Once, body cameras were attached only to cops, part of an effort to produce more evidence, de-escalate tense situations, and reduce force and abuse. The jury is still out on how effective they are, but the technology is spreading fast, and not just within policing. Increasingly, other sectors have adopted the cameras, and nowadays you might spot bus drivers, paramedics, sanitation workers, and even hospital and retail employees sporting the cameras. The idea is mostly twofold: to enforce acco
Without AI, there wouldn’t be much to say about Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra.
While it’s a very nice Android phone overall, it’s not vastly different from last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra. I could point to the new titanium frame, the flat display that feels a bit roomier than the old Ultra’s curved glass, or the requisite annual upticks in display brightness and processing power. Still the overall impression isn’t so different from the S23
Access to telehealth abortion care can determine whether a person can obtain an abortion in the United States. For young people and those living on low incomes, telehealth makes a critical difference in getting timely abortion care.
These are the key findings from our recent studies published in the American Journal of Public Health and the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
We surveyed 1,600 people across the country who accessed telehealth abortion in 2
Universal Music Group is ready to pull its catalog of songs and artists—the industry’s most expansive—from TikTok, unless the two companies can hash out a new contract that addresses Universal’s concerns about artist royalties, the deepfakes flooding the platform, and problems curbing hate speech and harassment on the app.
Late on Tuesday, Universal went public with a letter (titled “Why we must call time out on TikTok”) that accused the soc
Once considered the hottest startup in Silicon Valley, 23andMe’s fall from grace has been swift and brutal. The genetic testing company, which was valued at $6 billion just a few years ago, is now facing both a possible delisting from Nasdaq and dozens class action lawsuits.
It’s all part of the continuing fallout of the hacking of the company last year. The company has since admitted it failed to detect the data breach for more than five months, giving the bad actors
Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly LinkedIn newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. If a friend or colleague shared this newsletter with you, you can sign up to receive it every week here.
AI deepfake tech is advancing faster than legal frameworks to control it
Over the past two weeks the world got a preview of the kind of damage AI deepfakes are capable of inflicting. Some New Hampshi
The tech industry has had a rough start to the new year. As the first month of 2024 comes to a close, it goes out in much the same way as it came in: with more tech layoffs. According to tech layoff tracker Layoffs.fyi, January 2024 has seen a total of 28,970 jobs lost across 104 companies. In the past two days alone, job cuts at several high-profile tech companies were revealed. They include:
- PayPal: On Tuesday, PayPal CEO Alex Chriss sent a letter to employee
Romain Godin prides himself on being able to fix a wide variety of consumer devices. But recently, what was once a basic repair job for his Portland, Oregon-based business Hyperion Computerworks—replacing a cracked iPhone screen—has become needlessly complicated.
In the past, Godin would have replaced the broken screen on the spot with a working screen harvested from a dead phone, saving the customer from having to buy a brand new screen from Apple. But if Godin perfor
Greetings from Fast Company and welcome once again to Plugged In, our weekly tech newsletter. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or you’re reading it on FastCompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Wednesday morning. I’m always eager to hear from you: Email me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com.
First, four Fast Company tech stories you may not have seen yet:
For Roblox fans, this year’s Super Bowl is coming to Bikini Bottom.
Thanks to a collaboration between the NFL and game developer Gamefam, a number of the company’s popular Roblox games, including the newly released SpongeBob Simulator, will be featuring special Super Bowl material from early February through Super Bowl Sunday.
SpongeBob Simulator players will be able to help prepare Bikini Bottom—SpongeBob’s hometown—for the big game, fan