Google’s launch last week of a new ‘AI Mode’ on search in the US appears to abandon its previous position as a friend to publishers. The tech giant, which made $265bn (£205bn) in media revenue last year, is introducing an AI information delivery system built entirely on information taken from content creators without their permission, showing disregard for the health of the media ecosystem on which it relies.
Source: With launch of AI Mode Google threatens to bleed news media dry
In a ruling filed on Friday (March 7), US District JudgeVince Chhabriagranted in part and denied in part Meta’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge ruled that the authors’ claim under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) over alleged removal of copyright management information (CMI) can go forward. “The plaintiffs have adequately alleged that Meta intentionally removed [copyright management information] to conceal copyright infringement,” Judge Chhabria wrote.
Source: Sarah Silverman’s Meta copyright lawsuit advances as judge allows authors’ DMCA claims
The latest revision of the Code is billed as having “a more streamlined structure with refined commitments and measures” compared to earlier iterations, based on feedback on the second draft that was published in December. Further feedback, working group discussions and workshops will feed into the process of turning the third draft into final guidance. And the experts say they hope to achiever greater “clarity and coherence” in the final adopted version of the Code.
Cinelytic, developer of an AI-driven data analytics platform for the entertainment industry, acquired Jumpcut Media, an AI firm that develops IP management and audience analysis tools. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “With the addition of Jumpcut’s powerful technology, Cinelytic tools become an even more essential tool for studios, producers, and executives looking to make strategic, well-informed content decisions,” said Tobias Queisser, co-founder & CEO of Cinelytic .
Source: Cinelytic Expands AI Entertainment Analytics Platform With Acquisition of Jumpcut (EXCLUSIVE)
Voice cloning AI technology has made remarkable strides in recent years, and many services can effectively mimic a person’s cadence with only a few seconds of sample audio. A new survey of the six leading publicly available AI voice cloning tools found that five have easily bypassable safeguards, making it simple to clone a person’s voice without their consent. Deepfake audio detection software often struggles to tell the difference between real and synthetic voices.
Source: AI can steal your voice, and there’s not much you can do about it
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has abandoned a proposal that would have required Alphabet Inc.’s Google to divest from artificial intelligence firms. Despite dropping the AI divestment demand, the DOJ and a coalition of 38 state attorneys general are pushing for a court order that would compel Google to sell its Chrome browser and implement additional measures to address its illegal search monopoly.
Source: DOJ Drops Google AI Divestment Plan but Pushes Forward in Antitrust Battle | PYMNTS.com
A group of European Union lawmakers wrote to top U.S. officials to push back on accusations that the bloc is using its new digital competition rules to treat American tech giants unfairly, saying that some U.S. companies are calling for its enforcement. The letter, seen by Dow Jones Newswires, was sent to U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday.
Source: EU Lawmakers Push Back on U.S. Criticism of AI Tech Regulation
The sale, which finished earlier today, contained 34 lots dating from the 1960s to today and totalled a middling $728,784 (with fees), against a pre-sale low estimate of $600,000 (calculated without fees). By far the top lot was Machine Hallucinations – ISS Dreams – A (2021) by Refik Anadol, the pioneering Turkish-American artist known for his large-scale immersive installations who plans to open the first AI arts museum, Dataland, in Los Angeles later this year.
Source: Christie’s AI art auction outpaces expectations, bringing in more than $728,000
The UK competition watchdog has ended its investigation into the partnership between Microsoft and the maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded that, despite Microsoft investing billions of dollars into OpenAI and having exclusive uses of some of its AI products, the partnership remains the same, so is not subject to review under the UK’s merger rules. Digital rights campaigners, Foxglove, said it showed the CMA had been “defanged.”
Source: UK competition watchdog drops Microsoft-OpenAI probe
Anthropic raised $3.5 billion in a Series E funding round to expand its artificial intelligence offerings. “With this investment, Anthropic will advance its development of next-generation AI systems, expand its compute capacity, deepen its research in mechanistic interpretability and alignment,” the company said in a Monday (March 3) press release. The round gave Anthropic a post-money valuation of $61.5 billion, according to the release.
Source: Anthropic Raises $3.5 Billion to Develop Next-Generation AI Systems | PYMNTS.com