Warner Music Group has reached a licensing deal with Suno that will let users create AI-generated music using the voices and likenesses of artists who opt in. WMG says participating artists will have "full control" over how their likeness and music are used. "These will be new creation experiences from artists who do opt in, which will open up new revenue streams for them and allow you to interact with them in new ways," Suno says, adding that users will be able to "build around" an artist's sounds "and ensure they get compensated." WMG is also dropping its previous lawsuit accusing Suno of scraping copyrighted material.

"Along with the licensing agreement, Suno is planning to use licensed music from WMG to build next-gen music generation models that it claims will surpass its flagship v5 model," adds The Verge. "It will also start requiring users to have a paid account to download songs starting next year, with each tier providing a specific number of downloads each month."

Further reading: First 'AI Music Creator' Signed by Record Label. More Ahead, or Just a Copyright Quandry?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Poland has launched a new antitrust investigation into Apple's App Tracking Transparency rules, questioning whether Apple misled users about privacy while giving its own apps a competitive advantage over third-party developers. AppleInsider reports: On November 25, Poland's UOKiK has started another investigation into App Tracking Transparency, and whether Apple had restricted competition in mobile advertising. Reuters reports that, to the anti-monopoly regulator, ATT may have limited advertisers' ability to collect user data for advertising purposes while simultaneously favoring Apple's ad program. On November 25, Poland's UOKiK has started another investigation into App Tracking Transparency, and whether Apple had restricted competition in mobile advertising. Reuters reports that, to the anti-monopoly regulator, ATT may have limited advertisers' ability to collect user data for advertising purposes while simultaneously favoring Apple's ad program.

This is not the first time that Poland has looked into ATT rules. In December 2021, the regulator held a similar probe following criticism from advertisers. It's not clear what that complaint determined, or if it is still ongoing. Regardless, in the new complaint, the logic is that Apple had a competitive advantage since its own apps were not subject to ATT rules, but third-party apps did have to deal with ATT. Since Apple didn't visibly ask for consent for its first-party apps in the same way, there is a presumption that Apple's rules only applied to other companies.

This is despite Apple's repeated insistence that it doesn't use the same kinds of collected data in its own apps and services for marketing purposes, as well as its stance on privacy in general. In short, Apple apps don't use the data, so it doesn't pop up a dialog box asking the user if the app can use the data. There is also the argument that, in setting up an account with Apple, users are providing blanket consent to the company. Implementing ATT on its own apps would therefore be a waste of time, since that consent was already granted. Apple said that it will work with the regulator on the matter, but warned that it could force them to withdraw the feature "to the detriment of European consumers."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCMag: Four new features are coming to Google Maps, including a way to hide your identity in reviews. Maps will soon let you use a nickname and select an alternative profile picture for online reviews, so you can rate a business without linking it to full name and Google profile photo. Google says it will monitor for "suspicious and fake reviews," and every review is still associated with an account on Google's backend, which it believes will discourage bad actors.

Look for a new option under Your Profile that says Use a custom name & picture for posting. You'll then be able to pick an illustration to represent you and add a nickname. Google didn't explain why it is introducing anonymous reviews; it pitched the idea as a way to be a business's "Secret Santa." Some users are nervous to publicly post reviews for local businesses as it may be used to track their location or movements. It may encourage more people to contribute honest feedback to its platform, for better or worse. Further reading: Gemini AI To Transform Google Maps Into a More Conversational Experience

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

WASHINGTON (ANP) - De Amerikaanse president Donald Trump is teruggekomen op zijn eerdere deadline van donderdag voor Oekraïne om in te stemmen met een door de Verenigde Staten gesteund vredesplan. "De deadline voor mij is wanneer het voorbij is", zei hij.

Trump zei ook dat de Amerikaanse onderhandelaars vooruitgang boeken in de gesprekken met Rusland en Oekraïne, en dat Moskou akkoord is gegaan met enkele concessies. Hij zei niet om welke concessies het gaat.

De Amerikaanse gezant Steve Witkoff ontmoet volgende week de Russische president Vladimir Poetin, aldus Trump. Mogelijk wordt Witkoff vergezeld door Trumps schoonzoon Jared Kushner, die hij een "slimme jongen" noemde.

Chinese giant adds to ‘No AI bubble’ babble by citing oversubscribed infrastructure and surging demand

China’s Alibaba Cloud can’t deploy servers fast enough to keep up with demand for AI, so is rationing access to GPUs so that customers who use all of its services enjoy priority access.…

Experience design firm Murmur Ring, in partnership with Empathy and the Institute of Design, invites artists, designers, makers, and creatives of all kinds to join the Reclaiming Value: Sacred Valley Design Immersion from June 15 to 19, 2026, in Peru’s Sacred Valley. The Colossal team previously joined Murmur Ring for a transformative week-long immersion in Oaxaca, Mexico, and looks forward to joining this excursion, as well.

This is not a tourist program. Mumur Ring’s Immersions are creative exchanges born from years of research and relationship-building. Intimate site visits with Peruvian makers and innovators offer rare, behind-the-scenes access to the perspectives, techniques, and community-centered models shaping the region’s most visionary work. Participants will find new inspiration, forge collaborative relationships, and leave with ideas that will transform their practices.

In the coming weeks, Colossal will highlight several of the Peruvian makers whom participants will meet during the immersion, including Awamaki and Cerámicas Seminario.

Awamaki—named for the Quechua word meaning “made by hand”—helps women weavers of the Andes access global markets, develop business skills, and build financial independence to sustain their communities for generations. Murmur Ring’s immersion will venture into the mountains to see this social enterprise model in action and:

• Meet the women weavers in their home communities
• Learn how raw fibers are harvested and naturally dyed using plants, minerals, and methods perfected for centuries
• Receive hands-on instruction in ancient weaving techniques, guided directly by master artists
• Share a home-cooked meal prepared by the artisans
• Purchase textiles directly from the cooperatives, ensuring 100% of payments go to the makers

Since it began as an individual arts practice over 30 years ago, Cerámicas Seminario has evolved into a thriving studio blending ancient artistic language with a bold, contemporary visual style. The family-run business stands not only as a celebrated center of innovation in Peruvian ceramics but also as a powerful economic engine for its surrounding community. The immersion will allow participants to:

• Meet founders Pablo Seminario and Marilú Behar for a studio tour and Q&A
• Learn about their path to success from early explorations in clay to their commitment to building a community-centric enterprise
• See artisans at work, shaping, carving, and firing ceramic pieces
• Experience a hands-on ceramics workshop, where they’ll learn ancient techniques that inspired the studio’s signature style

A place where food, land, art, and ancestral knowledge converge, MIL Centro is far more than a restaurant. It is an innovative research lab dedicated to preserving traditional Peruvian crops, restoring endangered agricultural practices, and sustaining the communities who have lived on and worked with this land for centuries. Theirs is a model that honors tradition, empowers community, and pushes the boundaries of what food, and art, can be. During a visit to MIL Centro, participants will:

• Forage for native plants alongside local land stewards, learning how each species functions as food, medicine, and craft
• Discover how Andean communities protect their local ecologies
• Use foraged plants to hand-dye and weave natural fibers
• Enjoy a multi-course meal, inspired by eight distinct Andean microclimates

Early bird reservations are available through November 30, 2025. Apply now to secure your spot at the exclusive rate, and join us for an unforgettable journey into the creative soul of the Sacred Valley.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Immerse Yourself in the Creative Culture of Peru’s Sacred Valley with Murmur Ring’s Unique Program appeared first on Colossal.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

she's a smart* cookie

*not actually smart