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Major technology companies like Google have been investing heavily in generative AI and racing to incorporate it into their products. Google said its new policy applies to software, including its Vertex AI development platform and Duet AI system, which generates text and images in Google Workspace and Cloud programs. The press release did not mention Google's more well-known generative AI chatbot program Bard. The new wave of lawsuits over generative AI has generally targeted the companies that own the systems, including Google, and not individual end users. AI defendants have said that the use of training data scraped from the internet to train their systems qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law.

Persons: Annegret, Bard, Blake Brittain, David Bario, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Google, Arena, REUTERS, Microsoft, Adobe, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Washington

☆ Barry Diller rips WGA deal with studios, says fair use needs to be redefined to address AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Slamming the tentative labor deal between Hollywood writers and studios, media mogul Barry Diller on Tuesday laid out his biggest bone of contention with generative artificial intelligence. "All we want to do is establish that there is no such thing as fair use for AI, which gives us standing." Generative AI and language-based model systems index entire bodies of work within their knowledge base, a violation of fair use, some argue. Altman, who also served on the Expedia board with Diller, testified before senators in May to discuss regulations on AI. Altman also said that Shutterstock was critical in the training of OpenAI's generative media AI, DALL-E.

Persons: Barry Diller, Diller, George R.R, Martin, Jodi Picoult, OpenAI, Diller isn't, that's, Sam Altman, Sam, Altman, " Altman, Shutterstock Organizations: Hollywood, IAC, Writers Guild, WGA, Alliance, Television Producers, Wall Street, CNBC

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM, Sept 21 (Reuters) - European Union lawmaker Brando Benifei, who is leading negotiations on artificial intelligence rules, on Thursday urged EU countries to compromise in key areas in order to reach agreement with the bloc's executive by the end of the year. The thorniest issues are biometric surveillance and copyrighted material used by ChatGPT and other generative AI. Lawmakers want a ban on AI use in biometric surveillance but EU countries led by France want exceptions for national security, defence and military purposes. Lawmakers also want AI legislation to cover copyrighted material used by companies like OpenAI, backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), while EU countries say the bloc's current copyright rules offer sufficient protection. Copyright should be dealt with in the copyright law," she told Reuters, chiming with EU countries on the second matter.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Brando Benifei, Benifei, Alexandra van Huffelen, Svenja Hahn, Guillaume Couneson, Linklaters, Foo Yun Chee, Martin Coulter, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Union, European Commission, Microsoft Corp, Reuters, UN, Assembly, Global Tech Sector, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, STOCKHOLM, France, Europe, New York, Spain, London

A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. In addition to Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O) OpenAI, similar lawsuits are pending against Meta Platforms and Stability AI over the data used to train their AI systems. Other authors involved in the latest lawsuit include "The Lincoln Lawyer" writer Michael Connelly and lawyer-novelists David Baldacci and Scott Turow. The complaint said ChatGPT generated accurate summaries of the authors' books when prompted, indicating that their text is included in its database. It also cited growing concerns that authors could be replaced by systems like ChatGPT that "generate low-quality ebooks, impersonating authors and displacing human-authored books."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, OpenAI, John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen, George Saunders, Jodi Picault, George R.R, Martin, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, Scott Turow ., Mary Rasenberger, Blake Brittain, David Bario, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Authors, Meta, Lincoln, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Washington

☆ How a single hard-charging CEO helped the US dollar take over the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Henry Farrell | Abraham Newman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Wriston's financial innovations helped create the modern Eurodollar market — a vast offshore realm of financial transactions in US dollars happening outside of US borders. As he explained in 1979, the "current banking network, with its Euromarkets and its automated payments system" seemed dull and technical, but it had immense political consequences. Wriston helped rebuild this clanking machine into an engine of transformation, welding disjointed national markets into a true world economy. It began to develop a new kind of sanction, which used its control of "dollar clearing" to force international banks to implement US policy outside its borders. Instead of the stateless, government-less world that Wriston envisioned, the internationalization of the US dollar became the precedent for a massive transformation of America's financial power.

