Elon Musk Challenges OpenAI’s Transformation, Claims Misalignment with Nonprofit Mission and Ethics

Elon Musk's legal fight against OpenAI has intensified, expanding into a larger conflict that involves Microsoft and several prominent entities. His lawyers are seeking an injunction to stop OpenAI from becoming a for-profit organization and to put a stop to what they claim is a series of anticompetitive practices carried out by the defendants.

Musk argues that OpenAI, which he co-founded, has lost sight of its original nonprofit mission to democratize AI research. He believes it has moved into a profit-focused direction, aligning itself with large corporations such as Microsoft and allegedly sidelining other competitors from the market.

The allegations are complex but pointed. Musk’s team accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of discouraging investors from backing rivals, including his AI company, xAI. They highlight a reported demand in OpenAI’s funding round that investors avoid financing competitors. This, Musk contends, deprived xAI of potential capital, even as it raised $5 billion in a recent round.

The lawsuit also highlights potential conflicts of interest beyond just funding strategies. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is accused of directing deals towards companies such as Stripe, in which he allegedly holds substantial financial interests. Meanwhile, Microsoft, having invested a staggering $13 billion in OpenAI, is depicted as a puppet master, supplying cloud resources while reaping the rewards of exclusive access to OpenAI’s intellectual property.

The motion also names high-profile individuals like Reid Hoffman and Dee Templeton. Hoffman’s overlapping roles at Microsoft, OpenAI, and investment firm Greylock are cited as examples of undue influence, while Templeton is accused of facilitating agreements that blur ethical and legal boundaries.

• Also read: AI Models Can Use Human-Like Emotions While Communicating to Empathize with Users

Musk’s concerns extend to OpenAI’s governance. He fears that its pivot to a for-profit structure will erase its nonprofit DNA, making it nearly impossible to reverse transactions or restore its original mission. His attorneys argue that without intervention, OpenAI might lack the financial reserves to pay damages if Musk wins the case.

This legal battle goes beyond just financial interests. It’s a struggle for the essence of AI—its purpose, who governs it, and the manner in which its influence is exercised. Musk envisions AI as open source and focused on benefiting everyone, unlike the profit-driven system he criticizes.

The stakes are high, not just for Musk and OpenAI but for an industry grappling with questions of ethics, innovation, and control. Whether the court grants the injunction or not, this case highlights a fundamental tension in technology: the balance between collaboration and competition, ideals and profits, visionaries and gatekeepers.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next:

• Fortune’s 2024 Power List Highlights Tech Giants: Musk, Huang, and Nadella Lead the Way

• TV and Online Sites, Apps Lead Political News Consumption, While Search Engines and Social Media Trail
by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Fortune’s 2024 Power List Highlights Tech Giants: Musk, Huang, and Nadella Lead the Way

Fortune ranked the world’s top 100 most powerful business leaders according to their business size, impact, innovation, business health and trajectory.

Many corporate leaders are having greater influence on the world's economy due to different tech advancements and innovations. A lot of businesses have multi-trillion dollars market value based on their impact on the world.

According to the rankings, Elon Musk is the most influential business leader in the world in 2024. He owns several companies like SpaceX, Tesla and X. He has also become a member of the Department of Government Efficiency in the US.

Followed by Elon is Nvidia’s Jensen Huang whose company is very important in today’s world of AI and technological chips. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella ranks the third most influential business leader in 2024. Tim Cook is the fifth and Mark Zuckerberg is the sixth most influential business leader in 2024.

OpenAI’s Sam Altman comes in eighth position as OpenAI is becoming a bigger company with each passing day. 92% of Fortune 500 companies use products by OpenAI/ChatGPT in their processes which shows the importance this company is bringing in the technological space.

Rank	Name	Associated Companies
1	Elon Musk	Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), xAI
2	Jensen Huang	Nvidia
3	Satya Nadella	Microsoft
4	Warren Buffett	Berkshire Hathaway
5	Jamie Dimon	JPMorgan Chase
6	Tim Cook	Apple
7	Mark Zuckerberg	Meta
8	Sam Altman	OpenAI
9	Mary Barra	GeneralMotors
10	Sundar Pichai	Alphabet (Google)
11	Jeff Bezos	Amazon, Blue Origin
12	Mukesh Ambani	Reliance Industries
13	Brian Moynihan	Bank of America
14	Ren Zhengfei	Huawei
15	Jane Fraser	Citigroup

Read next: Social Media Ads Lure Users into Illegal Money Laundering Activities, Experts Warn
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Apple Leads the Global Smartwatches Shipment in Q3 2024 with Highest Shares

The report for global smartwatch shipment market share by CounterPoint Research is here and it shows a 9% decline year-over-year in Q3 2024. Apple led the smartwatch market with the highest share in Q3 2023. It is followed by Huawei and Samsung. The biggest growth in Q3 2024 was seen among brands like Huawei and Xiaomi as they say fastest YoY growth. On the other hand, Apple saw a 15% YoY decline in Q3 2024. It was mostly because Apple saw less demand for its Watch S10 series after the success of its S9 series.

The country with the most global smartwatch shipments in Q3 2024 was India, with a market share of 25% of total smartwatch shipments. The highest shipment growth was seen in China with 24 YoY, followed by Huawei, Xiaomi and BBK.

With 87% total share, HLOS smartwatches had the highest demand in North America in Q3 2024. It was followed by Samsung, Apple and Garmin. Overall, Apple had the highest global smartwatch shipments with 21% total share in Q3 2024 while 14% share was of Huawei and 11% was of Samsung.

Global Smartwatch Shipments Market Share (Q2 2023 – Q3 2024)
Brands	Apple	Others
Q2 2023	22%	78%
Q3 2023	22%	78%
Q4 2023	31%	69%
Q1 2024	21%	79%
Q2 2024	19%	81%
Q3 2024	21%	79%

Read next: Which Social Network Dominates Digital Ad Spend in 2024?
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Which Social Network Dominates Digital Ad Spend in 2024?

