Together with
Certified flops. And the award for the biggest box office bomb of 2022 goes to… Disney’s Strange World. Despite featuring a star-studded cast and dropping during Thanksgiving, the animated film never seemed to find its footing with audiences — costing the studio about $197 million in net losses.
Other lemons on the list include Amsterdam and Lightyear, which were also distributed or produced by the Mouse House. It’s not always sunny at the Magic Kingdom.
In other news… AI Drake goes viral (again), younger generations love all the screens, and Elon launches a new AI company.
Top Trends
YouTube → The Sympathizer
Twitter → Evil Dead Rise
Google → Barry
Reddit → Super Mario Bros.
TikTok → “Strike (Holster)” - Lil Yachty
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Fake Drake // Illustration by Kate Walker
Fake Drake song highlights a real problem
The Future. “Heart on My Sleeve,” a song that uses AI-created vocals from Drake and The Weeknd, became an unexpected hit over the weekend. Considering that it actually sounds like something Drake would release (yeah, the vocals are pretty spot on), the song’s success could usher in a new era where fans may have to double-check if the new single they’re listening to is truly from the artist themselves.
Programmed bopIs a fake Drake about to make it on the charts?
A masked producer, who goes by “Ghostwriter,” posted a song on TikTok called “Heart on My Sleeve” that features deepfaked voices of Drake and The Weeknd.
The video blew up, raking in millions of views, while the song is being used in hundreds of thousands of other videos.
On Spotify, it has over a quarter of a million listens.
And knowing that the song can be taken down at any moment, Ghostwriter put up a link on a platform called Laylo to download it. He also posted on his TikTok that “this is just the beginning.”
Certified Fake BoyWhile some think the song could be a huge marketing stunt by Drake, that just doesn’t seem to track. He was not too happy about a remix of Ice Spice’s “Munch” that also used an AI generation of his voice, writing on Instagram, “this is the final straw AI.”
And with Drake and The Weeknd both releasing music through Universal Music Group, which has been aggressive about combating the rise of AI databases using its music to train its systems, expect this song to get muted quickly.
Small device, powerful insights
What’s better than an ordinary ring? A stylish ring that tracks and analyzes your sleep, activity, and general health.
Even better? Owning an Oura Ring for free. Here’s how:
1. Grab your unique referral link: {{rp_refer_url}}
2. Send it to friends, family, and colleagues
3. Earn more entries as more people subscribe
The giveaway ends on April 30, so share that link while you still have time!
ENTERTAINMENT
Entertained, immersed, and socialized
Audiences are splitting time between active and passive entertainment
The Future. Younger generations are showing a growing preference for video games and user-generated content such as TikTok and YouTube videos over traditional forms of entertainment like movies and shows (though it's still ahead). With Gen Z and millennials reporting that they’re also feeling “subscription fatigue” and are more likely to “churn and return” to services based on what’s available, the major streamers may look to diversify what content they offer to keep people engaged.
All the remotesDeloitte’s latest Digital Media Trends Survey found that younger generations are dividing their entertainment time more equally between film and TV, video games, and user-generated content (UGC).
While 55% of Gen X and older prefer watching movies and shows more than any other entertainment option, only 30% of Gen Z and millennials felt that way.
That’s because video games and UGC are so much more popular among younger generations — 19% of Gen Z and millennials said either video games or UGC was their preferred option. In comparison, that was true only for 6% of Gen X or older.
The shift in love for video games and UGC is because younger generations report that, besides entertainment, they also provide immersion and social connection.
But there is common ground: 26% of Gen Z and millennials said music was their preferred entertainment option, while 27% of Gen X and older said the same.
Everybody, to Coachella!
TOGETHER WITH ADVISOR
Get your $ together
Happy Tax Day, Future Party people!
As you’re scrambling to get your taxes in, it’s a great time to discuss getting your sh*t finances together. Meet Advisor.com — they’re an online financial planning service that makes reaching your $$$$ goals possible.
Here’s what’s cool about Advisor.com:
They give you personalized attention to formulate a sound investment strategy.
There are no account minimums or commissions — only a flat annual fee for their services.
Their advice is based on real metrics and data.
They’re money, right?
