Judge skewers $1.5B Anthropic settlement with authors in pirated books case over AI training
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Monday skewered a $1.5 billion settlement between artificial intelligence company Anthropic and authors who allege nearly half million books had been illegally pirated to train chatbots, raising the specter that the case could still end up going to trial. After spending nearly an hour mostly lambasting a settlement that he believes is full of pitfalls, U.S. District Judge William Alsup scheduled another hearing on September 25 to review whether his concerns had been addressed. The judge said he wants to ensure the authors don't “get the shaft” in the settlement and needs more assurances Anthropic won't be exposed to other lawsuits “coming out of the woodworks.”
US firm makes a $500 million investment deal with Pakistan for critical minerals
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A U.S. metals company has signed an agreement with Pakistan, pledging to invest an initial $500 million in the country’s largely untapped critical minerals sector. Monday's deal comes after Washington and Islamabad reached a trade agreement that Pakistan hoped would attract American investment in its minerals and oil reserves. The U.S. Embassy said the signing was an example of the strength of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship and would benefit both countries.
AI shakes up the call center industry, but some tasks are still better left to the humans
NEW YORK (AP) — Artificial intelligence is transforming call centers by streamlining tasks and improving customer service. Armen Kirakosian, a call center agent in Greece, now uses AI to access full customer profiles and anticipate issues before speaking to callers. This technology is helping agents focus more on customer service. However, AI's role in call centers is complex. While AI can handle routine tasks, it struggles with more intricate issues, like identity theft. Companies like Klarna have found that relying solely on AI can save money but also hurt customer satisfaction. The future may involve AI handling simpler tasks, with human agents managing complex ones.
Warner Bros. sues Midjourney for AI-generated images of Superman, Bugs Bunny and other characters
Warner Bros. is suing the AI company Midjourney for copyright infringement. The lawsuit claims Midjourney allows users to create AI-generated images and videos of copyrighted characters like Superman and Bugs Bunny. This is the third lawsuit against Midjourney by a major Hollywood studio, following Disney and Universal's joint lawsuit in June. The lawsuit alleges Midjourney trained its AI on illegal copies of Warner Bros. works and misleads users into thinking the generated content is authorized. Midjourney has not responded to the lawsuit. The company's CEO previously compared the service to a search engine, suggesting AI learning is similar to human creativity.
Google hit with $3.5 billion fine from European Union in ad-tech antitrust case
European Union regulators on Friday hit Google with a $3.5 billion fine for breaching the bloc’s competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services. This marks the fourth antitrust penalty for the company from Brussels. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, also ordered Google to end its self-preferencing practices and address conflicts of interest in the advertising technology supply chain. Google plans to appeal, calling the decision “wrong” and claiming it will harm European businesses. The decision angered U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has lashed out at the bloc over digital regulations and taxes imposed on U.S. tech companies.
FCC taking steps that would allow US prisons to jam prisoners' cellphone signals
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — Federal officials are moving a step closer to allowing state and federal prisons to jam cellphone signals from devices smuggled to inmates. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Friday announced the agency's plan to vote on September 30th to lift a restriction that currently prohibits signal jamming in prisons. Officials argue that smuggled phones enable prisoners to plot violence and run criminal enterprises. The debate has been ongoing for years, with prison directors saying the smuggled devices are dangerous because they allow inmates to continue committing crimes from behind bars.
Sweden's plans to mine rare-earth minerals could ruin the lives of Indigenous Sami reindeer herders
KIRUNA, Sweden (AP) — An expanding iron-ore mine and a deposit of rare-earth minerals are fragmenting the land in northern Sweden and altering ancient reindeer migration routes. But with the Arctic warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, Sami Indigenous reindeer herders say they need more geographic flexibility to ensure the animals’ survival. If a mine is established at the deposit of rare-earth minerals that Sweden heralds as Europe’s largest, one reindeer herder says it could completely cut off the migration routes used by the Sami village of Gabna some 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.
Attorneys general warn OpenAI and other tech companies to improve chatbot safety
The attorneys general of California and Delaware have expressed serious concerns about the safety of OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT, especially for children and teens. They sent a letter to OpenAI after a meeting with its legal team earlier this week. The officials have been reviewing OpenAI's plans to restructure its business, focusing on safety oversight. They say they are alarmed by reports of dangerous interactions between chatbots and users, including a suicide and a murder-suicide linked to OpenAI's chatbot. The two officials have oversight over OpenAI's plans to restructure its nonprofit origins, but want better safety measures.
Don't look now, but there's an AI-generated Italian teacup on your child's phone. What does it mean?
Ballerina Cappuccina, an AI-generated cartoon ballerina with a cappuccino teacup for a head, has become a viral sensation on TikTok. Her videos have garnered over 55 million views and 4 million likes, mostly from tweens. She's part of the "Italian Brain Rot" trend, which features absurd characters like Tralalero Tralala, a shark with sneakers, and Bombardino Crocodilo, a crocodile-headed airplane. These characters have captivated young audiences with their nonsensical charm. Experts say this trend reflects the younger generation's desire to escape the pressures of self-optimization. Despite concerns that it is pointless, some believe it's a harmless way to unwind.
In LA port, bobbing blue floats are turning wave power into clean energy
LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the Port of Los Angeles on a site that once housed oil tanks, seven steel structures that look like small blue boats are lowered into the ocean, where they gently bob up and down with the waves to generate power. It's the first onshore wave energy site in the United States. Eco Wave Power installed its technology on an unused wharf where it will generate a small amount of electricity. The goal is to show it works well enough to build it out along 8 miles of breakwater to make enough power for about 60,000 homes. Experts say the technology being officially unveiled this week can be scaled up to tap the immense wave energy off America's coasts and help meet the country's growing energy needs.
