online search.

As per Bloomberg, these recommendations hit the top of the list because they represent a pivotal access point where the majority of users reach the search engine. There were so many queries about how it works and how it would affect the Chrome codebase. This includes the top question of allowing Google to carry out a new open-source project which so many browsers use.

The government did lay down the options about whether such a sale is needed or not at a later date because it all depends on whether the other remedies prove to be good enough. The company hopes to appeal the decision and was also against the notion of a sale because it says splitting both these projects would tear them apart.

At the moment, the DOJ pulled back from the more significant option of Android being sold off. Still, anti-trust officials would like the tech giant to uncouple operating systems for Android from other products like Search and Google Play in the app store. This is currently on sale as a bundle.

Other options put forward as remedies include licensing the company’s Google Search data and all search results. Another option is enabling websites that are indexed on Google Search to opt out of any form of training of AI systems.

Only time will tell which rulings come into place but for now, we can only wait for the hearing that’s expected in April next year and the final verdict to arrive in August.

Image: DIW-AIgen

Read next:

Is 2025 the Year Social Media Changes Forever? Here’s What’s Coming Next

• Are We Ready for Climate Change? Global Survey Reveals Widespread Concerns
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Monday, November 18, 2024

Is 2025 the Year Social Media Changes Forever? Here’s What’s Coming Next

It’s that time of the year again when predictions from experts are coming in about what we can expect for the year ahead. Today, we’re looking at what to expect in terms of the social media landscape. Will it shift?

There’s no surprise here that AI will certainly be a major part of the trends seen online in 2025 as it’s clearly here to stay. However, experts do predict the changes to be more measured and less drastic.

FACEBOOK

Let’s look at Facebook for starters. It’s still holding the title of being the world’s biggest social media app. It might not be cool for some but it still hosts the greatest number of active users today and that too by a huge margin.

Meta vows to continue going strong with its commitment to AI. It’s spent billions on the infrastructure and Mark Zuckerberg will continue to do the same for 2025 to get that AI push. They plan to lead the AI race after taking the backseat for too long. This includes better AI and hopefully those serving a greater purpose than the ones we are seeing in use today.

While the goal of Meta in the past was to promote human interactions, now it’s more linked to talking to a bot. The tech giant also wants to make AI versions of creators that can be shared on the app. So yes, you can expect more AI-based pictures circulating that some find hard to decipher between reality and fiction.

You can also expect to see a greater degree of AR experience as the company hopes to roll out its much-talked-about AR glasses product. While there won’t be any immediate release, Meta will set the tone for more wearables that combine this with other apps. The same is true for VR where non-VR users can interact with VR ones in domains like online gaming.

We can expect to see Meta go big with digital avatars where the classic characters get a revamp. Meta hopes to add a more realistic touch while ensuring they are customizable. So far, Meta has made most of its gains through video content so that isn’t going to be slowing down anytime soon next year. After all, there’s some logic as to why Facebook included a video tab right? Clearly, TikTok is the driving force in this regard.
As far as advertising is concerned, Meta wants to better ads with the addition of AI. Stats prove how those automated ads are doing better than those pushed into the system manually. The assistance from in-app data will give the platform the chance to perform better and see what users are interested in.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is predicted to include more filters to better enhance users’ images, thanks to AI. So do expect images to be brighter, better, and clearer. We’ve already discussed how Facebook is keen on integrating wearables so the same would be the case for Instagram. This includes the addition of cross-platform content through the Ray-Ban glasses for instance where users can engage in live streams better.

THREADS

Meta has made it very clear from day one that it plans on taking a step back from current affairs and politics. This is what experts predict for 2025, a drama-free platform that hopefully promotes and discusses anything but politics and propaganda. And now that the US Elections are over and done with, this restriction will work in the app’s favor.

In 2025, Threads is expected to fully separate from Instagram, carving out its own unique space for niche, conversation-driven content.

SNAPCHAT

Snapchat is in a difficult position these days as it wouldn’t be wrong to mention how the app is struggling to get the right kind of appeal. With the right figures and engagement can it be expected to maximize advertising opportunities.

We do expect the app to scale its efforts on AR glasses and work more on better AR development. Who knows, it just might partner up with the likes of iPhone maker Apple to get a deal going because launching something big on its own might not bring it profits.
Other than that, more features for Snap will include a more diverse Snapchat+ subscription and more offerings that link users to the real world like indicators for Snap Map. It might also wish to rethink the addition of ads to users’ inboxes as that’s not going well. In fact, it could soon backfire as people get irritated very soon.

LINKEDIN

The platform might not be famous for its social interactions but it’s doing great in terms of professional social networking opportunities. We might see the app in terms of using AI tools for communication and profile enhancement. The response hasn’t been great.

People use this as a reliable place to hunt for talent and skills that depend on their competency and not the use of generative AI. But it might wish to devise a new use of AI like developing AI career paths where users utilize AI tools to find the best job or career.

We might see more videos on the platform as consumption of this format is going great so far. Experts do predict more live events taking place that could attract professionals to get more knowledge of what’s happening in the industry like trends.

TIKTOK

TikTok has had a successful 2024 so far and plans for 2025 will certainly be huge. But that does come with the big question of whether or not it’s going to be up for grabs to US users or not, thanks to the law in place.

TikTok does hope to push further into e-commerce as it seems like it does want people to make purchases through the app. It’s clearly inspired by its Chinese counterpart Douyin who attained massive success in this regard. Other than that, live-stream avatars that work to sell products, better engagement, and increase interest might be another thing to watch out for.

TikTok might also play around with in-video searches or AI-assisted searches which are yet to arrive on the platform.

PINTEREST

Again, Pinterest has had a great year and we’re not sure if the app is going to be changing too much. We do expect to see Body Type filter searches that look for options that suit a specific body type of a user. This customizes searches and provides exactly what the user wants.

It already has plenty of these AI-assisted tools like hair type discovery, and skin tone search filters so we can only expect it to be bigger and better in 2025.

X

Last but not least, it’s X. Elon Musk can do anything and everything so we might be able to predict exactly what 2025 will look like for the platform. However, he’s keen on introducing payments through the platform so that’s one thing we can certainly hope to see.

Other than that, a greater focus on video content format might be on the cards as Musk is yet to attain the dream of making the platform ‘video first’. This might come with dedicated tabs for Video Focus that show what’s trending via short clips.

Again, these are all predictions. Only time will tell how true they prove to be so stay tuned!

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World