Persons: Walter Wriston, Wriston, Friedrich Hayek's, Banks, Eric Sepkes, Eric Helleiner, Henry Holt, Helleiner, Henry Farrell, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Friedrich Schiedel, Abraham Newman Organizations: Citibank, Staff, of, Technology, Bankers, JPMorgan, Warburg, Federal Reserve, buccaneers, US Department of, Treasury, SWIFT, Society, Worldwide Interbank, Johns Hopkins, Politics, The Washington Post, School of Foreign Service, Government Department, Georgetown University, Henry Holt and Company Locations: London, of London, Europe, Argentina, New York, United States, Eurodollars, Italy, Japan, Soviet Union, America, Iran, Russia, Ukraine

An AI (Artificial Intelligence) sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China July 6, 2023. Only works with human authors can receive copyrights, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said on Friday, affirming the U.S. The Copyright Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The Copyright Office has also rejected an artist's bid for copyrights on images generated through the AI system Midjourney, despite the artist's argument that the system was part of their creative process. Howell agreed with the Copyright Office and said human authorship is a "bedrock requirement of copyright" based on "centuries of settled understanding."

Persons: Aly, Beryl Howell, Stephen Thaler, Thaler, DABUS, Ryan Abbott, Howell, Blake Brittain, Alexia Garamfalvi, Conor Humphries Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, United, Washington , D.C, District, Autonomous, Copyright, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, United States, U.S, Washington ,, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Washington

☆ Why the Kennedys keep going back to their Hyannis Port compound after generations of tragedy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Raquel Laneri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In 1928, Joseph Kennedy bought a white-shingled cottage in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, for $25,000. The main home in the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. AP/Stew MilneHyannis Port became a homeBefore the Kennedys rolled into Hyannis Port, they had trouble establishing a summer home in coastal Massachusetts. Eunice Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier, Edward Kennedy, John F. Kennedy and Jean Kennedy play footballl while on vacation at the Kennedy compound in June 1953 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. (His father stayed in his Hyannis Port bedroom for five days listening to classical music when he heard the news.)

Persons: Joseph Kennedy, Kennedy, It's, —, Royce, Kate Storey, Joseph, John, Robert, John F, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Robert's, John Kennedy, Carolyn Bessette, Saoirse Kennedy, Storey —, Stone —, it's, Stew Milne, Rose, Honey Fitz, Fitzgerald, Boston, Storey, Gloria Swanson, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Eunice Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier, Edward Kennedy, Jean Kennedy, footballl, Hy Peskin, Eunice, John's, Ethel, Jacqueline, Rosemary Kennedy, Joseph Jr, Kathleen, Robert Jr, Bobby Shriver, Joseph P, Ted Kennedy's, John Jr, Caroline, Jackie, Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Caroline Kennedy's, Edwin A, Pat, Ted, what's Organizations: Service, Hyannis Port, Kennedy Hyannis Museum, Stone, Stew Milne Hyannis Port, Catholic, Hollywood, Big, Senate, Democrat, Kennedys, Big House, Kennedy Library Foundation, Democratic, Getty, Camelot Locations: Hyannis Port , Massachusetts, Boston, Hyannis, Cod, Hyannis Port, Hyannis Port ,, Stew Milne Hyannis, Massachusetts, Palm Beach , Florida

☆ Ferrari launches two hybrid models in limited series based on SF90 supercar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Copyright Ferrari S.p.a./Handout via REUTERS TCompanies Ferrari NV FollowMILAN, June 29 (Reuters) - Luxury sports automaker Ferrari (RACE.MI) on Thursday unveiled two new plug-in hybrid models, produced in limited series and hitting the top end of the its price range. Based on 2019's SF90 Stradale supercar, the Prancing Horse's first ever series hybrid car, the two new road-homologated models are inspired by Ferrari's XX programme. The SF90 XX Stradale will have a starting price of 770,000 euros ($840,378) while the SF90 XX Spider, equipped with retractable top, of 850,000 euros, Ferrari said. Performance is boosted by an 8-cylinder, 4-litre combustion engine coupled with three electric motors capable of a total 1,030 horse power, 30 more than the SF90 Stradale. The lithium-ion batteries of the new SF90 XX Stradale and SF90 XX Spider will allow them for a 25 kilometre range in fully-electric mode.

