Voice-replicating technology has improved an impressive amount in the last few years, thanks to new speech generative models.With various products, people are able to generate relatively convincing audio copies of people's voices with surprisingly little input. Voice Engine from OpenAI, for example, claims to use "text input and a single 15-second audio sample to generate natural-sounding speech that closely resembles the original speaker."The results are pretty good, if occasionally straying into the uncanny valley.         But with cool new technology comes people hoping to exploit it for nefarious purposes. The USA, for instance, has already seen one scam involving a robocaller impersonating President Joe Biden, urging Democrats in New Hampshire not to vote in the Presidential primaries. Not all are so ambitious as attempting to affect who is in the White House. Others have had scam phone calls supposedly from loved ones, in attempts to get some good old-fashioned money.It's a problem, but cybersecurity researchers are working on a solution in the form of watermarking audio. Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – has created a product called AudioSeal, which they call "the first audio watermarking technique designed specifically for localized detection of AI-generated speech".At the moment, detecting synthesized audio generally relies upon training algorithms to distinguish it from normal speech. In a different approach, the team looked at ways that AI-generated speech could be "watermarked" with imperceptible noise."Watermarking emerges as a strong alternative. It embeds a signal in the generated audio, imperceptible to the ear but robustly detectable by specific algorithms," the team behind the technique explains in a paper posted to pre-print server arXiv (meaning it's yet to be peer-reviewed). "It is based on a generator/detector architecture that can generate and extract watermarks at the audio sample level. This removes the dependency on slow brute force algorithms, traditionally used to encode and decode audio watermarks."The team told MIT Technology Review that the system is effective at picking up on the watermarks, correctly identifying watermarks with between 90 and 100 percent accuracy. However, detection via this method would require voice-generating technology companies to place watermarks within their audio files, something which isn't necessarily going to happen any time soon."Watermarking in general can have a set of potential misuses such as government surveillance of dissidents or corporate identification of whistle blowers," the team adds in the paper. "Additionally, the watermarking technology might be misused to enforce copyright on user-generated content, and its ability to detect AI-generated audio could increase skepticism about digital communication authenticity, potentially undermining trust in digital media and AI. "However, despite these risks, ensuring the detectability of AI-generated content is important, along with advocating for robust security measures and legal frameworks to govern the technology’s use."The paper is posted on the pre-print server arXiv, while AudioSeal itself is available on GitHub.

An executive from the Walt Disney Company alleged that the historic brand thoroughly engages in race-based hiring practices but uses coded language to avoid liability.During a series of undercover videos made by investigative journalist James O'Keefe's O'Keefe Media Group, a Disney senior vice president named Michael Giordano appeared to detail a series of questionable hiring practices and beliefs ingrained at the company.Speaking to an undercover reporter, Giordano claimed that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives go right to the top, including through CEO Bob Iger."Do you think Bob has a say in the diversity stuff when they’re casting people?" the journalist asked."100%. He gives the directive ... 'Hey, I want every show to have substantial diversity,'" the executive said.'I think there's certainly a belief that it's just good for society.'Iger had said in April 2024 that the company does not infuse any messaging into its content. He noted that the company is trying to reach a "diverse audience" and said certain viewers can sometimes be "turned off by certain things." He added that Disney has to be more sensitive to the interests of a broad audience.It is perhaps the latter that was coded terminology signaling the DEI beliefs at the company.Giordano said in the undercover videos that diversity is sometimes "so front and center. ... We have so many shows where we're casting and we're like 'yeah, we're not even gonna see certain people for it.'"The journalist then asked if Disney tends to "only look for diverse candidates for certain roles.""At times, yeah," Giordano replied. "I think there's certainly a belief that it's just good for society, but there's also a belief that 'We're gonna make more money if we appeal to a wider variety of people and it's a good thing.' We have shareholders too and diversity helps with that.'"'They're very careful about messaging because they don't want to get sued for discrimination in either direction.'As an example of the company's alleged obsession with skin color and employee appearance, Giordano provided an anecdote where he claimed that an executive was passed on for a role because, while the person was half black, the candidate didn't appear black enough to make a difference."We wanted to hire somebody in a department from a few years ago now, who was half black but didn't appear half black. And there was a creative executive who was like, 'That's not what's wanted.' They wanted somebody