Headlines

How Tech Giants Cut Corners to Harvest Data for A.I.

OpenAI, Google and Meta ignored corporate policies, altered their own rules and discussed skirting copyright law as they sought online information to train their newest artificial intelligence systems. The companies’ actions illustrate how online information — news stories, fictional works, message board posts, Wikipedia articles, computer programs, photos, podcasts and movie clips — has increasingly become the lifeblood of the booming A.I. industry.

Source: How Tech Giants Cut Corners to Harvest Data for A.I.

Apple to license images from Shutterstock to train AI models

Apple has struck a deal to license millions of images from Shutterstock in order to train its AI models. Other tech companies have obtained similar deals from Shutterstock to help develop visual AI engines, including Google, Meta, and Amazon. News of Apple’s deal comes well after its signing in late 2022, and is expected to cost Apple up to $50 million.

Source: Apple to license images from Shutterstock to train AI models

OpenAI releases new AI fine-tuning tools

These updates are set to empower developers with unprecedented control over AI model fine-tuning, while also offering new avenues for constructing custom models tailored to specific business needs. As OpenAI states in a blog post announcing the new API updates: “We believe that in the future, the vast majority of organizations will develop customized models that are personalized to their industry, business, or use case.”

Source: OpenAI releases new AI fine-tuning tools: ‘vast majority of organizations will develop customized models’

Google Books reportedly indexing bad AI-written works

The AI books could make studying language patterns harder. 404Media reports Google Books included several books that AI could have written. The publication searched Google Books with the term “as of my last knowledge update,” a common phrase chatbots like ChatGPT use. You can search Google Books for specific sentences or terms, and it will normally send back written works with those phrases.

Source: Google Books reportedly indexing bad AI-written works

IATSE Sees Fears and Promise of Artificial Intelligence: ‘We Want the Spoils’

AI is high on the agenda as IATSE looks to set a new three-year contract with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers before the July 31 expiration of its current deal. Like the other unions that have struck new contracts over the past year — the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America and the American Federation of Musicians — IATSE is seeking “guardrails” on AI use.

Source: IATSE Sees Fears and Promise of Artificial Intelligence: ‘We Want the Spoils’

DiMA CEO Graham Davies: “We’ve got to be careful with streaming’s success story.” 

Where the money goes in the music business has always been an issue of towering importance, but it has never been under greater scrutiny, both within the industry and publicly. “[Regarding] educating on where the money goes, I think there’s a lot to do there,” says Davies. “There is a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding.” Key to this, he says, are DiMA’s efforts around “modernizing of licensing and operations”.

Source: DiMA president and CEO Graham Davies: “We’ve got to be careful with streaming’s success story.” – Music Ally

Kiss Sells Catalog, Name, Likeness and More to Pophouse Entertainment for $300 Million

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Kiss have sold their music catalog, name, image and likeness — including their iconic makeup designs — to Pophouse Entertainment, the Sweden-based music investment firm behind ABBA’s “Voyage” hologram show. While terms of the deal were not officially announced, Bloomberg and Associated Press said it was worth upwards of $300 million.

Source: Kiss Sells Catalog, Name, Likeness and More to Pophouse Entertainment for $300 Million

Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, 200 artists say AI poses existential threat to their livelihoods

On Tuesday, the Artist Rights Alliance (ARA) announced an open letter critical of AI signed by over 200 musical artists, including Pearl Jam, Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, and the estate of Frank Sinatra. In the letter, the artists call on AI developers, technology companies, platforms, and digital music services to stop using AI to “infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.”

Source: Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, 200 artists say AI poses existential threat to their livelihoods

AI’s quiet creep into music punctuated by ‘SpongeBob’ voices and a secretive artist called Glorb

SpongeBob, the title cheery yellow character, appears outside his pineapple-shaped home, while Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob’s cranky boss, is at the Krusty Krab restaurant he runs. But unlike in the show, the characters in the videos aren’t singing jolly songs about life in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Instead, they’re rapping about drugs and guns.

Source: AI’s quiet creep into music punctuated by ‘SpongeBob’ voices and a secretive artist called Glorb

The Intersection Of Human Creativity And AI: A Legal Renaissance

In this era, where AI capabilities seem boundless, human time emerges as a finite, invaluable resource. As AI assumes responsibility for routine and complex tasks alike, the focus shifts to the essence of human input — creativity, ethical reasoning, and innovation. This recalibration signifies a deeper appreciation for human attributes, underscoring the irreplaceable nature of human time and insight in a digitized world.

Source: The Intersection Of Human Creativity And AI: A Legal Renaissance

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