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The presence of AI in music is on the rise, and there are plenty of questions about whether that's a good thing or not. Of course, the music business is a business, so the real question is whether it can be a success, not whether the quality matches human artists. The incredibly successful musical artist and producer Timbaland is going to find out for himself.Timbaland has signed an AI pop act named TaTa to his new company Stage Zero, according to Billboard. The first performer for an AI-powered music genre he's named “A-Pop,” TaTa was created in a partnership with AI music platform Suno, a company Timbaland has worked with before. According to a statement to Billboard, Timbaland thinks of TaTa as far more than just a more complex auto-tune tied to a chatbot. TaTa is “a living, learning, autonomous music artist.”I get the appeal of AI for someone like Timbaland. He’s a producer. His talent allows him to hear the possibilities for a song or artist before they are fully formed. And AI tools like Suno and its various rivals, like Udio, can generate catchy melodies, layered harmonies, and even full songs in just a few minutes. What took days now takes hours, and what took months now takes days. AI music production is fast, consistent, and never a diva about its lunch order.But, so what? That might be fine for elevator music or background music in a million insurance commercials, but that's not what Timbaland is pitching. Music that people listen to for fun or for the feelings may have been created in a burst of inspiration and a dream, like "Let It Be" was for Paul McCartney, but far more often, an album is the result of a lot of hard work, experiments, failures, and emotion. Consistency is what you want from fast food, but music shouldn't be that way. Sometimes a song is amazing, and sometimes it's bad, but that's better than dully competent.It's like with AI writing. Usually it's very competent and accurate, but supremely dull and lacking imagination. Sure, a good set of prompts can provoke something more imaginative, but even that's ultimately from the prompt; the AI just stitches together the rest from whatever good idea appeared in the prompt.It's not like AI music is always going to be bad. Timbaland is keen to point out that TaTa is not just an avatar, but a model able to learn. But, say TaTa has twenty thousand great pop songs to learn from. It may perform something that sounds just as good, but really will be exactly the average.I think we often confuse technical ability with artistry. AI can write lyrics and generate beats and melodies. But it doesn’t understand what it's writing, and I think you can tell in the best music the intention behind the singing. It’s the difference between cooking from a recipe and cooking from memory. Both result in a nice meal, but one has a story behind it to enhance the flavor.AI PopI think AI has a place in music. I really like how it can help the average person without technical or musical skills produce a song. Anyone with an idea can make a song without a whole team or a record label behind them. But, ultimately, it's the idea and the person providing it that make or break a song. AI should be a tool, even a collaborator, but I don't think it should be the whole act. That's not helping humans make better music; that's just replacing them. We’re replacing them with algorithms and calling it progress.Timbaland says TaTa is the first of a new generation of musical acts. That might be true, as there's certainly a lot of AI-generated music on streaming platforms now. We may soon see AI artists on half of the Top 40, all optimized for TikTok loops. But I question how many of them will be considered the best music around.Even as AI keeps getting better, more convincing, and more nuanced, I think real voices and songs will stand out. Timbaland could make a lot of money from TaTa, because he's that talented a producer. But I’d rather hear what he does collaborating with a young artist who's come up with a great hook and lyrics for a chorus.You might also likeI tried using AI to create the background music for a podcast, but I may stick to music libraries for nowPaul McCartney cautions against AI in music despite success of AI-enhanced Beatles songWill Adobe's AI agents cause the death of creativity?

I have not played a single boxing game outside of Wii Sports this century, but that could be about to change. Summer Game Fest Live brought us the reveal of Felt That: Boxing, which stars puppet pugilists.

This project from the appropriately named Sans Strings Studio and Seth Green's animation company, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, is billed as "a comedic, over-the-top boxing game set in a world where the charm of furry puppets collides with the fury of boxing." The clip is structured like a trailer for an underdog sports movie and it is just delightful.

The snippets of gameplay suggests there will be training minigames that include dodging slices of burnt toast that a trainer hurls at your puppet (who is named Fuzz-E) and, uh, plunging a toilet. According to the description on the YouTube video, the developers are aiming to make the "boxing mechanics are intentionally ridiculous, favoring fun over precision, with puppet's limbs flailing about with an insane sense of chaos." Lovely.

This trailer was immediately the most interesting thing during SGF Live up to that point. Felt That: Boxing does not yet have a release window, but you can wishlist it on Steam now, like I just did.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/heres-a-silly-puppet-boxing-game-you-never-knew-you-needed-215616201.html?src=rss

Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward has covered nine White Houses going back to President Richard Nixon and Watergate. His latest book, "Fear: Trump in the White House," is revelatory in its look at chaos and discord within the current administration as witnessed by those inside the West Wing. In his first TV interview for his new book, Woodward talks with CBS News national security correspondent David Martin about the behavior of President Donald Trump and his staff that, his book suggests, may jeopardize America's national or financial security.

