News/AI Models
Authors sue Apple for using pirated books to train AI models
Two authors have filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of using their copyrighted books without permission to train its AI models. Grady Hendrix and Jennifer Roberson claim Apple's web scraper accessed "shadow libraries" containing pirated works, including their own, to develop Apple Intelligence—adding to the growing legal challenges facing tech companies over AI training data. What you should know: The lawsuit seeks class action status due to the vast number of books and authors potentially affected by Apple's alleged use of pirated content. The plaintiffs argue that Apple, despite being "one of the biggest companies in the world,"...
read Sep 8, 2025AI cuts 3D movie conversion costs from $5M to pennies
3D cinema is experiencing a notable resurgence, with North American ticket sales jumping 34% year-over-year from May through July 2025, according to RealD's analysis of comScore data. The revival is being fueled by audience willingness to pay premium prices—averaging $18.51 for 3D tickets versus $14.51 for 2D—and emerging AI technology that could dramatically reduce conversion costs from $5 million to a fraction of that price. The numbers: Seven of the top ten new releases from May to July generated $222 million on 3D screens, representing 13% of all tickets sold during that period. Premium formats like RealD 3D, 4DX and...
read Sep 8, 2025AI erupts with revelation of 54,000 hidden earthquakes in Italy’s volcanic region
Researchers at Stanford University have used artificial intelligence to uncover four times as many earthquakes in Italy's Campi Flegrei volcanic region than previously detected, revealing critical seismic data for an area home to 500,000 people. The AI-powered analysis identified over 54,000 earthquakes from January 2022 to March 2024—compared to the 12,000 previously tracked—and revealed two major fault lines converging beneath the town of Pozzuoli, suggesting the potential for magnitude 5 earthquakes. Why this matters: The enhanced earthquake detection capabilities could fundamentally change how officials prepare for and respond to seismic threats in one of Europe's most densely populated volcanic regions....
read Sep 8, 2025Miami dating app Ailo uses AI to find matches with 70% compatibility, NYC and LA next
Miami-based dating app Ailo is using artificial intelligence to help users find compatible matches through intentional profile building and compatibility thresholds. The app requires at least 70% compatibility before showing potential matches, addressing widespread dating app fatigue as younger generations increasingly abandon traditional swiping platforms. How it works: Ailo uses AI to create authentic profiles based on a comprehensive assessment rooted in relationship expertise. Users complete an initial assessment crafted with "two decades of relationship expertise," according to founder Haleh Gianni, a professional matchmaker. The AI analyzes compatibility across categories including magnetism, attraction, shared thoughts, experiences, and lifestyle preferences. Users...
read Sep 5, 2025Vivrelle’s red carpet welcomes “Ella” AI stylist that combines borrowing, styling and shopping
Vivrelle has launched "Ella AI," an artificial intelligence stylist for its luxury accessories membership platform, developed in partnership with fashion retailers REVOLVE and FWRD. The AI tool creates a unified shopping experience by combining borrowing, resale, and traditional retail on a single platform, allowing customers to get outfit recommendations for specific occasions and purchase items seamlessly. How it works: Ella AI provides personalized styling recommendations based on specific occasions and requirements, then enables direct purchasing. Users can request outfits for particular events, such as "outfits for a girls' night in Miami," and the AI refines suggestions based on additional details...
read Sep 5, 2025Anthropic to pay $1.5B in first US AI copyright settlement, does not formally admit wrongdoing
Anthropic has agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a class action lawsuit brought by book authors alleging copyright infringement, marking the first AI copyright settlement in the United States. The company will pay approximately $3,000 for each copyrighted work it allegedly pirated from shadow libraries like LibGen while gathering training data for its AI models, setting a significant precedent for how AI companies must compensate creators for unauthorized use of their intellectual property. What you should know: This landmark settlement establishes the first legal precedent requiring AI companies to compensate copyright holders for unauthorized use of their...
read Sep 5, 2025Lenovo delivers AI-powered Android tablets starting at $270
Lenovo has unveiled two new Android tablets at IFA 2025: the premium Yoga Tab starting at $549.99 and the budget-friendly Idea Tab Plus starting at $269.99. Both devices feature AI-powered capabilities, large batteries, and Android 15, targeting different market segments with flagship-level processors and day-one artificial intelligence integration. Key specifications: The tablets showcase Lenovo's strategy of offering AI features across price points while maintaining competitive hardware. The Yoga Tab features an 11-inch 3,200 by 2,000 display with 144Hz refresh rate, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor (the same chip powering Samsung's Galaxy S24 flagship phones), up to 12GB RAM, and...
read Sep 5, 2025Atlassian acquires Arc browser maker for $610M to build AI work browser
Atlassian has acquired The Browser Company, maker of the Arc and Dia web browsers, for $610 million to build an AI-powered browser specifically designed for knowledge workers. The acquisition positions Atlassian, the software company behind workplace tools like Trello and Jira, to compete in the rapidly evolving browser market where companies are racing to integrate generative AI into web browsing experiences. What you should know: Atlassian plans to upgrade Dia into a specialized browser that uses agentic AI to help knowledge workers navigate and retrieve information more efficiently. The new browser will transform traditional tabs into "icons enriched with context,"...
