Latest news with #Barbie-like
West Australian
29-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
From dig-and-shift to a digital economy
Having not stood for Parliament at the recent State election, I find myself in an all-too-common position of having to dust off my CV and look for work. If my last job search is anything to go by, I'll undoubtedly be asked why I've hopped around so much from industry to industry. For the unaware, those hops consist of going from being an electrician's apprentice in Perth to a software engineering manager in Seattle, and most recently, a member of Parliament in WA. My response to those interviewers will be the same as the parting advice that today I offer to the incoming members of WA's 42nd Parliament. When an opportunity presents itself, seize it. Today, WA faces three 'tech tailwinds': the rise of AI, increasing adoption of digital assets, and growing concerns of and for data sovereignty. Having worked in tech for more than a decade, I can think of no place better suited to take advantage of these tailwinds than WA. Simply put, WA has the lifestyle, reputation and resources to establish itself as a digital superpower: a task all the more worthwhile given our present reliance on a 'dig-and-shift' economy. Before we get into the benefits, let's talk a bit about those tailwinds. Cryptocurrencies are here — and they are here to stay. The undisputed king, Bitcoin, has repeatedly defied predictions of its demise, hitting an all-time-high of $175,000 in December 2024. Meanwhile, the US has created a sovereign wealth fund backed by Bitcoin, and a taskforce to provide further regulatory clarity. Alongside crypto, artificial intelligence has captured the attention of consumers and industry heavyweights. Each of the Big Five tech companies has released their own GPT-style AI, as has X, the platform owned by Elon Musk, formerly known as Twitter. In the latest trend on social media, users are taking advantage of ChatGPT to create action figures of themselves, displaying their interests. Whether you're sending large amounts of money overseas, or simply creating a Barbie-like doll of yourself, both actions require computing power. No, I'm not talking about any computing done on your mobile device, but rather in data centres, the results of which are simply displayed on your device. While powerful, data centres are expensive, notoriously energy-hungry and take up lots of real estate. Case in point: a recent plea by OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, for users to stop saying 'please' and 'thank you', claiming those words cost millions. That's why it's best to create a data centre where space is plentiful and energy is cheap and reliable, but in close proximity to both your existing customers and target markets. Bonus points if you can power those centres using renewable sources of energy to offset your impact on the environment. I think you see where I'm going with this. WA has the physical space, and affordable and renewable energy to get data centres off the ground, and at scale. Why build a data centre in North Sydney, powered by coal from the regions, when you can place one in the Kimberley, next to sun-scorched paddocks? Not only would your computing be green and cheap, but also your latency would be extremely low, particularly for any customers in Asia. More data centres in WA means more data sovereignty. 'Big tech' has scraped the internet of any and all of our publicly available personal information. Making matters worse are the US and China trying to outcompete each other on machine-learning technology to take advantage of that information. Storing more of our citizens' data locally will enable us to use AI to develop more targeted use cases to solve local problems, all the while keeping secure our citizens' data from foreign actors. To crystallise this vision, we need the Government to create a positive environment where the private sector can inject capital. The ingredients are not hard to piece together: better start-up grants than other States, and a few special economic zones with lower rates of taxation. The Premier, Roger Cook, says that WA needs to diversify and move away from a dig-and-shift economy, and I agree. In probably my last piece of media as a member of Parliament, I urge new MPs to seize the opportunity and embrace the digital economy. Wilson Tucker was a member for the Mining and Pastoral Region from 2021-25.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Insiders reveal Timothee Chalamet's list of life-altering demands to Kylie Jenner... and the 'trap' that could end their romance
On paper, they're the most unlikely couple. She's a Barbie-like reality star whose every move is publicly documented. He's an artistic, Oscar-nominated actor known for taking on hard-hitting roles and keeping his private life, well, private.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The viral AI-generated action figure trend is potentially putting your cybersecurity at risk, experts warn
