China’s economic slowdown is having ripple effects around the world. While it won’t cause a global catastrophe, many international companies and commodity exporters will feel the impact of lower Chinese demand. One bright spot for consumers may be cheaper prices. However, countries that benefited from China’s Belt and Road Initiative could see reduced investment. There are also concerns that domestic economic problems could make China’s president less predictable in dealings with Taiwan.
Rich countries like the US & UK are facing severe nursing shortages due to burnout and resignations during the pandemic. To fill the gap, they have dramatically increased the recruitment of nurses from poorer countries like the Philippines, India, and Nigeria. However, this exodus of nurses has further strained these nations’ fragile healthcare systems. While jobs abroad offer higher pay than at home, the article finds recruiters in India exploiting nurses’ dreams of opportunities overseas. It also describes foreign nurses feeling obligated to accept dangerous assignments in host countries due to pressure and fear. The migration pipeline has drained the Philippines of over 200,000 healthcare workers, including 100,000 nurses. Of interest, the article profiles one Filipina nurse’s journey to New York amid this global movement of nurses between nations.
Project Gutenberg has used AI to convert over 5,000 of its public domain ebooks into audiobooks using synthetic speech, bypassing the traditional process of hiring human narrators. The AI-generated audiobooks have a natural-sounding male voice and are available on major platforms. While a step forward in accessibility, the AI lacks the nuance of human performers like Stephen Fry’s narration of Harry Potter. Actor unions are currently on strike partly over demands for protections from AI, which can digitally replicate voices and faces without consent. The Project Gutenberg method is noteworthy as it can customize voices using just a small audio sample. Most voice actors lack union support, making the profession vulnerable to automation. The ability of AI to easily generate convincing digital replicas of voices poses an existential threat to actors’ livelihoods according to their union leaders. Uniting voice actors may be key to ensuring their rights are upheld in the face of advancing AI technology.
YouTube has become the dominant online video platform in India, with 4 out of 5 Indians choosing it. Shorts on YouTube is hugely popular, with 96% of 18-44 year olds using it. Viewers are splitting their time across different video formats on YouTube and spending over 2 hours daily watching videos on average. The platform is seeing strong growth across both mobile and connected TVs. Creators in India are increasingly experimenting with generative AI tools as well. YouTube also recently launched new ad customization tools to help marketers better target different audiences. Overall, YouTube’s popularity continues to grow firmly in India across both short and long-form video consumption.