Alright, ladies and gents! It’s another Thursday, and it’s time for technology talk and news with Mark Starling on First News 570. You can listen to us LIVE, point, laugh, and talk trash about tech every Thursday morning at 643am Eastern. Even AIs are out here closing deals. This week we talk about virtual influencers getting real representation, working from home, and the Chinese government getting sued.
REAL LIFE VIRTUAL INFLUENCER INKS DEAL
Uggghhh, like for real, I must have no personality. I thought I was half way decent, but I just learned that Miquela, a CGI generated teen robot has signed a deal with Creative Artists Agency, a talent and sport agency representing other real actors, sports athletes, and performers. Miquela is an influencer, a tastemaker, and not a real person, who has signed brand endorsement partnerships with Samsung, Prada, Calvin Klein, and YouTube. Miquela’s form rep, Brud, said that her unique capabilities in social media and singing make her a real as Rihanna. She was also named one of TIME magazine’s 25 most influential people on the Internet in 2018. Stop the world, I want to get off.
TWITTER ALLOWS STAFF TO WORK FROM HOME FOREVER
One thing we’ve learned from the pandemic is that managers’ fears of people not getting any output from employees working from home were unfounded. I don’t know about you, but my workload has quadrupled, and yours truly has worked a couple back-to-back 18 hour days. Twitter has said that its work-from-home measures were successful and that employees can return the office IF they CHOOSE when they reopen. Twitter employs 4,000 people around the world and don’t anticipate reopening their offices until September. I’d think companies are up for more work-from-home-work, “people tell me they are working harder at home and are exhausted,” said Sree Sreenivasan, a Loeb Visiting Professor of Digital Innovation at the Stony Brook University School of Journalism.
US ACCUSES CHINA OF CYBER ATTACKS INTENDED TO STEAL COVID-19 VACCINE INFO
The relationship between the United States and China has been frosty since trade talks began during the Trump administration. Things have become icier since the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency have filed formal, public warnings against the Chinese government accusing them of waging cyber campaigns against US health agencies pursuing a COVID-19 vaccine. Thing is the US isn’t alone in accusing China of waging cyber warfare and originating the virus. States and organizations across the globe have sought damages against China for the virus originating in its country and allowing it to spread. It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out. The world’s economy is tied to China, and China has unrest issues within its own borders. Everyone is hurting, and many people are reacting out of fear. Let’s hope our leaders don’t do anything stupid.