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Xs everywhere // Illustration by Kate Walker
Elon Musk generates an OpenAI competitor
The Future. Elon Musk is founding another company with X in the name — this time focused on AI. While Musk was part of the contingent of tech leaders that called for a six-month moratorium on AI development to determine the risks, Musk himself has been… well… more mixed on his messaging. While he may have big ideas for AI, the company, X.AI, may need to lend something entirely new to the ecosystem to catch up with competitors.
Into the AI sandboxCars, spaceships, tunnels, social media… and now, AI.
Musk’s X.AI has been incorporated in Nevada (likely for better corporate privacy) and is offering 100 million shares in the private company to investors.
Musk is the only listed director, and he’s hired former DeepMind scientist Igor Babuschkin to lead the creation of the AI offering.
Another XWhile Musk did sign that AI pause letter, he’s also shown a strong interest in the tech. He lost a battle for control of OpenAI to Sam Altman in 2018, criticized the company’s AI for being politically biased, and now seems to be launching his own firm to potentially provide an alternative to that bias.
And for those keeping track, other than X.AI, Musk has also changed Twitter’s company name to X, founded the holding company X Holdings Corp, wants to launch an everything app called X, and, according to WSJ, refers to one of his kids as X.
We wonder what his favorite letter is…
TOGETHER WITH SUNSAMA
Make four-day work weeks a reality
Everyone’s doing it! OK, not everyone, but you can!
How’s that, you ask? By setting up daily and weekly systems for success.
People with a sustainable routine know what they need to accomplish before the day starts. And they aren’t relying on sticky notes or their brain to set these tasks. What they are relying on is Sunsama — the daily planner for ambitious professionals who want to work less while achieving more. It unifies your tasks, emails, and calendar in a single, calming view.
Try Sunsama for free. And thank us on Friday.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Nike teases Our Force 1 digital drop
Call it the opposite of an unboxing. After launching its .SWOOSH Web3 platform last fall, Nike is offering its first digital collectible — the Our Force 1. The “virtual creation,” which will cost $19.82 for two different versions, will be available to select customers on May 8th and then for general sale on May 10th. What are you buying exactly? Something to do with Air Force 1s, but it’s not clear yet. What we do know is they’ll eventually be a ticket to exclusive physical products or experiences.
Read more → engadget
Love is Blind live special couldn’t make a connection
Fans of Netflix’s Love is Blind reality series may have been all dressed up for the live reunion (the second of its kind after the live Chris Rock comedy special), but the streamer just couldn’t commit. Reportedly, technical difficulties and an inability to handle site traffic led Netflix to keep audiences at the altar. The streamer did come around and upload the special the next day… but the stock market lost a little love and sent the stock down 2%. We’ll see how married Netflix is to livestreaming on the next go-around.
Read more → bloomberg
Frank Ocean wanted to drop the mic before his Coachella set
If you were at Coachella this past weekend, you might have noticed that Frank Ocean’s headlining set on Sunday was… lacking. It turns out that the underwhelming performance stemmed from Ocean’s last-minute request to melt down an ice rink that was ready to go, switch up all the choreography, and pull the plug on the livestream… all after the doors had already opened, and people were getting their spots to see him. We get the sense that there may be some bad blood.
Read more → kurrco
AT&T reveals radar device to help seniors
AT&T and sensor manufacturer Cherish Health have partnered on a device called the Cherish Serenity that may be a lifesaver for seniors living alone. Using cellular connectivity and radar tech, the device can detect when someone has fallen over anywhere in the house and then alert emergency services. It can do that without needing users to sport any wearable devices or have any cameras in place. We know what we’re getting grandma for Christmas.
Read more → theverge
Photographer reveals winning photo to be AI-generated
The Sony World Photography Awards is supposed to be a celebration of human-made voices, but winner Boris Eldagsen’s “The Electrician” turned out to be generated using DALL-E 2. When hearing that he surprisingly won, Eldagsen immediately told the competition about his use of AI, which immediately disqualified him and had his photo scrubbed from the website. Considering that there are some telltale signs that it was made with AI, it’s amazing the photo was able to fool so many people.
Read more → insider
Like what you see? Subscribe Now or Partner With Us
Today's email was brought to you by David Vendrell.Edited by Nick Comney. Publishing by Sara Kitnick.