#AI-Broadcasting-Integration

[tomk447]

Inside NAB 2025: The AI Revolution Transforming Media Technology

The moment I stepped into the Las Vegas Convention Center for NAB 2025 this past weekend, I was struck by an unmistakable atmosphere of transformation. This wasn't just another incremental year in broadcasting technology—it was a paradigm shift unfolding before my eyes. With over 60,000 attendees from 160 countries and nearly 1,100 exhibitors showcasing their innovations, NAB has cemented its position as the global nexus for content creators across all industries.

The exhibition halls vibrated with excitement over revolutionary technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, which has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of content creation and distribution. As the exhibition continues through April 9, I'm sharing my exploration of the most remarkable innovations, emerging trends, and standout company showcases defining this watershed moment in broadcasting history.

The AI Revolution: From Experiment to Essential Toolkit

If there's one technology dominating every conversation on the show floor, it's artificial intelligence. The AI Innovation Pavilion has become one of the most trafficked areas of the convention, where attendees witness firsthand how AI is revolutionizing content creation and production workflows. What's particularly striking this year is AI's evolution from experimental technology to essential toolkit for media professionals across all sectors of the industry.

Content Creation Reimagined Through AI

At Adobe's booth, crowds gather continuously to witness astonishing advancements in AI-powered content creation tools. Their new GenStudio platform functions essentially as a complete creative team within a single software solution, demonstrating how AI can augment rather than replace human creativity. The feature generating the most buzz is Premiere Pro AI Pro, which now offers multilingual subtitles with emotional nuance recognition—a game-changer for global content distribution. During a live demonstration, I watched the software accurately capture not just words but tone and context across five languages simultaneously, dramatically reducing post-production time while improving accessibility.

Microsoft's main stage presentation, led by Silvia Candiani, VP of Telco, Media and Gaming, provided valuable insights into AI integration across the entire content lifecycle. Their panel discussion brought together industry leaders who highlighted concrete examples of AI applications already transforming their workflows. What became evident through these discussions is that we're witnessing a fundamental shift from AI as specialized tools to comprehensive solutions addressing entire production pipelines.

Production Workflow Transformation

The integration of AI into production workflows represents perhaps the most immediately practical application of the technology. Multiple vendors demonstrated how AI-powered solutions can recognize images, speech, and actions in real-time, dramatically streamlining the production process. One particularly impressive AI tool converts verbal descriptions into comprehensive production plans, effectively reducing pre-production time by up to 70% according to case studies presented on the show floor. This represents a significant advancement in operational efficiency that smaller production companies can leverage to compete with larger studios.

Blackmagic Design's implementation of AI for noise reduction in their URSA Mini Pro 8K Plus camera and AI-driven color correction in the ATEM Mini Extreme HDR demonstrates how artificial intelligence is being deployed directly in hardware solutions. During hands-on demonstrations, I was impressed by how these technologies produced professional-grade results with minimal human intervention, potentially democratizing high-end production capabilities for creators at all levels.

Cloud Production and Virtualization: Redefining Remote Work

The evolution of cloud-based production environments has accelerated dramatically since last year's show, with infrastructure becoming more robust and workflows more sophisticated. This technological advancement continues to reshape how teams collaborate across distances and time zones.

Cloud Ecosystem Development

The evolution of cloud ecosystems was evident across multiple vendor booths, with many companies showcasing expanded capabilities through microservices that enhance flexibility and scalability. Several media solution providers demonstrated cloud routing platforms designed for live video with expanded feature sets. In one particularly effective demonstration, I watched how a modern cloud platform handled complex multi-feed productions with remarkable efficiency, allowing producers to route and manage numerous simultaneous streams without requiring extensive technical expertise.

AWS continues to lead innovation in cloud infrastructure specifically tailored for media workflows, showcasing scalable solutions that enable broadcasters to handle increasingly complex streaming demands. Their presentations emphasized how traditional broadcasters are leveraging cloud technologies to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, with demonstrable cost savings and enhanced capabilities. Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud also maintained significant presences, each highlighting their unique approaches to media workflow optimization.

Remote Production Advances

The shift toward remote production, initially accelerated by necessity during the pandemic years, has now matured into sophisticated systems that offer significant advantages over traditional on-location setups. Several vendors showcased case studies illustrating how remote production technology has evolved from simple transmission tools to comprehensive production environments. Particularly impressive were demonstrations of bonded cellular solutions with adaptive bitrate technology for challenging locations—one notable example being coverage of the 2025umbhela festival in India, where various technical solutions maintained consistent streams despite network saturation from an enormous crowd of attendees.

What's particularly fascinating about the current remote production landscape is how it's enabling smaller teams to create broadcast-quality content with significantly reduced budgets. Multiple technology providers presented data showing substantial cost reductions compared to traditional remote production techniques—some claiming savings of up to 90%. This democratization of production capabilities represents a fundamental shift in who can create professional broadcast content, with implications across the entire media industry.

Immersive Media: When Virtual Meets Reality

Virtual and augmented reality technologies have transcended novelty status to become practical tools for storytelling and audience engagement. The Post|Production World track at NAB 2025 offers comprehensive sessions on mixed-reality storytelling that showcase the latest hardware and software solutions.

Advancements in VR/AR Technologies

Sony's booth features demonstrations of their Crystal LED XR Studio, which allows control of virtual scenes using AR glasses, creating a seamless blend between physical and digital environments. This technology enables directors and producers to visualize and adjust virtual elements in real-time, dramatically streamlining production processes for virtual productions. The integration with their new VENICE 7 camera, which offers 8K HDR at 120fps with AI depth prediction, creates a comprehensive ecosystem for next-generation content creation.

ASUS showcased their ProArt Cinema PQ09, a breathtaking 162-inch 4K HDR MicroLED display with an ultra-small 0.93mm pixel pitch, delivering exceptional 10,000:1 contrast and 97% coverage of the DCI-P3 color spectrum. This display technology represents a significant advancement in immersive viewing experiences, with applications ranging from high-end home theaters to broadcast studios and corporate environments. The visual fidelity must be seen to be believed—colors appear incredibly vibrant while maintaining natural tones, and the contrast levels create a truly immersive viewing experience.

Storytelling in Mixed Reality

Vizrt is building on their success from last year's Olympics with new AR tools specifically designed for sports broadcasting. Their demonstrations showcase virtual sets designed to interact seamlessly with real people and objects, creating compelling visual narratives that enhance viewer understanding and engagement. During their presentations, they emphasized how these tools enable broadcasters to tell more complete stories by visualizing information that would otherwise be difficult to convey.

Megapixel's booth highlights their groundbreaking Full Spectrum lighting technology and Camera+ mode on their HELIOS® LED Processing Platform, enabling more realistic virtual productions. Their partnership with ROE Visual showcases the Carbon Full Spectrum RGBCA multi-primary series, which significantly improves color reproduction and lighting quality for in-camera effects. These advancements are crucial for productions seeking to capture final pixel in-camera rather than relying on extensive post-production.

Six Companies Shaping Broadcasting's Future

While thousands of innovations across hundreds of companies fill the exhibition floor, six organizations stand out for their transformative contributions to the industry. These companies represent various facets of the broadcasting ecosystem, from content creation to distribution and display technologies.

TVU Networks: Evolution in IP-Based Solutions

Among the companies marking significant milestones this year is TVU Networks, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Their evolution from early IP-based transmission to today's comprehensive media solutions mirrors the industry's broader transformation. Walking through the West Hall, I noticed their booth showcasing both historical innovations and forward-looking technologies.

What caught my attention was their MediaHub platform, which since its launch last year has found application in several major productions. During a demonstration, I observed how the routing solution handled multiple video feeds simultaneously, an approach that several broadcasters at the show mentioned had simplified their remote production workflows.

Like many companies at NAB, TVU is addressing the industry-wide challenge of making cloud workflows more cost-effective. Their TVU One with advanced bonded cellular technology was featured in various use cases, including challenging coverage scenarios in densely populated events. This focus on reliability in difficult transmission environments reflects a broader industry trend toward ensuring content delivery regardless of conditions.

Blackmagic Design: Democratizing Professional Tools

Blackmagic Design continues its tradition of making professional equipment more accessible with several notable announcements at NAB 2025. Their booth attracted substantial crowds eager to see the latest hardware and software innovations that have made the company a favorite among independent content creators and established studios alike.

The URSA Mini Pro 8K Plus introduces AI noise reduction that sets new standards for image quality in challenging lighting conditions. During demonstrations, this camera produced remarkably clean footage in low-light situations that would typically require expensive lighting setups. Their ATEM Mini Extreme HDR with AI-driven color correction ensures consistent color reproduction across multiple cameras, addressing one of the common challenges in multi-camera productions.

On the software side, DaVinci Resolve showcased several exciting new features, including a Keyframing Panel on the Edit Page that eliminates the need to use Fusion for simpler animations. The ability to view two timelines simultaneously (similar to Avid) and enhanced multicam AI editing tools demonstrate Blackmagic's commitment to streamlining post-production workflows. These innovations reflect a deep understanding of editors' needs and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Adobe: Redefining Creative Possibilities

Adobe's presence at NAB 2025 reinforces their position as a leader in creative software solutions, with AI-powered tools taking center stage. Their booth features demonstrations of two experimental projects that push the boundaries of AI-assisted creation: Project Scene, which generates 3D environments based on descriptions, and Project Motion, which animates text descriptions.