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are benefiting from their millions of users who spend a lot of daily time on the platforms by exposing them to ads. Meta is also incorporating AI on its platforms to increase the ad targeting. Meta made nearly $75 billion (from Instagram and Facebook) in ad spends in the first half of 2024 just in the United States. This ad spending on Meta platforms is also seen in other countries too.

Based on the data from Sensor Tower, these are the companies with most shares of digital ad spends. Facebook is the top in terms of shares of digital ad spends, making 36.3% share of total ad spend with value of $42.5 billion. Instagram comes second with a value of $32.2 billion and 27.5% share of total ad spend.

Google's YouTube had 15.5% ad share in H1 of 2024, while TikTok had 9.5% share. YouTube is third with a huge margin with the top two and this shows that ad formatting on YouTube is less targeted. With $11.1 billion spent on TikTok, its ad spend has grown 19% annually. Other platforms in the top with the most share of digital ad spend are LinkedIn (4.8%), Snapchat (3.0%), Pinterest (2.7%) and X aka Twitter (0.8%). Digital marketers spent $900 million ad spend on X, which is a 23% decrease from last year.

Platform	Share of Digital Ad Spend H1 2024	Value
Facebook	36.30%	$42.5B
Instagram	27.50%	$32.2B
YouTube	15.50%	$18.1B
TikTok	9.50%	$11.1B
LinkedIn	4.80%	$5.6B
Snapchat	3.00%	$3.5B
Pinterest	2.70%	$3.2B
X (formerly Twitter)	0.80%	$0.9B
Total		$117.00

Read next: Survey Highlights Backup Gaps and Cyber Security Risks Amid Growing Data Reliance
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Survey Highlights Backup Gaps and Cyber Security Risks Amid Growing Data Reliance

A recent data backup survey of 1,000 U.S. nationals conducted by HandyRecoveryAdvisor has revealed alarming gaps in data protection practices and the lack of backups in general as the top data loss reason.

The results of the survey, which launched on the PollFish platform on October 29, 2024, come as global data creation reaches unprecedented levels, with worldwide data consumption expected to hit 149 zettabytes in 2024 and projections showing a surge to 394 zettabytes by 2028.

"The volume of storage devices has surged dramatically. From car video recorders to large data centers, the increase in storage equipment reflects growing data needs," explains Andrey Vasilyev, COO of ACE Data Recovery Service. "As more businesses and individuals generate and store large volumes of data, the likelihood of data loss due to hardware failure, human error, or cyber incidents increases."

Yet, despite users generating and consuming more data than ever before, only 33% regularly backup their digital assets, and 22% don't backup their data at all. The rest create backups just a few times a year (27%), or they do it once in a long time (18%).

Interestingly, Mac users (41%) and iOS users (36%) backup their data on a regular basis slightly more than their Windows (32%) and Android (34%) counterparts. It would be natural to assume that this disparity stems from Apple's Time Machine and iCloud being more user friendly than File History and OneDrive, their counterparts from Microsoft. However, paradoxically, more Mac users report difficulties with the backup process (45%) than Windows users (32%).

In fact, the convenience of personal cloud storage solutions like iCloud, OneDrive, or Dropbox has made them the preferred data storage location for 55% of users. Unfortunately, there's a widespread misconception about cloud storage security: 63% of respondents believe that syncing their data with cloud storage constitutes a complete backup solution.

As a result, half of the users maintain no physical backups of their cloud-stored data—a dangerous practice in an era of increasing cyber threats. For example, there have been many ransomware campaigns targeting cloud storage services recently, including the DoubleDrive attack, which exploits Microsoft OneDrive, and numerous phishing scams targeting iCloud and other cloud storage users.

These and other attacks can lead to permanent data loss when cybercriminals encrypt or delete cloud-stored files, while the absence of physical backups makes it more difficult and sometimes even impossible for users to recover their lost information, which is probably why 68% of those who experienced data loss now regularly backup their files—a hard lesson to learn, indeed.

The remaining 32% who experienced data loss but still don't perform regular backups are playing with fire as data loss can strike at any moment. The survey revealed that accidental deletion and lack of backup were the most common reasons at 34%, followed by device failure and hardware malfunction at 30%. Physical damage accounts for 11% of cases, while power outages during file editing and malware attacks each contribute to about 8% of data loss incidents.

While some forms of data loss, particularly those caused by user error like accidental deletions, can often be recovered using specialized software tools, other types of data loss scenarios present much bigger challenges. Physical damage to storage devices, for instance, frequently requires professional data recovery services that can cost thousands of dollars, with no guarantee of success. Similarly, ransomware attacks or severe hardware failures might render data completely unrecoverable without proper backups.

The most popular backup option for those who regularly protect their data are USB flash drives (33%), followed by traditional spinning hard drives (32%), SD cards (20%), and solid-state drives (15%). Together, these physical storage devices are the go-to backup choice for almost 60% of respondents, while the cloud is the preferred option for just 42%.

The ongoing dominance of physical storage devices as backup locations has a lot to do with the fact that 37% of users prefer to save sensitive information locally instead of uploading it to a remote server, but the fact that many use it as their primary and only storage location certainly also comes into play.

While external physical storage devices are readily available and generally reliable enough for regular backups, they can be easily stolen or lost. When that happens, unencrypted drives become a significant security liability, yet the survey found that 62% of users still choose not to encrypt their external storage devices. It's possible that users are concerned about losing access to their data if encryption passwords are forgotten or keys become corrupted.

The good news is that the growing storage capacities of all physical storage devices allow users to backup everything without being selective, and 48% of respondents take advantage of this by backing up all their data regardless of sensitivity.

When users do prioritize certain data, some interesting prioritization patterns can be observed. Financial records lead the pack with 21% of respondents marking them as their top priority, followed closely by passwords and login credentials at 19%. Legal documents rank third at 18%, while medical records and personal photos garner 17% and 15%, respectively. Surprisingly, work-related documents receive the least attention at just 9%, and 3% of respondents believe none of their data requires special protection.

The findings of this survey should serve as a wake-up call for both individual users and organizations. While modern technology offers many convenient storage solutions, from cloud services to physical devices, the key to effective data protection lies in implementing a comprehensive backup strategy that includes multiple storage methods spread across multiple geographic locations to achieve complete protection against hardware failures, natural disasters, cyber attacks, human error, and other causes of data loss.

