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Al-generated Portraits Attract Attention

An Instagram photographer who raked in thousands of followers thanks to his stunning portraits has admitted that they are fake. The apparent ‘photos’ were created by Midjourney - a software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate images - and touched up on Photoshop. Jos Avery, from the US, even gave each figure a name, geotag and moving story that he added in the image captions, but these are marked as fictional. Up until recently, Mr Avery had either been purposefully vague to his followers about how he acquired his images or outright told them they were real photographs. He even went as far as fabricating the type of camera and lens he used to take them.

Freediving Couple Break Guinness World Record For The Longest Underwater Kiss

A Guinness World Record for the most extended kiss underwater has been broken by a freediving couple who wanted to ‘inspire others to fall in love’ with the ocean. The four minutes and six seconds smooch between 40-year-old Beth Neale from South Africa and her 33-year-old fiance Miles Cloutier from Canada was achieved in an infinity pool at the Lux South Ari Atoll resort in the Maldives earlier this month. The previous record of three minutes 24 seconds, held by Michele Fucarino and Elisa Lazzaina, was broken after 13 years.

Starbucks Launches Olive Oil Coffee In Italy

The world’s largest coffee chain, Starbucks, is launching a line of olive oil-infused drinks in Italy. Chief executive Howard Schultz says olive oil’s “unexpected, velvety, buttery flavour... enhanced the coffee and lingers beautifully on the palate.” Starbucks is among the major US businesses that have faced obstacles as they tried to expand into the Italian food and drinks market. Italy’s coffee scene is famous for its independent and often family-run cafes.

Space Tourism Firm To Offer Flights To Stratosphere

A space tourism firm has announced that it will offer helium balloon trips to the stratosphere later this year. Japanese startup Iwaya Giken promises passengers a view of the curvature of the Earth from an altitude of 15 miles (25 km). Despite the hefty price tag of almost 170,000 Euros, the company’s CEO, Keisuke Iwaya, hopes that commercialising space travel will eventually help to bring the cost down. ‘The idea is to make space tourism for everyone,’ he said yesterday at a press conference in Tokyo. The vessel comprises of an airtight plastic cabin, about 4.9 feet (1.5 m) wide, attached to a 144-foot-wide (44 m) helium balloon.

Queen Consort Speaks Out Against Censorship Of Roald Dahl Books

The Queen Consort has waded into the row over the decision to rewrite some of Roald Dahl’s most famous children’s classics, urging authors to resist curbs on their ‘freedom of expression’. Speaking at a reception to mark the second anniversary of her popular online book club, Camilla said to assembled writers: ‘Please remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination.” The row over revisionism has seen words like ‘fat’ removed - August Gloop can only now be referred to as ‘enormous’ - and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’s Oompa Loompas being made gender neutral. Mrs Twit’s ‘fearful ugliness’ has been chopped to ‘ugliness’, and Mrs Hoppy in Esio Trot is not an ‘attractive middle-aged lady’ but a ‘kind middle-aged lady’.

Spotify Launches An AI DJ

The tech giant has launched its most personalised service in the form of an AI DJ. The DJ, dubbed X, features a ‘stunningly realistic voice’ and creates personalised mixes based on your music taste. ‘The DJ is a personalised AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you,’ Spotify explains. ‘This feature, first rolling out in beta, will deliver a curated lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists we think you’ll like in a stunningly realistic voice.’

The AI DJ is Spotify’s latest personalised offering, following the success of other features such as Discover Weekly and Wrapped.