Web Summit Kicks off in Lisbon as Tech Leaders Weigh Trump’s Return

The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)
The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Web Summit Kicks off in Lisbon as Tech Leaders Weigh Trump’s Return

The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)
The closing ceremony of Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 16, 2023. (Reuters)

Lisbon will this week play host to Europe’s biggest annual tech conference, Web Summit, where industry leaders and lawmakers will weigh the pros and cons of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Senior executives from firms such as Apple, Microsoft, and Meta will join high-ranking officials from Europe for debates about the future of artificial intelligence, social media regulation, and the impact a second Trump presidency may have on the continent.

Trump has previously promised he could end the war between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours of taking office. Days after Trump's re-election, two senior Ukrainian government officials, Alex Bornyakov and Mykhailo Fedorov, will take to the stage to discuss how the country has continued innovating in the face of conflict.

John Adam, chief revenue officer at software development firm Aimsoftpro, is among those attending. About 70% of the company’s workforce is still based in Ukraine, with the rest having relocated around Europe after the war’s outbreak in 2022.

“There’s mixed feelings because the Trump approach looks like it’s more geared towards the present lines of conflict, which is not an ideal scenario for Ukraine, and there’s a reluctance to accept that. At the same time, we would like this to have an endpoint,” he said.

THE X FACTOR

While not expected to attend, tech billionaire and vocal Trump supporter Elon Musk will be a recurring theme, from his role in Ukraine via satellite service Starlink to his success with space exploration firm SpaceX and controversial stewardship of social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

One panel will debate how Europe might develop a homegrown rival to SpaceX; another whether Musk “destroyed Twitter". Joe Benarroch, who quit his role as X’s de facto spokesperson and head of business operations in June, will join a panel titled “What to do about social media”.

While the EU has tried forcing online platforms to clamp down on harmful content, Trump’s election may lead to them reducing moderation efforts, according to Mark Weinstein, founder of privacy-focused social media platform MeWe, who will share the stage with Benarroch on Wednesday.

“Historically, Trump has been highly critical of online moderation,” he said. “To avoid political retribution, major social networks are likely to continue the trend of becoming significantly more permissive with content they allow on their platforms.”



Adobe Adds AI Tools to its Stock Photography Business

Figurines are seen in front of the Adobe logo in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. (Reuters)
Figurines are seen in front of the Adobe logo in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. (Reuters)
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Adobe Adds AI Tools to its Stock Photography Business

Figurines are seen in front of the Adobe logo in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. (Reuters)
Figurines are seen in front of the Adobe logo in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. (Reuters)

Adobe on Tuesday added software tools that let its customers use artificial intelligence to create images based on its library of stock images, while still paying the original creators of those images.

Adobe, the company behind tools such as Photoshop that are widely used in the content creation business, has been rushing to add AI tools to its software as it faces image generation technology from newer firms such as OpenAI. Adobe's strategy has been to ensure that content it generates is legally safe to use in commercial work and to compensate artists, Reuters reported

The tools released Tuesday let customers start with a stock image from Adobe's collection then modify it with AI to meet their needs. The creator of the original image is compensated as if their unmodified original image was used.

Matthew Smith, vice president at Adobe for strategy, design and emerging products, said that while some Adobe users like to generate images from text prompts, many customers want conventional stock imagery modified a bit for their specific purpose.

"A majority of people still have a blank canvas problem," Smith told Reuters. "Generative AI is not replacing stock (imagery). It's not replacing creatives or contributors. It's enhancing and giving them more potential opportunity to increase their earnings."