Read next: How Do Influencers Decide What’s Credible? The Answers Will Surprise You!
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Australia Becomes First Nation To Stop Children From Using Social Media With Landmark Law

The Australian Government has done what no other nation was able to do and that includes restricting children from using social media.

The country passed the law that was first drafted after the country’s Labor PM stated there was a clear link between poor mental health in the Australian youth and the rise of social media usage. The Senate passed the bill with 34 votes to 19. This means those below the age of 16 cannot use social media apps.

Now, some politicians feel that such a ban could actually have a reverse effect. It might lead teens to resort to the dark web or even make them feel like they have no one to turn to, increasing issues such as isolation.

Other advocates think the matter was too rushed and if anyone was asked to prove age, it would lead to social media firms being given valuable personal data. This is also where Elon Musk stepped in to have his say.

The bill bans all apps from giving access to those below 16. This threatened firms with fines of more than $30M USD if they didn’t comply with the law passed. But there are similarly no details on how this entire ordeal will work. Only companies would be expected to take reasonable measures to ensure users are 16 and above.

More details will arise later but there is also much tech talk that gives apps age assurance. It’s also important to note how the bill will come into play only after a year. Moreover, the bill also does not specify which firms would need to comply. As per the communications minister, many leading tech giants like Facebook, X, Instagram, and Snap would be a part of the banned list. Also, YouTube won’t be included because it offers plenty of educational benefits.

The number of replies on this matter has given rise to numerous social media debates and discussions seen mainly on X. As per him, it was a backdoor means to gain access to the web by Australians. But this isn’t the first time that Musk clashed with the country’s government. We saw in the past how Musk was ordered to get rid of graphic content and put an end to the great number of lies spread across social media apps.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: How Do Influencers Decide What’s Credible? The Answers Will Surprise You!
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

How Do Influencers Decide What’s Credible? The Answers Will Surprise You!

According to a new report by UNESCO, 62% of content creators on different digital platforms do not fact-check news before talking about it. The report talked about practices and motivation among content creators and what challenges they are facing in the world of digital media. It was based on 500 influencers from 45 countries and covered major things about content creators. Among other things, it was also revealed that content creators do not verify facts and information before sharing it with their audiences.

33.5% of the content creators said that they share the information if they trust the source or original platform it was posted on, while 15.8% said if they find a news or information entertaining, they share it without checking its accuracy. However, there were also influencers (36.9%) who said that they check the authenticity of the source or information before sharing it with their audiences.

The survey showed that even if some influencers may find it important to fact check information, some of them do not care about the accuracy of something they are sharing online. Those who were surveyed were also asked how they check the credibility of online sources. A majority (41.7%) said that they check the number of likes and views of the content to evaluate if it is credible or not. 20.6% said they trust the information of it is shared by their friend or an expert, while 19.4% said they evaluate the credibility of the information by the reputation of author/publisher.

The report by UNESCO also found that 59% of influencers are unaware of any global standards or frameworks when it comes to digital communication. Even though 56.4% said that they know about some training programs, only 13.9% said that they enrolled in them. This shows that many content creators and influencers are not aware of legal and regulatory conditions of digital communication in different countries.

Read next:

• From Facebook to Pinterest: How Social Networks are Handling External Links and Traffic Shifts

• Why Is Online Fraud Soaring? Are Social Media Apps the Real Culprits Behind the Surge?
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

From Facebook to Pinterest: How Social Networks are Handling External Links and Traffic Shifts

There have been a lot of talks about external links on social media apps that take users to other apps and websites. This also reduces engagement on the main app where the link was originally posted. Many social media platforms are now imposing penalties on external links and this reduces the traffic on other social media apps which were using other sources to drive traffic to their apps. So, where do different social networks stand when it comes to external links?

Facebook doesn’t say anything about penalizing external links on the app, but it is prominent that the reach of external links have been significantly reduced on the platform. According to data by Facebook, 95% posts that appear on user feeds do not have any external links and this percentage keeps on increasing. This means that Facebook is just reducing relevance of external links instead of doing anything to their reach. Another reason is that there has been a huge decrease among video/news content on Facebook which has contributed to reducing external links.

Instagram, on the other hand, has never let users post links in captions so it was never a good platform to drive traffic to other websites. Users can post links in stories but they can only reach specific audiences or the followers. Instagram isn’t actively restricting external links because it doesn’t have a reason to do so. Threads is also not restricting external links, as opposed to what many users might think. Adam Mosseri says that Instagram and Threads are not penalizing external links and if some users think that Threads is limiting the reach of posts, it is mostly because of user behavior.

X is also not penalizing or limiting the reach of posts that have external links. It is all because of user behavior and algorithm, based on what type of content users prefer on the platform. X says that they however want people to write their thoughts directly on the app instead of posting links.

Reddit is typically more open to external links but is very community-driven forum. Links in posts are allowed but may be downvoted if users feel they’re spammy or irrelevant, which can limit their reach. Subreddit rules vary, so some may restrict links or penalize low-quality content.

Just like Instagram, TikTok also cannot support links in comments or posts so that means it doesn’t have to limit the reach of posts with external links.

• Also read: How Global Social Media Users Spend Time: Instagram Reigns, Afternoon Posting Peaks

Snapchat also doesn’t have any room for external links but it has a policy of restricting some links to other apps. Users can still post links on Snapchat stories without any limitations of reach.

LinkedIn also doesn’t have any policies about external links but it has made a change in link-thumbnail sizes on the posts. If a company is willing to pay LinkedIn for promotion, LinkedIn shows that link in bigger size. If there is no promotion, the link size is small and not prominent.

Pinterest allows external links but may limit the reach of pins depending on factors like engagement, user behavior, and whether the pin is part of a promoted campaign or group. It has a unique focus on traffic generation, often encouraging users to share links, but the platform still has its own limitations on organic reach for unpaid content.

