Meta's legal battles against authors and copyright holders continue in the Kadrey v. Meta Platforms case with even more amendments and allegations, as Zuckerberg turns to YouTube for his defense. Other key takeaways include:
- US AI-based defense startup Anduril sets out to build a $1 billion weapons factory in Ohio
- French woman gets swindled out of €830,000 by a deepfake version of Hollywood actor Brad Pitt
- Google Workspace's AI features go free at the cost of raising the platform's subscription cost
Join us at AI Tangle as we untangle this week's happenings in AI!
|
Continuing the Kadrey v. Meta Platforms case saga, Mark Zuckerberg continued defending Meta's use of copyrighted datasets, however, this time he likened it to YouTube's handling of pirated content, according to a transcript. Plaintiffs allege Meta knowingly used LibGen, a repository of e-books, to train its older Llama 3 series of AI models, despite blaring internal warnings about legal risks. However, new amendments now go further than this.
What are the new allegations?
Further allegations by plaintiffs state that, on top of LibGen, Meta also used Z-Library's dataset not just for training its Llama 3 model but also for its work-in-progress Llama 4 model. Meta's own personnel allegedly referred to LibGen as a "data set we know to be pirated," with documents internally flagged to warn that its use "may undermine [Meta's] negotiating position with regulators." The amended complaint accuses Meta of concealing these moves by adding "supervised samples" during fine-tuning. In return, while Zuckerberg did argue for caution, he deemed blanket bans on datasets impractical.
|
AI-based defense technology startup Anduril says it will build a $1 billion AI weapons and systems factory in Columbus, Ohio, near Rickenbacker International Airport, creating over 4,000 jobs. Dubbed Arsenal-1, the "hyperscale" plant will produce tens of thousands of autonomous drones and missiles annually, such as the Fury and Roadrunner drones and Barracuda missiles. Arsenal-1 is projected to take up 5 million square feet with an additional 500 acres for expansion. Spurred by the Ukraine war and China's advancements, The Pentagon's need for autonomous weaponry in recent years has risen, and Anduril is looking to meet those demands.
Malicious use of deepfake technology continues running rampant as French interior designer Anne lost €830,000 to a scammer posing as Hollywood star Brad Pitt in a deepfake scam, making use of AI-generated images and fake social media accounts. Believing she was in a romantic relationship with the actor for over a year, Anne was persuaded to transfer money for Pitt's "medical treatment." Her story aired on TF1's "Seven to Eight" program, but widespread online mockery, including by Netflix France, led TF1 to remove the segment a few days later, citing concern for Anne's mental health.
Google has started offering AI features, like email summaries, spreadsheet designs, and automated meeting notes for free in its Workspace apps, including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet. Previously available through the $20-per-user Gemini Business plan, these tools are now included in all Workspace plans. However, there is a catch, as Google is raising the price of Workspace plans by about $2 per user per month, with the base subscription going from $12 to $14. Some users online have criticized the move as an excuse for Google to increase the price of Workspace for features that were not necessarily requested or wanted.
OpenAI has introduced another addition to its board of directors, this time adding Adebayo Ogunlesi, a senior managing director at BlackRock and CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners, to the mix. Ogunlesi brings extensive experience from his roles at Credit Suisse, where he served as executive vice chairman, and his legal background as a lawyer, including clerking for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Ogunlesi joins a remade board, following Sam Altman's wish after getting fired by the old one, that includes prominent leaders across technology, academia, and business.
In a recent blog post released on Wednesday, Google announced that it is partnering with The Associated Press (AP) to integrate real-time news into its Gemini app for more timely information. The partnership builds on their longstanding collaboration, which has previously brought real-time AP content to the tech giant's search engine. Kristin Heitmann, AP's senior VP, emphasized their "commitment to nonpartisan reporting" in AI development. AP's deal with Google, as well as another with Mistral a day later, is one of many of its similar deals from the past with AI firms, including a two-year agreement with OpenAI.
Synthesia, a London-based AI startup specializing in realistic avatar technology, recently announced that it had raised $180 million in a Series D fundraiser led by NEA, Atlassian Ventures, and GV, putting the company at a $2.1 billion valuation. With 60,000 enterprise customers, the company plans to spend much of its funding to improve and "double down" on its avatar technology and platform. Company CEO Victor Riparbelli believes that the funding round demonstrates investor interest in the UK's AI sector, saying that the UK is the only European country that has a real shot at "becoming a top-three AI superpower."
|
Miro - Miro brings together teams and helps them innovate, brainstorm, prototype, and move faster in a single, AI-powered collaboration platform.
Supernormal - Spend less time writing, polishing, and sharing notes and more time on the work that matters with the help of Supernormal's AI-powered meeting transcriptions.
Waxwing - Waxwing uses real-time insights and AI-powered business profiling to turn data into personalized, detailed, and proven marketing strategies.
|
Are Students Relying on AI As a Crutch Too Much? (2-min read)
A Pew Research Center survey shows that 26% of US teens aged 13–17 now use ChatGPT for schoolwork, doubling its usage since 2023. However, while many teens find it acceptable for research specifically, its accuracy in many subjects can fall short, and concerns over its mixed educational impact have never been higher.
|
| What did you think of this newsletter? Let us know! |
|
|
|
|
|