in meetings who would appear a certain way and he wasn't gonna bring that to the meeting."Giordano then claimed the company had attitudes toward people who are mixed-race."If you're mixed, you don't look black at all — which sometimes happens — then they're like 'Oh I'm not so sure.' But if they're mixed and you can tell they're part black but not that black, then okay. It's crazy," he claimed.The executive went on to state that the company is very careful with wording as to avoid litigation for discriminatory practices. "They're very careful about messaging because they don't want to get sued for discrimination in either direction, but certainly there have been times where, there's no way we’re hiring a white male for this."He added that the company would be very careful how this messaging was relayed to agents, giving the example that they might tell representatives they are not looking for the "usual suspects."Giordano said that he was about a half-step below being the head of his department, and while he has his own team at the Walt Disney Company, he doesn't oversee the entire department.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Cam Newton may be a rich and famous NFL player, but that’s not stopping him from blaming racism on why he’s not as successful as some of his friends. “I’m always going to tell Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Greg Olson, Troy Aikman, Matt Ryan, to go get the bag,” Cam Newton said, asking, “How in the world are they the only ones that’s getting access to these types of contracts?” “Somebody told me, they said, 'Well, you don’t get these contracts because you’re not polished yet,'” he continued. “What type of media training did Tony Romo have before he just popped up commentating the game?” “Tom Brady, same thing,” Newton added. “How can we get other minorities to skip the line, too?” Newton often wears his dreads sticking through whatever hat he’s wearing like an out of control plant — so, Jason Whitlock isn’t surprised he’s not getting the same contracts as the others. “Cam Newton has a tree sticking out of the top of his head, and he’s wondering why he can’t get a broadcasting job,” Whitlock says, adding, “and he’s taking pot shots at Tony Romo, and you know Tony Romo.” Romo was an NFL quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, and Troy Aikman who was also mentioned in Newton’s rant, won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys himself. And Tom Brady is a story all his own. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A jury in the nation's predominantly Democratic capital convicted former Trump adviser and "War Room" host Stephen K. Bannon in 2022 on a misdemeanor contempt of Congress charge for failing to comply with a subpoena from the partisan House Jan. 6 committee. Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered Bannon to report to jail by July 1. Bannon told reporters outside the courthouse that "all of this is about one thing. This is about shutting down the MAGA movement, shutting down grassroots conservatives, shutting down President Trump." He also made abundantly clear that Attorney General Merrick Garland and the rest of the Biden Department of Justice were "not going to shut up Trump. They're not going to shut up Navarro. They're not going to shut up Bannon. And they're certainly not going to shut up MAGA!" Bannon's attorneys filed an emergency motion to keep him out of prison as he continued to appeal the conviction on the ground that he "reasonably believed — based on the advice of counsel — that he did not have to respond [to the subpoena]" and that for a contempt conviction, it must be demonstrated he willfully acted in bad faith. 'Bannon should not go to prison before the Supreme Court considers his forthcoming petition for certiorari.' The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the motion Thursday in a 2-1 vote, noting that Bannon's "ground for requesting release does not warrant a departure from the general rule that a defendant 'shall ... be detained' following conviction and imposition of a sentence of imprisonment." The two judges in the majority were Cornelia Pillard, a progressive jurist nominated by former Democratic President Barack Obama in 2013, and Bradley Garcia, nominated to the court by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022. Trump-nominated Judge Justin Walker, who voted against denying the emergency motion, indicated in his dissenting opinion that the main line of argumentation in Bannon's appeal might succeed before the Supreme Court, which is not bound by the application of the decision in Licavoli v. United States. The Democrat-selected majority indicated that in Licavoli, the proof of a summoned witness' intentional default in response to a congressional subpoena establishes the requisite willfulness. "Because the Supreme Court is not bound by Licavoli, because Licavoli's interpretation of 'willfully' is a close question, and because that question may well be material, Bannon should not go to prison before the Supreme Court considers his forthcoming petition for certiorari," concluded Walker. Bannon's legal team, which has reportedly argued that the Biden DOJ is ostensibly attempting to prevent Bannon from helping with the Trump campaign and speaking out on issues of importance, have filed an emergency stay application in the U.S. Supreme Court. While there is uncertainty over whether Bannon will ultimately spend four months inside a prison cell for a misdemeanor charge, it's clear that Democratic officials similarly convicted suffer no such consequences. House Republicans voted to hold Garland in contempt of Congress earlier this month for defying subpoenas for audio recordings of Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur — an interview from which Hur, whose report indicated Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice-presidency when he was a private citizen," concluded the Democratic president might be too decrepit for a jury to convict. Unlike in Bannon's case, the Biden Department of Justice revealed on June 14 that it would no longer bother prosecuting Garland. Eric Holder, Obama's attorney general, was held in contempt of Congress in an overwhelming 255-67 vote in 2012 for refusing to turn over documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal. The Obama DOJ quickly rewarded Holder for keeping the Democratic president's documents from the American people's elected representatives by refusing to prosecute. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Picking the best smart TV can be tricky. You have to worry about picture quality, size, and sound quality, as well as which operating system powers it. It's relatively easy to tell if a screen looks good at a glance. But it's considerably tougher to figure out whether a TV's smart features are reliable and robust. The OS that powers a smart TV will color your entire experience with it. Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku TV, webOS, and other platforms all have different features, interfaces, and capabilities. Most importantly, these all have different storefronts. Some of them contain apps that aren't available on one or more of the others. As such, it's vital to ensure that all the services you want are on a particular smart TV before buying. But how do you go about choosing the right smart TV for you? There are several things you'll want to consider about smart TVs when beginning your search for a new set. What kinds of apps will you be using? What type of previously aforementioned OS do you want your TV to run on? And what kind of resolution are looking for? All of these things are important when it comes to pinning down the right TV. Fortunately, our guide to the best smart TVs has a wide selection covering all major operating systems. The experts at BGR have tested dozens of the latest smart TV models, and we've picked the best ones to suit a wide range of needs. Our top picks Here's a quick preview of our top picks before you get to all the details: Best overall smart TV: LG C4 OLED TV Best budget smart TV: Hisense U6G Quantum ULED TV Best Roku TV: TCL 6 Series/R648 Best Amazon Fire TV: Amazon Fire TV Omni Best Google TV: Sony Bravia XR A95L Of course, you'll want to know why we chose each model since not every smart TV is ideal for every user. We'll cover all of the most important details below so that you can make an educated decision and get the best smart TV for you. Best overall smart TV: LG C4 OLED TV Image source: LG Pros: Beautiful image, magic remote, stable software. Cons: OLED can get burn-in, not as bright as standard LEDs For stunning picture quality at an affordable price, no TV beats the LG C4 OLED. OLED's per-pixel lighting gives this TV the darkest blacks possible. They put LED displays to shame when it comes to contrast and viewing angles. We can't overstate how much of a difference OLED makes in image quality. However, the LG C4 isn't just a great looker. LG's webOS platform is reliable and easy to use. Unfortunately, webOS doesn't have the tremendous amount of apps available to Google, Roku, and Amazon TVs. Still, all the major streaming services are available, as well as more niche ones. While you might have trouble finding some specific apps and games, you can rest assured that all the bases are covered when it comes to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and so on. LG's magic remote also sets this TV apart from the others on this list. It works as a normal remote, but can be used like a Wii remote, too. It can move a cursor around the screen. This control method is quicker once you get used to it. It also makes for a less frustrating Smart TV experience. The LG C4's most significant downsides are the same issues that plague all OLED TVs. It doesn't have the max brightness that standard LED TVs can achieve, and burn-in is also a risk. Fortunately, the TV has enough safeguards in place that it's relatively rare if users practice a modicum of caution. Also, since the C4 is the latest LG OLED TV series, it's quite expensive. Prices start at $1,299.99 for the 42-inch model, and the 55-inch model retails for $1,999.99. Needless to say, the larger models are much more expensive. If you're looking for a similar model that's a bit less expensive, the previous-generation LG C3 OLED TV checks almost all of the same boxes as the newer C4 model. LG 55-Inch Class OLED evo C4 Series Smart TV 4K Processor Flat Screen with Magic Remote AI-Powe… Price: $1,696.99 You Save: $303.00 (15%) Buy Now LG C3 Series 55-Inch Class OLED evo 4K Processor Smart Flat Screen TV for Gaming with Magic Rem… Price: $1,396.99 Buy Now Best budget smart TV: Hisense U6G Quantum ULED TV Image source: Hisense Pros: Excellent value for the price, reliable general-purpose TV Cons: Poor viewing angle, doesn't excel at any one thing The Hisense U6G is a surprisingly good TV for the price. It's Hisense's entry-level model in the ULED series. Still, it has great contrast, good blacks (for an LED TV), and solid color accuracy. It's hard to call the U6G a budget TV because it doesn't feel budget at all. It does everything well. Plus, its Android TV OS is dependable and reasonably easy to use, It's also compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa. This is also one of the cheapest TVs