Persons: Ferrari S.p.a, Ferrari's, Ferrari, Giulio Piovaccari, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Ferrari, REUTERS, Companies, MILAN, Luxury, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ A new book reveals how Amazon used 'shady' strategies at its bookstores to drive up Prime subscriptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jason Del Rey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The following excerpt reveals how Amazon attempted to utilize its physical bookstores to bolster Amazon Prime and its other digital subscription services — in sometimes unethical ways. Among them were bookstores, under the name Amazon Books, which first opened to the public in 2015. Prior to the pandemic, store customers could view one of the free trial offers on a screen in front of them. Amazon spokesperson Jordan Deagle told me that there was no corporate mandate to increase sign-ups for free trials of Amazon subscriptions. The e-commerce giant just couldn't break away from its digital DNA, even in a physical store setting.

Persons: Jason Del Rey, Amazon's, Chris Garlock, Garlock, Jordan Deagle, Deagle, Tony Hoggett, Insider's Eugene Kim Organizations: Walmart, Morning, Amazon, Amazon Prime, East Coast, Amazon Books, Tesco, Harper Business, HarperCollins Publishers, Federal Trade Commission, FTC

☆ 21 questions to ask before choosing a job you'll stay happy in long-term
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Bruce Feiler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Bruce Feiler analyzed 400 people to find out what makes some people love what they do and others feel frustrated. Ask yourself questions like "If you could do one thing to be happier at work today, what would it be?" Author Bruce Feiler. You'll find a new job — but soon enough you'll be back where you started, asking the wrong questions and getting the wrong answers. Copyright © 2023 by Bruce Feiler.

Persons: Bruce Feiler, —, I've, they've, Bruce Feiler ., Jonica Moore, You'll, you'll, — you'll, Mark Savickas, It's Organizations: Service, Kent State University, Penguin Press, Penguin Random

Digital Content Next shared the principles with its board and relevant committees Monday. Digital Content Next's "Principles for Development and Governance of Generative AI": Developers and deployers of GAI must respect creators' rights to their content. The urgency behind building a system of rules and standards for generative AI is intense, said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next. How generative AI will unfold in the coming months and years is dominating media conversation, said Axios CEO Jim VandeHei. "Even with AI tools or generative AI models that work in text like ChatGPT, it doesn't change the fact we're already doing this work," said Looft.

Persons: Andrew Burton, Robert Frost, Vincent Van Gogh, Google's Bard, GAI, Jason Kint, I've, Kint, We've, Jim VandeHei, VandeHei, Barry Diller, Robert Thomson, Thomson, Diller, Chris Berend, Pope Francis, Chris Looft, Berend Organizations: New York Times, Getty, NBC, The Washington Post, Street, News Corp, Development, ., A.I, Digital, Facebook, Nasdaq, Market, Big Tech, International News Media, News Media, NBC News Group, Pentagon, Bloomberg, Axios Technology, Google, Disney, ABC, NBC News, CNBC Locations: New York City, New York, Washington ,

☆ How to build a cheap DIY underground bunker to protect you from nuclear fallout, in 6 steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Adam Barnes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In a pinch, this DIY fallout shelter would be better than an above-ground building, an expert said. Turns out, if a nuclear attack is imminent, you can build your own DIY fallout shelter for relatively cheap. Equipment you'll need for a DIY fallout shelterPhoto taken in 1961 of a 77-year-old man who built his own fallout shelter in his backyard. How to build a DIY fallout shelter for cheap in 6 stepsFirst, scout out a location for your fallout shelter. How this DIY fallout shelter would protect youSoil is a great shield from radioactive fallout.

