7 NEWSFEED Updates & Upgrades
ETFLIX GIVES BACK BAD ROBOT Microsoft recently came under criticism after its artificial
intelligence software depicted a news story about racism with a photo of the wrong mixed-race member of music band Little Mix. This comes a week after Microsoft revealed intentions to fire the human editors who run MSN.com and replace them with Microsoft’s AI code. An early roll-out of this code resulted in a story about singer Jade Thirlwall’s comments on racism being depicted alongside images of her fellow band member, Leigh- Anne Pinnock. Thirlwall tweeted: “@MSN If you’re going to copy and paste articles from other accurate media outlets, you might want to make sure you’re using an image of the correct mixed race member of the group.” She then tweeted: “This s*** happens to @leighannepinnock and I ALL THE TIME that it’s become a running joke. It offends me that you couldn’t differentiate the two women of colour out of four members of a group… DO BETTER!” Before this incident occurred, Microsoft had made announcements about firing hundreds of journalists and replacing them with the AI software, despite the difficult economy for journalists at the moment due to the pandemic. A Microsoft spokesperson stated: “As soon as we became aware of this issue, we immediately took action to resolve it and have replaced the incorrect image.” As remaining staff at MSN are unable to prevent the robot editor from selecting stories from external news sites, they have been told to stay alert and delete any inaccuracies. However, even if they were to delete any incorrect articles, the software may overrule it and attempt to publish it again.
Netflix has announced that customers who haven’t use their accounts in over a year will be asked if they want to continue their subscription. If they don’t respond, Netflix will cancel it. Announced on the Netflix corporate blog by Eddy Wu, who oversees product innovation at the company, the move further underlines the differences between the platform and pay TV – with the latter being infamous for locking customers into ongoing fees. “You know that sinking feeling when you realise you signed up for something but haven’t used it in ages? At Netflix, the last thing we want is people paying for something they’re not using,” stated Wu in the blog. According to Netflix, this decision will only apply to 0.5% of its users and if you decide to return within ten months,
you can return with all your settings and viewing history intact. “Members will start seeing these emails or in-app notifications this week. If they don’t confirm that they want to keep subscribing, we’ll automatically cancel their subscription. If anyone changes their mind later, it’s really easy to restart Netflix,” continued Wu. The change comes at a time where the platform classes itself as a business that has thrived during the coronavirus outbreak. According to reports from the BBC, 16 million people create accounts with the platform in the first three months of the year. This is almost double the new sign-ups it saw in the last few months of 2019. The firm also reportedly hired an additional 2000 customer support staff to deal with the increased interest and popularity on the platform.
VIRTUALISING CONNECTECH ASIA
Informa Markets has announced that ConnecTechAsia – Asia’s leading infocomm media and technology event, organised in partnership with Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) – will be held on a virtual platform from 29 September to 1 October. This comes as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic, which has seen the cancellation or virtualisation of many of the industry’s key events, such as the NAB Show and IBC. Once the three-day online event is over, ConnecTechAsia will go fully online and become a 24/7, 365- day interactive marketplace. Event director for tech, media and entertainment events at Informa Markets, Ivan Ferrari, stated: “We must adapt swiftly to serve our community in all possible circumstances, all year round. The permanent addition of a 365-day virtual platform to ConnectTechAsia’s offering will enable a seamless, powerful, continuous engagement within our industry and unlock additional, measurable value for audiences in the
community we serve. I am convinced that this significant investment in virtual will bring about a fresh experience that they will appreciate and gain from.” Conference delegates can expect to engage at live keynote, Q&A and breakout sessions, while the virtual exhibition floor will enable companies to showcase their vertical-specific products to registered attendees. Howie Lau, who is assistant chief executive at IMDA and co-chair of the ConnectTechAsia Advisory Committee, praised the decision to organise a virtual trade show. “In these extraordinary times, ConnecTechAsia as a virtual platform can bring the industry together, allowing companies to seek new opportunities and explore ways to navigate this new normal. We are heartened that Informa continues to invest in Singapore’s tech ecosystem. IMDA looks forward to even stronger partnerships in future.” ConnecTechAsia will resume its live event next year, from 9 to 11 June 2021 at the Singapore EXPO and MAX Atria.
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