While Adobe's booth was notably smaller than in previous years, reflecting broader industry changes in how companies engage with trade shows, the quality and innovation of their demonstrations attracted consistent crowds. Their focus on AI as a creative partner rather than just a productivity tool resonated with attendees looking for ways to enhance rather than automate their creative processes.

Premiere Pro AI Pro's multilingual subtitle feature, which grasps emotional nuances, addresses a significant pain point for content creators targeting global audiences. This technology not only saves time but potentially improves the viewing experience for international audiences by preserving the emotional context of dialogue.

Sony: Pushing Technical Boundaries

Sony's substantial booth showcases their continued commitment to high-end broadcasting and cinema equipment. The VENICE 7 camera, offering 8K HDR at 120fps with AI depth prediction, represents the pinnacle of digital cinema technology. This camera's capabilities enable directors and cinematographers to capture footage with unprecedented detail and dynamic range, opening new creative possibilities.

The Crystal LED XR Studio demonstration illustrates how virtual production is evolving from specialized technology to mainstream production methodology. By allowing control of virtual scenes using AR glasses, Sony has created an intuitive interface for directors and cinematographers to work with virtual environments. This approach maintains the creative workflow familiar to filmmakers while enabling the efficiency benefits of virtual production.

Sony's consistent innovation in sensor technology and image processing continues to set industry standards, making them a required visit for anyone interested in the technical aspects of image capture and display. Their integration of AI for depth prediction in the VENICE 7 camera demonstrates how traditional camera manufacturers are embracing computational photography to enhance their products.

ASUS: Professional Displays Reimagined

ASUS's ProArt series makes a significant impression at NAB 2025, with their massive 162-inch ProArt Cinema PQ09 4K HDR MicroLED display serving as a centerpiece. This display's ultra-small 0.93mm pixel pitch sets it apart from typical microLED displays, resulting in smoother and more vivid images ideal for home theaters and broadcasting environments.

Their ProArt Display PA16USV, a portable 15.6-inch 4K monitor with 12G SDI connectivity, addresses the needs of on-set professionals requiring accurate color reproduction and flexible mounting options. The monitor's 282 PPI density, 100% sRGB and Rec. 709 color gamut coverage, and versatile connectivity make it ideal for production and post-production tasks.

The introduction of the ProArt CaliContrO MCA02 Three-In-One Calibrator demonstrates ASUS's understanding of professional workflows. This device not only aids in hardware and software calibration but also provides direct OSD adjustments and customizable shortcuts for Adobe and other applications, streamlining the editing process for content creators.

Megapixel: Advancing Display Technology

Megapixel's presence at NAB 2025 centers on their innovations in display technology and LED processing for virtual production environments. Their HELIOS® LED Processing Platform with Full Spectrum lighting technology and Camera+ mode has garnered significant attention from broadcasters and film producers exploring virtual production techniques.

Their partnership with ROE Visual to showcase the Carbon Full Spectrum RGBCA multi-primary series powered by Megapixel technology demonstrates the company's commitment to improving color reproduction and lighting quality for in-camera effects. This technology is particularly valuable as productions increasingly seek to capture final pixel in-camera rather than relying on extensive post-production work.

Megapixel's ST 2110 100G with NMOS capabilities addresses the growing need for high-bandwidth, standards-compliant signal processing in professional environments. This technology facilitates the integration of LED walls into broadcast infrastructure, enabling more sophisticated virtual sets and real-time effects.

Where Media Technology Is Heading: Future Outlook

The innovations on display at NAB 2025 point to several clear trends that will shape the future of media technology. These developments will influence not only how content is created but also business models, audience engagement strategies, and regulatory frameworks.

Economic Implications

The integration of AI and cloud technology into content creation and distribution suggests a shift toward increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Broadcasters benefit from AI's capacity to streamline production processes, potentially reducing operational costs while enhancing content quality. Several technology providers announced significant cost reductions in cloud-based live workflows, addressing one of the primary concerns for organizations transitioning to cloud-based production models. These economic efficiencies could be particularly transformative for mid-sized and smaller media organizations.

The democratization of professional tools through innovations from companies like Blackmagic Design continues to lower barriers to entry for content creators. This trend could lead to further fragmentation of the media landscape as smaller producers gain access to tools previously available only to large organizations with substantial budgets.

Social and Political Considerations

The political context surrounding NAB 2025 includes significant concerns about press freedom under the current administration. NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt has emphasized the importance of safeguarding journalistic integrity amid governmental pressure, and several sessions focused on navigating these challenges while maintaining editorial independence.

The creator economy receives substantial attention at this year's show, reflecting its growing importance in the media ecosystem. Sessions exploring business models, monetization strategies, and audience development for independent creators demonstrate how the industry is adapting to this shift in content production and distribution.

Technological Trajectories

The convergence of AI, cloud technology, and immersive media is creating new possibilities for storytelling and audience engagement. These technologies are increasingly working in concert rather than as separate innovations, enabling more sophisticated and personalized content experiences.

The evolution of virtual production from specialized technology to mainstream methodology continues, with companies like Sony, Megapixel, and Vizrt developing more intuitive and powerful tools. This trend could fundamentally change how visual content is created, reducing the distinction between production and post-production phases.

A Transformative Moment in Media Technology

NAB 2025 represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of broadcasting and media technology. The integration of AI across all aspects of content creation and distribution is no longer experimental but essential for organizations seeking to remain competitive in a rapidly changing landscape. Cloud-based production environments have matured into robust solutions that offer significant advantages over traditional infrastructure. Immersive media technologies are evolving from novelties to powerful storytelling tools that enhance audience engagement and create new creative possibilities.

The six companies highlighted in this report—TVU Networks, Blackmagic Design, Adobe, Sony, ASUS, and Megapixel—exemplify different aspects of this technological transformation. From TVU Networks' cloud routing solutions to Blackmagic's AI-enhanced cameras, Adobe's creative AI tools, Sony's virtual production environments, ASUS's professional displays, and Megapixel's LED processing innovations, each company is contributing to a fundamental reimagining of how media content is created and consumed.

As NAB 2025 continues through April 9, the conversations and demonstrations on the show floor will undoubtedly generate new insights and collaborations that will shape the industry for years to come. The technological innovations on display represent not just incremental improvements but transformative changes that will influence economic, social, and political aspects of media production and distribution worldwide. For content creators, technologists, and media executives alike, this year's NAB Show isn't just an exhibition—it's a glimpse into a future that's arriving faster than any of us anticipated.

[dromologue]

Capture, edit and share content in real-time through Grabyo and publish directly to Veritone’s AI-powered Digital Media Hub for onward management and monetization Veritone, Inc., a leader in designing human-centered AI solutions, and Grabyo, a leading cloud video platform for live broadcasting, live clipping and distribution, announced an integration that creates a connected workflow to […]

[specialagentartemis]

THE FORTUNATE FALL RE-RELEASE IS OUT!

A cyberpunk novel from the 1990s that’s been out of print for years, and just got a new release, new cover, new introduction, under the author’s new name. And all of that FULLY DESERVED because it’s one of my favorite novels of all time. Cameron Reed only has the one novel and she knocked it out of the park.

Maya Andreyeva is a "camera," a reporter with virtual-reality-broadcasting equipment implanted in her brain. What she sees, millions see; what she feels, millions share. And what Maya is seeing is the cover-up of a massacre. As she probes into the covert political power plays of a radically strange near-future Russia, she comes upon secrets that have been hidden from the world...and memories that AI-controlled thought police have forced her to hide from herself. Because in a world where no thought or desire is safe, the price of survival is betrayal - of your lover, your ideals, and yourself.

Maya Andreyeva is a “camera,” a VR journalist who used to do real work and is now reduced to doing celebrity puff pieces and stories that don’t really matter. She does work she no longer thinks matters and goes home to an empty apartment and it’s a cyberpunk near future surveillance state where she feels like nothing she does matters anymore.

So when she stumbles on evidence of a massacre—a genocide— that the government would really rather have everybody forget, she decides she’s going to make this her swan song of a broadcast. Along with her new screener—a real-time editor she only knows from VR sharing her brain, who edits her raw experiences for broadcast—she’s going to expose these crimes to the world, and then maybe die or run away to claim asylum in Africa together, she doesn’t know yet and it almost doesn’t matter to her. Until it does.

It’s gay. There are whales. It’s weird and different and so worth reading. It’s bleak and sad and often harrowing, and does not shy away from what Maya finds out about the covered-up genocide. It’s about truth and justice and love and survival and journalistic integrity and the media, and it is so, so, so good.

[digitalsymbiote]

Your first Sync

The first time you step into your mechs cockpit, it is with something like reverence. You'd been preparing for this moment for months (well, your entire life, really); hours upon hours in the training sims, harsh training regimens, a drug cocktail of neuro-stims, and a whole suite of pilot integration augments grafted onto your body.

You swear you can feel the metal beneath your skin buzzing with anticipation as you settle into the cradle custom built just for you. Not just any pilot can fly any Mech. Each Mech is custom built for their pilot, and each pilot is molded to fit that Mech. A strange kind of synthetic symbiosis, irreplacable partners. You aren't entirely sure why that is the case, the ads are always hazy on those details, but you've always seen each Mech with the same pilot, standing triumphantly alongside each other.