In recent days, everyone from government agencies to celebrities to pro sports teams have hopped on the latest artificial intelligence-generated trend, using programs like ChatGPT to create an image of themselves in Barbie-like plastic packaging. However, tech experts warn that the light-hearted trend carries some risks, ranging from potentially inviting cyber scams to raising ethics and sustainability concerns. Participants in the trend often generate images featuring items referencing various aspects of their life, whether it's where they live, what they do for a living, or a favorite pastime. Those type of disclosures could help scammers trick people down the line. Oh, you know we had to hop on the fellas, reimagined as action figures.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 14, 2025 Clark County employees, assemble! 💪We joined the action figure trend to spotlight some real-life heroes who make our community stronger every day. Because when we work #togetherforbetter, anything is possible. 💙Want to join our team? Apply now: — Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) April 16, 2025 'The fact that you are showing people, 'Here are the three or four things I'm most interested in at this point' and sharing it to the world, that becomes a very big risk, because now people can target you,' Dave Chronister, the CEO of cybersecurity company Parameter Security, told HuffPost. 'Social engineering attacks today are still the easiest, most popular way for attackers to target you as an employee and you as an individual.' Jennifer King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, added in an interview with the outlet that users ought to consider that their images will likely go towards training future AI models, the same tools increasingly being integrated into corporate and military applications. Others have urged users to be careful incorporating trademarked material into their action figures. "Mattel has been known to pretty actively enforce protections against their marks," attorney Charles Gallagher told Fox13. "Having a Barbie logo on your action figure would probably be something you don't want to have." In the face of the action figure meme, some have sought to remind the public of the enormous energy and water needed to feed the advanced computers that power AI models. "ChatGPT Barbie represents a triple threat to our privacy, our culture and our planet," Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London said in an interview with BBC.
USA Today
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
We turned ourselves into action figures using AI. Here's how it went.
We turned ourselves into action figures using AI. Here's how it went. Show Caption Hide Caption How to spot spot AI generated images Images generated by artificial intelligence can be convincing at first. Here are some things to look for if you're unsure if the image is real or not. Social media users are once again using artificial intelligence to turn themselves into cartoon characters − this time, action figures and Barbie-like dolls. As part of the so-called "Barbie Box Challenge," folks are sharing photos of themselves, alongside a specifically-worded prompt, to OpenAI's ChatGPT in hopes of receiving a custom digital doll that looks just like them, with their favorite accessories, all sealed in plastic. The new trend comes less than a month after OpenAI launched its new image generator, GPT-4o. The new machine learning software operates like previous versions of ChatGPT but allows users to create images from prompts and file uploads. Here's what to know about the AI trend and how USA TODAY used OpenAI's new ChatGPT software to create its own journalist dolls. What is the 'Barbie Box Challenge'? Though the trend's origins aren't completely known, it appears to have initially taken off in the marketing industry, with countless social media managers sharing their custom dolls on LinkedIn and Facebook. "This is such a cute way to re-introduce yourself to your audience, re-introduce your employees or even make an action figure ... of what your ideal target audience/consumer looks like," Texas-based Revival Marketing shared in a social media post last week. More: What is generative AI? Benefits, pitfalls and how to use it in your day-to-day. How to turn yourself into an action figure with AI Using a free OpenAI account and the right prompts, anyone can create a personalized action figurine. Here are two examples of how we did it. Example using prompt from Revival Marketing on Facebook: "Can you create a Barbie action figure in 3D of a (insert job title here) wearing (insert accessories or desired clothing here) with (insert some things you always have with you here) in the box. Can you make the box (insert branding color(s) here) colored, with (insert branding symbol(s) here, with the box labeled as (insert job title here)." ChatGPT will then prompt you to add a photo of the person you'd like to create a figurine based on for reference. USA TODAY reporter Mary Walrath-Holdridge used the following prompt and photo and received the following result: "Using this reference picture, can you create a Barbie action figure in 3D of a journalist wearing jeans and a newsprint tank top with a laptop, book, and newspapers in the box? Can you make the box (black) colored, with the box labeled as (Mary)?" To refine the image, Walrath-Holdridge asked ChatGPT to include the tattoos in the reference photo, add piercings and makeup, change the outfit, add a cat to the box, and change the hair. This was the final