Meta is testing an app that uses AI to automate bedtime stories for children. The future is here, folks — and boy, is it depressing.

The app, first caught by 9to5Mac, is called “StoryKit.” (It’s not yet available in the US; Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s currently testing StoryKit in pilot countries.) Per a webpage for the app, parents pick a character either by creating one or taking a “photo of their favorite toy or person to bring them to life,” then describe a setting or world for the story to take place in. They can also ask the story to include a specific lesson or moral, which the app says will allow it to “weave in values like kindness, courage, or empathy without it feeling like a lecture.”

The resulting story can be read aloud by a human — or, of course, an AI voice can narrate instead. According to Meta, this is a lifeline for exhausted parents.

“Tired after a long day but want to give your kids a special bedtime story?” reads the app’s webpage. “StoryKit uses Al to help you create personalized bedtime stories in seconds. No more guilt about screen time. Just beautiful, unique stories made with love.”

Let’s be real: this app is amazingly sad. There are a lot of busy and exhausted parents, but outsourcing the emotional and creative labor of bedtime stories to machines is a wildly bleak proposition. Meta claims that this app will help parents feel less guilty about their kids’ screen time, but is having an AI voice read an AI-generated bedtime story to your kids that much different from plopping them in front of an iPad?

There are also countless human-written children’s books out there to choose from, if parents don’t enjoy coming up with stories with their kids on the spot. If you’re feeling guilty about screens, perhaps the answer is paper-bound books, not robots.

All in all: kids’ bedtime stories — bonding moments between parents and their children, in which parents can foster creativity and impart what they believe to be important lessons — aren’t exactly spaces begging for tech disruption. In fact, this is an area where we probably need less tech, not more.

More on kids and AI: The Proliferation of Deepfakes Is Profoundly Changing the Way Teenagers Use the Internet

The post Meta Working on Crushingly Sad AI App That Tells Bedtime Stories to Children, for “Tired” Parents appeared first on Futurism.

The company has comitted to 10 natural gas plants since last year.

Remember when Meta was planning to charge a $20 monthly subscription fee for the smart glasses feature that lets people hear each other more clearly - even though that feature runs locally on your glasses and doesn't require the cloud? Meta has paused those plans, spokesperson Tyler Yee confirms to The Verge.

The company is not giving up on the idea of a subscription fee for certain features - that's still moving forward. Yee confirms that "some premium features will be subscription-based over time."

But Conversation Focus, the accessibility feature, "will remain available for free through our Early Access Program for early testers while w …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Em sua rede social (a Truth Social), o presidente dos Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmou que investigará as multas cobradas pela União Europeia contra empresas de tecnologia americanas (como a Apple, a Amazon, o Google e a Meta) acusadas pelo bloco de terem violado a Lei dos Mercados Digitais (Digital Markets Act, ou DMA).

Na declaração, Trump prometeu reverter as penalidades financeiras aplicadas às empresas estadunidenses sancionando tarifas contra a UE. Ele também aproveitou a oportunidade para alfinetar o ex-presidente do país, Joe Biden:

A União Europeia atacou de novo e, como de costume, mirou diretamente nas GRANDES empresas americanas! Depois de multar a Apple, sem motivo aparente, em US$15 bilhões, a Meta em US$3 bilhões, a Amazon em US$2,5 bilhões, e muitas outras, nós acabamos de ser informados que o Google, um grupo fantástico e realmente avançado, acabou de receber outra multa de US$1 bilhão, sem explicação. Isso leva o total do Google para mais de US$18 bilhões!

Essa prática ilegal e altamente discriminatória começou nesses níveis elevados durante o primeiro ano da administração do dorminhoco Joe Biden, mas não continuará durante a administração Trump.

Os Estados Unidos da América não são um “COFRINHO” da Europa, e nós não vamos permitir que sejam!

Que esta VERDADE sirva para representar que vamos iniciar imediatamente uma investigação da Seção 301 ¹Lei americana de comércio que investiga práticas tributárias ou sanções injustas de outros países contra os EUA. sobre essa prática de “ROUBAR” empresas americanas e, por consequência, o contribuinte americano.

A União Europeia vai pagar caro por essa conduta ilegal e altamente antiética, sobre a qual venho alertando-os de maneira consistente. As penalidades serão inteiramente revertidas e, como esperamos, TARIFAS substanciais serão aplicadas contra eles assim que possível. Fiquem ligados!

