Tag Archives: partners

Warner Music Partners with AI Song Generator Suno Following Lawsuit Settlement

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Warner Music has entered into a licensing deal with the AI song generator Suno, following the resolution of a copyright infringement lawsuit against the service from a year prior.

As the third-largest music label globally, representing artists like Coldplay, Charli XCX, and Ed Sheeran, Warner becomes the first major record label to officially collaborate with Suno.

Under the terms of the agreement, users can create AI-generated songs on Suno by using simple text prompts, which may include the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who have opted into the service.

Robert Kinkle, CEO of Warner Music Group, emphasized that this partnership demonstrates how artificial intelligence can develop into “professional artists” while showcasing “the values of music.”

“This innovative agreement with Suno is a win for the creative community that will benefit everyone involved,” he declared. “As Suno’s user base and monetization rapidly grow, we recognized this opportunity to create a revenue model and enhance fan experiences.”


As part of the agreement, Suno, often dubbed the ChatGPT of music, committed to modifying its platform to introduce a new, more strictly licensed model next year, including download limitations for users.

Suno announced that only paying members will be permitted to download its AI music creations, and even these members will be subject to extra fees for downloads, as well as a cap on the number of creations they can produce.

This initiative aims to tackle the proliferation of AI tracks generated on Suno, moving toward discontinuing the current version and avoiding an oversupply on streaming platforms.

This agreement comes shortly after Warner Music reached a settlement and partnership agreement with rival AI music generation platform Udio.

Previously, the world’s largest record label sued both Suno and Woodo for copyright violations, asserting their technologies misappropriated music and churned out millions of AI-generated songs without artist consent.

Universal Music, the leading label worldwide, was the first to announce settlements with these companies when they concluded an agreement with Audio last month. While Universal continues to pursue legal action against Suno, Sony Music has filed lawsuits against both Suno and Woody.

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In conjunction with the deal with Warner Music, Suno has also acquired live music and concert discovery platform Songkick for an undisclosed figure.

The UK government is currently consulting on a new intellectual property framework for AI, which was initially expected to enable AI firms to use the creative community’s work without approval for model training.

This issue has ignited significant backlash from creators, who advocate for an opt-in system that would enable companies to identify and license their work while ensuring creators receive compensation when their work is utilized.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall indicated last week her intention to “reset” the discussion, expressing support for artists’ appeals to prevent their work from being exploited by AI companies without remuneration.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Women Seek Greater Beauty Than Their Partners, While Men Aspire to Be More Engaging.

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What do you look for in a partner?

Mapodiel/Getty

Would you prefer a partner who is attractive but plain, or someone who is appealing, even if you consider yourself less attractive? Your response may vary based on your gender. A study involving over 1,200 heterosexual adults in the U.S. revealed significant differences in how men and women choose between possessing certain traits themselves or seeking them in a partner.

“Men are inclined to compromise their own attractiveness for the sake of a very appealing partner, while the reverse is true for women,” Bill von Hippel from the Australian consultancy Research with Impact explained.

Von Hippel and his research team questioned participants about their preferences regarding six traits: wealth, beauty, ambition, humor, intelligence, and kindness, asking them how much of a disparity they would tolerate between their own traits and those of a partner. “It’s as if only supermodels are acceptable for dating, regardless of one’s own attractiveness,” von Hippel remarked.

In contrast to earlier studies, this research required participants to articulate their preferences. It revealed that the most notable difference between men and women lay in physical looks, while they were aligned in wishing to date partners possessing similar levels of kindness.

Generally, women perceived themselves as more attractive and intelligent, favoring men who are wealthier, more intriguing, and more ambitious, while men mainly preferred dating women who outshined them in beauty and wealth.

For instance, women rated the importance of their own beauty as 7.01 on an 11-point scale, whereas men assigned a value of 4.77 to their own looks. Conversely, men valued being interesting at 7.08, while women rated this trait at 5.81. A score below 6 indicates a greater desire for that trait in a partner than in oneself.

While Von Hippel acknowledged variations among individual responses, he stressed that the overall results were compelling. “This has a significant impact,” he remarked.

