US politicians call for AI legislation after Taylor Swift deepfakes, Polestar cuts 450 jobs

US politicians have called for new laws to criminalise the creation of deepfake images, after explicit faked photos of Taylor Swift were viewed millions of times online. The images were posted on social media sites, including X and Telegram. US Representative Joe Morelle called the spread of the pictures “appalling”. In a statement, X said it was “actively removing” the images and taking “appropriate actions” against the accounts involved in spreading them. It added: “We’re closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed.” BBC

In January 2024, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos had one thing in common – they both wanted MrBeast. Since December, Musk had been begging the 25-year-old YouTuber to post a video on X. Bezos, on the other hand, went old school – last week Amazon Prime Video reportedly offered the North Carolina creator $100 million to create a TV show. If this sounds like an impressive achievement for Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast’s real name, it’s not even close. According to Forbes, the university drop-out earned $82 million in 2023. Telegraph 

Electric car maker Polestar plans to cut around 450 jobs globally as it grapples with “challenging market conditions”. The Swedish company said the job cuts, amounting to about 15pc of its workforce, would be accompanied by a doubling down on cost cutting in an effort to boost margins. Polestar has, like other pure EV automakers, struggled to turn profitable. It trimmed delivery forecasts and outlined a revised business plan, aiming for its cash flow to break even in 2025 and to reduce its reliance on external funding from key owners Volvo Cars and Geely.

In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO and even more famously known for his takeover of Twitter, publicly acknowledged the prowess of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. Speaking during Tesla’s recent earnings call, Musk went on to describe them to be the “most competitive car companies in the world. These comments come at a time when Chinese automakers are aggressively expanding into global markets. Interesting Engineering

Earlier today, Honor finally launched the Magic V2 in Europe, almost five months after its initial announcement. Don’t miss our unboxing. If you’re familiar with Honor’s product roster, then surely you know about the Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design. During the launch event for the ‘vanilla’ Magic V2 in Europe, Honor thankfully confirmed that the RSR edition is also on its way to Europe.

Unfortunately, the company hasn’t revealed any more details about how much it will cost or exactly when we should expect it. Hopefully it won’t take five months again. The Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design comes in Porsche Agate Grey and the smartphone’s body incorporates Porsche’s signature “Flyline.” GSM Arena 

The estate of George Carlin is suing the media company behind a fake, hour-long comedy special whose creators boasted of using artificial intelligence to re-create the late standup comic’s style and material. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday asks that a judge order the podcast outlet Dudesy to immediately take down the audio special, George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead, in which a synthesis of Carlin delivers commentary on current events. The Guardian