Mia Sato

Features Writer, The Verge

Mia SatoJan 5, 2024

Curated playlists aren’t what they used to be.

Playlists like Spotify’s RapCaviar were once a path to a hit song, and the curators in charge of them were key influencers in the music industry. That era appears to be on its way out.

Streams originating from top playlists are down anywhere from 30 to 60 percent as Spotify pushes listeners towards algorithm-powered personalized recommendations. Some playlists previously created by humans have been replaced with algorithmic versions, like Indie Pop and Housewerk.

Spotify's Editorial Playlists Are Losing Influence Amid AI Expansion

[Bloomberg]

Mia SatoJan 3, 2024

Can a robot sell stuff better than a human?

According to the FT, influencers are worried about AI-generated characters taking their jobs, as a new cadre of synthetic content creators are unleashed on to consumers.

A recent post by one of these AI influencers shows the cracks in the argument that brands can just swap out a human for a digital avatar. Much of the audience is just thirsty men. And then there are heart emojis from dozens of other AI characters — robots talking to each other.

AI Is Coming for the Influencers

[Intelligencer]

Mia SatoDec 19, 2023

The AI porn bots are hallucinating.

Sex workers are experimenting with bots that mimic their look and sound, available to chat with fans 24/7. But the robot copycats are still... working out some kinks, let’s say:

[The chatbot] said, falsely, that Dee had moved several years ago to Costa Rica and lives with two “incredibly sweet and supportive” roommates. When a reporter reminded it that Dee just had a wedding, SophieAI responded: “My husband and I aren’t married per se, but we live together happ,” ending the sentence mid-word.

Creators, porn stars turn to AI doppelgangers to keep fans entertained

[The Washington Post]

Mia SatoDec 15, 2023

How much does Hank Green make from his shortform content?

Green walks through the intricacies between TikTok, Reels, and Shorts — along with his earnings from each. The gist is Shorts > TikTok > Reels in terms of CPM, but watch the full clip for more context.

Creators are in a weird spot right now: TikTok wants videos longer than a minute, and Shorts only allows clips up to 60 seconds. And even when you’re making money, it’s hard to understand the exact breakdown.

Temu sues Shein, alleging ‘Mafia-style’ intimidation of manufacturers

Mia SatoDec 14, 2023

Mia SatoDec 13, 2023

TikTok removed 136 million videos in Q3 for policy violations.

That’s according to the company’s quarterly report, published today. The 136 million figure is just under 1 percent of all videos published between July and September. Removals last quarter spiked — in the months preceding, TikTok removed around 106 million clips.

A chart showing that 136 million videos were removed in Q3 on TikTok, the highest since 2020. In the previous quarter, 106 million videos were removed.

Image: TikTok

Mia SatoDec 12, 2023

YouTube is making it harder to tell if a creator is getting ad revenue.

Wired reports that YouTube recently removed a bit of public code that flagged whether a channel was monetizing through ad revenue. The change happened a few weeks ago, according to developers tracking it:

[Developers] say the code on YouTube channels disappeared as early as November 17—the day after WIRED asked YouTube about the flag when fact-checking a story about YouTube excluding creators in the Palestinian territories from its revenue-sharing arrangement.

YouTube Is Now Hiding Which Channels Get a Cut of Ad Revenue

[WIRED]