All in all, there is no social media platform that is restricting or penalizing posts with external links yet. However, most of them are not very suitable for link posting. In contrast, some users still see BlueSky as the best platform for posting links.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Here’s a breakdown of where major social platforms stand on external links and how they affect reach.

Platform	External Link Policy	Details
Facebook	Penalizes link posts indirectly	Link posts are less common, reducing referral traffic due to AI content and Page updates.
Instagram	No direct penalty	Links can’t be posted in captions; Stories have limited reach (followers only).
Threads	No penalty for links	No active restrictions; reach limitations are driven by user behavior.
X	Penalizes link posts	Links have reduced reach due to algorithmic updates and user behavior.
TikTok	No penalty for links	No links in descriptions/comments, but profile bio links are unrestricted (except for eCommerce sites).
Snapchat	No penalty for promoted links	Links in Stories have no penalty; restrictions on non-browser-loading pages and other social apps.
LinkedIn	Reduced reach for link posts	Smaller link previews unless promoted; organic reach is lower for unpaid link posts.
Bluesky	Supports external links	Actively supports external links as a key element of the platform.
Pinterest	Allows links but limits reach	Links are allowed, but reach may be limited depending on engagement and whether posts are promoted.
Reddit	Allows links but with restrictions	Links are allowed but may be downvoted or restricted by subreddit rules or user behavior.

Read next: Why Teens Fear the Streets: The Dark Side of Social Media Revealed!
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Microsoft Clarifies The Air By Confirming It Does Not Use Word and Excel Data For AI Training

Software giant Microsoft is telling the world that it does not use data from Word or Excel for training any AI models.

The news comes after the firm’s Connected Experiences which comprehends user data from Word and Excel came under fire when it was set as a default setting. Many felt this might be the tech giant’s way of snooping on data for the purpose of AI training.

Microsoft Office was called out for its sneaky behavior by one user who goes by the name nixCraft. This is where the company was slammed for turning on the opt-out offer that scrapes user data from both Excel and Word. Any material extracted would be used for training, the user added.

The post which was published on X shared further how users need to manually uncheck it if they wish to opt out. If it’s a writer who makes use of MS Word quite often for various tasks like blogs and novels, you might wish to switch it off. This is because your work will no longer be protected with copyrights as Microsoft has full access to it, the user added.

The news and accusations were certainly alarming which forced Microsoft to step in and clear the air. It confirmed that none of its Microsoft 365 apps use client data for training large language models. It also shared how such settings only enable those offerings that need internet access like when you want to co-author documents.

At the year’s start, we saw how LinkedIn came under fire for similar types of scrutiny related to toggling on features that enable firms to scrape user data for the sake of training AI systems. We also know about how the UK’s Commissioner’s Office stopped the platform from engaging in that. What is interesting is how the platform still scrapes data belonging to US users by its default settings. Users have the choice to disable this by going to Settings and then Data Privacy and then pressing on the tab for Generative AI Improvement to restrict it.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: TikTok Rolls Out New Rules For Beauty Filters To Better Protect Young Users
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

TikTok Rolls Out New Rules For Beauty Filters To Better Protect Young Users

In the past, we’ve seen countries like the UK roll out new measures to ensure young users remain safe from the harms of beauty filters. Now, social media giant TikTok is rolling out its own rules to better protect minors online.

According to the latest report from The Guardian, the app will enforce new restrictions on using beauty filters. Anyone between the ages of 13 and 18 will no longer be allowed to change their looks with such features. This includes plumping up lips, changing skin color, and making their eyes bigger.

Similarly, any feature famous on the app for modifying users’ appearance will now be restricted. So does this mean young users can no longer play around and have fun on the platform? Not exactly as TikTok just made it so clear that fun features like dog noses and bunny ears are still up for grabs and pose no harm.

The changes discussed above were shared during a recent safety forum in Ireland. The government shared how it’s implementing the Online Safety Bill, which forces social media apps to highlight new changes to keep kids safe from harm and also ward them away from harmful material like those that market unrealistic standards linked to beauty.

The EU’s DSA from 2022 shared comparable limitations. It emphasized the need for apps to better their transparency linked to algorithms and also gave them more control over their material. Such measures lead to more awareness in the public about using filters and the impact they pose on users.

But that is not all. The social media giant is also ensuring those below the 13-year age bracket won’t get access to the app in the UK. The platform will employ the best tech to prevent anyone from trying to bypass such age restrictions.

As per the head of the app’s child safety policies, TikTok wants to detect and remove users at a fast pace who don’t meet the age eligibility requirements.

Anyone blocked wrongly can also appeal if they feel they were treated unfairly, the app continued. As per TikTok, the latest rules are not only for those in the UK and the EU. it’s coming globally to everyone in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned.

In another news TikTok claims that "over 175m people across Europe now come to TikTok every month".

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Here’s How Much the Average Shopper Will Spend This Black Friday
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Here’s How Much the Average Shopper Will Spend This Black Friday

A new Deloitte study reveals that consumers are ready to break the bank this BFCM (Black Friday-Cyber Monday). With a projected spending of $650 per shopper, the holiday shopping season is poised to be a record-breaker. As per Deloitte's data, it is a 15% increase from last year and this shows that consumers have big plans for Black Friday and want to buy a lot of discounted stuff. Even though many people are planning to spend large amounts of money, they are also financially stressed. 53% of the respondents in the survey said that they are going to use credit cards, as compared to 35% in 2023. 29% are also planning to use ‘Buy Now Pay Later” options for buying products.

Year	Average Expected BFCM Spend	YoY Change
2019	$415
2020	$401	-3%
2021	$448	+12%
2022	$500	+12%
2023	$567	+13%
2024	$650	+15%

No matter the financial situation or demographics, consumers are all ready to spend more this year, with Gen-Z being the ones to spend the most. They are raising their budgets and trying to find the best deals out there. In three years, from 2021 to 2024, there was a 13.2% annual growth rate from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Among Gen-Z shoppers, the growth rate has risen 25% in three years.