Persons: —, Michael Ochs, Stringer, Cresson H, it's, Sun, bomba, Alex Wellerstein, MAXIM ZHURAVLEV Organizations: Service, Michael Ochs Archives, National Laboratory, Laboratory, Getty, University of Nevada, United States National Locations: Oak, Kearny, Nes, Las Vegas

☆ How artificial intelligence could threaten major industries and business models
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Meanwhile, limits on applicable copyright rules make it simpler to train AI tools. Nevertheless, accuracy issues with AI tools, Redburn said, could boost the use case for Pearson. Copyright issues are another major obstacle for music companies. Some potential copyright violations include replicating an artist's likeness or voice, and that could weaken the catalog value for many music companies, analysts said. Similarly, Deutsche Bank analyst Matthew Niknam highlighted in a recent note AI presents more opportunities than risks and offers "underappreciated upside tailwinds" for Five9.

Persons: GOOGL, Goldman Sachs, Dan Rosensweig, Chegg, Brad Erickson, Hayden Brown, Brown, BTIG, Chegg's, Pearson, Redburn, Morgan Stanley, Brent Thill, Thill, Douglas Mitchelson, Rosenblatt, Barton Crockett, Morgan Stanley's Omar Sheikh, Ygal, Nat Schindler, Wix, Jefferies, Oppenheimer, Timothy Horan, Matthew Niknam, Meta Marshall, Marshall, Michael Bloom Organizations: Wall Street, Microsoft, Nvidia, Goldman, Chegg, Companies, Freelance, Upwork, RBC Capital, Pearson, Bank of America, UBS, Jefferies, Industry Music, Spotify, Credit, Warner, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Citi, NICE, Deutsche Bank Locations: Nice

☆ How 'the dress' broke the internet — and pushed Facebook to force everyone into their own filter bubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ben Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2015, a BuzzFeed staffer posted a picture of a dress with the caption, "What color is this dress?" The following is an excerpt from "Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral" by Ben Smith. Jonah saw it differently. From TRAFFIC: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral by Ben Smith. Copyright © Ben Smith, 2023.

☆ Ed Sheeran tops UK charts with 'Subtract' after copyright victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ed Sheeran performs at the 58th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Frisco, Texas, U.S. May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File PhotoLONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - Pop star Ed Sheeran topped the UK music charts with his latest album, the critically acclaimed "Subtract", on Friday, a week after winning a U.S. copyright trial over one of his biggest hits. "Subtract", the British singer-songwriter's sixth studio album, went straight to no. 1, extending Sheeran's "flawless run of chart-topping albums", the Official Charts Company said. He was also facing a UK copyright trial over his 2017 song "Shape of You", a case he went on to win.

Circuit Court of Appeals said Corellium lawfully recreated Apple's system under the U.S. copyright doctrine of fair use, furthering scientific progress by aiding important security research. Apple sued Corellium for copyright infringement in South Florida federal court in 2019. Apple unsuccessfully tried to buy Corellium for nearly $23 million before filing the lawsuit, the appeals court said. The appeals court rejected Apple's arguments that Corellium simply repackaged iOS in a different format for profit, harming Apple's market for its operating system and its security-research programs. Corellium "opened the door for deeper security research into operating systems like iOS," the circuit court said.

WASHINGTON, April 24(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge by computer scientist Stephen Thaler to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's refusal to issue patents for inventions his artificial intelligence system created. According to Thaler, his DABUS system, short for Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience, created unique prototypes for a beverage holder and emergency light beacon entirely on its own. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a federal judge in Virginia rejected his patent applications for the inventions on the grounds that DABUS is not a person. Thaler has also applied for DABUS patents in other countries including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Saudi Arabia with limited success. The UK's Supreme Court heard Thaler's appeal of his loss there in March.

Heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend sued Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group and music publisher Sony Music Publishing for allegedly ripping off Gaye's classic, which Townsend co-wrote. Townsend's heirs sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, claiming "Thinking Out Loud" copied the "heart" of Gaye's song including its melody, harmony and rhythm. The heirs said in a court filing that they received 22% of the writer's share of Gaye's song from Townsend. Sheeran won a trial in London last year in a separate copyright case over his hit "Shape of You." Gaye's heirs won a landmark verdict in 2015 over claims that the Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams song "Blurred Lines" copied Gaye's "Got to Give It Up."