Lisa Welling, a professor at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, commented that this approach of forced choices is an intriguing way to reveal underlying preferences, though such constructs may lack relevance in genuine relationships. There’s also the question of whether individuals are considering short-term versus long-term partners, which “often holds significance,” she noted.

Steve Stewart-Williams from the University of Nottingham in Malaysia pointed out that while the findings are generally unsurprising, having participants make definitive choices may have clarified their true feelings. Previous research might have underestimated the breadth of gender differences in mate preferences due to measurement techniques, he opined. For instance, past studies may not have adequately accounted for the notion that individuals might wish for traits in themselves because they believe it could enhance their appeal to potential partners.

Von Hippel suggested that these findings are understandable from an evolutionary standpoint. Women carry the substantial biological responsibility of child-rearing and thus need to ensure prospective partners are capable of providing for their offspring, while men are evolutionarily driven to select for health and fertility in women.

Stewart-Williams believes the study may reflect evolutionary patterns in contemporary human populations, but cautioned that the research was limited to self-reported data from heterosexual individuals in the U.S., and it remains uncertain whether these conclusions apply more broadly.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Good Parents and Devoted Partners Enjoy Longer Lives

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Recent studies suggest that our evolutionary predecessors may have prioritized gender over survival, potentially explaining why men tend to have shorter lifespans than women.

Historically and globally, men usually live shorter lives than women. To understand the reasons behind this evolutionary trend, researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany focused on insights from our animal relatives rather than solely examining human history.

Their study, published in Advances in Science, analyzed over 1,000 animal species to identify evolutionary traits associated with gender differences in lifespan.

The team discovered that while genetics plays a role, monogamy is also significant in influencing male lifespan. In contrast, parenting may contribute to women’s longer lives.

In humans, women live on average 5 years longer than men, but this trend is not unique to our species. In fact, 72% of mammals show that females live on average 12% longer than their male counterparts, with some female moose living more than twice as long as males.

However, this pattern doesn’t hold true across all animal species. In birds, males frequently outlive females.

A primary explanation lies in chromosomes, which are fundamental to gender differences. Female mammals possess two X chromosomes, whereas males have a shorter Y chromosome.

According to Dr. Johanna Staerk, the lead researcher, “Men’s single X chromosome means they are particularly susceptible to harmful mutations, as they lack a second copy for compensation,” she explained to BBC Science Focus.

“The ‘toxic Y’ hypothesis posits that the Y chromosome may harbor genetic factors that negatively influence health and aging.”

Conversely, in birds with ZW chromosomes, males have two Z chromosomes while females possess one Z and a truncated W chromosome. However, if chromosomes were the sole factor, males would live longer in all bird species.

“Some species demonstrate the opposite of what we expect,” Staerk noted. “In many birds of prey, for instance, females exhibit longer lifespans than males. This indicates that sex chromosomes alone cannot explain the patterns.”

What other factors are at play? Researchers believe that the issue involves more than mere genetic sex; it includes reproductive strategies. While birds typically show monogamous behavior, only a minority of mammals do.

“Males frequently bear the burden of mating endeavors,” Staerk said. “To attract mates, they develop traits like big horns and manes that require energy investments, increasing their risk of injury and reducing their lifespan.”

The effort to develop large horns and then engage with rivals means that male moose live only half as long as females – Credit: Getty Images

Attractive and robust males tend to father more offspring, but the biological resources required for developing larger muscle and horn structures negatively impact their lifespans. In monogamous species, the competition is less intense, allowing males to avoid such trade-offs during evolution, resulting in smaller lifespan gaps between sexes.

One intriguing finding highlighted how parenting influences lifespan. While one might assume that parental responsibilities detract from longevity due to energy exertion, the opposite was observed: caregiving genders often live longer, especially in species like primates, where offspring require extended care.

For example, a mother chimpanzee may care for her young for up to a decade. This implies that mothers who live longer are better positioned to nurture their offspring.

“Extended lifespans enable caregivers to obtain selective advantages by ensuring that their young reach maturity,” stated Staerk.

However, it remains challenging to determine definitively whether the longevity benefits stem from parenting alone or from monogamy.