read Sep 5, 2025AI creating or augmenting jobs, not replacing workers, according to Fed report
A new Federal Reserve report reveals that artificial intelligence isn't replacing human workers as quickly as predicted, with manufacturing and service industries in the New York region remaining largely secure from job displacement in the near term. Instead of mass layoffs, managers are increasingly choosing to retrain employees to work alongside AI systems, suggesting a collaborative rather than replacement model for the technology's integration into the workforce. What you should know: The human-AI partnership model is emerging as the dominant approach across industries, contradicting earlier predictions of widespread job elimination. Manufacturing and service sectors in the New York Federal Reserve...
read Sep 5, 2025Amazon-backed AI platform plans to restore 43 minutes of lost Orson Welles footage
Showrunner, an Amazon-backed AI platform that calls itself the "Netflix of AI," plans to use artificial intelligence to reconstruct 43 minutes of lost footage from Orson Welles' 1942 film "The Magnificent Ambersons." The project aims to restore what many consider a "ruined masterpiece" after studio executives cut nearly an hour from Welles' original vision, representing one of cinema's most famous cases of studio interference. The big picture: This represents a new frontier in AI's application to film restoration, where technology could potentially recover lost artistic works rather than just creating new content from scratch. What you should know: "The Magnificent...
read Sep 5, 2025AI music hits 2M+ streams, but humans prove creativity can’t be coded. Here are 10 examples.
The music industry stands at a fascinating inflection point where artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape how songs are created, distributed, and consumed. While the technology sparks both excitement and concern across creative industries, the reality of AI's current musical capabilities tells a more nuanced story than either the enthusiasts or skeptics might suggest. Recent developments like The Velvet Sundown—a completely AI-generated band that has accumulated over 2 million streams on Spotify, complete with synthetic band members, fabricated backstories, and algorithmic compositions—illustrate both the potential and limitations of current AI music technology. This virtual band represents a new category of...
read Sep 5, 2025San Jose pilots AI to fix 90% dwelling unit permit rejection rate
San Jose has announced a new AI pilot program launching this fall to streamline the building permitting process for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), targeting the state's ongoing housing crisis. The initiative aims to reduce the 90% rejection rate for ADU applications due to missing information, potentially cutting approval times by weeks while freeing up city staff resources. What you should know: The Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department will pilot AI software to help customers verify ADU application completeness before submission. Currently, 90% of ADU applications are returned to applicants for missing information, creating weeks-long delays in the permitting process....
read Sep 5, 2025GPUs overtake CPUs as the dominant force in modern computing
GPUs have officially overtaken CPUs as the dominant force in modern computing, driven by their superior parallel processing architecture that excels at handling today's most demanding computational workloads. This shift represents a fundamental change in how we approach computing power, with GPUs now leading in artificial intelligence, scientific research, and high-performance computing applications that define the future of technology. The big picture: The transition from CPU to GPU dominance stems from architectural differences that favor modern computing needs, where thousands of smaller GPU cores outperform fewer, more powerful CPU cores for parallel processing tasks. Training complex neural networks on CPUs...
read Sep 5, 2025Running up that hill: Roborock’s new robot mowers tackle 80% slopes and 1.2-acre yards
Roborock has unveiled three new robot lawn mowers at IFA 2025, expanding beyond its popular vacuum cleaners into outdoor maintenance with AI-powered mowing technology. The RockMow Z1, S1, and RockNeo Q1 models feature all-wheel drive systems and can handle steep terrain up to 80% inclines, positioning the company to compete in the growing robotic lawn care market. What you should know: The flagship RockMow Z1 demonstrates impressive technical capabilities designed for various yard sizes and challenging terrain. The Z1 features four independently controlled wheels for all-wheel drive performance and can handle yards up to 5,000 square meters (roughly 1.2 acres)....
read Sep 5, 2025Sen. Hawley wants to end Big Tech’s legal shield over AI training data
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for the complete repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the legal shield protecting tech companies from lawsuits over user-generated content, during a Thursday speech at the National Conservatism Conference. The Missouri Republican specifically targeted AI companies' use of copyrighted material to train large language models, arguing that tech firms should face legal liability for unauthorized use of creative works. What they're saying: Hawley emphasized the massive scale of unauthorized content ingestion by AI systems and its impact on creators. "The AI large language models have already trained on enough copyrighted works to...
read Sep 5, 2025Hell no, RTO: Amazon’s 5-day office policy hurts AI talent recruitment
Amazon's strict five-day return-to-office policy is hampering its ability to recruit top tech talent, according to internal documents and recruiter accounts obtained by Business Insider. The policy, which requires employees to work in designated "hub" offices or face termination, is particularly limiting Amazon's access to high-demand professionals with generative AI skills—a critical area where the company is racing to maintain competitiveness. What you should know: Amazon's aggressive RTO stance is creating measurable recruitment challenges that extend beyond typical workplace flexibility concerns. The company's hub strategy is listed as one of the "hotly debated topics" among recruiters, specifically limiting their ability...