• Also read: eSIM Adoption Gains Momentum in Travel, Yet Awareness and Usage Lag Behind

Principal of Deloitte Consulting, Brian McCarthy, says that this holiday season is a bit shorter because of late Thanksgiving, so Holiday shoppers are going to spend a lot during Black Friday. Online retailers are being the number one choice for shoppers this year for the very first time, and those retailers are offering deals and promotions to draw customers in.

Another survey from ICSC predicts $125 billion earnings during five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday. Two-thirds of the consumers say that they are going to do all of their holiday during Black Friday Weekend. 57% are going to prefer deals, with 68% researching prices before going shopping.

Read next: Understated Impact: 2025’s Must-Know Graphic Design Trends
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Understated Impact: 2025’s Must-Know Graphic Design Trends

For business owners preparing to launch a new brand, product, service, or marketing campaign in 2025, keeping an eye on emerging design trends is essential. Drawing inspiration from these trends ensures your brand feels fresh and relevant, and helps maintain a meaningful connection with your customers.

To spark your creativity as we head into 2025, VistaPrint spoke to the global community of freelance graphic designers on 99designs by Vista as well as its in-house design experts to identify the graphic design trends set to define the branding landscape over the next year.

From the raw, handcrafted charm of imperfect textures to the serene beauty of rewilding aesthetics or playful energy of scrapbook-inspired designs, this year’s trends share a common thread – a thoughtful balance of simplicity and personalized details that elevate and celebrate each brand’s unique character.

While this year’s graphic design trends may look a little more understated, they are far from plain and no less impactful. For brands looking to make a big impact with design in 2025, here are some of the year’s biggest trends to tap into.

Bold but understated looks for maximum impact

‘Not Quite Minimalism’ is in for a reason –it’s minimalism, but not as we know it. Taking the design staple’s love of clean lines, negative space and sparse layouts and reinventing it with bright, clashing colors and bold type faces, this trend has been growing in popularity through 2024. This style allows brands and designers to create bold, eye-catching visuals that still remain sleek, youthful and modern: proving that in 2025 minimalism doesn’t have to equate to plain.

• Also read: 2025’s Hot Creative Trends To Turn Design From Usual To Exceptional

While on paper, the Mismatched and Bright trend may look maximalist in comparison to Not Quite Minimalism, a lot of the same design principles apply. It’s all about creating contrast in clever ways to bring a brand’s personality into the heart of the design. By combining mismatched fonts, contrasting colors and experimenting with asymmetrical and irregular layouts and spacing –these designs are full of quirky personality that not only embrace but emphasize imperfection.

Authentic, hand-crafted appeal in an age of AI

In response to the growing presence of AI, in 2025 we’re seeing a rise in design styles and techniques that seek to remind us of the authentic power of the human touch. Etches and Imprints is a trend that leans into raw imperfections to create a hand-made feeling. Incorporating fingerprints, smudges and etches, as if a designer had just sketched them up moments ago, the tangible impressions of these designs can make brands seem effortlessly warm, authentic and personable.

• Also read: Is 2025 the Year Social Media Changes Forever? Here’s What’s Coming Next

Similarly, a move towards Childlike Textures also bucks against the precise and flawless nature of AI-generated designs, by tapping to the creativity and carefreeness of youth. Thick crayon-like lines, vibrant, playful colors, organic shapes and rough linework, together create designs that embrace authenticity and a handmade aesthetic to help brands show they are down-to-earth, fun and approachable.

The Structured Scrapbook trend is also all about bringing the charm of old-school crafting into a digital format. These designs feature cutouts, stickers and overlapping images, hand drawn touches like scribbles and handwriting and textures like torn paper and tape. However, with a strong focus on structure, balance and placement, this approach brings a little more intention while still capturing that carefree playfulness that comes with collaging. With so many elements to work with, there is plenty of room to mix, match and experiment with different elements to communicate the uniqueness of your brand.

Avenues for calm escapism

In times of global uncertainty and challenges, design is often one of the first things that reflects a growing desire to create and embrace a sense of peaceful escapism, and this shows up in 2025’s trends.

Pulling inspiration straight from nature, Rewilding Design leverages textures and design elements that resemble foliage, leaves, stone or bark, with color palettes of earthy browns and greens and soft watery hues of blue. But this trend doesn’t stop there. These designs are often paired with an unexpected twist, such as a flourish of neon pink or pastel lilac to amp up the impact. This creates designs that feel grounded yet fresh, with unexpected vibrant flourishes helping brands stand apart from the rest.

Similarly, inspired by Japandi design, a visual blend of Scandinavian functionality and Japanese minimalism, we are also seeing a trend of Functional and Serene designs emerge in branding. These designs are clean and uncluttered, pairing soft, muted neural color palettes with materials and textures that mimic natural elements like stone and wood to create visual branding that is quiet, calming and effortlessly timeless.

Reinventing the classics to tap into nostalgia

Nostalgia never goes out of style, and it’s always interesting to see which by-gone eras and decades are cycling back in new and innovative styles shaping the trends of tomorrow. In 2025, it’s both the beginning and end of the 20th century that’s inspiring designers and brands alike.

• You might like: The Next Big Thing: 2025's Biggest Emerging Tech Set to Transform Our Future!

Contemporary Nouveau reimagines the elegance of early 20th century art styles, particularly leveraging the fonts, color palettes and illustrations found on Art Nouveau and Deco poster design. Full to the brim of Gatsby-style elegance, featuring bold typography, bright expressive colors set against dark backgrounds, hand-drawn imagery and clean layouts, designers are adding small modern twists to ensure brands look fresh, not outdated.

On the other hand, the Nostalgic Networks trend taps into the simplicity of 80s and 90s computer graphics, before they became too polished and advanced. Although this style is inspired by the retro tech era, the 2025 take on this aesthetic feels sleek and modern at the same time. Designers are pairing basic geometric shapes like grids, lines and stars with muted, primary color palettes and clean pared-back layouts to bring this early digital style into the 21st century.

From hand-drawn and the hand-made styles of Structured Scrapbook and Etches and Imprints, to timeless aesthetics of Contemporary Nouveau and Functional and Serene, this year’s trends celebrate individuality, blending experimentation with simplicity to create designs that celebrate the individuality of brands. So if you’re embarking on a new branding project in 2025, why not try one of these trends on for size to help craft distinctive, memorable visuals that leave a lasting impression.