Ultimately, being a dedicated partner and parent seems crucial to achieving a longer lifespan for men, particularly from an evolutionary standpoint.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

NIH Prohibits New Funding for US Scientists Collaborating with Overseas Partners

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The National Institutes of Health has implemented a policy that prevents American scientists from allocating their funds to international research collaborators, raising concerns about the implications for studies on critical issues like malaria and pediatric cancer.

On Thursday, the new NIH director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, made this announcement. Coincidentally, Deputy Director Dr. Matthew J. Memoli criticized these so-called sub-awards in an email shared with the New York Times.

Dr. Memoli stated, “If you can’t clearly justify why you’re doing something overseas, you can’t do it anywhere else and can’t benefit Americans.”

The impending restrictions will also extend to domestic sub-awards in the future, coinciding with executive orders aimed at reshaping the nation’s scientific priorities amidst declining NIH funding and stalled federal grants at numerous premier universities.

On Monday, President Trump enacted an executive order to restrict experiments that could enhance the risks posed by pathogens and limit support for so-called gain-of-function research in nations like China.

Researchers receiving NIH grants have frequently employed sub-awards to foster international collaboration, a crucial component for studying diseases such as childhood cancer, malaria, and tuberculosis, which is less prevalent in the U.S.

Sub-awards are legal and financial arrangements between grant recipients and their international counterparts. This practice is widespread across the federal government and not exclusive to the NIH.

However, there has been increased scrutiny in recent years due to lax reporting and tracking of funds. Following a critical report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2023, the NIH introduced more stringent oversight requirements.

Proponents of scientific and medical research argue that as science grows more complex, collaborative efforts that engage participants and researchers globally are becoming increasingly vital.

“Competitiveness in science necessitates a collaborative approach,” stated Dr. E. Anderskolb, CEO of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association. “No single lab, agency, or investigator possesses all the necessary tools to address the complex questions we’re facing.”

Many of these studies require a significant number of subjects. For instance, scientists can more precisely classify the types of pediatric cancers, leading Dr. Kolb to comment, “we’re entering a niche of diseases that are becoming progressively smaller.”

“Thus, if you’re aiming to conduct clinical trials for new treatments that could aid these children, attempting to only enroll U.S. children might prolong the trial duration by decades,” he added. “Collaborating with international partners allows us to expedite these trials and deliver treatments to our children much sooner.”

In unveiling the new directive, Dr. Bhattacharya referenced a GAO report criticizing the funding awarded to international universities, research institutes, and firms.

Dr. Bhattacharya added that the issues raised by the GAO “could undermine trust and safety for U.S. biomedical research entities.”

Tracking NIH expenditures for these international organizations is challenging. A notable obstacle pointed out by the GAO, as reported by journal Nature, estimated total funding to be about $500 million annually.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, is utilizing NIH funding for HIV prevention and treatment research in Kenya and South Africa.

Researchers like her are required to furnish detailed information when applying for international sub-awards, she explained.

Currently, international partners must access lab notebooks, data, and other documents at least once annually, as noted by Dr. Gandhi. All expenses must comply with Foreign Awards and Component Tracking Systems.

“It’s extremely stringent, similar to using taxpayer funds,” Dr. Gandhi remarked.

“Each year, when submitting your progress report, you must account for every dollar spent on international locations. You’ll detail where it was allocated, how much laboratory testing costs, and who the principal investigators are—every facet.”

It remains unclear how the new policy will be implemented. The NIH has not responded to requests for further information.

The NIH stated it will not retroactively reverse foreign sub-awards that are already in effect “at this time,” and will continue to grant funding to international organizations.

However, the new policy prohibits the reissuance of new, competitive awards if they include proposals for sub-awards to foreign institutions.

“If the project is unfeasible without foreign sub-awards, the NIH will collaborate with the recipient to negotiate the bilateral termination of the project,” stated the agency.

The new policy seems to be slightly less comprehensive than what Dr. Memoli outlined in his internal email.

“Sub-awards to foreign sites cannot proceed,” he wrote. “This has been mismanaged horrendously in recent years and is utterly irresponsible. We must act immediately. If there is a foreign site involved in our research, we need to either start closing it or devise another method to track it properly.”

