Salesforce suggests “the retail industry is again on the precipice of major disruption” based on consumer adoption of artificial intelligence, which is being used to change shopping habits and inform purchases through things like personalization, browsing suggestions and recommendations based on past habits and visualizations. Other popular use cases include AI-generated marketing assets and customer service agents. Based on a study conducted in May and June of this year involving 2,400 shoppers and 1,125 retail decision makers, Salesforce notes that one in six shoppers, or 17 percent, have already used generative AI for “purchase inspiration.” Read more

YouTube is developing a plan for responsible AI that includes creating a framework to compensate recording artists and copyright holders for machine-generated music. YouTube’s Music AI Incubator — with support from early partner Universal Music Group — aims to help singers, songwriters, musicians and producers sort out issues like compensation and intellectual property protections, and work with trade groups and government officials on means of enforcement. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says creators “have embraced AI to streamline and boost their creative processes,” with YouTube logging “more than 1.7 billion views of videos related to AI tools” this year. Read more

Illinois has become the first state in the nation to pass legislation protecting children who are social media influencers. Beginning in July 2024, children under 16 who appear in monetized video content online will have a legal right to compensation for their work, even if that means litigating against their parents. “The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” Illinois Senator David Koehler said about the bill he sponsored. “Many parents have taken this opportunity to pocket the money, while making their children continue to work in these digital environments. Read more

Samsung’s Freestyle Gen 2 with Gaming Hub is a compact smart projector that adds mobility to high-end gaming. Weighing under two pounds, the device turns surfaces from ceilings to tent walls into what’s described as a cinema-quality screen, displaying at resolutions up to full HD (1080×1920) at 30- to 100-inches. The built-in Gaming Hub eliminates the need to tote a separate console and provides access to up to more than 3,000 streaming games. It also runs Tizen OS, offering the advantages of a Samsung Smart TV. The $799 unit ships August 31. Read more

The StanbyME Go from LG Electronics USA is a 27-inch portable smart touchscreen and LCD TV housed in a suitcase that runs for up to three hours on a full charge. Featuring four built-in speakers, screen mirroring (with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, iOS and Android) and voice controls, LG is touting its new mobile device as an “all-in-one entertainment option.” The 1080p display swivels, tilts and rotates in landscape or portrait orientation, and even includes a table mode for playing games. Priced at $1,000, it accommodates a full range of streaming apps courtesy of LG webOS. Read more