Elon Musk’s radical simplification of Twitter may inspire other social media chiefs to return to their old argument about being “tech companies” first and foremost, urging them to focus on AI development and engineering rather than political action. That would be a mistake, because two major new laws from the European Union are dropping the pipe (1) which will define how these companies must moderate the content and data on their sites, and how they interact with competitors. One high-tech area probably won’t get much attention, though: Metaverse.
Software companies will also be pushing to find ways to make money from generative artificial intelligence, machine learning systems that can write articles and create images and videos. The models that support these systems achieve several big breakthroughs in 2022. This year, companies like OpenAI, one of the leading producers of generative artificial intelligence, will have to answer tough questions about how to prevent their systems from manipulating humans or spreading misinformation at scale. Apple Inc. was is lagging behind in its development of AI, and will likely need to buy a generative AI company.
It’s Awkward Being a Woman in the Metaverse: Meeting people in virtual reality is fun but messier than seeing Mark Zuckerberg. Also, beware of foul-mouthed and sad children.
Facebook may have peaked: The social network’s first-ever decline in daily users was a defining moment. With Zuckerberg so obliquely heading into the metaverse, it’s hard to see the company heading for growth.
On the internet no one knows you’re a kid — and yet: Lawmakers are pushing tech companies to make the web safer for kids. But their proposals won’t do much without strict age-verification criteria that no one can agree on.
Wordle, BeReal, and even Facebook: Apps Are Getting Less Addictive: The growth of apps that win connection over obsession represents a healthy shift in social media. You only have to look at BeReal once a day.
Facebook Beware: The Metaverse Is Flat: Most people visit virtual worlds through plain old screens on Roblox and Fortnite. Mark Zuckerberg needs to make his metaverse less reliant on virtual reality glasses, so that millions of people can access it.
Creative AI creates some messy problems: Generative AI that can write blog posts and create images is the hot new trend in tech circles, but it will come with thorny legal challenges.
Twitter Musk will not die. Look at Telegram: Telegram is a larger social network run by a liberal billionaire. Its popularity should dispel all thoughts that Twitter will disappear.
(1) The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Barmy Olson is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering technology. She was a former correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and is the author of We Are Anonymous.
Originally posted 2022-12-28 14:14:59.