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AI is gobbling up journalism for many of the same reasons humans do: to develop a concrete understanding of the world; to think critically; to differentiate between what is true and whats not; to become a better writer; and to distill history and context into something accessible. But what happens to AI when our journalistic institutions crumble? Upon what foundation of truth will it answer everyones questions? Write their emails? Do their jobs? Because while the alarm bells have been ringing for journalism for decades, the so-called end of search feels like the potential death knell. What does that mean for AI, and for us as we try to make sense of an increasingly confusing world? In our rush to integrate generative AI into every corner of our lives, weve ignored a fundamental truth: AI cannot function without a baseline of verified facts. And, at the moment, that baseline is built and maintained by so-called traditional journalism (the kind with fact checkers and editors). As AI threatens to upend search, media monetization, and news consumption behaviors, its also undercutting the very industry that feeds it the facts it depends on. A society cannot function without objective journalism, and neither can AI. Loss of accuracy Recent Apple research says that, It doesn’t take much to cause generative AI to fall into ‘complete accuracy collapse. It goes on to show that generative AI models lack strong logical reasoning, unable to function beyond their complexity threshold. I immediately thought of a recent piece from The New Yorker, in which Andrew Marantz weaves together various examples of autocracy, set against thousands of years of history, to (attempt to) make sense of what is happening in America right now. I imagined AI trying to do the same, essentially short-circuiting before being able to form the salient points that make the piece so impactful. When asked to think too hard, the AI breaks. An even more damning report from the BBC reports that AI cant accurately summarize the news. It asked ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity to sum up 100 news stories and asked expert journalists to rate each answer. As well as containing factual inaccuracies, the chatbots struggled to differentiate between opinion and fact, editorialised, and often failed to include essential context, says the report. Almost one-fifth of the summaries included false facts and quote distortions19%! Theres more, of course. This study from MIT Sloan shows that AI tools have a history of fabricating citations and reinforcing gender and racial bias, while this Fast Company article argues that AI-driven journalisms good enough standards are accepted because of the revenue these tools create. And that, of course, is the less human reason AI is gobbling up journalism: the money. None of that money is going back into funding the journalistic institutions that power this whole experiment. What happens to our society when the core pillar of a true and free press collapses under the weight of the thing that has sloppily consumed it? Our AI lords must place real value on fact-checked reportingright nowto ensure its continued existence. Josh Rosenberg is CEO and cofounder of Day One Agency.
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E-Commerce
Life360 has named Lauren Antonoff as its new CEO to succeed cofounder Chris Hulls. The move, which has been in the works since Antonoff joined the company in 2023 as chief operating officer, was announced Monday along with second-quarter earnings results for the San Francisco-based developer of popular family safety apps. The company reported today another quarter of record subscribers, now totaling approximately 88 million monthly active users, up from nearly 71 million one year ago. As the company explores further growth opportunities ahead, including expanding its reach in international markets and adding new offerings, Hulls will stay on as executive chair of the Life360 board and continue working very closely with Antonoff. We both have a vision for it becoming a much bigger company, Antonoff tells Fast Company in an exclusive interview. We see ourselves as the family super app, making everyday family life better. Opportunity for growth The company is more-than halfway toward reaching one of its long-term strategic goals of 150 million monthly active users, though its not as far along in achieving annual revenue that exceeds $1 billion. In addition to adding new subscribers, and particularly in markets outside the U.S., Life360 wants to serve those customers in new ways, such as expanding its focus on aging parents, Antonoff says. Our opportunity is really unlimited, she adds. We are still very early in our journey, and we have a ton of value to create. Founded in 2008, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Life360 offers both a free and paid service that allows users to track the locations of their family and friends in real time via a smartphone app. It acquired Tile Bluetooth trackers in 2021 and users can now keep tabs on the locations of pets and other valuables, while it has built upon an advertising program last year that includes targeted ads based on the real-world behavior of users. The company has been making good progress toward these long-term goals, Antonoff says, and stock market investors seem to agree. Since its initial public offering in June 2024, Life360 shares (Nasdaq: LIF) have nearly tripled in value. What’s for dinner? Antonoff came to Life360 after rising the ranks at GoDaddy to president of the U.S. small business segment and a nearly 20-year career at Microsoft. One commonality between her days at Microsoft and Life360, she says, is that the people who are paying for the products may have differing priorities than the users. At Microsoft, that was the IT department, at Life360, thats overwhelmingly moms. The only way for Life360 to be successful for families is if teenagers also get something out of the experience, Antonoff says. And one testament, she says, is that many children opt to return to the app after turning 18 because they also like to know where their parents are. You have to make a product everybody feels good about using, otherwise you dont get the adoption, she says. Even though shes not a big worrier, Antonoff has found more use cases for the apps than she ever would have imaginedit makes something as simple as picking someone up much easier. Knowing where your people are makes life better in 1,000 ways you didnt expect, Antonoff says. Often, Im just checking when my husband is bringing home dinner. Family focus Antonoff has been key to the companys expansionincluding adding tracking pets and things, along with the launch of its ads platform. Looking ahead to some of the goals for her first year in this new role, she says one thing users can expect is a richer app experience. Following last years integration with Uber, she says Life360 will look for additional integration opportunitiesall in an effort to better serve the needs of everyday family life. More tech companies are vying to provide location services to its users. Instagram recently debuted a location-sharing Map feature that has raised privacy concerns and prompted many users to turn it off. Meanwhile, Apple has for years offered a free location app. And yet, people still opt for Life360 because it provides the answers people want, faster, and more reliable and family-oriented. Despite more competition, users still opt for Life360s services, even as other companies explore location-based services. Theyre not investing in family the way that we are, Antonoff says.