Presidente DONALD J. TRUMP

Não é a primeira vez que o mandatário dos EUA critica a maneira como a UE penaliza as empresas americanas: em 2025, ainda recém-empossado, ele não apenas criticou essas práticas, como alegou que as multas eram, na verdade, pretextos para uma retaliação tributária e “injusta”.

Vale lembrar que o segundo mandato de Trump foi endossado de maneira reputacional e monetária por praticamente todas as empresas citadas na declaração — especialmente o CEO ²Chief executive officer, ou diretor executivo. da Apple, Tim Cook, que ajudou a financiar a cerimônia de inauguração do seu governo.

via MacRumors

Notas de rodapé

• 1
  Lei americana de comércio que investiga práticas tributárias ou sanções injustas de outros países contra os EUA.
• 2
  Chief executive officer, ou diretor executivo.

Meta's smart glasses have been a PR headache for the company. Public backlash has been swift, and fierce; people are concerned about the erosion of privacy and expansion of surveillance. Some especially bad actors are using the glasses to film themselves "pranking" random strangers. Women have become unsuspecting social media content for men filming themselves hitting on them without their knowledge. When your product is being referred to as "pervert glasses," you have a problem on your hands.

On Thursday, Business Insider reported that Meta was taking the fairly extraordinary step of banning some content filmed with Meta glasses from the c …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Meta introduced a standalone app for sellers on its Facebook Marketplace platform, adding AI tools and sales management features to enable merchants to manage listings, reach buyers, and grow their business.

Sellers, the dedicated app, brings together listing management, buyer communications, inventory tracking and sales insights, while syncing with existing Marketplace accounts so users can carry over listings, messages and sales history.

The new app includes AI-powered listing creation, allowing sellers to upload photos and have Meta AI generate details including titles, descriptions, suggested pricing and categories. It also provides a unified inbox for buyer conversations and analytics covering views, clicks, messages and completed sales.

Meta said its original platform Marketplace, which launched a decade ago integrated directly in Facebook, now handles 430 million item listings each month globally. The existing Marketplace platform will remain available through Facebook, with a web version being tested for Seller app users. Android testing is also underway.

Seller is available through the App Store for US users aged 18 and over.

The launch comes as Meta seeks to expand Marketplace’s capabilities and compete more directly with established e-commerce platforms including eBay. The company has previously focused on improving commerce and community features across its platform, including the release of a dedicated Facebook groups app called Forum in May.

The post Meta launches dedicated Sellers app appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Você é daqueles que estão cansados de manter o Facebook instalado em seu dispositivo apenas para usar o Marketplace? Então trago boas notícias: a Meta lançou um aplicativo independente para a plataforma, em comemoração aos seus dez anos.

O Seller, como o próprio nome já indica, é indicado para usuários que vendem com frequência no Facebook Marketplace. É um entendimento de que usar o app principal da plataforma para vendas pode não ser a melhor experiência para esses vendedores.

Como destaques, o Seller oferece ferramentas centralizadas como criação de anúncios impulsionada por inteligência artificial, uma caixa de entrada unificada para mensagens de compradores, gestão de estoque e dados de desempenho de venda.

Disponível, por ora, apenas para usuários dos Estados Unidos (e com 18 anos de idade ou mais), ele sincroniza automaticamente com a conta do Facebook caso ela esteja conectada ao dispositivo.

Selo de verificação

A Meta também está lançando o Facebook Verified, um selo de verificação gratuito que ajudará usuários a comprovar a autenticidade de seus perfis em locais como os grupos, o Marketplace e o Namoro (Dating).

Para garantir um selo, os usuários (que não podem ser páginas e perfis profissionais) deverão enviar um vídeo no formato de selfie, o qual a plataforma comparará com as fotos publicadas para atestar a autenticidade.

A novidade está sendo lançada gradualmente em mercados selecionados (com planos de expansão global), mas a empresa não especificou exatamente quais são eles. Ela é restrita a maiores de 18 anos.

Mais novidades

A Meta ainda anunciou que está implementando uma nova experiência imersiva em que o usuário visualiza um modo de vídeo em tela cheia assim que abre o Facebook — uma opção para quem consome muitos vídeos na plataforma.

Por fim, a empresa também destacou o recém-lançado app Forum e novos recursos da Meta AI — como a possibilidade de encontrar um date no Namoro usando IA, sugestões de preços no Marketplace e um assistente para criadores.

Meta today announced Facebook Verified, a free badge designed to confirm that a Facebook profile belongs to a real person rather than an AI-generated fake.


