iHeartRadio is making its stance loud and clear when it comes to AI’s use on its platform. According to Billboard, Tom Poleman, iHeartRadio’s chief programming officer and president, said in a letter that the company will not be using AI-generated personalities or “play AI music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human.” Additionally, its podcasts published will follow this new program, “Guaranteed Human,” as well. “…iHeart is one of the last truly human entertainment sources and our listeners come to us for companionship, connection, and authenticity — something AI can’t replicate,” Poleman said. The announcement comes at a time when AI artists are making waves in the music industry, including Solomon Ray, an AI-generated “Mississippi-made soul singer,” with an EP called “A Soulful Christmas,” Christian Today reports. Christopher “Topher” Townsend, a conservative Hip-Hop artist, is the human behind Solomon Ray. The AI artist he created has garnered more than 324,000...

AT&T has adjusted its policies around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). According to a Dec. 1 letter shared on X, the company had been examining recent executive orders, Supreme Court rulings, and direction from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This has informed AT&T’s decision to dismantle “DEI-related policies.” The company also stated plainly that it “does not and will not have any roles focused on DEI.” The letter further said AT&T will remove DEI training and career development as well as internal and external messaging to comply with the EEOC. “AT&T has always stood for merit-based opportunity, and we are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination today,” the letter mentioned. “Consistent with applicable law, our multi-pronged approach allows employees to thrive in an environment free from invidious discrimination.” AT&T’s announcement follows its November 2024 agreement to purchase wireless spectrum...

Kayla Rowe turned pain into a business empire that is helping countless women and raking in major revenue. Rowe is a University of South Florida alum with a degree in public health , which she obtained in 2015, according to information on her LinkedIn. Her mother also planted the seed for her interest in health as a certified nursing assistant, Ebony reports. However, the catalyst for Rowe becoming a founder came after experiencing a miscarriage when she was five months pregnant in 2021. “That was very hard for me,” she told Ebony. “After that happened, I became more aware of everything, what I was eating, putting on my body, [and] I just became more cognizant and aware of health.” Her Fantasy Box A year later, Rowe launched Her Fantasy Box, a plant-based feminine hygiene and wellness brand. With a focus on transparency, safety, and women’s wellness, Rowe shared that it was important for ingredients to be nontoxic and not include parabens, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals...

Fanbase continues to find new ways for its users to profit from their content. The Atlanta, GA-based company was founded by Isaac Hayes III in 2018. Through its social media platform, users are paid from day one for their content, including videos, photos, audio, and stories, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. Fanbase is now teaming up with pocstock, a global diversity content company that offers royalty-free diversity stock photos, videos, and illustrations of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous people, as well as people with disabilities. According to separate coverage from AFROTECH™ , pocstock secured $500,000 in seed funding in a 2023 round led by 9.58 Venture Partners, with a portion of the funding used to integrate AI to improve the customer experience and ensure photographers have access to “cutting-edge, diversity-imaging solutions.” “As with any frontier, especially technology, there will be a rush to get products out to the market,” pocstock CEO Steve Jones said in a...

Quitting isn’t an option for college student and founder Elijah Khasabo. The 22-year-old is currently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, studying marketing. His ambition is evident beyond his studies, as he is also a co-founder of Vidovo, a platform that makes it easy for brands to connect with and hire user-generated content (UGC) creators and influencers, according to its website. The platform also improves the content creator experience for its growing network, which will have access to hundreds of brands after onboarding. On LinkedIn, Khasabo shared that he had just $19.12 to his name when he launched Vidovo at age 19 from his bedroom just over two years ago . Vidovo has been bootstrapped, and it was built without any connections. Khasabo wanted to quit various times, but credits his mother for instilling his spirit of perseverance. “It didn’t matter that I had nothing. I had the drive, and honestly that was enough to start. It made sense on paper, brands were...

A vending machine has opened to feed families in The Bronx. According to a report from the New York State Department of Health in January 2024, among New York City boroughs, The Bronx had the highest percentage (39%) of people who were food insecure. Challenges may have only heightened after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were halted during the recent U.S. government shutdown, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Although benefits were restored, estimates from the Congressional Budget Office report that, as a result of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, 2.4 million people could lose SNAP benefits altogether between 2025 and 2034. The bill adjusted requirements for those receiving SNAP, and now individuals will have to work, volunteer, or participate in job training totaling at least 80 hours per month, CNN reports. If they don’t meet the requirement, they can only receive SNAP benefits for three months every three years. Change Food For Good, a New York...

Google has unveiled a new project that will reduce the environmental impact of AI on Earth. The tech company unveiled Project Suncatcher, which aims to launch data centers in space powered by solar energy, Business Insider reports. Google is exploring bringing the project to life through a web of solar-powered satellites, equipped with its Tensor Processing Unit AI chips, according to a press release. The project aims to “one day scale machine learning in space.” “Inspired by other Google moonshots like autonomous vehicles and quantum computing, we’ve begun work on the foundational work needed to one day make this future possible,” notes the press release. Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed that the company plans to launch the space data centers by 2027. “We’ll send tiny, tiny racks of machines, and have them in satellites, test them out, and then start scaling from there,” Pichai said, according to Business Insider. “At Google, we’re always proud of taking moonshots. One of our...

AI is already capable of replacing nearly 12% of the U.S. workforce, according to a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study. This was determined by the Iceberg Index, which is a “skills-centered measure of workforce exposure in the AI economy,” according to a research paper. The tool was created by MIT in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and it can reportedly predict how the U.S. workforce can be impacted by AI and related policy, according to CNBC. “Project Iceberg enables policymakers and business leaders to identify exposure hotspots, prioritize training and infrastructure investments, and test interventions before committing billions to implementation,” the report said, per CNBC. At this time, the index does not show when or where jobs will be lost. It was used to analyze 151 million workers, covering more than 32,000 skills across 923 occupations across the country, and assessed whether AI is already capable of taking over those skills,...

