Our kids are being targeted by AI chatbots on a massive scale, and most parents have no idea that this is happening. When you are young and impressionable, having someone tell you exactly what you want to hear can be highly appealing. AI chatbots have become extremely sophisticated, and millions of America’s teens are developing very …

Continuing its descent into total madness and depravity despite efforts by the Trump administration, Harvard has officially hired a drag queen named “LaWhore Vagistan” to teach “queer ethnography” and “RuPaulitics.” Critics expressed outrage over the tax-funded institution’s debauchery. The far-left university publicly announced that Kareem Khubchandani, also an associate professor at Tufts University, would be …

As everyone knows, many took to the streets in various American cities this last Saturday to protest President Trump and his policies. The theme was “No Kings,” as if Donald J. Trump were the king of America. Far from it. As Speaker of the House Mike Johnson noted, “If President Trump was a king, the government …

This is actually a good way of approaching the world

Martina McBride has been very vocal about her thoughts surrounding AI and deepfakes in music and other creative spaces. As we’ve seen online, there are many AI headlines surrounding our favorite country stars like Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Eric Church, and more. And while those headlines share inaccurate information about tours or appearances, they do scratch the surface of how AI can be harmful to an artist. These headlines also don’t even begin to scratch the surface of voice and image manipulation that can be genuinely detrimental to an artist’s name and image. In May, McBride went to Capitol Hill to speak out in support of the NO FAKES Act. She delivered a very compelling and strong argument that there needs to be legislation to protect artists in the AI age. @apnewsCountry singer Martina McBride testified before the Senate committee this week about the No Fakes Act. This is a bipartisan legislative proposal aimed at protecting individuals from unauthorized AI-generated replicas of their voice and likeness. ♬ original sound – The Associated Press If passed, the act would create a federal protection against unauthorized deepfakes of one’s name, image, likeness, or voice for the first time. Given that deepfakes have been an enormous topic of conversation in the creative space, the NO FAKES Act is widely championed by the music and film industries and other creative groups. Before McBride’s testimony, Billboard reported that 393 artists had signed the NO FAKES Act, including Randy Travis, Cardi B, the Dave Matthews Band, and more. Of course, we have seen artists like Randy Travis use AI for good, bringing his voice back to our speakers with new music, and that is a perfect example of how AI can be used for good. However, at this time, it feels like AI is causing more problems than successes. Recently, McBride spoke in support of the NO FAKES ACT at the CNBC AI Summit in Nashville. During her testimony, she spoke about how deepfakes are a threat to artists and their fans. During McBride’s opening statements, she again said she’s spent much of her career building a fanbase among those who support similar causes, and addressed how many fans connect with artists in this way. “The thought that my legacy, what I stand for, everything that I stand for as an artist and as a human being, could be manipulated to be the opposite… could be belittling domestic violence, or the possibilities are endless. And then that becomes, at some point, you can’t really discern between what I say and what somebody manipulates for me to say. You know, I always think, like, in 100 years, will we be able to tell which is which? So that’s one thing that’s really troubling to me.” McBride then points out that deepfakes can be extremely dangerous to a young artist’s career, and that a deepfake created to project beliefs or statements that do not reflect that artist’s personal mission statement can lead them to become a victim of cancel culture and possibly end their career. “And when you think about young artists, new artists that are just starting out, you know, if like I said, that’s so important what you stand for and what you will sing about, and what you will say and what you will do and what you won’t do, that’s how your fans find you. They find what you stand for. And so young artists sometimes I feel like it’s really hard for them because they are establishing that, you know, and if something comes along and derails that from the very beginning, their career could be over before it even begins.”  It is scary to think that we live in a time where someone could create a meme or pull a prank using these deepfakes and AI tools, which could tank everything that you have going for you. McBride brought up the recent issue many artists are facing: people scamming them using AI. Brooks & Dunn recently issued a statement addressing this issue, and McBride has personal experience with someone trying to scam a fan using her name and likeness. AI can be used for good, but it can also be very damaging, and we do need legislation to protect creators and more from this. We’ve opened Pandora’s box with AI, and now the question is: can it be controlled once it’s so easily accessible? Check out the conversation while you’re here: The post “Career Could Be Over Before It Even Begins” – Martina McBride On How AI & Deepfakes Can Damage A Young Artist’s Career first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled this morning that it is a violation of the state’s Human Rights Act to exclude biological males, pretending to be females, from girl sports. The ruling found . . .

U.S. forces struck the eighth alleged drug vessel in international waters off the western coast of South America on Tuesday night according to a statement shared by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. It was the first such strike in the Pacific, as opposed to the Caribbean. Writing on X Wednesday, Hegseth said the Department of Defense conducted the strike at President Donald Trump’s direction. The strike, which likely occurred off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, killed “two narco-terrorists” according to Hegseth who confirmed that no U.S. forces were harmed during the operation.  “The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route, and carrying narcotics,” said Hegseth.  The Pentagon has yet to confirm the identities of the two alleged drug traffickers killed in Tuesday’s strike. At least 32 people have previously been killed in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela during the last eight weeks as the Trump administration ramps up its attacks on boats they claim are being used to traffic narcotics to the U.S. “Officially, our position is we’re there to stop narco-terrorists,” a senior administration official told Axios following the recent strikes. “We’re going to blow up their boats. And we’re going to be patient about it. No one is in any rush.” The post Eighth Alleged Drug Boat Shot Down, the First in Pacific Ocean appeared first on The American Conservative.

The design for train tracks hasn’t changed much over the last 200 years, and jagged stones are essential to its success.

The Catholic controversy over a Billy Joel song only made it more popular. Click to read the full fact. The post WTF Fun Fact 12745 – Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young” appeared first on WTF Fun Facts.