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E-Commerce
Over a century ago, Henry Fords assembly line helped mass produce the Model T, setting a new standard for how to manufacture vehicles. Now, at its Louisville Assembly Plant, the Ford Motor Company will soon scrap that typical assembly line for a new manufacturing system. Doing so, the automaker says, will allow it to more efficiently build more affordable electric vehiclesstarting with a $30,000 mid-sized electric truck to launch in 2027.The new system, called the Ford Universal EV Platform, came out of a skunkworks team in California that the automaker established back in 2022. Its part of an effort to make Ford more competitive with Chinese EV companies like BYD, which have dominated the global EV space with affordable vehicles. Ford CEO Jim Farley has himself been a fan of Chinese EVs after driving one for months.A new Ford assembly line A typical assembly line follows one straight path. As the path progresses, workers add pieces so that a vehicle is constructed from beginning to end. The Ford Universal EV Platform turns that singular assembly line into a tree system with three branches. Workers will build the vehicle’s front, rear, and structural battery all on separate lines that run in parallel. (The structural battery includes the seats, consoles, and carpeting.) Then, the three branches will come together at the end, where workers will build out the vehicles interior. This system means assembly will be 40% faster than current products on the assembly line. It also reduces strain on workers, with less twisting, turning, bending, and reaching, Without the vehicle traveling down a single assembly line, Ford says workers now wont need to install a seat through a door opening, sit in a vehicle to install parts, or reach as much over a fender during the assembly process. The Universal EV Platform also requires fewer manufacturing parts. With this assembly method, parts are reduced 20% compared to a typical vehicle, including 25% fewer fasteners. There will also be 40% fewer workstations in the plant. For the electrical system, Ford has removed 4,000 feet of wiring, making it 22 pounds lighter and simpler to install. [Animation: Ford]The quest to build affordable EVsThe first vehicle to be built on Fords new Universal EV Platform will be a midsize electric truck with a targeted starting price of $30,000. That vehicle will be built at the Louisville Assembly Plant and will launch in 2027. Ford did not give full details on the vehicle, including EV range or battery charge time. The automaker did say it will be as quick as a Mustang EcoBoost, with more interior space than a Rav 4. It will have room for five seats, as well as a truck bed, frunk, and exportable power. It will offer, for the first time, fast charging. It will have amazing range. It can power your house for six days, Farley said at a live announcement on Monday from the Louisville plant. You don’t need a generator, you just buy this truck. This midsized electric truck is just the first type of vehicle that can be built on the new EV platform. This new manufacturing system will allow Ford to make a family of affordable electric vehicles with multiple body styles, the company says, that will be available both for U.S. and export markets. The prismatic lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries will also be assembled in Americanot imported from China, the company notesat Fords BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall, Michigan. American EV manufacturingFord is investing nearly $2 billion in the Louisville Assembly Plant to implement this new system; it will begin reconfiguring the plant for the new assembly line later this year. That plant will secure 2,200 hourly jobs. Currently, the Louisville Assembly Plant employs 2,800 hourly workers, meaning there will be 600 fewer jobs with this new assembly line. Some of those workers who may be ready to retire will take a buyout offer, and others may transfer to nearby Ford plants. The automaker says there are no plans for layoffs. But there is room to grow, the company adds, as the platform scales up in Louisville. The $2 billion to transform the Louisville plant is part of a $5 billion effort from Ford to overhaul its EV production. That includes $3 billion committed to the BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan, which will secure 1,700 jobs to assemble LFP batteries. Fords new Universal EV Platform is a bet the company is making, Farley says, on the future of EV production and on American manufacturing. There are no guarantees with this project,” he adds. There is risk. Farley called out competitors, saying Ford could have moved this project to South Korea or Japan for cheaper labor costs and access to lower cost suppliers. “But that’s not the way we do things at Ford,” he said.With the American automotive industry at a crossroads and Chinese EV competition getting only more intense, Ford needed a radical new approach. Farley calls this new EV platform a Model T Moment for Ford. Our goal was to put up affordable, unbelievably great product within reach of millions of Americans, built in the U.S. by U.S. workers, and not be imported, Farley says. Why hasnt anyone done that? Because its really, really hard. Shares of Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) rose in early trading on Monday following the announcement, but were largely flat by midday. The stock is up more than 15% year to date.
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E-Commerce
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