DNA and genetic testing firm 23andMe is in turmoil following a 2023 data breach and its ongoing financial decline. The once-pioneering giant now faces an uncertain future as bankruptcy looms over the company, intensifying concerns about what might happen to the genetic data of 23andMe’s some 15 million customers. Where does that leave millions of people’s genetic data?
https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/24/23andme-faces-an-uncertain-future-so-does-your-genetic-data/
A new study examining meme creation found that AI-generated meme captions on existing famous meme images scored higher on average for humor, creativity, and "shareability" than those made by people. Even so, people still created the most exceptional individual examples. "I regret to announce that the meme Turing Test has been passed," wrote Wharton professor Ethan Mollick on Bluesky after reviewing the study results. Mollick studies AI academically, and he's referring to a famous test proposed by computing pioneer Alan Turing in 1950 that seeks to determine whether humans can distinguish between AI outputs and human-created content.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/ai-beats-humans-at-meme-humor-but-the-best-joke-is-still-human-made/
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
Reports of Roku customers seeing video ads automatically play before they could view the OS’ home screen started appearing online this week. A Reddit user, for example, posted yesterday: “I just turned on my Roku and got an … ad for a movie, before I got to the regular Roku home screen.” Multiple apparent users reported seeing an ad for the movie Moana 2. The ads have a close option, but some users appear to have not seen it.
https://www.wired.com/story/roku-tests-showing-video-ads-before-the-home-screen-loads/
“The conversion gap reinforces that AI is being utilized during the research and consideration stage, in advance of when shoppers are ready to hit the buy button.” But, it added, the closing gap “shows that consumers are also increasingly comfortable completing a transaction directly after an AI-powered chat experience.”
https://qz.com/gen-ai-personal-shopper-adobe-e-commerce-1851770510
Apple (AAPL) is designing a new AirPods feature that would allow users to listen and respond to live translations of in-person conversations, according to a Bloomberg report that cites unnamed sources. The feature will reportedly work in tandem with an iPhone, which will translate speech for the user and relay it to a pair of AirPods. When the user responds, the iPhone will play a translation out loud, enabling a two-way conversation.
https://qz.com/apple-airpods-translate-ios-19-1851770018
Meta’s Facebook’s influence remains strong globally, but younger users are logging in less. Only 32% of U.S. teens use Facebook today, down from 71% in 2014, according to a 2024 Pew Research study. However, Facebook’s resale platform Marketplace is one reason young people are on the platform. “I only use Facebook for Marketplace,” said Mirka Arevalo, a student at Buffalo University. “I go in knowing what I want, not just casually browsing.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/08/how-facebook-marketplace-is-keeping-young-people-on-the-platform-.html