Technology

OpenAI in Talks for Funding Round Valuing It Above $100 Billion

OpenAI is in talks to raise several billion dollars in a new funding round that would value the startup behind ChatGPT above $100 billion. The new funding round would be the biggest infusion of outside capital into OpenAI since Microsoft invested around $10 billion in January 2023. Since then, an arms race has developed in Silicon Valley to build the most advanced artificial-intelligence systems in an effort to dominate an industry many say will revolutionize the economy.

Source: OpenAI in Talks for Funding Round Valuing It Above $100 Billion

The Overwhelming Majority of NFTs Are ‘Dead,’ Report Says

A report published earlier this month by NFTevening said that the market for NFTs has been in such a dramatic downturn since 2023 that 95 percent of them are considered “dead,” with the average NFT owner experiencing a 44.5 percent loss on their investment. According to NFTevening, the research was conducted with by examining more than 5,000 NFT collections and 5 million transactions from NFTScan.

Source: The Overwhelming Majority of NFTs Are ‘Dead,’ Report Says

SAG-AFTRA Wins Passage of California Bill to Limit AI Replicas

A bill to protect performers from unauthorized AI replicas was approved by the California Senate on Tuesday and will soon head to the governor’s desk. SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, has made the bill one of its top legislative priorities this year. AB 2602 would require explicit consent for the use of a “digital replica” of a performer.

Source: SAG-AFTRA Wins Passage of California Bill to Limit AI Replicas

A third of all generative AI projects will be abandoned, says Gartner

Companies are “struggling” to find value in the generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) projects they have undertaken and one-third of initiatives will end up getting abandoned, according to a recent report by analyst Gartner. “After last year’s hype, executives are impatient to see returns on Gen AI investments, yet organizations are struggling to prove and realize value.

Source: A third of all generative AI projects will be abandoned, says Gartner

California Passes Law Requiring Consent for AI Digital Replicas of Dead Performers

The passage of AB 1836, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom, comes four days after the state Senate passed AB 2602, which toughens the consent requirements for the use of AI to replicate living performers. “For those who would use the digital replicas of deceased performers in films, TV shows, videogames, audiobooks, sound recordings and more, without first getting the consent of those performers’ estates, the California Senate just said NO,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.

Source: California Passes Law Requiring Consent for AI Digital Replicas of Dead Performers

How AI Image Tools Are Generating New Content-Moderation Problems

The artificial-intelligence image generators are testing the boundaries of the platforms’ policies and the ability of companies to put effective guardrails around public use of this powerful new visual technology. The ability to create images of real, known people has emerged as one of the biggest tension points in this new content-moderation debate.

Source: How AI Image Tools Are Generating New Content-Moderation Problems

Newton-Rex: It’s time for streaming services to act on AI music

Up until now, Spotify has had no policy explicitly banning AI-generated music. In 2023, Daniel Ek said that tools that mimic artists were not acceptable; these may be forbidden under the company’s Deceptive Content policy (the wording isn’t entirely clear). But, in the same interview, Ek specifically called out AI music that didn’t directly impersonate artists as something they would not ban at this stage.

Source: It’s time for streaming services to act on AI music

Sony is excited about its new blockchain platform, Soneium – and music could play a big part in its future

Sony has announced plans to launch a new blockchain platform, Soneium, with plans to integrate the company’s various businesses and intellectual property, potentially including its music catalog. Developed by Sony’s Singapore-headquartered joint venture with Startale Labs, Sony Block Solution Labs, Soneium is described as the “infrastructure network that forms the basis of Web3“.

Source: Sony is excited about its new blockchain platform, Soneium – and music could play a big part in its future

What’s next for artists suing StabilityAI and Midjourney

The class action lawsuit filed by several visual artists against AI image and video generation platforms StabilityAI, Midjourney, Runway and DeviantArt moved forward to the discovery stage last week. The lawsuit is one of the first legal challenges to AI platforms to reach this stage and could set the tone for other cases filed against AI companies.

Source: What’s next for artists suing Stability AI and Midjourney

Meta and Spotify CEOs criticize AI regulation in the EU

In joint statements published to both companies’ respective websites on Friday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek complain that EU privacy regulations around AI are holding back innovation. Meta, for instance, points out that it has been prevented from being able to train its AI models on public data across Facebook and Instagram because regulators haven’t crafted legislation to address how this should be handled as of yet.

Source: Meta and Spotify CEOs criticize AI regulation in the EU

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