The Short-Form Video Throne

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Happy Tuesday, TFP. Did you know that the seminal AI romance movie Her was set in the year 2025? We know, our minds are blown, too. Considering the growing number of people who now have relationships with chatbots, it’s one of the few movies we can think of that predicted its sci-fi concept with scary accuracy. Side note: we are way overdue for another Spike Jonze movie.

As TikTok’s fate in the US hangs in the balance with Donald Trump back at the Resolute Desk, every American social platform is racing to remake its image in the troubled platform.

The Top Notification: President Trump is already making some hard-to-keep promises on reinstating TikTok, including the US potentially taking a 50% stake in the app. But, unsurprisingly, American platforms hope the ban sticks, so a new short-form king can be crowned. Whoever can recreate the addictive nature of TikTok’s algorithm will get the ultimate edge.

Behind the Algorithms: So, which TikTok clone do you think will prevail?

The Future: If you watched any of the Inauguration yesterday, you may have noticed some prominent tech CEOs in attendance, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew (sitting next to the likely new Director of Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard), and, of course, Trump-bestie Musk. Everyone is in the business of currying favor to get an upper hand in the fight for survival. Consider the White House a modern-day Colosseum.

Go Deeper: TikTok may not be offline in the US at the moment, but it’s not back on app stores.

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The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez are in the hot seat for using a Ukrainian AI speech-synthesis software called Respeecher to enhance the performances of its lead actors.

The Big Picture: AI has become a hot-button issue in Hollywood, as creatives fear job losses, copyright infringement, and the loss of human creativity are around the corner in an industry looking to cut costs wherever it can. The use of the tech in what are arguably the two award frontrunners feels, in a word, existential.

Behind the Scenes: The revelation of AI use in The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez may have changed some last-minute Oscar votes.

Closing Credits: The AI use in both of these movies is tricky territory. Concerning The Brutalist, the goal was to make Brody’s and Jones’ Hungarian as authentic as possible. And in the case of Emilia Pérez, using other people’s voices to enhance an actor’s singing is nothing new — it was notably done for Rami Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

But the use of artificial intelligence raises questions about the authenticity of a performance and how it shapes audiences’ perception of the on-screen portrayal. Authenticity becomes blurry, and it may inspire other productions (or even actors themselves) to request the use of AI to smooth out any wrinkles in performances at scale. Talk about a Pandora’s Box.

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 1,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

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87.8% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you think it’s ethical for renters or buyers to offer above the asking price during emergencies?

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you ever should. Greed has broken the psyche of our current society.”

“Even before the fires, the options for affordable housing were limited — especially for those who rely on a single income. I’ve been in my apartment for 10 years and spent half that time looking for someplace new that I could afford, but the only options provide less space for more money, so I’ve felt trapped. Since the fires, that problem has only worsened… I can’t imagine being in the desperate position of actually needing to find a place. For those who have the means and are offering above-the-marketplace value, they’re within their right to do so, but they’re inadvertently hurting those who don’t and making their prospects even more dire.”

“Disaster always draws out the thieves.”

“And the penalties should be severe.”

“I’m a fan of free markets. Not a fan of the government controlling prices and other socialist practices.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎥 Theatrical comedies are making a comeback after Sony’s One of Them Days opened to critical raves and an above-expectations box office debut of $14.2 million.

⚽ Soccer-focused media startup Men in Blazers raised a $15 million funding round from investors such as Ryan Reynolds’ and Rob McElhenney’s RR McReynolds and Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse.

📺 Saudi Arabia may purchase a 10% stake in sports-streamer DAZN for a billion dollars.

🪙 Over the weekend, both President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump launched memecoins on the Solana blockchain. It’s going as wild as expected.

🤫 Even the CIA is testing a chatbot to help enhance counter-intelligence capabilities.

🙃 Now, you can make ChatGPT sound “chatty,” “encouraging,” or “Gen Z.”

🏅 Several Chaumet-designed medals awarded during the Paris Olympics are already tarnishing, causing an uproar among athletes.

👕 The EU is set to ban the use of “forever chemicals” in all consumer products.

☝️ 2025 is the year the Oura smart ring goes mainstream.