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

OpenAI's Video Generator Sora Leaked: Access Sparks Controversy Over Testing Practices

A group has reportedly leaked access to OpenAI’s much-anticipated video generator Sora. The news comes in protest by others after the company was accused of dubbing and art washing with the latest project.

The access was posted on the Hugging Face platform that managed to link directly to Sora’s API. It’s all very interesting considering how Sora is yet to be available to the public just yet.

The group managed to develop a front end that arose from an initial access system whereby users could produce videos through Sora. The reason why it’s so real has to do with how easy it was to produce and install videos using headers or cookies through the platform’s space configuration.

Through this means, the user could produce videos of up to 10 seconds through 1080p resolution and all that’s necessary is typing short text. When it tried, the queue was reportedly said to be so long but several individuals through X did upload samples that included the company’s visual watermark.

Shortly after this news, the front end stopped working which probably meant that the platform revoked access. As per the group, after just three hours, the company shut down access to Sora for everyone. But if it is true, it can produce clips that are 10 seconds long and the number can be as high as 1080.

Now the question is why exactly was this done? Well, if reports are to be believed, OpenAI is to blame for the great amount of pressure added on early testers of Sora. They want the project to be highlighted in all the right ways white giving nothing or barely anything in return.

It’s an industry practice that’s become so common now. Pay nothing to labor for bug testing but expect a lot of great feedback and experimental work in return. Many artists want this norm to stop because it’s obviously not fair.

Meanwhile, the group is claiming that OpenAI continues to mislead about the latest video generator and what it’s capable of doing. In that context, OpenAi has decided to break the silence. They claim the goal is to balance safety and creativity for Sora so all users can benefit.

The company’s spokesperson also shared how artists do not have any kind of obligations to OpenAI or Sora other than using the tool safely and responsibly. However, they failed to define what the term responsible means here.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Smaller Browsers Poised for Growth as DOJ Demands Google Sell Chrome

Regulators in the US are forcing Google to sell Chrome, its web browser, because with Chrome Google can have a lot of power over the internet and online advertising market. The Department of Justice is playing a bigger role in this because they want to break Google’s dominating role over the internet. The US government says that they want to make online advertising fair for everyone and Google is not letting that happen. As Chrome is the world's biggest browsing platform, which mean the search giant has more control on how and where its ads appear when users search for anything on the web. Google is even the default search engine on iPhone too, which is too disadvantageous to many online advertisers and competitors.

According to Appfigures estimates, Chrome has the highest number of market shares in terms of downloads on mobile. Google Chrome had 35% of the total downloads of the top five browsers in 2024. Other browsers like Edge, Opera, Brave and Firefox do not come anywhere close to Chrome in terms of market shares and downloads. Till now in 2024, Chrome had approximately 70 million downloads and by the end of 2024, it can reach 80 million. This is almost twice of the downloads of Edge.

On the other hand, Edge and Opera had 40 million downloads in 2024 and it is clear that these two can earn the biggest advantage if Chrome gets out of the picture. As of October 2024, Chrome’s downloads were down by 14%, probably because of DOJ scrutiny on the tech giant. Chrome has no value if it is not owned by Google, so it has no reason for growth if Google decides to sell it. But other web browsers can probably benefit from this.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Which Economies Are Leading the Charge in Global Innovation?

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ranked the world's 133 economies according to their innovation and performance. This ranking was published in Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024. The ranking was done by giving scores to 78 indicators that tell us how an economy is bringing innovation by seven innovation pillars. They include market sophistication, knowledge & tech outputs, institutions, infrastructure, human capital & research, creative outputs and business sophistication.

According to the rankings, Switzerland scored the highest and got the title of the most innovative country in 2024. Keep in mind that Switzerland has been getting named the most innovative country in the world for 14 consecutive years. Sweden was named the second most innovative country in 2024.

U.S was the third most innovative country according to GII, just like last year. The rankings of the US dropped down a bit because of its low infrastructure score, even though it was number one in market sophistication and number two in business sophistication. Other notable innovative countries in the top ten were Singapore, UK, South Korea, Finland, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

This year GII’s theme was to focus on the countries which are giving good performances even if their level of development isn't that good. Vietnam, India and Moldova were named as Innovative Outperformers as the economies of these countries have overperformed in the last 14 years.

The GII 2024 rankings also show insights about the effects these global innovations are causing. It talks about technological progress and how green technologies are lagging behind the average growth for more than a decade. It also talked about technological adoption and how it has affected and will affect masses socioeconomically.

Here is the full list:

