Canva is launching its latest smorgasbord of generative AI-powered workspace tools in its attempt to cram everything that Microsoft, Google, and Adobe can do into a single platform. Canva’s Visual Suite is being redesigned to combine its design and productivity tools into a single interface, alongside adding new coding, photo editing, spreadsheet, and AI chatbot features.
https://www.theverge.com/news/646682/canva-visual-suite-2-0-ai-spreadsheets-creative-workspace
Generative Extend is completely free to use for a “limited time,” according to Adobe, after which the feature will require users to spend Firefly generative credits. Creative Cloud subscriptions provide a monthly allocation of credits ranging between 25 to 1,000 credits depending on the plan. An additional Firefly credit subscription is also available starting from $10, which grants 2,000 credits per month. Adobe has not specified how many credits the Generative Extend feature will eventually consume, but says that “price will vary based on the format, frame rate, and resolution of your video.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/641270/adobe-premiere-pro-generative-extend-generally-available
The writing has been on the wall since 2020, when Microsoft and Sony introduced their (at the time) next-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles with versions that didn’t have a place to put your discs. Ultimately, they were responding to the emerging trend of people buying fewer physical games for consoles. Can you even remember the last time you bought a physical game for PC?
https://www.theverge.com/games/638535/physical-digital-video-games-nintendo-xbox-ps5-disc-cart
In a post on its Nest community forum, Google says it made the decision to ditch its popular smoke alarm and door lock as part of its move toward “building a platform that all device makers and developers can use to spur innovation in the home.” The company added that as the smart home evolves, it “must continue to refine our portfolio of devices to meet the needs of our customers.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/638171/google-discontinuing-nest-protect-smoke-alarm-nest-x-yale-smart-lock
LG is shutting down Art Lab, its NFT marketplace for TVs. In a notice posted to its website, LG says it has made the “difficult decision” to close the platform on June 17th. LG launched its Art Lab app during the NFT craze in 2022, billing it as a way to “buy, sell and enjoy high-quality digital artwork” from your TV. It added new digital art to the platform through “groundbreaking” NFT drops, which users could purchase by scanning a QR code to complete transactions through Wallypto, LG’s crypto wallet app.
https://www.theverge.com/news/633272/lg-art-lab-nft-marketplace-shutdown
Instagram is reportedly considering spinning its Reels feature into a standalone short-form video app to take advantage of TikTok’s uncertain future in the US. Instagram head Adam Mosseri was overheard discussing the plans with staff this week according to an anonymous source cited by The Information.
https://www.theverge.com/news/620547/instagram-reels-video-app-tiktok-rival-service
The Guild says its “Human Authored” certification aims to make it easier for writers to “distinguish their work in increasingly AI-saturated markets,” and that readers have a right to know who (or what) created the books they read. Human Authored certifications will be listed in a public database that anyone can access. The project was first announced back in October in response to a deluge of AI-generated books flooding online marketplaces like Amazon and its Kindle ebook platform.
https://www.theverge.com/news/602918/human-authored-book-certification-ai-authors-guild