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Associated Press
21 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Judas Priest, Rick Springfield, John Oates and Bob Geldof reflect on 40 years of Live Aid
NEW YORK (AP) — Forty years ago, the legendary Live Aid concerts aimed to do a lot of good — helping to raise over $100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia and inspiring worldwide awareness for a cause it might otherwise have ignored. Simulcast from Philadelphia and London on July 13, 1985, Live Aid was the most ambitious global television event of its time: 16 hours of live music in two different continents featuring Queen, The Who, a Led Zeppelin reunion and more. A lot has changed in the years since. 'Live Aid, '85 to now, is the same distance as the Second World War from Live Aid,' notes Rick Springfield, laughingly. 'That's how long ago it was.' Artists who performed at Live Aid — Springfield, organizer Bob Geldof, Hall and Oates' John Oates and Judas Priest's Rob Halford — reflected on the event and its impact in interviews with The Associated Press ahead of the 40th anniversary on Sunday. Here's what they had to say: Reflections on an unprecedented event At John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Springfield performed between Run-DMC and REO Speedwagon — just a taste of the diversity of performers featured on the transnational lineup. 'Run-DMC, I remember thinking, 'What is this? Three guys talking over a record player. What is that? Little did I know that it was about to change the whole game,' he says, laughing. He remembers playing an electric set — no 'Jessie's Girl,' because 'back then, it was just my first hit. ... It hadn't gone on to become this cultural thing.' Hall and Oates' John Oates had a different experience. His band also played in Philly — their hometown — and in 1985, his band was one of the biggest on the planet. They played near the end of the night, joined by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin and remained on stage to back the Rolling Stones' dynamic frontman Mick Jagger. The British rockstar had a trick up his sleeve. 'He didn't tell us that he was bringing Tina Turner out,' Oates says. 'We had rehearsed a certain amount of songs with him. But then when he brought her out, it just jacked up the level of energy like you can't believe.' Judas Priest singer Rob Halford counts 'Mike and Tina, of course,' as one of his Philly Live Aid highlights. 'Led Zeppelin, too.' But most exciting of all for the heavy metal frontman? Meeting folk hero Joan Baez. The band had previously covered her classic 'Diamonds and Rust.' 'I thought, 'Oh my God, she's gonna come and kick me in the ass for wrecking her beautiful song,'' he recalls. 'She gives me a quick hug and goes, 'The reason I'm here is because my son said to me, if you see Rob Halford from Judas Priest at the Live Aid Show in Philadelphia, will you tell him from me that I prefer Judas Priest's version to my mom's version?' ... It was a display of such kindness.' From Live Aid to Live 8 and beyond Twenty years after Live Aid, Geldof organized Live 8 — an even larger undertaking in the new internet era, with 10 concerts happening simultaneously and across the globe. If the trend were to continue, there should be another event taking place this year. Notably, there isn't. Geldof says that's because there couldn't be a Live Aid-type event in 2025. He cites social media as a cause. In his view, algorithmic fracturing has made it impossible to create monolithic musical and activistic moments. Instead, he views the current media landscape as bolstering 'an echo chamber of your own prejudices.' For something like Live Aid to work, 'You need rock 'n' roll as a creature of a social, economic and technological movement,' he says. 'And I think the rock 'n' roll age is over. ... It did determine how young people articulated change and the desire for it. ... That isn't the case anymore.' Springfield agrees. 'I think we are too divided,' he says. He believes the world wouldn't be able to agree on a single cause to support, or even which musicians to back. 'You could never do a thing with the size of Live Aid unless it was some kind of universal thing of, 'Let's bring everybody together.'' 'Never say never, but I highly doubt it,' says Oates. 'The landscape of music and entertainment in general has changed so drastically.' He points to 'We Are The World,' the 1985 charity single for African famine relief that included the voices of Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon and many more, as an example. 'The idea of that happening with the stars of today all in one place, I can't even imagine that. And plus, who would they be? ... How many songs are released every day?' Hope for he Live Aid's legacy to continue Halford echoes the other's sentiments. There's an undeniable 'extremism in the world right now,' he says, that would make a Live Aid event challenging to pull off in 2025. But he doesn't think it's impossible. He uses January's Fire Aid — the LA wildfire benefit concert featuring Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder and a Nirvana reunion — as a recent example. 'There will always be empathy from people,' and in the right hands, maybe another event like Live Aid could take place. 'It was a tremendously beautiful, humanitarian example ... that provided us opportunity to do something ourselves to help.'
Business of Fashion
22 minutes ago
- Business of Fashion
Meta Invests $3.5 Billion in EssilorLuxottica in AI Glasses Push
Meta Plaforms Inc. bought a minority stake in the world's largest eye-wear maker EssilorLuxottica SA, a deal that increases the US tech giant's financial commitment to the fast-growing smart glasses industry, according to people familiar with the matter. Facebook parent Meta acquired just under 3 percent of Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, a stake worth around €3 billion ($3.5 billion) at the current market price, said the people, who asked not to be identified because deliberations are private. Menlo Park, California-based Meta is considering further investment that could build the stake to around 5 percent over time, the people added, though those plans could still change. EssilorLuxottica's American depositary receipts rose as much as 6.9 percent to $148, their biggest intraday jump since April 9. Representatives for Meta and EssilorLuxottica declined to comment. Meta's investment in the eyewear giant deepens the relationship between the two companies, which have partnered over the past several years to develop AI-powered smart glasses. Meta currently sells a pair of Ray-Ban glasses, first debuted in 2021, with built-in cameras and an AI assistant. Last month, it launched separate Oakley-branded glasses with EssilorLuxottica. EssilorLuxottica Chief executive officer Francesco Milleri said last year that Meta was interested in taking a stake the company, but that plan hadn't materialized until now. ADVERTISEMENT The deal aligns with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's commitment to AI, which has become a top priority and major expense for the company. Smart glasses are a key part of that plan. While Meta has historically had to deliver its apps and services via smartphones created by competitors, glasses offer Meta a chance to build its own hardware and control its own distribution, Zuckerberg has said. The arrangement gives Meta the advantage of having more detailed manufacturing knowledge and global distribution networks, fundamental to turning its smart glasses into mass-market products. For EssilorLuxottica, the deal provides a deeper presence in the tech world, which would be helpful if Meta's futuristic bets pay off. Meta is also betting on the idea that people will one day work and play while wearing headsets or glasses. Shares of Warby Parker, a competing glasses-maker, rose as much as 4.3 percent on Bloomberg's report. By Daniele Lepido, Tommaso Ebhardt and Kurt Wagner Learn more: Meta Launches $399 Oakley AI Smart Glasses Meta introduces new Oakley smart glasses, expanding beyond Ray-Ban, targeting athletes and leveraging AI capabilities.