Country	Innovation Score
Switzerland	67.5
Sweden	64.5
U.S.	62.4
Singapore	61.2
UK	61
South Korea	60.9
Finland	59.4
Netherlands	58.8
Germany	58.1
Denmark	57.1
China	56.3
France	55.4
Japan	54.1
Canada	52.9
Israel	52.7
Estonia	52.3
Austria	50.3
Hong Kong	50.1
Ireland	50
Luxembourg	49.1
Norway	49.1
Iceland	48.5
Australia	48.1
Belgium	47.7
New Zealand	45.9
Italy	45.3
Cyprus	45.1
Spain	44.9
Malta	44.8
Czech Republic	44
Portugal	43.7
UAE	42.8
Malaysia	40.5
Slovenia	40.2
Lithuania	40.1
Hungary	39.6
Türkiye	39
Bulgaria	38.5
India	38.3
Poland	37
Thailand	36.9
Latvia	36.4
Croatia	36.3
Viet Nam	36.2
Greece	36.2
Slovakia	34.3
Saudi Arabia	33.9
Romania	33.4
Qatar	32.9
Brazil	32.7
Chile	32.6
Serbia	32.3
Philippines	31.1
Indonesia	30.6
Mauritius	30.6
Mexico	30.4
Georgia	30.4
North Macedonia	29.9
Russia	29.7
Ukraine	29.5
Colombia	29.2
Uruguay	29.1
Armenia	29
Iran	28.9
Montenegro	28.9
Morocco	28.8
Mongolia	28.7
Moldova	28.7
South Africa	28.3
Costa Rica	28.3
Kuwait	28.1
Bahrain	27.6
Jordan	27.5
Oman	27.1
Peru	26.7
Argentina	26.4
Barbados	26.1
Kazakhstan	25.7
Jamaica	25.7
Bosnia & Herzegovina	25.5
Tunisia	25.4
Panama	24.7
Uzbekistan	24.7
Albania	24.5
Belarus	24.2
Egypt	23.7
Botswana	23.1
Brunei Darussalam	22.8
Sri Lanka	22.6
Cabo Verde	22.3
Pakistan	22
Senegal	22
Paraguay	21.9
Lebanon	21.5
Azerbaijan	21.3
Kenya	21
Dominican Republic	20.8
El Salvador	20.6
Kyrgyzstan	20.4
Bolivia	20.2
Ghana	20
Namibia	20
Cambodia	19.9
Rwanda	19.7
Ecuador	19.3
Bangladesh	19.1
Tajikistan	18.6
Trinidad and Tobago	18.4
Nepal	18.1
Madagascar	17.9
Laos	17.8
Côte d'Ivoire	17.5
Nigeria	17.1
Honduras	16.7
Algeria	16.2
Zambia	15.7
Togo	15.6
Zimbabwe	15.6
Benin	15.4
Tanzania	15.3
Uganda	14.9
Guatemala	14.6
Cameroon	14.4
Nicaragua	14
Myanmar	13.8
Mauritania	13.2
Burundi	13.2
Mozambique	13.1
Burkina Faso	12.8
Ethiopia	12.3
Mali	11.8
Niger	11.2
Angola	10.2

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

OpenAI Heats Up Browser Battle After Hiring Veteran Chrome Engineer

Tech giant Google is currently waiting for its fate regarding the Chrome browser after the DOJ recommended a potential sell-out of its most integral component.

As many anticipate the downfall of the company in this regard, OpenAI seems to be focused on the prize. This includes empowering its browsing potential by hiring one of Chrome’s veteran engineers, Darin Fisher.

Image: LinkedIn Screen shot taken on 26th Nov. 2024. Credit: DIW
This is clear evidence of the AI giant’s plans to create a web browser that could potentially rid Google of its market dominance. For those who might not be aware, Darin Fisher will bring plenty to the table after working as Chrome’s top engineer in the past. This is just what the AI giant needs to better its browser that could take on chrome. And what better timing than now when the search engine giant faces increased pressure to sell Chrome.

It’s certainly a massive development in terms of the company’s expansion. It’s also a decision that firms OpenAI’s intentions of dominating the market with browsing, giving users more alternatives.

We did hear in the past how OpenAI was keen on putting together a team of ex-Google developers so they could work on another browser project. The company shared how it was discussing more on the matter to help offer unique search features related to food, travel, retail, and real estate.

As per another update seen on LinkedIn, Fisher did share how he joined hands with OpenAI and looked forward to providing his expertise in browser development to the firm. He’s also got plenty to offer as his resume speaks of contributions made to Neeva, Mozilla, and of course Chrome.

He’s been a part of Chrome from the start and therefore was hailed as a pioneer expert who shaped the browser to transform into one of the best and most widely used browsers today. Under his leadership, Chrome managed to launch several other services such as minimalistic design and multi-process architecture.

This is also what gave Chrome its signature characteristics including the best speed, stability, simplicity, and privacy amongst others. And instead of coming up with a cross-platform network, he suggested creating each operating system independently, beginning with Windows and then moving on to Mac and Linux.

The decision is one that really gave rise to optimal performance on every platform at the start. So he clearly brings a lot to the table for OpenAI.

Read next:

• Threads Tests New Option That Allows Users To Select What Feed They Want As Default When Opening App

• Does the Crypto Industry Use KYC?
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Does the Crypto Industry Use KYC?

Photo by Brian J. Tromp on Unsplash

The world of cryptocurrency is a constant tug-of-war between privacy and regulation. On one side, you’ve got crypto enthusiasts who love the freedom and anonymity that comes with it. On the other hand, governments are working hard to enforce regulations like Know Your Customer (KYC) processes. These rules basically mean you need to prove who you are before you can use certain services. But not everyone is on board with this. Take no-KYC crypto casinos, for example. These platforms let people play and win without ever having to show ID—a rare thing these days.

Kane Pepi, a crypto expert from Techopedia breaks down how exactly these casinos work. They keep things simple: sign up with an email, deposit some crypto like Bitcoin or Ethereum, and you’re good to go. No forms, no ID, no hassle. For people who value privacy, it’s a dream come true. But there’s a downside. Without ID checks, how do these platforms stop fraud or prevent shady activities? That’s the big question.

Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, no-KYC processes are not only possible but inherent in their design. This is due to its core features like decentralized consensus mechanisms, pseudonymity, and trustless transactions. Since there's no central authority to verify who you are, users can interact without sharing personal info. Blockchain’s design allows for secure, peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries, eliminating the traditional need for KYC in basic operations. That said, not every crypto platform skips KYC—some still require it to play it safe.

A quick internet search will show why this is such a hot topic. Scams and hacks are everywhere in the crypto space. Last year alone, people lost over $5.6 billion to crypto scams. It’s hard to ignore numbers like that. And it’s not just about money—hackers and bad actors love the anonymity of unregulated platforms.

Supporters of these platforms argue they’re staying true to what crypto is all about: freedom from middlemen and control over your own data. They say these platforms put users back in charge of their money and personal info. However, critics warn that skipping KYC checks can lead to illegal activities. While no-KYC platforms may not require identity verification, they can still be subject to AML regulations, which involve transaction monitoring and reporting suspicious activity. It’s a tricky issue that keeps no-KYC platforms under the spotlight.

Some big names, like PayPal, are trying to find a middle ground. According to reports, PayPal now lets merchants buy, sell, and hold crypto—but only if they follow KYC rules. This kind of compromise shows how regulation and mainstream adoption often go hand in hand. For privacy-first platforms, though, it’s a tough act to follow.

