Facebook is launching podcasts and live audio streams in the U.S. on Monday to keep users engaged on its platform and to compete with emerging rivals.
Facebook says it is allowing public figures with verified accounts to start live audio rooms and invite anyone else to speak. A handful of podcasts will be available to people in the U.S. at first and the company plans to add more down the line.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has appeared on the video streaming app Clubhouse in the past, hosted his own live audio room on his Facebook page last week.
“Live Audio Rooms and podcasts rolling out in the US is just the beginning of our audio journey," wrote Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, in a blog post Monday. “Looking ahead, we are working with creators who will use our audio tools to further develop and launch Soundbites — short-form, creative audio clips."
But podcasts and live audio have also been an outlet for racism, misinformation and extremist material. Live audio is particularly difficult to moderate, compared with traditional social media posts.
Facebook, which announced its audio plans to push into audio streams in April, says its rules apply to live audio and podcasts and anyone can report offending material.
“In addition, our broader integrity and safety work and the tools we have built for proactively and automatically identifying harmful content are great building blocks, but we plan to adapt tech and processes as we learn more," the company said in a prepared statement.
The company says that it may also retain live audio after it is no longer live to enforce its policies, which will be done both by human moderators and machine learning.
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have discussed Taiwan, artificial intelligence and security issues in a call meant to demonstrate a return to regular leader-to-leader dialogue between the two powers.
April is Earth month, and while the green revolution might feel far away, the founder of climate VC Siam Capital says it’s on it’s way, and, even better: it won't cost you more.
From snow in April to heatwaves in December, it’s hard to plan a trip in a climate change world. Startup Sensible Weather thinks weather-based travel reimbursements are the solution.
Between corporate debt and the widening gap between ‘the haves and the have nots,’ there are reasons to be cautious about the economy, even with interest rate cuts on their way.
If the A.I. hype hasn’t given you enough of a reason to be excited (and a little terrified), the CEO of Zapata AI says the next frontier is designing bridges or creating pharmaceutical drugs.
Stocks are near record highs, inflation is moderating, and analyst Deiya Pernas is 'optimistic' the U.S. is heading for a soft landing without a recession – which is good news for your wallet.
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin loved pulling pranks, so much so they began rolling outlandish ideas every April Fools' Day not long after starting their company more than a quarter century ago.
