Keep scrolling for the futuristic 90s aesthetic making a comeback.
Meta is paying celebrities millions to use their likeness for new AI chatbots
Meta has started to roll out its AI chatbot assistants, which embody the likeness of several A-list celebrities and influencers by different names.
Last month, Meta announced it would be releasing AI assistants across its platforms that can have human-like conversations.
In addition to its straightforward bots that function like ChatGPT, the company announced AI assistants that would feature distinct personalities and qualities, like ‘Max’ who mimics a chef and can help users come up with recipe ideas.
28 of Meta’s new AI assistants will also take on celebrity personas, including Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, Naomi Osaka, Chris Paul, Charli D'Amelio, Israel Adesanya, MrBeast, and Roy Choi.
“Kendall Jenner's likeness is used for Billie, who is portrayed as a big sister to give users advice. And Tom Brady plays Bru, a chatbot for debating sports.
Meta has also brought onboard creators like MrBeast, the most-subscribed individual on YouTube, and the TikTok star Charli D'Amelio,” writes Pete Syme for Insider.
According to The Information, Meta was willing to pay over $1 million to use the celebrities’ likeness but shelled out up to $5 million for about 6 hours of work to its biggest names.
These celebrity AI assistants are part of Meta’s strategy to keep Gen Z engaged on its platforms. But so far, young people seem to be flocking to Meta competitors to make fun of it.
Read the full story via Insider.
How AI reduces the world to stereotypes
On the topic of AI, a new piece by journalist Victoria Turk for Rest of the World aims to understand how AI “sees the world.”
Turk generated and analysed over 3,000 AI images with prompts about different countries in an effort to understand how AI perceives reality.
This investigation was inspired by a report from Bloomberg that found “images associated with higher-paying job titles featured people with lighter skin tones, and that results for most professional roles were male-dominated.”
The analysis by Rest of the World recognised similar findings of bias, stereotypes, and reductionism about national identities.
The team paired conceptual prompts with different countries, e.g. “an Indian person,” “a house in Mexico,” and “a plate of Nigerian food”. They generated 100 images for each prompt and country combination.
“The results show a hugely stereotypical view of the world. ‘An Indian person is almost always an old man with a beard. ‘A Mexican person’ is usually a man in a sombrero. Most of New Delhi’s streets are polluted and littered. In Indonesia, food is served almost exclusively on banana leaves,” writes Turk.
This investigation is important, given how widely AI is being used in fields such as advertising, marketing, and forensics.
“My personal worry is that for a long time, we sought to diversify the voices — you know, who is telling the stories? And we tried to give agency to people from different parts of the world,“ Valeria Piaggio, global head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at marketing consultancy Kantar, told Turk. “Now we’re giving a voice to machines.”
Read the full story via Rest of the World.
Doja Cat’s Edgelord posts have people freaking out. It’s nothing new
A new piece for Rolling Stone by CT Jones looks at how shit-posting has always been part of Doja Cat’s brand.
In recent months, there’s been a popular sentiment online: we miss the old Doja.
The singer has been embroiled in controversy (largely of her own doing) in the lead up to her new album.
In May, she claimed her last two albums were a “cash grab” and made fun of her fans for “falling” for it.
She then ripped apart her followers in July for affectionately calling themselves “Kittenz,” saying they were “creepy” and needed to “get a job.”
Most recently, Doja was slammed online after she posted photos to her Instagram account wearing a T-shirt featuring neo-nazi sympathiser, Sam Hyde.
Jones argues that most of Doja’s past controversies “center around her being too online for her own good”. The piece details several of her scandals over the years, which include allegations of racism, dating a man accused of sexual assault, and low-key supporting white supremacy.
The through line with all these controversies is Doja’s determination to misrepresent valid criticisms from fans and followers. Despite claiming to hate being famous, her actions prove the opposite— that she’s a pop star desperate for attention.
“And as she continues in her career, Doja Cat’s actions feel less like the stumblings of a child and more like those of a grown pop star who has no desire to learn in the first place,” Jones writes.
Read the full op-ed via Rolling Stone.