Still, no-KYC platforms remain wildly popular. For many, being able to trade or gamble without handing over personal details is a huge win. These platforms are especially big in countries where financial rules are strict. People use them to bypass restrictions and get access to global services. Of course, the anonymity factor also makes these platforms a target for scammers and hackers.

If you’re using these platforms, staying safe is key. Simple steps like using a secure crypto wallet with multi-factor authentication can make a big difference. Also, checking out reviews of platforms can help you steer clear of sketchy ones. While no-KYC platforms provide privacy, they put a lot of responsibility on you to protect yourself. It’s a trade-off that not everyone is ready for.

Governments, meanwhile, are doubling down on their push for tighter rules. Organizations like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) are urging countries to beef up their KYC regulations for crypto platforms. The problem? A lot of this is easier said than done. Decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, which have no central authority, make enforcing rules incredibly tough. These systems operate purely on code, leaving regulators with their hands tied. This creates a massive challenge for anyone trying to balance safety with innovation.

This back-and-forth between privacy and regulation doesn’t seem like it’s going to end anytime soon. Stricter rules might help make crypto safer and easier for regular folks to use, but too many restrictions could choke the very freedom and creativity that made crypto popular in the first place. Platforms like no-KYC casinos show just how divided the crypto world is on this issue.

At the end of the day, the crypto industry is all about choices, which is great in many regards. Whether you’re someone who values privacy above all else or someone who prefers a bit of security and structure, there’s a platform for you. But with every choice comes risk. If you’re diving into the no-KYC side of things, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into. Crypto isn’t going anywhere, and neither is this debate—it’s just getting started.

by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Threads Tests New Option That Allows Users To Select What Feed They Want As Default When Opening App

If you’re not a huge fan of the way your feed looks on the Threads app then you might want to read on further.

The platform is currently testing a new option that enables users to select how their feed will appear as default when they open it up. The news was first confirmed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg who mentioned there will be the option to select Following, For Your, or any other customized variant for feeds that users come up with.

Zuckerberg's post explained that Threads is currently in the experimental phase with this feature. He also shared how it will help make feeds more visible on the Threads platform.

It’s an offering that’s been a long time coming as many users have been requesting it since the start. So while it might have taken the company a year to finalize its plans, we can certainly expect it to benefit many soon.

For now, the test is just limited to a limited audience but an expansion on this front is expected soon. If you’d like to select your feed to default, simply log into the app and hold any of the feed options located at the top of the page. After that, select ‘Edit Feeds’ and this is where you can reorder them again.

The feed placed at the top or first position will be selected as default and pop up whenever you open the platform again. The news comes at a time when a growing amount of competition from rival app Bluesky is on the rise. This has led to executives buckling up and making changes to stop audience members from flocking away and instead signing up for Threads.

We’ve already heard about some more improvements in the works like an improved For You Algorithm so that users actually see more accounts that they follow and content they’re interested in. Other than that, the search feature is also said to be another exciting and useful endeavor, and let’s not forget about the new landscape video offering.

So far so good and if Threads manages to keep up the good work and make its users happy, we can expect more success in the next couple of months.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

TikTok Dominates Short-Form Video Trends, Influencing Purchases Among Gen-Z, Report Shows

Adobe published a new report which talks about trends in short-form videos, including preferences and purchasing patterns. According to the report, TikTok is the top short-form video platform in countries including the US, Philippines, Brazil and Indonesia. Despite talks about TikTok being banned in the US, it is still the top platform when it comes to short-form videos. Even though TikTok operates as Douyin in China, the top search among the platforms in China was still TikTok.

The most engagements on TikTok are from Gen-Z (58%). The second most used short-form video platform by Gen-Z is Instagram (24%). Gen-Z use TikTok for an average 86 minutes daily, which makes about 10 hours per week. 65% of the surveyed people in America engage with multiple short-form video content throughout the day, with Gen-Z (83%) consuming short-form video content the most among them.

There are different types of short-form content users enjoy watching, with comedy (50%) being the top content. 44% enjoy watching entertainment content like movie clips or trailers. 42% also enjoy watching content based on animals and pets, while 36% love watching lifestyle and vlogging content. People enjoy watching content on TikTok because it's always diverse with a blend of humor, education and entertainment.

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Short-form video content also influences the users’ purchasing decisions. 3 out of 8 respondents said that they have made a purchase based on the content they watched, with women (41%) more likely to do it than men (30%). TikTok is again the top platform to influence the shopping decisions of users. Gen-Z (90%) are the most likely to get impulsed to buy something after watching the content. The top products people bought after watching the content were clothing (38%), skin care (30%) and makeup (27%).

There is also a big diversification of platforms across different generations. Where most Gen-Z prefer platforms like TikTok and Instagram, millennials are more likely to use Instagram and Facebook. On the other hand, Baby Boomers are likely to watch short-form video content on YouTube.

Take a look at the chart below for more insights:

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

SMBs Prioritize SEO, Customer Experience, and Budget Management in 2025 Website Strategies

According to a new survey by Duda, most small and midsize businesses (SMBs) said that search visibility is the top website improvement they’ll focus on in the coming year.

The survey was based on 300 small and midsize business owners from the US and Europe. 31% of the respondents said that they want to increase their search visibility on search engines next year. 30.4% of the SMBs want to improve their lead generation in the next year. The third improvement SMBs want to make in 2025 is increasing their brand awareness.

The survey also asked SMB owners what are their top three priorities when it comes to enhancing customer experience on their business websites. Respondents said that their top three priorities to improve customer experience are social sharing (22.1%), advanced support (20.7%) and personalized recommendations (20.1%). Other responses included better search (19.4%), security enhancement (18.7%) and customer reviews (18.4%).

SMB owners also said that lead generation (37.8%) is the top way their business website contributes to their business. Other top two ways by which their business website contributes to their business are providing information about their products and services (37.1%) and selling services online (36.1%). SMBs owners also maximize the performance of their business website by the top three ways: Training and Implementation (42.8%), Content Creation and Management (42.5%) and Limited Budget (38.5%).

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World