Kashtanova received a copyright in September, and declared on social media that it meant artists were entitled to legal protection for their AI art projects. Copyright Office suddenly reversed itself, and Kashtanova became the first person in the country to be stripped of legal protection for AI art. A spokesperson for the copyright office declined to comment. Copyright Office, petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court and has a patent case before the U.K. Supreme Court. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton 1 2 3 4Meanwhile, many artists and companies that own creative content fiercely oppose granting copyrights to AI owners or users.

REUTERS/Stefan WermuthMarch 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has ruled that an online library operated by the nonprofit organization Internet Archive infringed the copyrights of four major U.S. publishers by lending out digitally scanned copies of their books. The San Francisco-based non-profit over the past decade has scanned millions of print books and lent out the digital copies for free. But Koeltl said there was nothing "transformative" about Internet Archive's digital book copies that would warrant "fair use" protection, as its e-books merely replaced the authorized copies publishers themselves license to traditional libraries. "Although IA has the right to lend print books it lawfully acquired, it does not have the right to scan those books and lend the digital copies en masse," he wrote. Internet Archive promised an appeal, saying the ruling "holds back access to information in the digital age, harming all readers, everywhere."

REUTERS/Stefan WermuthMarch 24 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday ruled that an online library operated by the nonprofit organization Internet Archive had infringed the copyrights of four major U.S. publishers by lending out digitally scanned copies of the books. The San Francisco-based non-profit over the past decade has scanned millions of print books and lent out the resulted digital copies for free. But Koeltl said there was nothing "transformative" about the Internet Archive's digital book copies that would warrant "fair use" protection, as its ebooks merely replaced the authorized copies publishers themselves license traditional libraries. "Although IA has the right to lend print books it lawfully acquired, it does not have the right to scan those books and lend the digital copies en masse," he wrote. The Internet Archive in a statement promised an appeal, saying the ruling "holds back access to information in the digital age, harming all readers, everywhere."

March 17 (Reuters) - A computer scientist who has waged a global campaign for patents covering inventions conceived by his artificial intelligence system asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to hear his case. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a Virginia federal court rejected patent applications for the inventions on the grounds that DABUS is not a person. Thaler has also applied for DABUS patents in other countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Saudi Arabia. The UK's Supreme Court heard his case there earlier this month. The case is Thaler v. Vidal, U.S. Supreme Court.

Copyright Office issued new guidance on Wednesday to clarify when artistic works created with the help of artificial intelligence are copyright eligible. "The answer will depend on the circumstances, particularly how the AI tool operates and how it was used to create the final work," the office said. Generative AI systems like Midjourney, ChatGPT and DALL-E, which create text and images in response to human instructions, have recently skyrocketed in popularity. The office reiterated Wednesday that copyright protection depends on the amount of human creativity involved, and that the most popular AI systems likely do not create copyrightable work. The office also said that copyright applicants must disclose when their work includes AI-created material, and that previously filed applications that do not disclose AI's role must be corrected.

☆ Inside the germy, sneeze-filled meeting between Morgan Stanley's CEO and the Saudi crown prince at the onset of COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Liz Hoffman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley, met with the Saudi crown prince at the onset of the pandemic. The young royal kept sneezing during the meeting — and Gorman's fear of a deadly pathogen began to grow. He was in the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seated to the right of the country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Given their recent experience with a deadly virus, Gorman took the caution of his Kuwaiti hosts as a sign that the West was underestimating the dangers of this one. And now, as Gorman chatted with the controversial 34-year-old crown prince about ways Saudi Arabia could diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil, the young royal kept sneezing.

☆ AI-Generated Comic Book ‘Zarya of the Dawn’ Keeps Copyright But Key Images Excluded
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( James Hookway | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Copyright Office supported a copyright registration for a comic book created with the help of an artificial intelligence program, but said that individual AI-generated images couldn’t be granted protection, the latest development in a closely watched case that has become a barometer for how AI art might be treated in the eyes of the law. New York-based author and software developer Kris Kashtanova initially obtained copyright protection for the 18-page graphic novel “Zarya of the Dawn” last year. Kashtanova, who uses a gender-neutral honorific and pronouns, used a series of written prompts to guide the AI software Midjourney to create the images in the book, which describes the voyage of young person through several futuristic worlds and was the subject of an article in The Wall Street Journal last month.

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