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In case you While Instagram influencers were no longer able to go online, they will soon have the ability to create AI-powered versions of themselves that you can interact with at any time.
The announcement came from the mouth of a chained Mark Zuckerberg, who shared his thoughts about AI and who controls the technology in an interview with YouTuber Kane Sutter, aka Kallaway. (He also said that Meta has holographic AR glasses Coming soon, but let’s leave it for another time).
The AI chatbots will be created in collaboration with a handful of Instagram creators that Meta has partnered with. Zuckerberg says the feature is in the testing phase and will slowly roll out to several Instagram users. It’s still unclear exactly what form these AI chatbots will take, but it appears that the creators Meta is partnering with will create their characters in the company’s AI studio, so they’ll likely function very similarly to the characters in AI that Meta debuted last year..
If everything goes as planned, you will soon be able to access your Instagram direct messages and chat with AI mocks of your favorite influencers. File this one under the “What could go wrong?” file.
Here’s some more consumer tech news from around the web.
2 hours2 2 Furious
extreme eThe off-road racing series that uses only electric vehicles for its high-speed antics is moving into another gear of power systems for its vehicles.
The new series, called Extreme H, will be an exclusive race for hydrogen-powered cars. Specially designed for this series, the new Pioneer 25, a fast racing car powered entirely by hydrogen. The Pioneer 25 can reach up to 200 km/h (124 mph), which is very fast for an off-road vehicle.
The Pioneer aims to usher in a new era of greener motorsport, although there is some debate over how clean hydrogen power really is.
Hyundai Funday
On the more affordable vehicle front, Korean car company Hyundai has a new electric vehicle. Hyundai Isuzu It’s a compact urban hatchback that seats four. It has a boxy look, similar to a Scion or Mini Cooper, and boasts an estimated range of up to 355 kilometers (220 miles). The Inster’s battery has a charging time of 4.5 hours for a full charge. It’s definitely not a race car, as it reaches a top speed of 86 mph.
The official price has not yet been revealed, but according to AutoNoticias, the tag should end up around $26,000. Or, at least, the equivalent in foreign currency; the inster is has not yet been released In the United States, the vehicle will first arrive in Korea, followed by Europe, the Middle East and other Asian countries.
FCC U
The US Federal Communications Commission is trying to make it easier for phone users to switch networks. proposal presented This week, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is asking wireless carriers to unlock customers’ phones if they want to use the device on a different network. Many carriers lock customers into their networks by pairing their devices with a subscription plan that keeps them on the network managed by a particular carrier. If this guidance becomes a reality, companies would be forced to unlock devices 60 days after activation, meaning you would be free to switch carriers and take your phone with you.
No official decision has been made yet. This proposal comes in the form of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which the FCC drafts to seek public comment on possible future resolutions. The proposal itself is not yet public, but it could be after the FCC votes to approve it during its July 18 open session.
One Vape to Vape Them All
Juul once had a near-total stranglehold on the nicotine vaping industry, but when U.S. regulators cracked down on purveyors of addictive nicotine dispensers (particularly those that were most popular with underage customers), Juul’s reign came to an end. Of course, that doesn’t mean that demand for vaping has disappeared. Many illegal operations have attempted to fill that void, and it’s relatively easy to find vape pods for sale in the U.S. that come from overseas distributors.
This latest episode of WIRED Gadget Lab The podcast features Leon Neyfakh and former WIRED Associate Editor Arielle Pardes, the hosts of the new podcast. Failed: The Vaping Wars. The show is about what happened to the nicotine vaping industry, whether vapes are really better than cigarettes (yes, but you still probably shouldn’t smoke them), and what will happen in the future of vaping.