GAO reports indicate that several federal departments are seeking improved surveillance following criticism regarding lax reporting. However, the office did not advocate for the complete termination of such funding.

The 2023 GAO Report reviewed $2 million in direct and sub-awards, the majority coming from the NIH, awarded to three Chinese research institutions, including the Wuhan Virology Institute, between 2014 and 2021.

The Virology Institute received a sub-award from the University of California, Irvine and the non-profit EcoHealth Alliance. Collaborating with the Alliance and Chinese scientists led former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to suspend funding last year. Recently, the Trump administration updated its government portal for COVID-19 information to suggest that a novel virus emerged from a lab in Wuhan.

According to a GAO report, NIH oversight has not consistently ensured that foreign agencies comply with requirements, including biosafety regulations.

Another GAO report indicated that one reason for the difficulty in tracking spending is a federal policy requiring the reporting of sub-awards of $30,000 or more.

The report examined approximately $48 million in NIH and State Department funding provided to Chinese companies and research institutions between 2017 and 2021.

“The full extent of these sub-awards remains unknown,” and the data retrieved were found to be incomplete and inaccurate, with numerous expenditures exempt from reporting.

Apoorva Mandavilli Reports of contributions.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Amazon.com partners with nuclear energy industry to address data center needs

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Amazon.com has recently signed three agreements to collaborate on the development of small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power technology. This cutting-edge technology aims to address the increasing demand for power, particularly from data centers. Amazon has solidified its position as a major player in the high-tech industry.

One of the agreements involves Amazon funding a feasibility study for an SMR project near its Northwest Energy site in Washington state. X-Energy will be responsible for developing the SMR, with financial specifics remaining undisclosed.

As per the agreement, Amazon will have the option to procure power from four modules. Energy Northwest, a group of state utilities, may also include up to 80 MW modules, resulting in a total capacity of up to 960 MW. This power will be able to supply over 770,000 US homes, with excess energy being allocated to Amazon and utility companies for residential and commercial usage.

Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, expressed, “Our agreement will expedite the advancement of new nuclear technologies that will provide energy for years to come.”

SMR leverages factory assembly of components to reduce construction expenses, a departure from the conventional on-site assembly of large nuclear reactors. While some critics argue that achieving economies of scale with SMR technology may be costly, it remains a promising development.

Nuclear power, known for its near-zero greenhouse gas emissions and creation of high-wage union jobs, garners bipartisan support in the US. Despite this, the country is yet to have a working SMR. NuScale was the lone US entity to secure an SMR design license from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently.

Furthermore, SMRs produce lasting radioactive waste, and the US lacks a definitive disposal site for such byproducts. Scott Burnell, a representative from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, stated that regulators still await detailed information about planned SMR implementations.

Source: www.theguardian.com

First Global Event Celebrates Sui with Over 1,000 Builders, Partners, Investors, and Enthusiasts

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Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, April 18, 2024, Chainwire

This annual event is the culmination of Sui's extraordinary debut

Last week, more than 1,000 projects, partners, investors and enthusiasts from 65 countries gathered in Paris for the celebration. Sui Proudly at Layer 1's 1st Global Sui Basecamp Conference.

At its first annual event held during Paris Blockchain Week, Sui was welcomed by developers and builders from around the world during the two-day event. Speakers at Sui She Basecamp spanned all aspects of the industry, from payments to gaming, e-commerce to Major League Sports, and provided commentary through keynotes, panel discussions, and fireside chats.

The event was punctuated by three important announcements. In partnership with Playtron, the Sui team announced: SuiPlay0x1 is the world's first lightweight handheld gaming device designed with native Web3 functionality, promising a new gaming experience. Additionally, First Digital Labs joins the announcement that FDUSD, the fastest growing stablecoin in cryptocurrencies, will become Sui's first native dollar-backed stablecoin, adding that it is already the fastest growing stablecoin in the industry. This will be a boon for the DeFi ecosystem. Finally, Sui announced Enoki, his Web3 utility suite that makes it very easy for businesses to leverage distributed solutions within their applications, products, and services.

Sui Basecamp participants from 65 countries had the opportunity to meet each other in person.