that's is Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos capable. However, the U6G doesn't excel at anything. It's a workhorse sort of TV that doesn't have a ton of frills. It also lacks HDMI 2.1. So, 4K at 60 frames-per-second is the max you'll get out of it. Features like Variable Refresh Rate and 4K at 120 frames per second aren't supported. Those features are almost exclusively used by consoles and PCs, though. Anyone uninterested in gaming likely won't miss their absence. Additionally, like many TVs with regular LED panels, the U6G has viewing angle issues. Its VA panel is notorious for poor viewing angles. Those with wide rooms and scattered seating arrangements might want to look elsewhere. Hisense ULED 4K Premium 65U6G Quantum Dot QLED Series 65-Inch Android 4K Smart TV with Alexa Co… Price: $579.99 Buy Now Best Roku TV: TCL 6 Series/R648 Pros: Extremely affordable for an 8K TV, Roku interface is straightforward and user-friendly Cons: Poor viewing angles, some banding, and black crush The TCL 6 Series/R648 was the brand's first 8K Roku TV, and it's still a great option for people who want 8K resolution without spending a fortune. The R648 is more future-proof than the other sets on the list since it features an 8K display. It also supports HDMI 2.1 on two of its four HDMI inputs, which lets it support 4K at 120 FPS gaming, and 8K at 60 FPS content. On the flip side, there's still not that much native 8K content available right now. That's likely to change in the near future, but some savings can be had by picking up a 4K display with similar features. Unfortunately, the screen itself isn't very remarkable, aside from being an 8K display. It's a VA-type panel, and viewing angle issues mean you need to be facing the TV head-on to get the best experience. It does feature Mini LED backlighting, but even having more dimming zones doesn't eliminate the black crush and banding you get from standard LED screens. This TV's remote also leaves something to be desired as it is very similar to one you'd get with a Roku streaming device. That's great for those who are used to that and don't want anything else, but for the price, I expected a more full-featured remote. TCL 65-inch Class 6-Series 8K Mini-LED UHD QLED Dolby Vision HDR Smart Roku TV - 65R648 Price: $1,798.00 Buy Now TCL 65-inch Class 6-Series 8K Mini-LED UHD QLED Dolby Vision HDR Smart Roku TV - 65R648, 2021 m… Price: $1,798.00 Buy Now Best Amazon Fire TV: Amazon Fire TV Omni Image source: Amazon Pros: Fire TV Interface is versatile and has many apps, great for those invested in the Amazon ecosystem Cons: Picture quality is mediocre The flagship Amazon Fire TV Omni shines brightly as Amazon's recently introduced TV line. However, this entry-level 4K TV still has its flaws. The only thing that will put this above the competition for some buyers is the built-in Amazon Fire TV interface. Amazon's Omni TV has decent contrast, but the complete lack of local dimming means picture quality will suffer no matter what content you play. The 65 and 75-inch models support Dolby Vision in addition to HDR. Still, there's not much of a point since it doesn't have the color gamut necessary for the "pop" you get with HDR format video. Amazon Fire TV Omni models use VA panels, and as we discussed above, this makes for poor viewing angles. If you plan on using this TV as your daily driver, that can cause issues. You also might find it to be a problem if it's in your living room and you have a lot of seating. Still, if you want Fire TV built into your television are an affordable price, the Omni models are the best available despite all their flaws. Most buyers would be better off just purchasing a Fire TV 4K and hooking it up to another TV like the LG OLED TV. It'll cost more, but the picture quality and overall experience are better by an order of magnitude. Amazon Fire TV 65" Omni Series 4K UHD smart TV with Dolby Vision, hands-free with Alexa Price: $639.99 You Save: $120.00 (16%) Buy Now Best Google TV: Sony Bravia XR A95L Image source: Sony Pros: Excellent picture quality, Google TV is the most versatile TV OS available Cons: Extremely expensive Fortunately, we get to end on a high note. The Sony Bravia XR A95L is an OLED TV that rivals LG's OLED line in picture quality and performance. Buyers can expect the deep blacks, excellent contrast, and vivid colors that are a hallmark of OLEDs. Unfortunately, like the LG C4, the A95L has issues with low brightness and potential burn-in. However, the pros of OLEDs far outweigh the cons, and the A95L is one of the best smart TV sets you can buy. The Google TV interface has recently moved to be more uniform across devices. So, if you've used it lately on a Chromecast, Nvidia Shield TV, or another TV, you'll find it works much the same on the A95L. Google TV might not be as straightforward as using a Roku or Apple TV, but it does have the advantage of having access to the Google Play Store, which has a ton of apps. That even includes some niche services, like Crunchyroll or Funimation. Also, we have good news for gamers: the A95L supports Variable Rate Refresh (VRR), which previous-generation models did not. Of course, the downside of this model is the price tag. The 55-inch model costs almost $3,000, while the 65-inch A95L is priced at just under $3,500. If you want the gigantic 77-inch version of this stunning OLED TV, prepare to pay $5,000 unless you catch it on sale. Sony QD-OLED 55 inch BRAVIA XR A95L Series 4K Ultra HD TV: Smart Google TV with Dolby Vision HD… Price: $2,798.00 Buy Now The post Best smart TV models of 2024 appeared first on BGR. 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