Here’s what’s new this week:
               

Instagram AI Revamped: This week Instagram announced that its AI for blocking harassment and spam in the comments has been completely overhauled. The new system uses machine learning to identify and prevent a range of hostile comments from appearing, which includes bullying, racism, and sexual harassment. A huge step in a positive direction for the community – and our community managers! (LINK)

iPhone Turns 10: It’s hard to believe that the iPhone came out 10 years ago. While it was and still is very much a phone, the way we use the device has drastically changed over the last decade. The original iPhone lacked a front-facing camera, the ability to send a photo via text, and an App Store with millions of apps that do amazing things and bring people together in ways we could have only imagined. The most important thing that it did do, however, was it got the world to think differently about what a mobile phone meant as a personal and constant companion. HBD, iPhone! (LINK) 

Facebook Targets Households: This week Facebook announced that brands will be able to direct ads to entire families or to specific people within a household. This will be accomplished using signals such as your relationship information that is shared by users, along with shared check-ins of people within the same household and their internet connections. This will be especially useful in terms of not wasting ad dollars by showing ads that aren’t relevant to certain family members. Arriving just in time for the holiday season, the new capability will be able to target those who influence purchases in a family along with the ones making the actual purchase. (LINK)

Apple Maps with an AR Surprise: As we learn more and more about Apple’s next version of iOS, some users have discovered a pretty cool trick. If you open Apple Maps on a device with iOS 11 installed and view a major city with Walkover 3D support, you can feel like you’re walking through the city with from the perspective of Godzilla (FINALLY!!). It’s pretty impressive and more importantly, it sheds light on the possibilities of where Apple and developers will take the new ARKit’s capabilities once available to the public this fall. Be sure to check out the video within the link. (LINK) 

#HUMBLEBRAG: Speaking of augmented reality and Apple, we’ve been experimenting with the new iOS 11 ARKit at Fallon, too. Check out our AR Virtual Pet experience on Facebook here.