A predominately black neighborhood in Summerville, South Carolina, was torn apart when a white resident, Annie Caddell, put up a Confederate flag. It stirred a public fight, including the erection of a wall around her property to block views of the flag. But after Caddell suffered a heart attack, she also had a change of heart, and took the flag down, as Steve Hartman reported a few months ago. Hartman has now returned to Summerville to follow up on new developments in the story about restoring a community.

At 74 the Vietnam veteran who became an anti-war protester, senator and secretary of state continues, as he says, to "invest in citizenship." "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan interviews John Kerry, who has penned a new memoir, "Every Day Is Extra," and who talks about the current political climate, the need for Democrats to regain political control, and his plans for 2020. (For part two of Brennan's interview tune in to "Face the Nation" on September 2.)

Mafia: The Old Country will officially launch on August 8 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.Hangar 13 made the announcement at Summer Game Fest and gave us a brand new look at the third-person action game with a cinematic trailer, which provided some new insight into the story."Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive as Enzo Favara and prove your worth to the Cosa Nostra in this immersive third-person action-adventure set during a dangerous, unforgiving era," the game description reads."Enzo will do anything for a better life. After a brutal childhood of forced labor, he's ready to risk everything to become a man of honor in the Torrisi crime family. His oath to the Cosa Nostra, with all the power, temptation, and hardship it entails, is a burning reminder of this simple truth: Family Takes Sacrifice."Pre-orders for the Standard and Deluxe Editions are available now. Players who secure a copy will receive the Soldato Pack featuring distinctive cosmetics and a helpful Charm.This story is developing.You might also like...Best PS5 games 2025 - top PlayStation 5 titles to play right nowNintendo Switch 2 review-in-progress live: my thoughts, reactions, and experience with the console and its gamesAtomic Heart 2 officially announced at Summer Game Fest, along with an Atomic Heart multiplayer spin-off, The Cube

Nearly three years ago, when tech giant Microsoft announced that it was starting a pilot program to hire autistic workers, they received more than 700 resumes within a few weeks. German software maker SAP has instituted a program to bring people with autism into its workforce worldwide, and other companies are following suit. By all accounts, giving those on the spectrum an opportunity to use their talents productively has been a tremendous success. Lee Cowan looks at the changing face of workplace diversity. (Originally broadcast on February 11, 2018.)

A new co-op adventure is coming from Epic Games. Made by WiredFly and Kong Orange, Out of Words will offer a stop-motion-flavored platform adventure that's a little bit cozy and a little bit fantasy. The controllable humans have had their mouths stolen — that's why it's called Out of Words. It's a little On The Nose.

The cute figures and creatures have been crafted by hand, and cutscenes suggest they've been stop-motion animated alongside the gaming parts. Alongside the two humans you seemingly control, there's also a cute flying stingray. According to Epic Games, much of that whimsy originates from the mind of acclaimed poet Morten Søndergaard.

A core navigation dynamic will be the ability to invert gravity, allowing players to run upside-down alongside each other. There are other traversal powers, including monstrous arms that can grab and slingshot players across spaces.

Out of Words launches in 2026, and is coming to the Epic Games Store, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/out-of-words-is-a-cozy-stop-motion-co-op-adventure-from-epic-games-220803056.html?src=rss

Killer Inn is a little bit murder mystery and a little bit third-person action game, and combined, it looks like a lot of fun. Square Enix and developer Tactic Studios revealed Killer Inn during today's Summer Game Fest kickoff stream. A beta for the game is coming to Steam soon and it's available to wishlist now.

Killer Inn is a lot like the movie Clue, or the TV show The Traitors, or the social improv game Werewolf, or the video game Spy Party — it's all about uncovering players' true intentions and concealing your own, with a murderous twist. Each round includes 24 players, some of whom are wolves, while the rest are lambs. As a lamb, the players' goal is sniff out the wolves and survive their attacks, and the wolves are out to blend in with the herd, stealthily killing when they can. Each kill leaves behind a clue for other players to find. The game ends when one team has eliminated all members of the opposing group.

It isn't pure social strategy — there are various weapons, traps, poisons, bits of armor and masks to use, and a range of characters to choose from. Killer Inn is playable solo or with up to four players.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/killer-inn-turns-werewolf-into-a-multiplayer-action-game-220859571.html?src=rss

Known for his prolific and memorable comedic moments, playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon (who died on August 26, 2018) often used his own experiences for comic material, from "Biloxi Blues" to "Brighton Beach Memoirs." Writing gags for TV, especially Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows," would also inspire his play "Laughter on the 23rd Floor." He talked with correspondent Rita Braver about some of his many Broadway hits, including "Barefoot in the Park," "The Odd Couple" and "Sweet Charity," which were adapted for films and TV. She also talked with "Barefoot in the Park" star Robert Redford, and with Richard Dreyfuss, who would win an Oscar for starring in Simon's "The Goodbye Girl." (Originally broadcast on October 29, 2006.)