Michael Smith, 54, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to running a scheme that used AI-generated songs and thousands of bot accounts to fraudulently generate billions of streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music between 2017 and 2024. Court documents say Smith worked with an AI music company's CEO and a music promoter, routing bot traffic through VPNs to dodge anti-fraud detection, and collected more than $10 million in royalties.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-07
Starting January 1, data center projects built on qualifying rural land tracts will become eligible for corporate tax incentives under an expanded federal opportunity zone program created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith said the changes could lower financial barriers for large, capital-intensive projects including hyperscale data centers. The opportunity zone program, first created during the first Trump administration, was broadened last year specifically to draw more investment into rural communities.
wired.com
· 2026-10-04
The University of Washington has moved its Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) institute, which offers a Master's in Technology Innovation, into a 48,500-square-foot space inside Microsoft's Building 92 under a rent-free lease. Microsoft contributed a $42 million in-kind donation to build out the space, marking the first time a UW program has established full-time operations on Microsoft's campus. GIX previously operated in Bellevue's Steve Ballmer Building after launching in 2015 with Tsinghua University and roughly $70 million in Microsoft backing.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-02
Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt publicly accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury in a viral exchange, but his version of events and underlying facts have been disputed. Schmitt has not acknowledged any errors in his account despite the discrepancies being pointed out.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-30
We Make Indiana, a coalition of 25 nonprofits, faith groups and civic organizations near South Bend, sought funding from Microsoft under the company's publicized commitment to invest in local nonprofits near its AI data centers. According to Ars Technica's reporting, Microsoft's community liaison did not commit to providing the requested support, leaving the group without the promised backing.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-28
Microsoft has appointed Vice Chair and President Brad Smith to head its communications operations, succeeding longtime comms chief Frank Shaw, who is departing after more than 17 years at the company. Brent Colburn will serve as interim communications leader reporting to Smith during the transition, with Shaw staying on to advise both.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-24
Researchers at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science fabricated nanoscale optical structures based on the Smith hat monotile, the shape that solved the Einstein aperiodic tiling problem in 2023. When laser light hit these silicon nitride structures, it produced pinwheel-shaped diffraction patterns showing chirality not seen in typical quasicrystals.
sciencedaily.com
· 2026-09-15
The piece marks the 250th anniversary of both the United States' founding and Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, arguing the two milestones are historically linked. It contends that American capitalism and the business community have long shaped the nation's legal and justice systems, not just its economy.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-10
On 10 September 1897, London cab driver George Smith crashed his Bersey electric taxi into a building on New Bond Street after it swerved and mounted the pavement while he was drunk. He was arrested, examined by a police surgeon, and the next day pleaded guilty at Marlborough Street Police Court to being drunk in charge of a vehicle, receiving a 20-shilling fine.
ianvisits.co.uk
· 2026-09-10
Calendly has rolled out a new logo, wordmark, color palette, and brand identity designed by studio Smith & Diction, moving away from its image as a simple scheduling calendar. Alongside the visual overhaul, the company announced new AI-powered tools, including an email assistant and a meeting notetaker, aimed at reducing scheduling friction and administrative busywork.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-25
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