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Meta, which owns and operates Facebook and Instagramas well as Threads, Messenger, and WhatsApphas tapped Alexandr Wang, the CEO and founder of the startup Scale AI, to head up its new artificial intelligence research lab, according to The New York Times. It is also in talks to invest over $10 billion in the company, Bloomberg reported. The lab will be dedicated to pursuing AI superintelligencean AI system that would reportedly surpass human intelligenceand is part of Meta’s larger reorganization of its AI efforts as it faces internal struggles over the technology and some of its products, per The Times. Meta is just one of many tech companies to throw its hat into the competitive, high-stakesand expensiveAI development space. Back in January of this year, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the social technology company plans to invest between $60 billion and $65 billion in capital expenditures this year alone to build out its AI infrastructure. (Meta is also building a large data center that would reportedly “cover a significant part of Manhattan to power its AI offerings, according to Zuckerberg.) What does Scale AI do? Scale AI delivers high-quality training data for AI applications to a number of tech companies in the AI space, including: Open AI, Google, Microsoft, and of course, Meta. The company expects revenue to more than double to $2 billion this year, from about $870 million in 2024, per CNBC. Scale AI is already working with governments in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, and recently signed a deal with Qatar in February that will include developing AI voice, chat, and email agents for contact centers, Business Insider reported. Scale AI also signed a contract with the U.S. Defense Department to enable the military to use AI for “operational decision-making.” While its financials are confidential, Scale AI is reportedly planning a potential tender offer for employees and early investors at a valuation of $25 billion, Business Insider reported. Who is Alexandr Wang, the young billionaire behind Scale AI? Wang founded Scale AI in 2016 in San Francisco at age 19, out of Y Combinator‘s startup incubator, after dropping out of MIT. In 2022, at age 25, Wang became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire after Scale AI raised $325 million in funding, putting the company at a valuation of $7.3 billion; by 2024, Scale AI was valued at $13.8 billion, the Observer reported. Wang owns 15% of Scale AI, making his net worth over $2 billion.
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E-Commerce
Here’s a dream job for chronically online coffee lovers: Starbucks is hiring two full-time content creators for a 12-month gig posting content at Starbucks locations around the world. The role, aptly titled “global coffee creator,” involves traveling to between 10 and 15 Starbucks locations, from Milan to Costa Rica, and capturing the local culture, community, and atmosphere surrounding each Starbucks location, according to the job description. Of the two successful applicants, one will be a current Starbucks employee and the other will be an external hire. Both creators will receive a full-time salary, rooming accommodations through Marriott Bonvoy, and travel covered by Delta Air Lines for the duration of the year. Responsibilities include highlighting specialty drinks, documenting and sharing customer and barista stories, pitching ideas for Starbuckss social channels, and collaborating with the global marketing team. To apply, internal and external candidates must create a TikTok video explaining why, as a coffee-obsessed, chronically online world traveler, they are the right person for the job. Applications are open through June 13. Fast Company has previously reported on employee-as-influencer-style content, more commonly referred to as employee-generated content (EGC). More workers are lifting the curtain on their day-to-day working lives, with or without their employers’ permission. This latest role is part of a broader shift toward brands putting content creators on payroll. For both brands and creators, its a mutually beneficial move. By bringing a creator in-house, brands get more than content and reach. They get a direct line to someone who understands platforms, audiences, and trends, and how a brand can naturally integrate itself into those spaces, says influencer marketing consultant Lindsey Gamble. In-house creators can contribute to everything, not just one-off campaigns. They help fill in gaps that internal teams might have, especially when those teams come from more traditional or corporate backgrounds. Starbucks isn’t the only brand embracing in-house ambassadors. Ulta Beauty recently launched an ambassador program called “Ulta Beauties,” compensating employees who were already posting content about their jobs. Instead of relying on traditional influencers, these brands are turning to existing employees who already have the context and connection to represent the brand authentically. For creators, these opportunities offer stability that influencer life often lacks. Not every creator wants to be a full-time influencer, and not everyone can monetize consistently through brand deals or their products, Gamble adds. These roles give creators a way to keep creating while having the security and structure of a traditional job. Getting to travel the world and drink Starbucks? Thats just a perk of the job.
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E-Commerce
Video game voice actors and motion capture artists could be headed back to work soon. SAG-AFTRA and major video game companies have announced a tentative contract agreement, 11 months after union members began a work stoppage. Artificial intelligence was at the heart of the dispute. “Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary AI guardrails that defend performers livelihoods in the AI age, alongside other important gains,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator for the union, in a statement. Terms of the agreement were not immediately released. SAG-AFTRA said it would offer details with ratification materials to members. While a tentative deal is in place, members will continue to strike the major video game companies until the final terms are agreed upon, the union said. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher seemed to stop short of declaring victory. “The needle has been moved forward, and we are much better off than before,” she said. But later, Drescher added that planning would begin for the next negotiation immediately. “Every contract is a work in progress.” Voice and performance artists have been on strike since July 2024 against Activision Productions, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, WB Games, Take 2 Productions, Blindlight, and Epic Games. The strike followed 18 months of negotiations. Generative AI was at the heart of the dispute, as the union maintained there were no contractual provisions that prevented game companies from training AI to reproduce an actor’s voice or likeness without informed consent. (Game publishers countered that their AI proposal contained strong protections for performers, requiring prior consent and fair pay when duplicating their performances.) The union worked out side deals with over 130 game developers early in the strike, which let work continue on many titles. Industry analysts say the settlement is a good development for the industry, noting that many games are increasing the use of live actors in development (such as Norman Reedus taking a lead role in Death Stranding and the growing number of celebrities who appear in the Fortnite series). “I think these artists are essential and were relatively unappreciated until executive producers saw how much worse AI solutions were,” says Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities. “There is a tendency for Hollywood to get this, and for video game developers to assume they can replace anyone with software. But its clear from the settlement that the game publishers agreed that these actors are essential.” The strike over AI protections was the second SAG-AFTRA work stoppage the video game industry has faced in the past decade. In 2016-2017, voice actors and publishers battled over the issue of residual payments. That strike lasted for 340 days, resulting in a three-year contract, though many voice actors complained the agreement was toothless and the union had ceded too much ground. The agreement called for “bonus pay” based on the number of sessions a performer worked on each game, but it did not follow the traditional residual model. The tentative agreement over AI demands comes just over a month after video game companies gave their “best and last” offer to SAG-AFTRA. The two parties began negotiating on a new agreement in October 2022.
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E-Commerce
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