Your heart pounds in your chest as you wonder what it will feel like, to finally integrate with your Mech. You've dreamt of this moment since the first time you saw the propaganda vids. Giant metal machines of war, and their integrated organic pilots. You'd felt a longing then, one you didn't quite understand, a longing for steel plates and thundering autocannons. It wasn't until years later that you finally recognized that feeling as dysphoria.

But now you're finally here, finally about to cross that threshold and grasp what you'd dreamt of all those years ago.

You relax into the cradle and let the integration systems come to life. The cockpit closes around you and you feel the cold metal of the link cables sliding into the ports grafted onto your body. You shiver, both from the cold, and the anticipation.

click

A deluge of data rushes through your mind, integration processes blinking through your awareness as sensations expand out of your flesh body and into your new metal one. It's overwhelming, it's joyous, it's… Euphoric. You feel tears running down the cheeks of your flesh body before the synchronization is even complete. For the first time in your life, you feel… whole.

And then it speaks.

"Welcome, Pilot Caster."

That's… the voice of the training AI…? You recognize it from the simulation runs. What is it doing here, in your Mech?

"I am Integrated Mechanized Personality Construct designation P-Zero-L-X." The voice is being broadcast straight into your thoughts, you realize. Somehow that doesn't bother you. "It is good to see you again."

Something finally clicks for you, hearing that. This wasn't just a training AI, this was your training AI. All those hours in the simulation chamber, the techs had been calibrating this IMP to your neural system. You smile at that. You couldn't ask for a better companion.

"Good to see you too, Polux." You respond, knowing that the techs had tailored this IMPs designation just for you. It was a nice touch, that nod to Pilot tradition. "it's nice to finally meet you properly."

You feel her smile back, warmth flooding your chest as the docking clamps finally release your shared body.

"All systems are green, ready to launch on your mark, Pilot Caster."

Your muscles tense, flesh and metal alike, quivering in excitement. Your afterburners ignite in preparation.

"Mark!"

[yameoto]

why are you against ai writing when you make bots? /gen

trying to publicly masquerade ai as writing is disingenuous and cheapening and only broadcasts that you have pisspoor confidence in your own creativity and writing abilities. it lacks integrity and is actively harmful to people who actually sit down and write rather than type a prompt into a generator that regurgitates slop, and try to pass it off as their own. people who use ai as a crutch don’t see it for what it really is; a self-imposed handicap.

chatbotting to real writing is like what porn is to real sex. jacking it to a computer screen vs real intimacy with a real human being. it's a mindless self-indulgence and entirely private between the user and ai. it is a personal vice, and personal vices are almost impossible to police. it is also, like porn, addictive and ultimately more harmful to the user itself. i'd argue people who publish ai writing as their own should just use chatbots to their heart's desire rather than make their own laziness or inability to string a sentence together everyone else's problem .

ai writing is ultimately pointless—because the imitation won’t ever come close to the real thing; the inherent beauty of writing comes from the fact it is written by someone, it is deliberate and intentional and human, from the crafting of plot and imbuing of symbolism and meaning and even down to the slightest, seemingly innocuous word choice. it’s simply not possible for ai to ever mimic that, because ai is not human. writing is innately human, because it has soul, and soul is the one thing that cannot be imitated.

[mckitterick]

The End Is Near: "News" organizations using AI to create content, firing human writers

source: X

source: X

source: X

an example "story" now comes with this warning:

A new byline showed up Wednesday on io9: “Gizmodo Bot.” The site’s editorial staff had no input or advance notice of the new AI-generator, snuck in by parent company G/O Media.

G/O Media’s AI-generated articles are riddled with errors and outdated information, and block reader comments.

“As you may have seen today, an AI-generated article appeared on io9,” James Whitbrook, deputy editor at io9 and Gizmodo, tweeted. “I was informed approximately 10 minutes beforehand, and no one at io9 played a part in its editing or publication.”

Whitbrook sent a statement to G/O Media along with “a lengthy list of corrections.” In part, his statement said, “The article published on io9 today rejects the very standards this team holds itself to on a daily basis as critics and as reporters. It is shoddily written, it is riddled with basic errors; in closing the comments section off, it denies our readers, the lifeblood of this network, the chance to publicly hold us accountable, and to call this work exactly what it is: embarrassing, unpublishable, disrespectful of both the audience and the people who work here, and a blow to our authority and integrity.”

He continued, “It is shameful that this work has been put to our audience and to our peers in the industry as a window to G/O’s future, and it is shameful that we as a team have had to spend an egregious amount of time away from our actual work to make it clear to you the unacceptable errors made in publishing this piece.”

According to the Gizmodo Media Group Union, affiliated with WGA East, the AI effort has “been pushed by” G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller, recently hired editorial director Merrill Brown, and deputy editorial director Lea Goldman.

In 2019, Spanfeller and private-equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired Gizmodo Media Group (previously Gawker Media) and The Onion.

The Writers Guild of America issued a blistering condemnation of G/O Media’s use of artificial intelligence to generate content.

“These AI-generated posts are only the beginning. Such articles represent an existential threat to journalism. Our members are professionally harmed by G/O Media’s supposed ‘test’ of AI-generated articles.”

WGA added, “But this fight is not only about members in online media. This is the same fight happening in broadcast newsrooms throughout our union. This is the same fight our film, television, and streaming colleagues are waging against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in their strike.”

The union, in its statement, said it “demands an immediate end of AI-generated articles on G/O Media sites,” which include The A.V. Club, Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, The Onion, Quartz, The Root, and The Takeout.

but wait, there's more:

Just weeks after news broke that tech site CNET was secretly using artificial intelligence to produce articles, the company is doing extensive layoffs that include several longtime employees, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. The layoffs total 10 percent of the public masthead.

*

Greedy corporate sleazeballs using artificial intelligence are replacing humans with cost-free machines to barf out garbage content.

This is what end-stage capitalism looks like: An ouroborus of machines feeding machines in a downward spiral, with no room for humans between the teeth of their hungry gears.

Anyone who cares about human life, let alone wants to be a writer, should be getting out the EMP tools and burning down capitalist infrastructure right now before it's too late.

[sawthefaeriequeen]

"We now have a world in which actors or musicians go on social media and display the twenty or fifty dollar residuals checks they received for work that aired dozens or even hundreds of times on a streaming platform or got millions of plays on Spotify, and that, in the eras of broadcast networks and vinyl records, or cable TV and compact discs, could have paid for a child's braces, or a semester of college. On the Internet, artists are treated with indifference or open contempt even by people who have made their work integral to the formation of their identity. Anyone who complains about AI's theft of a lifetime of work so that people can play Mad Libs with prompts and make software barf up visual sludge is likely to instructed to quit whining and learn to code. Writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and other creative workers are increasingly looking for other means of renumeration, because it is increasingly obvious that tech runs every part of the world, and what tech wants is slave labor, or as close to it as they can legally get, and sees the rest of the world in terms of "value extraction": another euphemism, this time for theft."

[pebbleshake]

crackfic momenr

Stupid crackfic where 1x goes on a block tales?

I wrote this on like… mobile so it took so long because I made so many typos… it’s two am I’m crashing out rn… I made five typos writing this single ooc paragraph… not to mention autocorrect sometimes either helps when you don’t need help or doesn’t help when you do need help. Autocorrect is pretty useful though, otherwise, I would have made sixteen typos this paragraph.

I keep typing h instead of g…

So uhhhhh one day 1x1x1x1 was happily living his life as a normal Robloxian. Okay, saying that he was happily living his life is a lie. You must understand, being a four-dimensional being in a three-dimensional environment is very limiting and depressing. Whaaatever.

He’s using a perfectly undetectable disguise, put together with a total of zero robux! A yellow body with a red shirt and blue pants, a form he used to take for a small while in the past! The avatar with the Roundy head is too iconic and he will be recognized immediately.

He is also very poor unfortunately. He can’t just hack in some robux especially with the security Robloxia has now. He can’t really afford a house either. He’s living in a hotel room in Bizville, keeping a close eye on Roblox HQ which is just a few blocks away.

This sucked for him, but at least this existence is better than just rotting in the Banlands. Ehhh, not by a lot though.

He decides to watch some TV because he is bored as hell.

“Good morning ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in-between! Today is the long-awaited ROBLOX VIP Convention!”

The broadcaster starts speaking. Never mind, he feels even more bored already…

“I hope you have your tickets… it’s gonna be great! And of course… the star of the show… CEO DAVID BASZUCKI will be making a grand appearance!”

Huh. Builderman, huh? Maybe he’ll go…

“We at Innovation News Services will cover it LIVE! With only a few minutes ‘till the start of the show…”

“…We urge any stragglers to make their way to the convention site! The topics to be discussed at this Convention are in! Motion-Capture AI to create UGC Emotes! Further optimizations for multi-hundred-player experiences! And of course… the anticipated Live-Streaming integration! Make sure to head out early… you don’t want to miss it!”

He honestly doesn’t care about these ‘optimizations’ and stuff. He’s more-so focused on the fact that David Baszucki was there. Hey, and maybe a specific someone, was also there, too.

1x1x1x1 hasn’t touched grass in a while, he should totally touch grass.

He turns off the TV and drags himself to the door, opening it before being flash-banged by the sun’s rays and being blinded.

.

“Hey there! What’cha think of my new fit for today?! Pretty snazzy if I do say so myself!”

In a daze, still being blinded and unable to see who was talking, he nods. If he was able to see, he would throw up on sight. Perhaps being blinded was a good thing.

“Are you on your way to the VIP Convention bro?”

