In other tech news, Techstars is cutting 17% of its staff and ending its $80 million J.P. Morgan-backed AdvancingCities program. Google is set to unveil new hardware, including the Pixel 9 and a new foldable, at the Made by Google 2024 event. Kenneth Stanley, co-founder of the social media platform Maven, is stepping down just three months after its public launch. The U.K.’s internet regulator Ofcom has raised concerns about social media platforms being used to incite violence.
Key takeaways:
- Amazon Music has launched a new AI-powered feature called “Topics” that allows users to explore podcast episodes by specific topics discussed in the episode.
- The feature is powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and human labor, with AI analyzing podcast transcripts and descriptions to identify key topics.
- The feature is available for all Amazon Music users in the U.S. on iOS and Android devices, and will roll out across top podcasts on Amazon Music.
- Amazon Music is also adding another AI-powered feature called Maestro, an AI playlist generator that creates playlists based on user prompts.