read Sep 4, 2025The ol’ standby: Companies hire freelancers to fix broken AI output they can’t use
Companies that initially replaced human workers with AI are now hiring freelancers to fix the subpar output generated by artificial intelligence systems. This emerging "slop fixer-upper" market spans creative fields, writing, and software development, revealing significant gaps in AI capabilities that require human intervention to address. What you should know: Freelancers across multiple industries are finding steady work correcting AI-generated content that companies can't use as-is. Lisa Carstens, a Spain-based illustrator, now spends much of her time fixing AI-generated logos with fuzzy lines and garbled text, sometimes requiring complete redraws that take longer than creating original designs. Freelance writer Kiesha...
read Sep 4, 2025Ain’t AI a stinker? Warner Bros sues Midjourney for creating copyrighted characters
Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Midjourney, an AI image generator, accusing the platform of willfully creating copyrighted images and videos of its characters including Superman, Batman, Bugs Bunny, and Tom and Jerry. The lawsuit marks the third major studio legal challenge against Midjourney, following similar cases from Disney and Universal in June, as Hollywood studios escalate their battle against AI platforms they claim are profiting from unauthorized use of their intellectual property. What you should know: Warner Bros. alleges that Midjourney recently removed safety guardrails that previously blocked users from creating videos that infringe on studio IP. The...
read Sep 4, 2025Atlassian acquires Arc browser maker for $610M to build AI work browser
Atlassian is acquiring The Browser Company, maker of the Arc browser and upcoming AI-focused Dia browser, for $610 million in an all-cash deal expected to close by the end of 2025. The acquisition positions Atlassian, owner of productivity tools like Jira and Trello, to expand beyond its current software portfolio into the emerging AI-powered browser market, with plans to accelerate Dia's development as "the AI browser for work." Key details: The Browser Company will maintain operational independence while building out Dia, which launched in private beta in June. Co-founders Josh Miller and Hursh Agrawal will remain as CEO and CTO,...
read Sep 4, 2025TCL’s QM9K TVs first to feature built-in Google Gemini AI
TCL has announced the QM9K, its new flagship QD mini LED television series that will be the first TVs to feature Gemini built into Google TV. The integration represents a significant step forward in smart TV technology, combining advanced AI capabilities with hands-free operation and premium display features. What you should know: The QM9K series introduces several industry-first features that could reshape how users interact with their televisions. Users can engage with Gemini using the standard "Hey Google" voice prompt to find movies, ask questions about any topic, and control smart home devices synced through Google Home. An mmWave sensor...
read Sep 4, 2025Major miniaturization: Anker’s quarter-sized AI recorder transcribes 100+ languages for $100
Anker has unveiled the Soundcore Work, a coin-sized AI voice recorder designed to automatically transcribe and summarize meetings with a single click. At just 0.91 inches across—roughly the size of a quarter—the device represents a significant miniaturization breakthrough in AI-powered meeting technology, offering professional transcription capabilities in an ultra-portable form factor that can be worn on clothing or a lanyard. What you should know: The Soundcore Work combines advanced AI capabilities with unprecedented portability for meeting documentation. The device can transcribe over 100 languages automatically and distinguish between different speakers while removing unwanted words and filler language. It offers eight...
read Sep 4, 2025Like the 80s and personal computers, study finds women today are less likely to leap on AI tools
Artificial intelligence tools are reshaping workplaces at breakneck speed, but a significant gender divide is emerging in who's actually using them. New research reveals women are 22% less likely than men to adopt generative AI tools—a gap that could have lasting implications for career advancement, workplace productivity, and the future direction of AI development itself. The disparity spans nearly every industry, region, and job type, according to researchers from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, who analyzed data from 18 studies covering more than 140,000 people worldwide. This isn't simply a matter of personal preference; it's a pattern...
read Sep 4, 2025Startup uses AI and robotics to build shippable homes 30-50% cheaper
Raleigh-based startup Placeable has launched to tackle the U.S. housing affordability crisis using AI, robotics, and modular construction to produce homes that are 30-50% cheaper per square foot than traditional builds. Founded by veteran entrepreneur Ed Holloway, the company aims to streamline housing production through automated factory processes that eliminate common construction inefficiencies like weather delays, material waste, and labor bottlenecks. The big picture: Placeable represents a technology-first approach to addressing America's housing shortage, which has left the country undersupplied by millions of homes due to slow, fragmented traditional construction methods. How it works: The startup builds homes in controlled...
read Sep 4, 2025Visa’s AI toolkit cuts payment integration time from weeks to hours
Visa has expanded its Intelligent Commerce platform with Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, making it easier for developers to build AI-powered shopping experiences using Visa's payment network. The update includes a new MCP Server and Visa Acceptance Agent Toolkit that should accelerate development from weeks to hours, positioning Visa to capture more of the growing AI-driven e-commerce market. What you should know: The MCP Server creates a streamlined integration layer that connects AI assistants to Visa's payment APIs while maintaining security standards. Developers can now access Visa Intelligent Commerce APIs through the MCP Server, which Visa describes as a "ready-made...
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