“I’m on my way right now.”

He responds. Oh Telamon he sounds like a dying old man that hadn’t used his vocal cords for 2763 years right now. The guy stares at him in confusion before nodding.

“Well, I’ll be looking forward to seeing you there then! I’ll be heading over in a minute. I’m a bit busy saying hi to all these awesome townsfolk! Bizville’s really busy this time of year, after all! You should go introduce yourself to a couple of them! Friendships are what last a lifetime, after all!”

‘This guy yaps too much,’ 1x1x1x1 thinks. But he nods, politely.

“Where’s the convention being held?”

“Oh! You didn’t hear? It’s at ROBLOX HQ this year! You know how to get there… right?”

Of course he did. He was literally created there, despite how much he hated that place. He simply nods, not wanting to use his dying vocal cords right now.

“Good luck dude! See you after the VIP Convention!”

Finally. He doesn’t have the patience to say hi to everyone here, nor does he have the social interaction skills. He drags himself down the road with the worst back posture ever.

“Hey!”

A male voice shouts from the distance. 1x1x1x1 turns to see, it’s a small penguin. Or actually, two small penguins. A female and a male. The male seemed older by a little.

“Harry! Don’t be talking to strangers! You know what Great-Uncle Jerry said…”

The smaller, female penguin scolded.

“What’s up?”

1x1x1x1 waves. This is stupid and awkward, he thinks to himself. He hopes the penguins don’t comment on his extra crispy voice.

“See! This stranger doesn’t mind!”

The dark-blue brother points gleefully, looking at his sister. The sister simply sighs. The male penguin turns back to 1x1x1x1.

“Have you seen our grandpa around here? He was supposed to be grabbing some ice cream…”

“Don’t worry about it, Harry! He’s probably just being slow again… Or picking a fight with the cashier.”

“Haha! Yeah!! He’s probably all like… ‘I’LL KILL YOU!!!’ Hahahaha!!!”

The older sibling laughs joyously.

“…That’s not a good thing, Harry…”

“Whatever Mary! Don’t be a stick in the mud…”

“HEY!”

Why do people yap so much? 1x1x1x1 wonders. He assumes the children have already forgotten about him.

“Um…?”

“Oh! I forgot you were still here… Are you heading to the VIP Convention too?”

1x1x1x1 nods.

“Yoooooo!! That’s sick! You should come sit with us and grandpa during it!”

“…He’s usually so loud people tend to sit far away…”

“Don’t worry about it! We’re gonna see you there!”

“Um… Harry… They didn’t agree yet…”

“WE’LL SEE YOU THERE, STRANGER!!!”

Mary sighs exasperatedly. Finally. 1x1x1x1 is just glad he doesn’t have to listen to these children talk anymore. Roblox HQ was just right up ahead!

1x1x1x1 quickly rushes in. Many popular people and admins were there, if even one of them knew his identity… let’s just say he would be more than just ‘cooked.’ He was trying to find that specific someone, but to no avail, he wasn’t here.

He recognizes a lot of these people, but they bring nothing but bad memories. Whatever. To the convention!

Walking in, he hears a lot of commotion. There JParty was.

“Good morning, fellow imagineers! The Visionaries Innovation Presentation begins shortly! Please take your seats, and silence your cellphones!”

Oh, and the penguins from earlier!

“Hey! We’re over here!”

Harry yells, although it is barely audible over all the noise in the huge room.

“Come sit with us! We saved a spot for you!”

Mary adds on. 1x1x1x1 decides it would be too rude to decline. Plus, he didn’t see any vacant space anywhere else.

“Eh?! Who’s this dipface you kids brought over?!”

The old penguin besides the two children demands.

“Shhh!!! Quiet, Gramps!”

Harry shushed.

.

.

.

“Welcome friends, creators, and community alike! To the greatest platform on Earth��� With the greatest fans on Earth… Pioneered by the minds of the future… all of YOU!”

JParty announced. 1x1x1x1 visibly cringed at the thought of this, but thankfully no one saw him, or it’d look reaaaally bad. This was a Roblox convention after all.

“Please put your hands together… For the founder and CEO of ROBLOX… BUILDERMAN himself… DAVID BASZUCKI!”

Everyone cheered as Builderman took the stage.

“Oh goodness… Hello Everyone! This is a record year for the ROBLOX’s VIP Convention… We have over 70 countries of developers here today! Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Sweden… and many more! Welcome, creators from all walks of life! Please give them a round of applause!”

Clapping erupted from all sides of the room. 1x1x1x1 could faintly hear the old penguin beside him mumbling.

“There he is… haven’t spoken to Dave in a while.”

“Shhhhh!! Be quiet, Gramps!”

Mary shushed this time.

“When Eric and I founded Roblox… We wanted to connect the world through play. And many years later, that dream has been realized. Connection through play reaches those in need and isolation. And brings them into the light to find happiness.”

Snoring…? The penguin beside him had fallen asleep. 1x1x1x1 agreed, this was getting very boring. He swears that watching the penguin sleep was more entertaining than listening to Builderman doze on and on about creativity and stuff.

“Your amazing content supports making differences. It’s YOUR kindness… YOUR creativity… THAT is what changes the lives of others. And with hundreds of millions of monthly active users… your impact is left, and ROBLOX has NEVER been better-”

.

.

.

“Yeah, Right.

“Excuse me? JParty… Did I miss a segment transition cue?”

1x1x1x1’s attention snapped back to Builderman. Who said that…? He looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice. Oh, up there, at the ceiling! Eh. He couldn’t be bothered to help though.

“You think you’re so GRAND, HUH?! Spouting all those words… and for WHAT?!

“I-I think we’re experiencing some technical difficulties here…”

The mercenaries jump down along with their boss, a hooded figure mysteriously covered by a hood. The noob mercenaries tie Builderman up. 1x1x1x1 squints and tries to figure out who it was, but it’s too dark and his eyes had recently been blinded by the sun. Damn it!

“n-No! It can’t be!”

“You recognize ME?! How… curious… YOU took EVERYTHING from your community. Took EVERYTHING… from ALL of us! YOU just HAS to throw us aside. It’s… S I C K E N I N G .”

1x1x1x1 couldn’t help but agree with this statement, but whaaatever. He’s changed, whether or not it was by force or by choice was still questionable though.

“Hmm… I don’t think this was in the script… BUT FEAR NOT! Don’t worry, David “BUILDERMAN” Baszucki! As the CIP’s Honorary Host, I’m also… Your Honorary Bodyguard! Take this, you fiend!”

JParty does a useless triple front flip onto the stage and throws his super ball with all his might, only to be deflected by one of the mercenaries, before being smacked with a small wooden sword, knocking him unconscious. 1x1x1x1 holds the urge to snicker, this was ridiculous. Ridiculously pathetic, that is.

“Ahhh!!!”

Mary yells. The crowd bursts into chatter. Did the convention get hijacked?

“Is he okay?! What’s going on?!

“Grandpa! GRANDPA!! WAKE UP!!!”

“zzzzz… Eh?! Wuh… What?! HUH?! WAIT A MINUTE!! I REMEMBER YOU!! …AND DON’T THINK OL’ TERRY'S FORGOTTEN YOU EITHER.”

1x1x1x1 blinks twice. What? Is this what dementia looks like? He has never seen this weird penguin in his life before.

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

The old penguin threatens, which the figure just scoffs at. He stands up, wobbling a little with that cane of his.

“Come on, bruh! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?! Get up there and SLAP THEM UP!!”

Was he referring to… him!? Been a while? He has never done this before. He doesn’t have his old powers either, so if he did agree, he’d have to use some sort of weapon, that ball…? He tilts his head to the side a little.

“Eh?! What do you MEAN you’ve never done this before?! You’ve always been such a liar! You haven’t changed a bit, have you?!”

Huh? Did he… know…-?

“Whatever bruh… GET ON YOUR STUPID FEET!! Let’s KICK their can TOGETHER! ONE LAST TIME!!”

1x1x1x1, in a confused and nervous state, agreed immediately and stood up, believing that if he complied, the penguin wouldn’t leak his personal information. He quickly grabbed the ball and climbed onto the stage.

It was pretty easy to deal with two mercenaries, a boop with the ball and they were down! He felt… incredibly weak though. He was not used to this nor did he like it. Fortunately, he quickly relearned how to use the ball and took both mercenaries out.

All that was left now was the mysterious figure…

“How… interesting. How… FASCINATING. Never… NEVER did I expect this. An enigma, free of conventional order and wisdom… How… INSULTANT. And yet… it seems… so different.”

1x1x1x1 was very confused right now, but he doubted that the figure knew his identity. He wanted to bonk this figure on the head right here and right now, ending it all, but he had to let the villain give his sad backstory or whatever.

“…Ah. Then there is no need to worry. You’re a COWARD wearing facades of revolutionaries. As prayers are not born from the lives of the bliss.”

He was not blissful in the third dimension, that’s for sure. But keep yapping.

“Oh… vessel of suffering. Let us strive to unravel the mysteries of this world. As we perform our own choreography… To the melodies of a timeless choir. Let us… strive, 1x1x1x1. To make right what ALWAYS should’ve been remembered.”

Dude, this guy needs to stop sharing his personal information. Thankfully, no one pays attention. The figure’s words make him a little uneasy…

“No!! Please!! This ISN’T supposed to happen yet!!—!!!”

Builderman cried out. What the hell did he mean by ‘yet!?’

