Apple has acquired MotionVFX, a company that develops plug-ins, templates, and advanced capabilities for Apple’s Final Cut Pro video editing software. The financial terms of the deal are unknown. “We are extremely excited to share that MotionVFX is joining the Apple team to continue to empower creators and editors to …

The AI-powered design platform Picsart is launching an AI agent marketplace, allowing creators to “hire” AI assistants to help them with specific tasks, like resizing and remixing social content, or editing product photos on Shopify. With over 130 million worldwide users that skew Gen Z, Picsart is like a more …

OpenAI offers app integrations in ChatGPT to allow you to connect your accounts directly to ChatGPT and ask the assistant to do things for you. For instance, with a Spotify integration, you can tell it to create personalized playlists that will show up right in your Spotify app. To get …

In recent years, people have been increasingly looking for new ways to form platonic connections, as loneliness and social isolation have become more prevalent. Surgeon General went so far as to label this issue a public health crisis. Remote workers, who miss the everyday interactions found in an office, and …

Peacock is making a clear bet on two things: AI and mobile-first entertainment. Based on what the streamer previewed at a press event yesterday, Peacock’s mobile app is about to look a whole lot more like a mix of TikTok, a casual gaming hub, and a streaming service. From an …

Apple is dropping its commission rate in the App Store in China to 25% from 30% following discussions with the Chinese regulator, the company said Thursday. The new 25% commission will apply to paid apps and in-app purchases, while a lower 12% commission (down from 15%) will be charged for …

At the SXSW conference on Friday, Spotify co-CEO Gustav Söderström announced a new feature, launching in beta, that will allow listeners for the first time to review and edit their Taste Profile, the algorithmically generated model of their music preferences. This Taste Profile is key to Spotify’s recommendations, including personalized …

You can chart a year through product launches, or you can measure it in the greater moments that change the way we look at AI. The AI industry is constantly churning out news, like major acquisitions, indie developer successes, public outcry against sketchy products, and existentially dangerous contract negotiations — …

After widespread complaints that Facebook has become an “AI slop hellscape,” Meta on Friday announced new tools to detect impersonation, as well as updated creator guidelines that better define what Facebook considers to be “original content. ” Last year, the company announced a crackdown on spammy and unoriginal content — …

Digg — Kevin Rose’s reboot of his once-popular link-sharing site — is laying off a sizable portion of its staff, the company announced on Friday. The startup is not closing, however, Digg CEO Justin Mezzell said. Instead, Rose will return to work on Digg full-time as the company tries to …