result, the best of four: Where did the independent cat tail come from? We're wondering the same thing, too. Here's another example using a prompt shared by Mckenna Richards on LinkedIn: "Create a photorealistic action figure of the person in the photo. The figure should be full-body and placed inside a clear plastic box with a colorful cardboard background − just like a real collectible toy. Make the packaging look as realistic as possible, including a plastic bubble cover, a hanging tab at the top, and a store-style design. Place accessories next to the figure that reflect their personality or lifestyle: (insert your accessories here). On the box: At the top, write in bold letters: (Your Name)" USA TODAY reporter Greta Cross used the following prompt and photo and received the following result: "Create a photorealistic action figure of the person in the photo, who is a journalist. The figure should be full-body and placed inside a clear plastic box with a colorful cardboard background − just like a real collectible toy. Make the packaging look as realistic as possible, including a plastic bubble cover, a hanging tab at the top, and a store-style design. Make the figurine wearing denim overall shorts, a black t-shirt underneath, and black Doc Marten boots. Make sure the nose and eyebrow piercings are included. The figurine should have no earrings. Place accessories next to the figure that reflect their personality or lifestyle: a newspaper, iced chai latte, DSLR camera, Dell laptop, reporter's notebook and a grey shorthaired tabby cat. On the box: At the top, write in bold letters: Greta. The box should be pink, like a Barbie doll box." In hopes of getting the figurine a bit more accurate, Cross asked ChatGPT to remove one of the cats, add facial piercings from the reference photo, and add jewelry. Here was the final result, the best of four: Why are there two chai lattes and a mysterious black reporter's notebook, you ask? We don't know, either. Is it free to use OpenAI? Users with a free OpenAI account are limited to the number of photos and prompts they can share before no more images can be generated for the day. OpenAI Plus, which includes unlimited file uploads and image generation, costs $20 monthly. Companies jump on AI doll trend Several companies and institutions have also jumped on the "Barbie Box Challenge" train, using ChatGPT to create action figures for their brand. "Fully charged with caffeine. No batteries required," Starbucks India shared in a social media post last week, featuring a Starbucks barista doll that comes with a Starbucks teddy bear, hot drink and croissant. Starbucks India did not immediately respond for clarification about how the digital figurine was created when contacted by USA TODAY on Tuesday. Andy's Frozen Custard, a Midwest custard chain, shared an action figure of their mascot Hugh on Monday. Featured in a plastic blister package, the Hugh figurine is seen holding a custard cone and comes with a red Andy's hat that can be added to the figure. An Andy's spokesperson told USA TODAY that the company did use OpenAI's ChatGPT to create the base image, but a graphic designer finalized it, as the AI continued to spell certain words wrong, including custard. A graphic designer also tweaked the custard to look more scoopable and manually added the Andy's logo on the red hat, as it did not translate well via AI. The University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada used its mascot, Rex O'Saurus, to create a few different "Exam Slayer" figurines, red tyrannosauruses featuring swords, pencils, erasers, Biscoff snacks and Yogi Restful Sleep tea. According to the university's social media post, OpenAI's ChatGPT was used to create the various digital figures. New image generator receives criticism from creative community While the internet is having fun, not everyone is thrilled by the trend. After GPT-4o's release last month, fans of Studio Ghibli, an animation house founded by Hayao Miyazaki, used GPT-4o to create their own images in Ghibli style. While some people used the software to create a new profile photo in the Japanese art style, AI critics said they were concerned about AI's breach of copyright infringement. In a statement previously shared with USA TODAY, OpenAI said its goal is to provide its users with creative freedom − as much as possible. "We continue to prevent generations in the style of individual living artists, but we do permit broader studio styles, which people have used to generate and share some truly delightful and inspired original fan creations," the statement said. "We're always learning from real-world use and feedback, and we'll keep refining our policies as we go." Gabriel Cassady, co-founder of marketing agency 2oddballs Creative in Missouri, encouraged artists to embrace artificial intelligence by educating themselves first. "AI is not going anywhere − like it or not," Cassady told USA TODAY. "Will it erase human art? I don't think so, but I do think it will expand the work of artists into new art forms while irrevocably changing how we perceive (and possibly how we create) current forms of art." USA TODAY also reached out to Barbie-maker Mattel for comment on the trend but has not heard back. Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