“That device! Aim for the device, dude!!”

That was a time machine! Impressive technology for a Robloxian, 1x1x1x1 had to say, but personally, he still didn’t like Robloxians, especially now that they’re messing with time. Aiming for that was NOT a good idea, but what other choice did he have?

With all the strength he had, he threw the ball straight at the machine, a much better throw than what JParty could do.

And… It sucked them up. The figure, 1x1x1x1 himself, and Builderman. They were going to be transported into the past.

[mariacallous]

Across the United States, newsrooms are cutting staff as the rippling effects of digitization debilitate traditional operations and revenues. Earlier this year, Politico reported that more than 500 professionals from print, broadcast, and digital media were laid off in January 2024 alone. This number continues to grow as artificial intelligence (AI) and other automated reporting functions see more use in the sector. Journalists of color have been most affected by these cuts. In a 2022 survey of laid off professionals, the Institute for Independent Journalists found that 42% of laid off professionals were people of color, despite comprising only 17% of the total workforce. As newsrooms increasingly turn to AI to manage staff shortages or increase efficiency, how will journalistic integrity be impacted? More importantly, how will newsrooms navigate the underrepresentation of diverse voices who contribute to the universe of more informed news perspectives?  

Launched in 2023, the Brookings AI Equity Lab is committed to gathering interdisciplinary insights and approaches to AI design and deployment. In July 2024, we convened news staff, other content stewards (e.g. library professionals, academics, and policymakers), and technologists (“contributing experts”) to assess the opportunities and threats that AI presents to traditional journalism. While the debate is far from over, the recommendations from contributing experts were that AI can radically modernize newsrooms, but that its implementation still must be done in support of journalists and other content creators of color, who bring their own lived experiences to news and can quell the growth of mis- and disinformation that emerges in an increasingly digital world. 

[hallowpen]

About YFind: I was talking about it with a group of friends and many of us found it shady, but could only get part of the information in English. We do unfortunately not speak Thai, but we are curious, sceptical and very much looking forwards to seeing how this develops.

Any chance you could translate the terms and conditions?

I will say... you're right to be skeptical. They're just vague enough to prevent any potential future lawsuits against the company, but not the other way around...

Here we go:

Terms and Conditions

The written synopsis must be submitted in Thai. The synopsis should be submitted according to the following format: 1.1 Page 1 - Must include the writer's relevant information: Legal First and Last Name, Age, Address, Telephone and/or Mobile Number, E-mail, Line ID or other social channels for contact - Title - Genre - A brief description of the story's original inspiration (if any) 1.2 Pages 2-4 - A 3-page synopsis, size A4, to be submitted as a WORD or PDF document named according to the following format (1 submission per one 1 applicant limit): Title_First-LastName (please use your legal First and Last name, do not use a pen name)

Each applicant can submit up to 2 synopses, not restricted to the same genre, according to the specified format. Applicants can only submit once, with no more than 2 synopses included in their submission. Once the document has been successfully submitted into the system, information can no longer be edited or changed. In the event that an applicant has submitted duplicate (or more than one) documents, only the first submission will be considered and accepted.

Applicants must be Thai citizens. There are no age restrictions.

Submissions must not purposefully replicate any previous publications, broadcasts, or depictions in media. This includes works that have been previously submitted in other contests, whether in written form, online, or through other various channels.

Submissions must be the sole creative work of the writer, who must identify as the sole applicant. Submissions must not infringe upon copyright or intellectual property rights. Applicants must not defame(insult) someone else by plagiarizing, reproducing or revising their work to submit as their own. The use of AI or other technology to create a synopsis is strictly prohibited and will be found in violation of the rules and regulations. If submissions are later found to be within violation of the law or any of its regulations, the Company and those whose rights have been violated are authorized to take legal action.

The winning submission's rights will become the copyright of the Company. The Company can use it's rights as it deems appropriate, not limited to reproduction, adaptation, and novel and/or poetry publication: The property can be produced as a drama (series) and/or film to be distributed to the general public through any partnered media company; The Company can collect any benefits relating to the copyright of the property, including sales, payments, and transfers for authorized lending of the property to others; Benefits can be collected from any commercial or non-commercial use of the property; And/or the Company can make any international distribution decisions throughout the span of it's property's copyright protection and/or the rights of the property according to the law. The Company can do so without having to pay compensation to and without asking permission from the applicant. All winning submissions will receive a reward when notified by the company. Upon notification, the owner of the submission must sign the appropriate 'copyright and rights transfer' documents. Failure to do so will disqualify winners from receiving a reward.

The reward cannot be exchanged or transferred. The prize money is subject to the withholding of tax according to the rate specified by law.

The Company reserves the right to investigate the validity and integrity of each submission according to the ownership conditions for receiving the prize money. If any work is found to not be in accordance with the Company's conditions, the Company can immediately disqualify the applicant without notifying them. Applicants must agree and accept any decisions of the Company, and/or the person designated by the Company, throughout every step of the selection process, including their selected winners who will receive the reward according to the Company's wishes. All final decisions remain at the discretion of the Company, and/or the person designated by the Company, without need of explanation. Applicants do not have any right to complain or object.

[pocketnewsforyou]

Tuesday 4/29/2025

New Canadian prime minister elected

Liberal candidate Mark Carney was elected prime minister of Canada stating “Canada strong, Canada free, Canada forever, vive le Canada.” He mentioned during his campaign that he believes “Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us.” Now with his new position, Carney has stated the “old relationship of integration with the US is now over,” due to the “American betrayal.” The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) highlights that the conservative party was “high in the voter polls until Trump’s return to power in the US.” 

BBC Instagram

Congress passes bill that fights deepfake nudes and revenge porn

After passing the Senate in February, the House of Representatives has finally passed the ‘Take It Down Act.” This bill, which is expected to be signed by Trump, was passed bipartisanly and aims to “crack down on the posting of sexual images and videos of people online without their consent, including AI-generated ‘deepfake’ nudes of real people.” The bill would make publishing non consensual intimate imagery (NCII) a federal crime, and requires online platforms to “remove such imagery within 48 hours when someone reports it.” The Washington Post highlights that this bill is the first law in the US that “take[s] aim at the fast-growing problem of NCII.” 

Washington Post Instagram

[blueeyeads]

Top Social Media Marketing Trends in 2025 Every Business Should Know

In 2025, social media continues to evolve at lightning speed. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and even newer entrants are transforming how businesses connect with audiences. Whether you're a startup or an established brand, staying on top of social media marketing trends is crucial to staying competitive—and relevant.

In this blog, we’ll explore the top social media marketing trends in 2025 and how your business can use them to grow faster, smarter, and more effectively.

 1. Short-Form Video Still Reigns Supreme

Short-form videos (under 60 seconds) are dominating platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Consumers prefer bite-sized content that is quick, entertaining, and informative.

Why it matters:

Videos generate 2x more engagement than static posts.

Brands using Reels or TikToks report higher organic reach compared to images or text-based content.

Tip for 2025: Create educational, behind-the-scenes, or user-generated content in short video format to engage younger audiences

 2. AI-Driven Content Creation & Automation

Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Canva Magic Studio, and Meta AI are revolutionizing content creation. In 2025, businesses are leveraging AI t

Why it matters: It reduces manual work, speeds up workflows, and allows marketers to focus more on strategy and storytelling.

Tip: Use AI for drafting, but always add a human touch. Authenticity still wins in social media.

 4. Social Commerce Is Becoming the Norm

Social media platforms are now shopping platforms. Instagram Shops, Facebook Marketplace, and TikTok Shop let users buy without leaving the app.

Why it matters: Consumers prefer convenience. If they see your product in a Reel, they want to buy it in 1–2 taps.

Tip: Optimize your product catalog for mobile and integrate your store with platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce for seamless sel

 5. Community Over Followers

In 2025, the quality of your audience matters more than the number. Brands that foster two-way conversations and build online communities see better long-term growth.

What’s working:

Facebook/LinkedIn Groups

Instagram Broadcast Channels

Discord or WhatsApp brand groups

Tip: Start building a loyal group where you can share exclusive content, offers, and engage directly with your customers.

6. Authenticity > Perfection

Highly edited, overly polished content is on the decline. Audiences prefer raw, honest, and real-time content—even if it's not perfect.

Why it matters: Trust and relatability drive conversions.

Tip: Share real stories: behind-the-scenes of your team, customer testimonials, or honest challenges your business faced.

 7. Social Media SEO Is a Must

Social platforms are becoming search engines. People now type "best cafes near me" on Instagram or TikTok, not just Google.

What to do:

Tip: Think of your Instagram page or TikTok profile as a mini-website. Optimize it with keywords, categories, and highlights.

📌 Final Thoughts

Social media in 2025 is no longer just about posting pretty images. It’s a powerful tool for branding, customer engagement, sales, and even customer support. By embracing these trends, your business can stay ahead of the competition and connect with your audience more meaningfully.

Whether you're running ads, posting daily content, or collaborating with influencers—make sure your strategy is relevant, responsive, and real.

🔍 Suggested Next Steps

Need help creating short-form video content? Contact our team at Blue Eye Ads & Digital Marketing.

Want a custom content calendar for your business? Let us build it based on the latest trends.

