An influencer’s AI clone will be your girlfriend for $1 a minute

Launched this week, CarynAI is a chat bot leveraging GPT-4 API technology to replicate Caryn Marjorie's voice, mannerisms, and personality.

By Taylor LorenzMay 13, 2023

Heather Armstrong, who made it okay to say motherhood was hard, dead at 47

Armstrong detailed her struggles with postpartum depression, her conflicted emotions about motherhood, her battles with alcoholism, and her relationship and eventual divorce.

By Taylor LorenzMay 10, 2023

What to know about Bluesky, as Dril and AOC join the new Twitter alternative

The Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky app could be Twitter’s doppleganger and has drawn some of Twitter’s bigger names.

By Kelsey Ables and Heather KellyApril 28, 2023

Welcome to the age of automated dating

Using dating apps can be a slog. But there are AI programs that will ease the travail. Just be warned that they are not perfect.

By Taylor LorenzApril 23, 2023

Twitter users #BlockTheBlue as ‘verified’ accounts take on new meaning

Some netizens have blocked accounts after Twitter removed the symbol from legacy accounts.

By Kelsey AblesApril 22, 2023

Snapchat isn’t known for minting internet stars. It’s trying to change that.

Snapchat has been faced with a declining stock price and slow user growth.

By Taylor Lorenz and Chris VelazcoApril 19, 2023

‘Claudia’ offers nude photos for pay. Experts say she’s an AI fake.

New technology has for years been pioneered through porn. AI-image creation hasn't broken from that pattern.

By Drew HarwellApril 11, 2023

There are almost no legal protections for the internet’s child stars

A growing movement is pushing for Congress to pass laws to protect child influencers similar to those that cover child actors.

By Taylor LorenzApril 10, 2023

Lemon8 is a Chinese-owned app. Can it survive the hype cycle?

The app is owned by TikTok's parent company ByteDance, but many content creators seem fatigued by the prospect of yet another platform to post on.

By Taylor LorenzApril 1, 2023

How a fake Nashville manifesto fueled anti-trans rage online

The fake highlights how trolls and liars can use computer tools to muddle the truth about mass shootings.

By Drew HarwellMarch 31, 2023

How a tiny company with few rules is making fake images go mainstream

Midjourney, the year-old firm behind recent fake visuals of Trump and the pope, illustrates the lack of oversight accompanying spectacular strides in AI.

By Isaac Stanley-Becker and Drew HarwellMarch 30, 2023

William Wulf, computer pioneer who opened way for internet, dies at 83

Dr. Wulf envisioned a digital network open to all. He found an ally in Al Gore.

By Brian MurphyMarch 28, 2023

Biden stuck between China hawks, young voters as TikTok pressure mounts

The administration faces national security concerns over the app’s ownership — and a possible backlash over a ban.

By Jeff Stein, Cristiano Lima and Taylor LorenzMarch 28, 2023

Hollywood, music industry brace for a TikTok ban

Since the last time the U.S. government considered banning TikTok, the app has evolved from a social platform supporting content creators to an entertainment powerhouse.

By Taylor LorenzMarch 25, 2023

This dissident uses Chinese-owned TikTok to criticize China’s government

Kim Wong’s TikTok videos highlight the complicated reality of the push to ban one of the United States’ most popular apps.

By Drew Harwell and Meaghan TobinMarch 23, 2023

The internet rediscovered Blockbuster’s website. Press play on nostalgia.

Many people online were excited to learn the video-rental franchise’s website is live, remembering the weekend-night "institution."

By Kelly Kasulis ChoMarch 23, 2023

TikTok CEO’s mission: Fend off a ban. It may be a ‘death wish.’

The app’s chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, helped invest in the Chinese engineers who founded its parent company. Now, he’s a lonely defender of one of Washington’s most pummeled punching bags.

By Drew HarwellMarch 22, 2023

Tourism agency apologizes after sexualizing Canadian city’s name

Experience Regina, a Canadian tourism organization, apologized after city residents complained it used insensitive slogans.

By Kyle MelnickMarch 21, 2023

A 10-year-old wrote a score. Musicians around the world are performing it.

Ten-year-old Olive Wallace’s score went viral on TikTok, prompting musicians across the world to perform her medieval-style composition.

By Kyle MelnickMarch 3, 2023

Instagram users are being served gory videos of killing and torture

The videos have become a way for meme pages to up their engagement, helping them raise their income from advertising.

By Taylor LorenzFebruary 26, 2023