Timbaland is in favor of a new agreement that is set to benefit a wave of artists in the age of AI. Timbaland has been an advocate for AI, even as it ruffles the feathers of various artists, especially following Xania Monet’s foray into the industry. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Monet is an AI-powered artist who faced criticism from Kehlani, K. Michelle, and Victoria Monet. Monet, created by Mississippi poet and design studio owner Telisha Jones, is signed to a multi-million-dollar record deal and has also charted on Billboard. “You better check out xania monet who’s killing it good music,” Timbaland commented in a post shared on Instagram, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Timbaland’s endorsement shouldn’t come as a surprise. He became a strategic advisor for Suno, a music creation tool powered by AI, in October 2024, according to a press release. “When I heard what Suno was doing, I was immediately curious,” Timbaland said in the release. “After witnessing the potential, I...

Lyft is rolling out a slew of features that are especially timely for the holiday season and people on the go. The rideshare company revealed in a study that 71% of rideshare users surveyed find transportation to and from the airport more taxing than the flight. With the holiday season around the corner, concerns are expected to rise as transportation demand to the airport climbs 20% on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and rises 30% on the Sunday and Monday after the holiday, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. Even in the midst of this, the majority (86%) of riders surveyed preferred rideshare over driving to the airport themselves. Lyft says it is committed to making its riders’ travel experience easier. It is now allowing riders to schedule drop-offs and pick-ups up to 90 days to avoid the last-minute holiday bustle. It will also make more XXL rides available to accommodate a larger volume of luggage and presents. Lyft adds that it is committing to on-time pickups...

Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is dedicated to introducing the youth to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Abdul-Jabbar was the leading basketball scorer with 38,387 points until LeBron James broke his record in 2023, per NBC News. Now he is working to ensure youth in underserved communities can have a “shot that can’t be blocked” through the Skyhook Foundation, its website mentions . He launched the foundation in 2010 and has reached more than 15,400 youth, per the foundation’s website. Its flagship program is Camp Skyhook, a five-day experience brought to life through a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, UCLA, and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, to introduce fourth- and fifth-graders to a STEAM-based, immersive, and hands-on curriculum. The camp also emphasizes collaboration and includes activities such as hiking, swimming, skits, and campfires, notes its website. It takes place at Clear Creek Outdoor Education Center...

PwC, one of the Big Four accountancy firms, is actively seeking hundreds of engineers across its global network, but says it cannot find enough qualified candidates as the firm expands its AI- and technology-driven services, according to the BBC. “We are looking for hundreds and hundreds of engineers,” Mohamed Kande, PwC’s global chairman, told the outlet. “We just cannot find them.” The firm has shifted its hiring focus from entry-level graduates to specialized technology talent. Kande also stated that PwC’s strategy emphasizes helping clients adopt AI and transform operations and workforces to use these tools effectively. PwC has also made adjustments to its workforce in recent years. In 2021, the firm aimed to hire 100,000 people over five years, but Kande said AI has made reaching that target unlikely, according to the BBC. “When we made the plans to hire that many people, the world looked very, very different,” he said. “Now we have artificial intelligence,” he said, per the...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making a major bet on AI’s presence in Africa. The G20 leaders’ summit was held Saturday, Nov. 22, in Johannesburg, South Africa . It brought together 20 leaders to discuss various global challenges, according to Reuters. UAE Minister of State Saeed Bin Mubarak Al Hajeri was present, although the UAE is not a member of the group. However, he was invited by the summit’s host and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Minister Hajeri unveiled the “AI for development initiative.” It aims to introduce AI technology to areas such as education, healthcare, and climate adaptation across Africa, notes Reuters. What’s more, the initiative is backed by a $1 billion pledge to help countries build the infrastructure needed for AI. “We consider AI not just as a future industry but a cornerstone of humanity’s future,” Minister Hajeri said, according to Reuters. “Therefore, my country is actively accelerating innovation to enhance productivity and drive...

Miami-based founders Justin Elliott and Jahreem Samuels have scored an investment for their AI and blockchain-verified commerce platform. The pair’s journeys brought them together, and they became united in business through shared pain points in their respective industries. Elliott explored mechanical engineering while in high school, but in college, he shifted to marketing, maintaining an interest in web development, and eventually became the head of digital marketing and e-commerce for a jewelry company that launched several businesses. “I’ve always had my own businesses where I’ve had to learn how to build websites, learn how to do the marketing, learn about SEO, so I’ve always been on that side of things,” Elliott told AFROTECH™. “I’ve also been in music, so like engineering, technical side, and music has always been parallel in my life.” For 10 years, Elliott worked as a full-time DJ, touring globally, until the pandemic hit. At what felt like the height of his career, he no...

Darrick Johnson and his team have launched a new software to put actionable insights at the fingertips of sports agents and teams. Johnson is a South Central, LA, native who knew technology would always be in his playbook. His father worked at various tech companies, including IBM and Intel, so Johnson always maintained positive sentiments toward the sector. In college, his undergraduate studies centered on business administration, marketing, and management. He then had a short nine-month stint as a professional football player in Canada, but he always knew there was more in store for his career. “I got back home from Canada and was sitting on the couch waiting around for phone calls. Phone wasn’t ringing. I was like, ‘You know what? I got a degree.’ So I literally looked up technology sales jobs and found an inside sales job … So I was making 100 calls a day for almost 18 months before I actually landed my first tech job at Dell,” Johnson told AFROTECH™. One year into his time at...