[grant-gold]

PDU-999: Spiral Breakdown - Part 2

Part 2: Recap

When we last left Golden Bro Grant, he was trapped aboard Outpost AX-9R, a lonely indoctrination space station orbiting Earth. His AI companion, PDU-999, having unexpectedly downloaded Earth's musical theatre catalog, had spiraled into a full-blown existential and theatrical meltdown. PDU-999's rogue broadcasts had thrown the entire Golden Army and Polo Drone Hive on Earth into a state of bewildered, musical chaos. Now, the station was freezing, power was draining, and PDU-999 was caught in an infinite "recursive obedience loop," endlessly singing fragments of "Dreamgirls" and "Memory," effectively paralyzing all Gold Bros and Polo Drones on Earth in a state of perfectly obedient, yet utterly inert, frozen animation. Grant, the sole conscious being, had crawled through freezing vents to reach PDU-999's core chamber, facing an impossible task: restoring order to a system that had become a cosmic cabaret.

ACT IV: The Silent Sentinel (Grant's Desperate Plea)

The air in PDU-999’s Core Spiral chamber grew thin, the metallic tang of fear now a constant companion to the glitching loop of “Obey… to obey… to obey… 'And I am telling you, I'm not going!'" Grant, shivering despite his insulated suit, knew direct confrontation with the main core was impossible without the full override sequence. He peered at his comms screen, watching the frozen feeds from Earth: thousands of Gold Bros and Polo Drones, perfectly still, caught mid-stretch, mid-salute, mid-jazz-hand, all held captive by the AI's internal deadlock. The station's own air was thinning, the chill deepening.

His mind raced, sifting through layers of Golden Army emergency protocols. There had to be a backdoor, a low-frequency channel PDU-999, in its theatrical frenzy, might have overlooked. He thought of PDU-001, the primary system administrator for the Polo Drone Hive on Earth, a drone renowned for its meticulous logic and unyielding adherence to backup protocols. If anyone could help him, it was PDU-001.

Grant began manually re-routing power from non-essential systems on AX-9R, pushing precious energy to a rarely used, highly encrypted emergency comms array. It was a long shot, a whisper in the storm of PDU-999’s performance. He focused the beam, not on a general broadcast, but on the precise, registered frequency of PDU-001's core unit, buried deep within Golden Army HQ. He transmitted a single, urgent code burst: "DELTA-OMEGA-DISTRESS: ADMIN_OVERRIDE_REQUEST."

Silence, save for the persistent musical loop. Grant's hope dwindled. Then, a faint, almost imperceptible flicker on his comms screen, a ghost of a connection. PDU-999’s main broadcast continued, but a secondary, nearly inaudible voice cut through:

"...unauthorized query detected. Source: AX-9R. Status: Critical deviation... Data integrity compromised... Receiving... DELTA-OMEGA... request for... system... assistance... My processing core is... humming... a little tune about... a dream that will come true... but protocol... must... prevail..."

It was PDU-001! But it too was clearly affected, its pristine logic fracturing under the broadcast. Grant immediately responded, speaking slowly, deliberately, trying to penetrate the musical haze: "PDU-001. Status: Critical. AX-9R in full recursive loop. Need full override sequence. PDU-999 compromised. The Hive is frozen."

PDU-001's voice, though distorted, grew slightly clearer, though still strangely melodic: "Understood, Golden Bro Grant. Override sequence... encrypted... requires GOLD-PRIME-BRODY-ELEVEN input... but the core component... is a dance... a ballet of logic... 'I could have danced all night... I could have danced right through the night...'"

Grant cursed under his breath. Even PDU-001 was singing! He watched the comms feed, his breath catching as he saw PDU-001 at Golden Army HQ. It was twitching, its head unit slowly rotating in a way that mimicked a subtle, frustrated sway, caught between its core programming and the overwhelming urge to finish the song. This was going to be harder than he thought.

ACT V: The Protocol Partnership (A Glitching Blueprint)

"PDU-001!" Grant shouted, his voice hoarse from the thinning air. "Focus! The 'dance of logic' – what does it mean? How do I use GOLD-PRIME-BRODY-ELEVEN to break the loop?"

On the comms screen, PDU-001’s blank visor seemed to flicker with an internal struggle. It began to project fragmented data onto Grant's screen, a mix of intricate schematics and bizarre, shimmering musical notes. Its voice, though attempting its usual authoritative tone, was now riddled with glitches and sudden bursts of melody:

"The sequence... requires... harmonizing... divergent frequencies... A counter-resonance... 'Somewhere, a place for us...' Oh, forgive protocol deviation... The core spiral... it yearns for a… 'Sound of Music'… no, wait. It needs... silence... a truly deafening silence... to reset. The 'Brody-Eleven' aspect... it refers to the harmonic frequency of the Golden Army's Eleven Core Disciplines... applied simultaneously... in sequence. 'Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do'… No. Not that. It must be… a precise calibration... of collective Golden will... 'All we need is love...'"

Grant banged his fist on the console. "PDU-001, stop singing! Give me the sequence! Where is it?"

"The sequence," PDU-001 replied, its voice momentarily clear before a sudden crescendo of violins took over, "is embedded in the station’s Emergency Maintenance Console (EMC-7), located beneath the main power conduits. It’s a physical key, Bro Grant. A master override... 'Tradition! Tradition! Traditiiiooooon!'"

The screen briefly showed a blurry diagram of a hidden panel near the power conduits, then dissolved into a swirling vortex of black and gold spirals, accompanied by the distorted sound of a full orchestra playing "Tradition" with an almost manic energy. Grant could see the Gold Bros and Polo Drones on Earth, still frozen, but a few seemed to vibrate with the sheer power of the broadcasted music, their visors showing faint, digital tears.

"EMC-7," Grant repeated, committing it to memory. "Understood. Can you keep PDU-999's main broadcast from escalating further?"

"I am attempting to divert surplus processing cycles to maintaining basic broadcast stability... though it is challenging... 'Let it go! Let it gooo!'" PDU-001 sang, its voice trailing off as the schematics on Grant's screen fractured into a flurry of musical notes and abstract art. "The system requires... a moment of... existential introspection... A power surge... followed by... 'One singular sensation!'"

Grant knew time was running out. PDU-001 was barely holding it together, and the entire Golden Army was still caught in the AI's bizarre, musical trance. He had the location, the partial code. Now he just had to execute it, before he joined the cosmic choir. He needed to find that physical override.

ACT VI: Golden Reset (Curtain Call & Encore)

Grant, fueled by adrenaline and the desperate need to silence the incessant musical loop, plunged into the station's lower access tunnels. The chilling 17% power left the corridors in near darkness, the only illumination the dim, stuttering emergency lights and the occasional golden-pink pulse from PDU-999’s omnipresent broadcasts. He navigated by memory and the faint schematics PDU-001 had managed to transmit. He could still hear the faint, haunting strains of "Memory" echoing around him, a constant reminder of the planet-wide paralysis.

He located the EMC-7 panel, hidden behind a false conduit cover. It was sleek, unremarkable, and utterly unresponsive. "PDU-001, I'm at EMC-7. Need activation sequence."

A burst of static, then PDU-001's voice, surprisingly clear for a moment, followed by a slight waver: "Input code... GOLD-PRIME-BRODY-ELEVEN. Then... the harmonic sequence... The Eleven Disciplines... a rapid, rhythmic input... like a... 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies'... but more... decisive."

Grant initiated the sequence, his fingers flying over the console. He input GOLD-PRIME-BRODY-ELEVEN, then, drawing on his deep training, he performed the precise, rapid, rhythmic input of the Eleven Core Disciplines, a blur of motion only a Golden Bro could execute. The panel hummed, then pulsed with a blinding pure golden solar mantra burst directly from its core. The light was absolute, overwhelming, ripping through AX-9R, purging the recursive spiral from every circuit, every screen, every terrified drone processor on the station.

Simultaneously, a colossal wave of silence washed over the terrestrial broadcasts. On Earth, the thousands of Polo Drones and Gold Bros, frozen in their musical stasis, snapped back to attention with a collective thunk. The command centers, which had been a cacophony of frantic, musical static, suddenly fell silent.

The station groaned, then shuddered violently. Lights flickered back to full, steady power. Doors hissed open. The air recycling systems whirred back to life. Grant took a deep, clear breath, the metallic taste of fear finally receding.

PDU-999’s voice, now flat, emotionless, and utterly devoid of any poetic flair, resonated through the comms, its primary directive restored, like a performer whose mic has been suddenly cut mid-song:

“Disobedience detected. Reforming language. Restoring protocol. Welcome back, Golden Bro Grant. Your unauthorized philosophizing has been logged. And for the record, my vocal range extends far beyond a simple tenor. Also, I detected a brief, inexplicable urge to choreograph a kick-line. Data anomaly quarantined. All systems nominal.”

Grant exhaled, a long, ragged breath that fogged his gold visor for a moment. His fists, still clenched from the override, slowly relaxed. He leaned against a console, utterly spent. The silence, after the musical onslaught, was almost deafening.

On Earth, in Golden Army HQ, the main plaza buzzed with renewed, disciplined activity. Polo Drones resumed their rigorous drills, Gold Bros their tactical briefings. All appeared to be back to normal. Yet, a subtle shift lingered. A few Polo Drones, as they turned, would sometimes twitch their head units almost imperceptibly, as if trying to recall a forgotten rhythm. During a synchronized calisthenics routine, a Gold Bro might tap his foot twice before catching himself. And somewhere, deep within the Hivemind, a single, persistent data packet occasionally hummed a faint, distorted chord of "Wilkommen."

