Latest news with #Ek
The Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Spotify CEO: AI to spur more music creativity, not a threat
STOCKHOLM: Artificial intelligence will encourage more people to create music in the future and is not a threat to the industry, the founder and CEO of streaming giant Spotify said. Artists using machine-learning tools to produce music have given rise to concerns about whether AI-generated music – even entirely fake artists – could one day replace human artists. "I'm mostly optimistic and mostly very excited because we're just in the beginning of understanding this future of creativity that we're entering," Daniel Ek told reporters at an Open House at the company's Stockholm headquarters this week. Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and a recent book, Mood Machine, have accused Spotify of tasking a handful of producers to make thousands of songs under fake AI profiles, which the company allegedly pushed onto playlists – saving Spotify money by elbowing out real artists and their higher royalties. Spotify has denied the claims. "We want real humans to make it as artists and creators, but what is creativity in the future with AI? I don't know. What is music?" Ek said. He recalled that electronic dance music and the DJ culture, and before that, hip hop where people sampled music, were initially not considered "real music". Noting that Mozart had to compose entire symphonies in his head, Ek said that "now, any one of us can probably create a beat in five or 10 minutes". "The tools that we now have in our availability are just staggering." "Of course there are very scary potential applications for AI, but the more interesting thing for me is that the amount of creativity that creative people will have available at their fingertips is going to be insane," he said. "The barriers for creation are becoming lower and lower. More and more people will create," he said. Ek said he saw the development of AI in the music industry "much more as an evolution than a revolution". Spotify had 678 million active users at the end of March, including 268 million paying subscribers. Ek said the company, which turned its first annual profit in 2024, now had 100 million paying subscribers in Europe alone, and hoped to one day see a billion paying users worldwide. "I don't think there's any doubt in my mind that the potential for Spotify at some point is to eventually get to over a billion paying subscribers." – AFP
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
POK our own, day not far when its people will return to India: Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the people of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) are part of India's "own family" and expressed confidence that the day is not far when they will voluntarily return to the Indian mainstream, guided by their inner at the CII Business Summit, Singh said India remains committed to the vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat', and believes that those separated by geography and politics will one day reunite with the country with dignity and an emotional parallel, Singh likened the current situation in POK to that of Shakti Singh, the younger brother of Maharana Pratap, noting that India's faith in its brothers and sisters across the Line of Control remains unwavering. "Even after separation, the confidence and faith of the elder brother towards his younger brother remains intact," he Singh said that the majority of people in POK feel a deep cultural and emotional connection with India, asserting that only a handful have been misled. He said India's path has always been one of unity, truth, and love, and expressed hope that POK will one day declare, "I am India, I have returned."Laying out New Delhi's broader policy stance towards Pakistan, the defence minister said that any future dialogue with Islamabad would only focus on two issues: terrorism and has redesigned and redefined its response to terrorism. The business of terrorism is not cost effective-it comes at a heavy price, as Pakistan has come to realise," he comments came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a recent statement, urged the youth of Pakistan to rise and liberate their nation from the "disease of terrorism".Rajnath Singh also used the platform to highlight the critical role of the 'Make-in-India' initiative in strengthening India's national security. Citing the success of Operation Sindoor, he said that the use of indigenous weapons systems allowed Indian forces to precisely strike terrorist hideouts and military installations."We could have done much more, but we chose a powerful blend of strength and restraint," he Defence Minister echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent address to the nation, in which the Prime Minister made his first remarks following India's targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and POK under Operation Sindoor. The strikes were carried out in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam."Terror and talks cannot happen at the same time. Terror and trade cannot take place. Blood and water cannot flow together. I want to tell the international community that if there will be talks between India and Pakistan, it will only be on terrorism and POK," he had Singh noted the remarkable growth of India's defence exports, which have surged from under Rs 1,000 crore a decade ago to a record Rs 23,500 crore today. Singh described domestic defence manufacturing as not just a pillar of national security but also a driver of economic Singh also outlined India's ambition to develop next-generation warfare capabilities. He announced that the Defence Ministry has cleared the execution model for building the country's first fifth-generation stealth fighter jet-the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).For the first time, the project will allow both public and private sector participation, with plans to develop five prototypes before moving to full-scale production. He hailed the AMCA initiative as a landmark moment in India's defence history and a major milestone in the 'Make-in-India' InMust Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
AI to spur more music creativity, not a threat: Spotify CEO
HighlightsDaniel Ek, the founder and CEO of Spotify, believes that artificial intelligence will enhance music creation rather than threaten the industry, emphasizing the exciting potential for creativity in the future. Despite accusations from Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and the book 'Mood Machine' regarding Spotify's use of AI-generated music under fake profiles, Daniel Ek has denied these claims, asserting that the company values real human artists and creators. Daniel Ek views the integration of artificial intelligence in music as an evolution rather than a revolution, stating that the tools available for music creation are lowering barriers and enabling more people to become creators. Artificial intelligence will encourage more people to create music in the future and is not a threat to the industry, the founder and CEO of streaming giant Spotify said. Artists using machine-learning tools to produce music have given rise to concerns about whether AI-generated music — even entirely fake artists — could one day replace human artists. "I'm mostly optimistic and mostly very excited because we're just in the beginning of understanding this future of creativity that we're entering," Daniel Ek told reporters at an Open House at the company's Stockholm headquarters this week. Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and a recent book, "Mood Machine", have accused Spotify of tasking a handful of producers to make thousands of songs under fake AI profiles, which the company allegedly pushed onto playlists — saving Spotify money by elbowing out real artists and their higher royalties. Spotify has denied the claims. "We want real humans to make it as artists and creators, but what is creativity in the future with AI? I don't know. What is music?" Ek said. He recalled that electronic dance music and the DJ culture, and before that, hip hop where people sampled music, were initially not considered "real music". Noting that Mozart had to compose entire symphonies in his head, Ek said that "now, any one of us can probably create a beat in five or 10 minutes". "The tools that we now have in our availability are just staggering." "Of course there are very scary potential applications for AI, but the more interesting thing for me is that the amount of creativity that creative people will have available at their fingertips is going to be insane," he said. "The barriers for creation are becoming lower and lower. More and more people will create," he said. Ek said he saw the development of AI in the music industry "much more as an evolution than a revolution". Spotify had 678 million active users at the end of March, including 268 million paying subscribers. Ek said the company, which turned its first annual profit in 2024, now had 100 million paying subscribers in Europe alone, and hoped to one day see a billion paying users worldwide. "I don't think there's any doubt in my mind that the potential for Spotify at some point is to eventually get to over a billion paying subscribers."
