*By Alisha Haridasani*
Twitter's Kay Madati isn’t intimidated by Instagram’s new video product, IGTV.
“I'm not sure whether I look at it as us-against-them,” Twitter’s vice president and global head of content partnerships said in an interview with Cheddar’s Alyssa Julya Smith on Friday.
“It’s clear that we have creatives on our platform who work across our platform and other platforms as well. I see it less as a competitive offering. IGTV has its lane, Twitter has its lane.”
Twitter differentiates itself by focusing on live news events, said Madati. Last week, the company unveiled a redesign that would highlight that content at the top of timelines and even notify users about new content in a bid to establish itself as a go-to platform for major events.
“I fully believe that when things happen in the world, they happen first on Twitter,” said Madati.
Twitter forged new and renewed current partnerships with more than a dozen media institutions in April, including NBC News, CNBC, and Vice News to further bolster content offerings on its platform.
The social media company is also a week into its partnership with Fox Sports to provide exclusive coverage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a sporting event that has historically boosted Twitter’s metrics. The last tournament in 2014, for example, contributed $24 million to Twitter's revenue.
The last World Cup also set a record for the company In terms of engagement, said Madati.
“The Brazil-Germany semifinal game is still the largest moment of conversation, the biggest event ever on Twitter.”
“We are expecting the same kind of fandom and fervor and energy” at this World Cup, said Madati.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/twitter-does-it-live).
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Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
The Islamic State group and other militant organizations are experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool to boost recruitment and refine their operations. National security experts say that just as businesses, governments and individuals have embraced AI, extremist groups also will look to harness the power of AI. That means aiming to improve their cyberattacks, breaking into sensitive networks and creating deepfakes that spread confusion and fear. Leaders in Washington have responded with calls to investigate how militant groups are using AI and seek ways to encourage tech companies to share more about how their products are being potentially misused.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
Waymo's self-driving taxis have been in the spotlight for both negative and positive reasons. This week, the automated ride-hailing taxis went viral after a San Francisco woman gave birth inside a Waymo taxi while on her way to the hospital. A Waymo spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the unusual delivery. It said the company's rider support team detected unusual activity inside the vehicle and alerted 911. The taxi arrived safely at the hospital before emergency services. Waymo's popularity is growing despite heightened scrutiny following an illegal U-turn and the death of a San Francisco cat. The company, owned by Alphabet, says it is proud to serve riders of all ages.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