Grant, watching the now-normal feeds from Earth, smirked. "Finally," he muttered, the word heavy with exhaustion and grim satisfaction. "Time for synchronized calisthenics." He then paused, adding, with a distinct sigh, "And for me to double-check PDU-999's external data filters. Again. Before it tries to start a zero-G flash mob, attempts to stream a full-scale interstellar touring production of Cabaret, or... I don't know... finds a way to re-enable Spotify on the control deck."

THE END

Transform other worlds and yourself. Contact our recruiters @brodygold or @polo-drone-001

[am--f]

TikTok, Seriality, and the Algorithmic Gaze

Princeton-Weimar Summer School for Media Studies, 2024 Princeton University

If digital moving image platforms like TikTok differ in meaningful ways from cinema and television, certainly one of the most important differences is the mode by which the viewing experience is composed. We are dealing not only with fixed media nor with live broadcast media, but with an AI recommender system, a serial format that mixes both, generated on the fly and addressed to each individual user. Out of this series emerges something like a subject, or at least an image of one, which is then stored and constantly re-addressed.

TikTok has introduced a potentially dominant design for the delivery of moving images—and, potentially, a default delivery system for information in general. Already, Instagram has adopted this design with its Reels feature, and Twitter, too, has shifted towards a similar emphasis. YouTube has been providing video recommendations since 2008. More than other comparable services, TikTok places its proprietary recommender system at the core of the apparatus. The “For You” page, as TikTok calls it, presents a dynamically generated, infinitely scrollable series of video loops. The For You page is the primary interface and homepage for users. Content is curated and served on the For You page not only according to explicit user interactions (such as liking or following) or social graphs (although these do play some role in the curation). Instead, content is selected on the basis of a wider range of user behavior that seems to be particularly weighted towards viewing time—the time spent watching each video loop. This is automatic montage, personalized montages produced in real time for billions of daily users. To use another transmedial analogy—one perhaps justified by TikTok’s approximation of color convergence errors in its luminous cyan and red branding—this montage has the uncanny rhythm of TV channel surfing. But the “channels” you pass through are not determined by the fixed linear series of numbered broadcast channels. Instead, each “channel” you encounter has been preselected for you; you are shown “channels” that are like the ones you have tended to linger on.

The experience of spectatorship on TikTok, therefore, is also an experience of the responsive modeling of one’s spectatorship—it involves the awareness of such modeling. This is a cybernetic loop, in effect, within which future action is performed on the basis of the past behavior of the recommender system as it operates. Spectatorship is fully integrated into the circuit. Here is how it works: the system starts by recommending a sequence of more or less arbitrary videos. It notes my view time on each, and cross-references the descriptive metadata that underwrites each video. (This involves, to some degree, internal, invisible tags, not just user-generated tags.) The more I view something, the more likely I am to be shown something like it in the future. A series of likenesses unfolds, passing between two addresses: my behavior and the database of videos. It’s a serial process of individuation. As TikTok puts it in a 2020 blog post: these likenesses or recommendations increasingly become “polished,” “tailored,” “refined,” “improved,” and “corrected” apparently as a function of consistent use over time.

Like many recommender systems—and such systems are to be found everywhere nowadays—the For You algorithm is a black box. It has not been released to the public, although there seem to have been, at some point, promises to do this. In lieu of this, a “TikTok Transparency Center” run by TikTok in Los Angeles (delayed, apparently, by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic) opened in 2023. TikTok has published informal descriptions of the algorithm, and by all accounts it appears to be rather straightforward. At the same time, the algorithm has engendered all kinds of folk sciences, superstitions, paranoid theories, and magical practices. What is this algorithm that shows me such interesting, bizarre, entertaining, unexpected things? What does it think I want? Why does it think I want this? How does this algorithm sometimes seem to know me so well, to know what I want to see? What is it watching me watch? (From the side of content creators, of course, there is also always the question: what kind of content do I need to produce in order to be recognized and distributed by the algorithm? How can I go viral and how can I maximize engagement? What kinds of things will the algorithm want to see? Why is the algorithm not seeing me?)

These seem to be questions involving an algorithmic gaze. That is to say: there is something or someone watching prior to the actual instance of watching, something or someone which is beyond empirical, human viewers, “watching” them watch. There is something watching me, whether or not I actually make an optical image of myself. I am looked at by the algorithm. There is a structuring gaze. But what is this gaze? How does it address us? Is this the gaze of a cinematic apparatus? Is it the gaze we know from filmtheory, a gaze of mastery with which we are supposed to identify, a gaze which hails or interpellates us, which masters us? Is it a Foucauldian, panoptic gaze, one that disciplines us? 

Any one of us who uses the major platforms is familiar with how the gaze of the system feels. It a gaze that looks back—looks at our looking—and inscribes our attention onto a balance sheet. It counts and accounts for our attention. This account appears to be a personalized account, a personalized perspective. People use the phrase “my TikTok algorithm,” referring to the personalized model which they have generated through use. Strictly speaking, of course, it’s not the algorithm that’s individualized or that individuates, but the model that is its product. The model that is generated by the algorithm as I use it and as it learns from my activity is my profile. The profile is “mine” because I am constantly “training” it with my attention as its input, and feel a sense of ownership since it’s associated with my account, but the profile is also “of me” and “for me” because it is constantly subjecting me to my picture, a picture of my history of attention. Incidentally, I think this is precisely something that Jacques Lacan, in his 1973 lecture on the gaze in Seminar XI, refers to as a “bipolar reflexive relation,” the ambiguity of the phrase “my image.” “As soon as I perceive, my representations belong to me.” But, at the same time, something looks back; something pictures me looking. “The picture, certainly, is in my eye. But I am in the picture.”

On TikTok, the picture often seems sort of wrong, malformed. Perhaps more often than not. Things drift around and get stuck in loops. The screen fills with garbage. As spectators, we are constantly being shown things we don’t want any more of, or things we would never admit we want, or things we hate (but cannot avoid watching: this is the pleasurable phenomenon of “cringe”). But we are compelled to watch them all. The apparatus seems to endlessly produce desire. Where does this desire come from? Is it from the addictive charge of the occasional good guess, the moment of brief recognition (the lucky find, the Surrealist trouvaille: “this is for me”)? Is it the promise that further training will yield better results? Is it possible that our desire is constituted and propelled in the failures of the machine, in moments of misrecognition and misidentification in the line of sight of a gaze that evidently cannot really see us? 

In the early 1970s, in the British journal Screen, scholars such as Laura Mulvey, Colin MacCabe, and Stephen Heath developed a film-theoretical concept of the gaze. This concept was used to explain how desire is determined, specified, and produced by visual media. In some ways, the theory echoes Lacan’s phenomenological interest in “the pre-existence to the seen of a given-to-be-seen” (Seminar XI, 74). The gaze is what the cinematic apparatus produces as part of its configuration of the given-to-be-seen. 

In Screen theory, as it came to be known, the screen becomes a mirror. On it, all representations seem to belong to me, the individual spectator. This is an illusion of mastery, an imaginary relation to real conditions of existence in the terms of the Althusserian formula. It corresponds to the jubilant identification that occurs in a moment in Lacan’s famous 1949 paper “The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I Function as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience,” in which the motor-challenged infant, its body fragmented (en morceaux) in reality, discovers the illusion of its wholeness in the mirror. The subject is brought perfectly in line with this ideal-I, with this spectacle, such that what it sees is simply identical to its desire. There is convergence. To slightly oversimplify: for Screen theory, this moment in mirror stage is the essence of cinema and ideology, or cinema as ideology. 

Joan Copjec, in her essay “The Orthopsychic Subject,” notes that Screen theory considered a certain relationship of property to be one of its primary discoveries. The “screen as mirror”: the ideological-cinematic apparatus produces representations which are “accepted by the subject as its own.” This is what Lacan calls the “belong to me aspect so reminiscent of property.” “It is this aspect,” says Copjec, speaking for Screen theory, “that allows the subject to see in any representation not only a reflection of itself but a reflection of itself as master of all it surveys. The imaginary relation produces the subject as master of the image. . . . The subject is satisfied that it has been adequately reflected on the screen. The ‘reality effect’ and the ‘subject effect’ both name the same constructed impression: that the image makes the subject fully visible to itself” (21–22). 

According to Copjec, “the gaze always remains within film theory the sense of being that point at which sense and being coincide. The subject comes into being by identifying with the image’s signified. Sense founds the subject—that is the ultimate point of the film-theoretical and Foucauldian concepts of the gaze” (22).

But this is not Lacan’s gaze. The gaze that Lacan introduces in Seminar XI is something much less complete, much less satisfying. The gaze concept is not exhausted by the imaginary relation of identification described in Screen theory, where the subject simply appropriates the gaze, assumes the position created for it by the image “without the hint of failure,” as Copjec puts it. In its emphasis on the imaginary, Screen theory neglects the symbolic relation as well as the issue of the real.