Forbes
24 minutes ago
- Forbes
FBI Warning—You Should Never Reply To These Messages
FBI's AI warning is increasingly critical. Republished on July 10 with new report into AI deep fake attacks and advice for smartphone owners on staying safe as threats surge. The news that AI is being used to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and place calls to foreign ministers may be shocking, but it shouldn't be surprising. The FBI has warned such attacks are now underway and it will only get worse. As first reported by the Washington Post, the State Department has told U.S. diplomats that this latest attack has targeted at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor, using an AI generated voice to impersonate Rubio. A fake Signal account (Signal strikes again) was used to initiate contact through text and voice messages. It's clear that voice messages enable attackers to deploy AI fakes without the inherent risk in attempting to run them in real-time on a live call. The FBI is clear — do not respond to text or voice messages unless you can verify the sender. That means a voice message that sounds familiar cannot be trusted unless you can verify the actual number from which it has been sent. Do not reply until you can. Darktrace's AI and Strategy director Margaret Cunningham told me this is all too 'easy.' The attacks, while 'ultimately unsuccessful,' demonstrate 'just how easily generative AI can be used to launch credible, targeted social engineering attacks.' Alarmingly, Cunningham warns, 'this threat didn't fail because it was poorly crafted — it failed because it missed the right moment of human vulnerability.' People make decisions 'while multitasking, under pressure, and guided by what feels familiar. In those moments, a trusted voice or official-looking message can easily bypass caution.' And while the Rubio scam will generate plenty of headlines, the AI fakes warning has being doing the rounds for some months. It won't make those same headlines, but you're more likely to be targeted in your professional life through social engineering that exploits readily available social media connections and content to trick you. The FBI tells smartphone users: 'Before responding, research the originating number, organization, and/or person purporting to contact you. Then independently identify a phone number for the person and call to verify their authenticity.' This is in addition to the broader advice given the plague of text message attacks now targeting American citizens. Check the details of any message. Delete any that are clear misrepresentations, such as fake tolls or DMV motoring offenses. Do not click any links contained in text messages — ever. And do not be afraid to hang up on the tech or customer support desk or bank or the law enforcement officer contacting you. You can then reach out to the relevant organization using publicly available contact details. ESET's Jake Moore warns 'cloning a voice can now take just minutes and the results are highly convincing when combined with social engineering. As the technology improves, the amount of audio needed to create a realistic clone also continues to shrink.' 'This impersonation is alarming and highlights just how sophisticated generative AI tools have become,' says Black Duck's Thomas Richards. 'It underscores the risk of generative AI tools being used to manipulate and to conduct fraud. The old software world is gone, giving way to a new set of truths defined by AI.' As for the Rubio fakes, 'the State Department is aware of this incident and is currently monitoring and addressing the matter,' a spokesperson told reporters. 'The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously take steps to improve the department's cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.' 'AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify,' the bureau warns. 'When in doubt about the authenticity of someone wishing to communicate with you, contact your relevant security officials or the FBI for help.' With perfect timing, Trend Micro's latest report warns 'criminals can easily generate highly convincing deepfakes with very little budget, effort, and expertise, and deepfake generation tools will only become more affordable and more effective in the future.' The security team says this is being enabled by the same kinds of toolkits driving other types of frauds that have also triggered FBI warnings this year — including a variety of other message attacks. 'tools for creating deepfakes,' Trend Micro says, 'are now more powerful and more accessible by being cheaper and easier to use.' As warned by the FBI earlier in the year and with the latest Rubio impersonations that it has under investigation, deep fake voice technology is now easily deployed. 'The market for AI-generated voice technology is extremely mature,' Trend Micro says, citing several commercial applications, 'with numerous services offering voice cloning and studio-grade voiceovers… While 'these services have many legitimate applications, their potential for misuse cannot be overlooked.' After breaking the Rubio impersonations news, the Washington Post warns that 'In the absent of effective regulation in the United States, the responsibility to protect against voice impostors is mostly on you. The possibility of faked distressed calls is something to discuss with your family — along with whether setting up code words is overkill that will unnecessarily scare younger children in particular. Maybe you'll decide that setting up and practicing a code phrase is worth the peace of mind.' That idea of a secure code word that a friend or relative can use to provide they're real was pushed by the FBI some months ago. 'Create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity,' it suggested in an AI attack advisory. 'Criminals can use AI-generated audio to impersonate well-known, public figures or personal relations to elicit payments,' the bureau warned in December. 'Criminals generate short audio clips containing a loved one's voice to impersonate a close relative in a crisis situation, asking for immediate financial assistance or demanding a ransom.'