“In building Sui, we started with a blank canvas. We aimed to create a great platform for decentralized applications without the structural limitations found in other blockchains.” said Evan Cheng, co-founder and CEO of Mysten Labs, founder of Sui Network. . “Less than a year after we launched Sui's mainnet, the remarkable strength of Sui's performance has validated that approach, from near-unlimited horizontal scalability to industry-leading execution speed; Achieving the highest number of transactions in a single day of any blockchain to date, Sui's performance has been exceptional and the network has only scratched the surface.”

The industry veterans who founded Sai launched their mainnet nearly a year ago with high expectations, and the network has performed extremely well. Rather than replicating an existing network, the Sui team started from scratch to build an entirely new infrastructure layer that addresses the shortcomings of existing blockchains. They started by creating a new smart contract language, Move, and then created a new object-centric architecture that enables performance and functionality not available on existing blockchains. The result is the industry's only blockchain, a universal coordination layer for intelligent assets.

Sai is the industry leader in delivering ultra-fast transactions with recorded finality times of just 400ms. Similarly, Sui's scalability is also at the highest level, reaching 297,000 TPS in a controlled environment. However, the Sui team is constantly improving its technology. At the conference, members of the Sui team announced the next advancements in speed and scalability: Mysticeti, which significantly reduces the time to finalization of Sui, and Pilotfish, which enables nearly unlimited horizontal scaling for validators. .

And beyond its performance in test environments, Sui has broken records for transactions performed in a single day in just four months, higher than any existing blockchain while fees remain low and stable. Achieved. Remarkably, in almost his year on mainnet, Sui has not experienced a single minute of her downtime.

Gradually, after a series of community events around the world, Sui's early notable milestones, sustained ecosystem growth, and builders bypassed other blockchains to leverage the Sui network. A flurry of media articles highlighting the multiple stories of builders, developers, investors, and the broader community began to understand. The potential of Sui's groundbreaking blockchain technology. The crowd that gathered at Sui Basecamp 2024 represented the culmination of Sui's arrival.

“The overwhelming turnout and vibrant enthusiasm of our inaugural Sui Basecamp event reflects the Sui community, which is fascinated by Sui’s potential to improve people’s lives.” Sui Foundation Money said Greg Ciolounis, Managing Director. “Over the coming months, the Sui Foundation will benefit from the ecosystem of projects leveraging Sui and their applications to make Sui one of the most widely adopted blockchains to solve real-world challenges.” With state-of-the-art technology and web3's most dedicated and professional community behind it, Sui's progress to date will continue to grow this network. It gives you a glimpse of what you can accomplish.”

For more information about the event, please visit sui blog.

contact

Sui Foundation
media@sui.io

Source: www.the-blockchain.com

Climactic launches inaugural fund as partners shift focus to upcoming surge in climate technology M&A activity

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A few years Earlier, when the pandemic was still in full swing, Raj Kapoor and Josh Felser started investing in climate change technology startups.they called their operation climax, and initially placed bets using their own money. Although we are both experienced founders, managers, and investors, this is our first time focusing on this specific sector and we started by testing the waters.

The company announced today that it has closed a $65 million founding fund and used it to support founders launching a climate technology software company.

Mr. Kapur and Mr. Felser both have long histories as investors, with Mr. Felser co-founding Freestyle Capital and Mr. Kapur spending seven years as a managing director at Mayfield Funds. They also founded and sold their own software startup.

It’s a little surprising that it took this long for the two to work together. Their resumes are strikingly similar. Felser said that in 1997 he founded Spinner (sold to AOL) and in 2004 he founded Crackle (sold to Sony). He also launched the #Climate nonprofit in 2014 and created a public-private coronavirus task force during the pandemic. Mr. Kapur previously served as chief strategy officer at Lyft, and before that he founded Snapfish (acquired by HP) and FitMob (acquired by ClassPass). He also launched a nonprofit climate social app in 2007.

Those experiences, combined with a growing concern about the state of the Earth’s climate, led the two to form Climactic.

“If we can get the top 50 supply chains to meet their net-zero goals, rather than just pay lip service, we’ll have the biggest impact,” Kapur told TechCrunch+. “To get there, we think the low-hanging fruit is software, because there are a lot of efficiencies to be gained.”

Source: techcrunch.com