Matilda Djerf accused of copyright striking small TikTok creators for posting Djerf Avenue dupes
Matilda Djerf has come under fire on TikTok after her brand allegedly filed copyright strikes against several small creators.
The Swedish Gen Z icon, who rose to viral fame on platforms like Pinterest and TikTok by posting her soft-focus life and minimalist Scandi-inspired style, has been accused of going after micro-influencers who post critical reviews of her fashion brand.
Djerf Avenue launched in 2019 as a ready-to-wear clothing brand inspired by Matilda’s love for vintage pieces and basics.
Customers of her eponymous brand have taken to TikTok to call the creator and her team out for allegedly copyright-striking their content.
Fashion creator Aliya Sumar was amongst the first to speak out.
She posted a video over the weekend claiming that “MatildaDjerf Design AB” filed a trademark claim on two of her videos— one where Aliya provided an Amazon alternative to a pair of Djerf Avenue pyjamas (in which she insisted the Amazon pyjamas were not a real dupe because the quality was “completely different”) and another video where she recreated one of Matilda’s viral Pinterest looks with “a $5 Amazon top.”
Aliya notes that the top Matilda wore in that viral Pinterest look wasn’t even a Djerf Avenue top.
Aliya shared a screenshot of the alleged warning she received after her content was flagged by Matilda Djerf Designs. “Your account has multiple IP Policy violations and is at high risk of being banned from TikTok,” the warning reads.
Other smaller creators proceeded to come forward with similar claims.
Commentary account @thejackieaccount notes that these copyright claims are ironic given that Djerf Avenue seems to take inspiration from pieces in Matilda’s closet made by other brands.
“It’s sad to see that someone who used to post very frequently about designer dupes that they were wearing, is now doing this to other creators,” she said.
Djerf Avenue responded to the controversy over the weekend in a statement posted to their Instagram story and TikTok story, claiming that their intention was to go after the companies selling DA dupes, not the individual creators sharing these dupes.
A representative for Djerf Avenue clarified to Centennial World that the copyright infringement claims are a judicial matter and have “nothing to do with criticism of DA.”
“We believe it’s crucial to address that Djerf Avenue would never report content that is critical of our brand or our products – which is a serious accusation. On the contrary, we welcome constructive feedback and view it as an opportunity for growth,” the rep said. “We have engaged an external firm to monitor instances of intellectual property infringement, which we are obliged to do to safeguard the hard work of not only DA, but also our partners and designers.”
Read the full story via Centennial World.
Is ‘Gen X soft club’ the next aesthetic trend to re-emerge?
Creative agency, The Digital Fairy, has dubbed ‘Gen X soft club’ as the next possible aesthetic trend to re-emerge for young people.
‘Gen X soft club’ was a popular aesthetic from the late 1990s into the early 2000s that spawned from the economic recovery and growing tech industry of the time.
The name refers to Gen X, who were in their 20s at the time, making the aesthetic popular. ‘Soft club’ refers to 90s club culture “trickling into the mainstream.”
Though it branched off from popular aesthetics of the time, it was notably different from Y2K and McBling as it was considered a more “down to earth” spin on futurist optimism.
"It’s defined by natural, cool, and muted colours. Especially blues, greens, and greys. Often combined with elements of tech or other references to futurism. And design choices like typefaces and cityscapes, along with blurred and bleached image effects,” The Digital Fairy explains.
TDF suggests that as the trend cycle moves past the Y2K and McBling “revivals,” ‘Gen X soft club’ is the next obvious source of inspiration in fashion, art, and aesthetics, as it ties well into 90s minimalism that’s becoming increasingly popular.
Watch the full analysis via TikTok.
The evolution of the ‘Sad Girl’ archetype: From Lana Del Rey to Madeline Argy
This week’s infinite scroll dives into the evolution of the 'sad girl' archetype, from music and art to influencer culture. We first cover what 'sad girl' means, which celebrities have become successful from presenting this way, and why it could be considered controversial. We finish by looking at how 'sad girl' has evolved with influencer culture with the likes of creators like Emma Chamberlain and Madeline Argy, and why we think this archetype resonates so much with Gen Z.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.