June 17, 2025

Own, a new social media app, aims to tokenize the creator economy

Own is the latest alternative to TikTok to emerge in the market, featuring blockchain technology and a token economy.

AI copyright anxiety will hold back creativity

June 17, 2025
Last fall, while attending a board meeting in Amsterdam, I had a few free hours and made an impromptu visit to the Van Gogh Museum. I often steal time for visits like this—a perk of global business travel for which I am grateful. Wandering the galleries, I found myself before The Courtesan (after Eisen), painted…

What does it mean for an algorithm to be “fair”?

June 17, 2025
Back in February, I flew to Amsterdam to report on a high-stakes experiment the city had recently conducted: a pilot program for what it called Smart Check, which was its attempt to create an effective, fair, and unbiased predictive algorithm to try to detect welfare fraud. But the city fell short of its lofty goals—and,…

When AIs bargain, a less advanced agent could cost you

June 17, 2025
The race to build ever larger AI models is slowing down. The industry’s focus is shifting toward agents—systems that can act autonomously, make decisions, and negotiate on users’ behalf. These AI agents are already being deployed in customer service and programming—and, increasingly, in e-commerce and personal finance. But what would happen if both a customer…

Google to scale up AI-powered fraud detection and security operations in India

June 17, 2025
Google has unveiled its Safety Charter in India, which will expand its AI-led developments for fraud detection and combating scams across the country, the company’s largest market outside the United States. Digital fraud in India is rising. Fraud related to the Indian government’s instant payment system UPI grew 85% year-over-year to nearly 11 billion Indian […]

Spotify’s Daniel Ek just bet bigger on Helsing, Europe’s defense tech darling

June 17, 2025
Spotify’s Daniel Ek just led a €600 million investment in Helsing, a four-year-old, Munich-based defense tech company that is now valued at €12 billion, according to the Financial Times. The deal makes it one of Europe’s most valuable privately held companies; it also highlights Europe’s scramble to build its own military muscle as the world grows messier and the U.S. turns inward.