The feature uses a selfie-based verification process: users record a short video selfie, which ‌Meta‌ checks against their existing profile photos to confirm a match. ‌Meta‌ says the process is free and typically takes just a few minutes to complete, though accounts must meet the company's trust and safety standards to qualify.

Facebook Verified is limited to users 18 and older who are in good standing with ‌Meta‌'s Community Standards around fraud, scams, and deceptive practices, and who show no evidence of inauthentic behavior. The badge is not available for Pages or ProMode accounts, positioning it squarely as a personal-profile feature rather than one aimed at creators or businesses.

Once verified, the badge will appear on Marketplace, Dating, Groups, and Profile, with ‌Meta‌ planning to extend it to Feed posts over time. There is no subscription fee for the feature, and the badge carries across the platform once a user has completed the one-time verification process.

The launch is separate from ‌Meta‌ Verified, the company's existing paid subscription that bundles a verified badge with extras like impersonation protection and direct account support. Facebook Verified is free and narrower in scope, aimed specifically at signaling humanity rather than offering premium account features.

Facebook Verified is rolling out in phases, starting in select markets, with ‌Meta‌ planning to expand availability globally over time.
This article, "Meta Launches Free 'Facebook Verified' Badge to Confirm Real Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Após um período em desenvolvimento, o WhatsApp começou a liberar um novo design para as bolhas de mensagens para testadores e alguns usuários da versão estável do seu aplicativo para iOS.

Como mostra a comparação abaixo, divulgada pelo WABetaInfo, as bolhas agora contam com cantos mais arredondados em relação à interface anterior — o que dá a elas uma aparência bem mais moderna.

Outra mudança pode ser vista especialmente nas mensagens de mídia trocadas em chats individuais, que deixaram de ter uma borda em volta de seu conteúdo e apresentam exclusivamente a foto ou o vídeo em questão.

Mensagens de mídia encaminhadas ou enviadas em grupo ainda mostram uma borda exclusivamente na parte superior — com o rótulo de encaminhamento ou a identificação de quem as enviou, respectivamente.

Links enviados com pré-visualização, por sua vez, apresentam a borda apenas na parte inferior, para abrigar o indicador de envio/recebimento/leitura.

Apesar de bem simples, essa será mais uma mudança que dará uma maior modernização à interface do app — especialmente nas bolhas das mensagens, que mantêm o mesmo estilo há muito tempo.

WhatsApp’s latest feature drop brings account sign-ups to the iPad, a major CarPlay upgrade and music sharing through Status.

(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are quickly earning a far less flattering nickname: “pervert glasses.”

A new investigation has exposed how highly personal videos captured by users — including people undressing or using the bathroom — are being sent to contractors in Kenya for AI training, often without the subjects’ knowledge. The revelations have sparked widespread outrage online, with many accusing the devices of turning everyday wearers into unwitting voyeurs and reigniting deep concerns about privacy in the age of always-on AI surveillance.

Victor Tangermann for Futurism:
‎

Automated systems designed to blur faces often failed, the contractors claimed, effectively giving them a front row seat of somebody’s most intimate moments.

“I don’t think they know, because if they knew they wouldn’t be recording,” one contractor said.

Many have quickly embraced a term for the devices that’s presumably sending Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into paroxysms of fury: “pervert glasses.”

“Glad people are settling on the term ‘pervert glasses,’” another agreed. “Bonus points if you also say it while posting a picture of Mark Zuckerberg or call them Mark Zuckerberg’s pervert glasses.”

“Not a fan of Mark Zuckerberg’s pervert glasses,” wrote yet another. “I would prefer technology to make it more difficult to skeez, creep or perv on the world. I would like tech to protect me from creeps, not smooth the runway for them.”

The threat of simple smart glasses being used for surveillance isn’t some dystopian vision of a far future. Researchers have already shown that Meta’s smart glasses can be used to instantly reveal the identities of strangers in public — tech that Meta has reportedly been working on itself.

All told, smart glasses are a product category rife with uncomfortable connotations, especially when worn in the presence of others who may not know they may be recorded.

‎
MacDailyNews Take: Unless their goal was to trash their reputation as quickly as possible, we bet Ray-Ban is rethinking its poor decision to tie up with an outfit like Meta.

Meta is to privacy as Chernobyl is to nuclear power. – MacDailyNews, December 19, 2024

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The post Meta Ray-Bans are being called ‘Mark Zuckerberg’s Pervert Glasses’ appeared first on MacDailyNews.