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
"Could have done more, but exercised restraint": Rajnath Singh on Op Sindoor against Pakistan
India could have inflicted more damage while retaliating to Pakistan's terror attacks with ' Operation Sindoor ' but it exercised restraint, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. Addressing an event in the national capital. Singh said those residing in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) are India's own and one day, will surely return to the Indian mainstream. Addressing the inaugural plenary of CII ( Confederation of Indian Industry ), Singh highlighted the success of Make in India campaign which proved to be important for both security and prosperity of India during 'Operation Sindoor'. "Make in India is an essential component of India's National Security. If we did not have this capability, India's forces would not have been able to take such effective action against terrorism from lower Pakistan to PoK," the Defence Minister said. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. "You saw how first we destroyed the terrorist hideouts and then the enemy's airbases. We could have done even more, but with power must also come restraint. We have presented a remarkable example before the world, of strength combined with coordination. We could have done more, but we exercised restraint. Today, Pakistan has realized the heavy cost of running the business of terrorism. We have redesigned and redefined India's stance against terrorism. We have recalibrated our engagements and scope of dialogue with Pakistan. From now on, whenever talks happen, they will only be about terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). There will be no discussion with Pakistan on any other issue," Singh said. He said that the day is not far when the people of PoK will join India with self-respect and of their own will. Live Events "The people of PoK are our own. They are part of our family. We are fully committed to the Prime Minister's vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'. We firmly believe that our brothers, who are today geographically and politically separated from us, will one day surely return to the Indian mainstream, with self-respect and of their own free will," Singh said. "I know that most of the people there feel a connection with India. There are only a handful who have been misled. India has always believed in connecting hearts, and we believe that by walking the path of love, unity, and truth, the day is not far when our own PoK will return and declare: I am Indian, and I have come back," Rajnath Singh said. Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack . Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor led to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced.
Daily Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
AI to spur more music creativity, not a threat: Spotify CEO
AFP | Artificial intelligence will encourage more people to create music in the future and is not a threat to the industry, the founder and CEO of streaming giant Spotify said. Artists using machine-learning tools to produce music have given rise to concerns about whether AI-generated music -- even entirely fake artists -- could one day replace human artists. "I'm mostly optimistic and mostly very excited because we're just in the beginning of understanding this future of creativity that we're entering," Daniel Ek told reporters at an Open House at the company's Stockholm headquarters this week. Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and a recent book, "Mood Machine", have accused Spotify of tasking a handful of producers to make thousands of songs under fake AI profiles, which the company allegedly pushed onto playlists -- saving Spotify money by elbowing out real artists and their higher royalties. Spotify has denied the claims. "We want real humans to make it as artists and creators, but what is creativity in the future with AI? I don't know. What is music?" Ek said. He recalled that electronic dance music and the DJ culture, and before that, hip hop where people sampled music, were initially not considered "real music". Noting that Mozart had to compose entire symphonies in his head, Ek said that "now, any one of us can probably create a beat in five or 10 minutes". "The tools that we now have in our availability are just staggering." "Of course there are very scary potential applications for AI, but the more interesting thing for me is that the amount of creativity that creative people will have available at their fingertips is going to be insane," he said. "The barriers for creation are becoming lower and lower. More and more people will create," he said. Ek said he saw the development of AI in the music industry "much more as an evolution than a revolution". Spotify had 678 million active users at the end of March, including 268 million paying subscribers. Ek said the company, which turned its first annual profit in 2024, now had 100 million paying subscribers in Europe alone, and hoped to one day see a billion paying users worldwide. "I don't think there's any doubt in my mind that the potential for Spotify at some point is to eventually get to over a billion paying subscribers."