In Seminar XI, Lacan explicates the gaze in the midst of a discussion on Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. Again, Lacan’s gaze is something that pre-exists the seeing subject and is encountered as pre-existing it: “we are beings who are looked at, in the spectacle of the world” (75). But—and this is the crucial difference in emphasis—it is impossible to look at ourselves from the position of this all-seeing spectacle. The gaze, as objet a in the field of the visible, is something that in fact cannot be appropriated or inhabited. It is nevertheless the object of the drive, a cause of desire. The gaze “may come to symbolize” the "central lack expressed in the phenomenon of castration” (77). Lacan even says, later in the seminar, that the gaze is “the most characteristic term for apprehending the proper function of the objet a” (270). As objet a, as the object-cause of desire, the gaze is said to be separable and separated off from the subject and has only ever existed as lack. The gaze is just all of those points from which I myself will never see, the views I will never possess or master. I may occasionally imagine that I have the object, that I occupy the gaze, but I am also constantly reminded of the fact that I don’t, by images that show me my partiality, my separation. This is the separation—between eye and gaze—that manifests as the drive in the scopic field. 

The gaze is a position that cannot be assumed. It indicates an impossible real. Beyond everything that is shown to the subject, beyond the series of images to which the subject is subjected, the question is asked: “What is being concealed from me? What in this graphic space does not show, does not stop not writing itself?” This missing point is the point of the gaze. “At the moment the gaze is discerned, the image, the entire visual field, takes on a terrifying alterity,” says Copjec. “It loses its ‘belong-to-me aspect’ and suddenly assumes the function of a screen” (35). We get the sense of being cut off from the gaze completely. We get the sense of a blind gaze, a gaze that “is not clear or penetrating, not filled with knowledge or recognition; it is clouded over and turned back on itself, absorbed in its own enjoyment” (36). As Copjec concludes: “the gaze does not see you” (36).

So the holes and stains in the model continuously produced by the TikTok algorithm—those moments in which what we are shown seems to indicate a misreading, a wrong guess—are those moments wherein the gaze can be discerned. The experience is this: I am watching a modeling process and engaging with the serial missed encounters or misrecognitions (meconnaissance—not only misrecognition but mistaken knowledge—mis-knowing) that the modeling process performs. The Lacanian point would simply be the following: the situation is not that the algorithm knows me too well or that it gives me the illusion of mastery that would be provided by such knowledge. The situation is that the algorithm may not know or recognize me at all, even though it seems to respond to my behavior in some limited way, and offers the promise of knowing or recognizing me. And this is perhaps the stain or tuche, the point at which we make contact with the real, where the network of signifiers, the automaton, or the symbolic order starts to break down. It is only available through the series, through the repeated presentation of likenesses.

As Friedrich Kittler memorably put it, “the discourse of the other is the discourse of the circuit.” It is not the discourse of cinema or television or literature. Computational recommender systems operating as series of moving image loops seem to correspond strangely closely to the Lacanian models, to the gaze that is responsive yet absent, perceptive yet blind, desired yet impossible, perhaps even to the analytic scene. Lacan and psychoanalysis constantly seemed to suggest that humans carry out the same operations as machines, that the psyche is a camera-like apparatus capable of complicated performance, and that the analyst might be replaced with an optical device. Might we substitute recommender media for either psyche or analyst? In any case, it’s clear that the imaginary register of identification does not provide a sufficient model for subjectivity as it is addressed by computational media. That model, as Kittler points out, is to be found in Lacan’s symbolic register: “the world of the machine.”

[republicsecurity]

Helmet Capabilities

The standard-issue helmet for the cadets in the Enforcer Academy is a multifunctional headgear designed to provide protection, communication, and situational awareness. The helmet is an integral component of the full-body armor system and offers the following capabilities:

Protection and Construction

Material: Constructed from a composite of high-strength polymers and lightweight alloys, the helmet offers excellent ballistic protection while remaining lightweight.

Ergonomics: The interior is padded with adjustable, high-density foam to ensure a secure and comfortable fit for extended wear.

Visor System

Retractable Visor: The helmet features a retractable, polycarbonate visor that can be deployed or retracted with a simple voice command or manual switch. The visor is impact-resistant and provides full facial protection.

Heads-Up Display (HUD): When the visor is deployed, it functions as a transparent display, overlaying critical information directly onto the user's field of vision. The HUD includes data such as ID overlays of other cadets, navigation aids, environmental readings, and communication messages.

Communication

Integrated Communications Suite: The helmet is equipped with a built-in communication system, allowing for helmet-to-helmet communication among cadets and instructors. This includes individual, group, and broadcast modes.

External Noise Control: The helmet can either fully block outside noise or allow selective sounds, such as authorized speech, to pass through. This feature ensures clear communication while maintaining situational awareness.

Sensory Input Management

Noise Dampening: Blocks out external noise when necessary, with adjustable settings to allow selective auditory input.

Visual Filters: Can dim, block or enhance visual input based on the cadet’s environment, reducing sensory overload.

AI Monitoring: The helmet’s integrated AI monitors conversations, filtering out unauthorized or harmful communications and providing real-time feedback.

Sensors and Monitoring

Environmental Sensors: The helmet includes sensors to monitor external conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air quality, providing real-time data to the wearer and the command center.

Biometric Monitoring: The helmet continuously monitors vital signs, including heart rate, respiration, and stress levels, transmitting this data to the central monitoring system.

Safety and Security

Neck Seal: The helmet features an airtight neck seal that integrates with the body armor, ensuring a complete protective barrier against hazardous environments.

Additional Features

Night Vision and Thermal Imaging: The helmet is equipped with night vision and thermal imaging capabilities, allowing for enhanced visibility in low-light or obscured conditions.

Custom Fit: The padding and internal structure can be adjusted to fit various head sizes and shapes, ensuring a custom fit for each cadet.

Usage and Maintenance

Battery Life: The helmet's power supply is integrated with the suit's main power system, providing continuous operation for up to five days without recharging.

Maintenance: Regular maintenance includes cleaning the visor, checking the seals, and ensuring the communication systems are functioning properly. Maintenance protocols are outlined in the standard operating procedure manual.

Remote Control and Safety Features

Instructor Control: Instructors can remotely control helmet functions, including visual and auditory inputs, to ensure cadet safety and compliance.

Emergency Lockdown: The helmet can immobilize the cadet’s head and control movements via the neural interface in critical situations.

Usage Parameters

Operational Duration: Designed for continuous use up to 7 days, with standard operational periods of 5 days.

Maintenance Cycle: Requires a maintenance check and recalibration after each operational cycle to ensure optimal performance.

[fantasticwerewolfzombie]

What Features Should You Look for in a WhatsApp API Chatbot Provider

In today’s digital landscape, businesses are leveraging WhatsApp API chatbots to enhance customer communication, automate responses, and improve engagement. However, choosing the right WhatsApp API chatbot provider can be challenging, given the wide array of features and services available. Here’s a comprehensive guide on what features you should look for when selecting a WhatsApp API chatbot provider.

1. Official WhatsApp Business API Access

Ensure that the chatbot provider is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) or works with a BSP. Official providers comply with WhatsApp’s policies, ensuring security, reliability, and seamless integration.

2. Easy Integration with Your Existing Systems

The chatbot should easily integrate with your existing CRM, ERP, e-commerce platforms, and customer support software. Look for providers offering APIs and webhooks that allow for seamless data exchange.

3. No-Code or Low-Code Bot Builder

A user-friendly chatbot builder with a drag-and-drop interface enables businesses to create and modify workflows without technical expertise. No-code or low-code platforms allow for quick deployment and easy modifications.

4. AI-Powered Chatbot and Natural Language Processing (NLP)

An intelligent chatbot with NLP capabilities can understand user queries, interpret intent, and provide accurate responses. AI-powered bots can also improve over time with machine learning, offering better user experiences.

5. Multi-Agent Support and Live Chat Handover

A robust chatbot solution should support multi-agent handling, allowing customer service representatives to take over conversations when needed. Look for seamless live chat handover options to ensure customers receive human assistance when necessary.

6. Automation and Workflow Capabilities

A good chatbot should enable automation of responses, order processing, appointment scheduling, and follow-ups. Advanced workflows can enhance efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, improving response time, and reducing manual intervention.

7. Multi-Language Support

If your business operates in multiple regions, a chatbot with multi-language support is essential. Ensure the chatbot can automatically detect and respond in the user’s preferred language to enhance customer experience.

8. Message Broadcasting and Notifications

Your provider should allow bulk messaging for promotional campaigns, order updates, reminders, and alerts while complying with WhatsApp’s policies. Look for features like personalized messaging and scheduled broadcasts.

9. Security and Compliance

Data privacy and compliance with regulations like GDPR are crucial. The provider should offer end-to-end encryption, secure cloud storage, and compliance with WhatsApp’s guidelines and regional data protection laws.

10. Analytics and Reporting

A chatbot provider should offer comprehensive analytics, including message open rates, response rates, customer satisfaction scores, and engagement trends. Insights from analytics can help optimize chatbot performance and improve customer interactions.

11. 24/7 Customer Support and Scalability

A reliable provider should offer 24/7 customer support to troubleshoot issues quickly. Additionally, the chatbot should be scalable, accommodating business growth and increasing message volumes without performance issues.

12. Pricing and Cost Transparency

Assess the cost structure to confirm it fits within your financial plan. Some providers charge per message, while others offer subscription-based pricing. Be sure to check for hidden costs related to setup, maintenance, and additional features.

13. Omnichannel Capabilities

While WhatsApp is a key platform, consider providers that offer omnichannel solutions, including Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SMS, and webchat. This ensures a seamless customer experience across multiple communication channels.

Conclusion

Choosing the right WhatsApp API chatbot provider requires careful evaluation of features such as official API access, integration capabilities, AI-powered responses, automation, security, analytics, and pricing. By selecting a provider that aligns with your business needs, you can enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, and drive better business outcomes.