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VISUAL CREATORS
For your artistic side.

🤖Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic, and other companies used your YouTube videos to train AI

Some of tech’s biggest players, including Apple and Salesforce, reportedly trained their AI models using YouTube transcripts without obtaining permission from creators—a practice explicitly prohibited by YouTube's terms of service.

According to an investigation by Proof News, the transcripts were part of a larger dataset called 'The Pile,' which contained content from educational channels like MIT and popular creators such as MrBeast.

The dataset also featured content from higher learning institutions like MIT and Harvard, as well as media outlets such as NPR and late night shows like The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

The creator community is up in arms about the unauthorized use, with many, including David Pakman and Nebula CEO Dave Wiskus, demanding fair compensation.

YouTube prohibits the unauthorized use of its content for dataset creation, but companies allegedly obtained the material from non-profit EleutherAI, which did not respond to media inquiries.

PRODUCTION MASTERY
The commercial aspects of creativity.

💻 Hackers Claim to Have Leaked 1.1 TB of Disney Slack Messages

Disney's been hacked! A group called NullBulge claims to have breached nearly 10,000 internal Slack channels, making off with 1.1 TB of data, including employee chats and unreleased projects.

The hackers, though, have a peculiar story. They’re not your typical cybercriminal; they’re a self-proclaimed “hacktivist” looking out for artists.

They said they published Disney’s secrets as a reaction to the media behemoth’s stance on AI-generated artwork, which they believe is bad for creativity. This isn’t NullBulge’s first rodeo—they recently targeted an Indian creator.

It’s a messy situation: on one hand, there are valid concerns about compensating artists, but many are skeptical of NullBulge’s methods and motives.

Disney’s not saying much, just that they’re “investigating”.

CREATOR ECONOMY
Navigating the digital creative world.

🤝 The Widening Gap Between Influencers and Creators

The line between 'influencer' and 'creator' is getting sharper.

What’s the difference? More and more, "influencer" don’t just draw eyes; they recommend products to a loyal audience that actually converts into customers. So-called "creators," on the other hand, might have a ton of views but less clout when it comes to driving purchases.

As social media matures into a marketing powerhouse, the ability to sell has become the main moneymaker. Once seen as the “used-car salesmen” of social media, influencers now distinguish themselves by their ability to drive sales, making them more attractive to brands looking for a return on investment.

That’s not to say creators don’t have their own appeal — their knack for authentic content and eye-catching visuals can make them the darlings of fashion and lifestyle brands for example.

While platforms like YouTube and TikTok now let content creators earn money directly through advertising and other payments, those revenue streams often lead to more pressure to hit certain metrics as the companies take a cut.

What to watch: As the market floods with creators, standing out for the right reasons — and those reasons being sellability and longevity, not just virality — will be key.

🔥 Press Worthy

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

AI's looming presence in photography might end the era of sky-high lens prices. High-end camera lenses face a bleak future as AI in smartphones replicates their effects. Cheaper lenses may regain ground.

Fashion brand Mango rolls out an AI-generated campaign for its youth line, featuring images that are nearly indistinguishable from traditional fashion photography. Mango's IT chief hails AI as a tool to "extend the capabilities" of employees and amplify creativity, sparking debate over the industry’s “authenticity.”

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

Abel Ferrara embraces AI dubbing for his film “Padre Pio,” lauding it as “very cool” and “the perfect storm” for language adaptation. Unconcerned about AI’s broader implications, he likens it to the internet, urging people to “make this shit work for you.”

MRMC's Super Milo levels up from an Academy award-winning camera rig, boasting speeds 100% faster and acceleration up 400%.

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

Why is sustainability ‘not a priority’ for marketers right now? Sustainability seems to be a tough sell currently without clear profit ties.

Instagram Reels now supports multiple soundtracks, allowing up to 20 tracks per clip. Creators can trim and mix, with the attributed soundtrack combining all.

📚 Learn & Grow

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

• Bill Viola Changed Art Forever by Using Video to Confront the Limits of Vision

• YouTube Announces New Tools for Creating Shorts

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

• Do Art History Majors Really Face the Worst Job Prospects of Any Profession?

• What is a Catalyst in Film? Definition & Examples

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

• How talent managers see creators’ professionalism levels increasing

• The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Content