News — Page131

In a London courtroom, Justice Joanna Smith concluded that Stability AI, the maker of Stable Diffusion, did not violate copyright law when training its image models on Getty Images' content. The ruling emphasized that the AI system does not store or reproduce protected works. However, the judgment noted that Stability AI breached Getty's trademark rights by allowing users to generate images resembling Getty and iStock logos. The decision is narrowly scoped, offering a mixed outcome for both the AI developer and intellectual‑property owners.Read more

OpenAI has released its text‑to‑video generative AI app, Sora, on the Google Play Store for Android users, while the iOS version remains limited to select markets and invitation‑only access. The Android launch quickly attracted a large user base, reportedly surpassing one million downloads within a few days. At the same time, the app has faced criticism for allowing disrespectful depictions of historic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., prompting censure from the Japanese government over anime‑style copies. OpenAI also contends with a copyright lawsuit from Cameo and has introduced a new “cameo” feature that integrates existing personalities into AI‑generated videos.Read more

Google is developing Project Suncatcher, a plan to place AI‑focused data centers on a free‑fall satellite constellation. The design calls for tightly spaced satellites—within a kilometer or even several hundred meters—to maintain power links, a formation tighter than any existing constellation but deemed feasible by Google’s models. To keep costs down, Google intends to reuse Earth‑based hardware, testing its durability by exposing its latest Cloud TPU to intense radiation. Prototype satellites could launch by early 2027, with broader deployment targeted for the mid‑2030s when launch costs may fall dramatically, offering a potential solution to the environmental and community challenges of terrestrial data centers.Read more

Amazon has issued a cease‑and‑desist letter to AI startup Perplexity, demanding that its Comet browser stop making purchases on Amazon. Amazon argues the agent violates its terms of service, degrades the shopping experience and creates privacy risks. Perplexity counters that the tool acts as a user‑directed agent and labels Amazon’s demands as bullying. The dispute highlights growing tensions over third‑party AI agents that automate ecommerce transactions and raises questions about how platform rules will apply to emerging AI‑driven services.Read more

Amazon has demanded that Perplexity stop allowing its Comet AI browser to purchase items on the retailer’s site, labeling the feature a degraded shopping experience. Perplexity responded by accusing Amazon of bullying and citing an aggressive legal threat, arguing that the AI‑driven tool could make shopping easier and boost sales. The dispute highlights differing views on third‑party AI agents in e‑commerce, with Amazon’s leadership emphasizing selective partnerships while Perplexity defends its agentic technology as a legitimate personal shopper.Read more

Microsoft has introduced MAI-Image-1, its first internally developed text‑to‑image model, now integrated into Bing Image Creator and Copilot Audio Expressions. Announced in October, the model is praised for fast, photorealistic output, especially in food, nature and artistic lighting scenes. It will also supply visual art for AI‑generated audio stories in Copilot’s story mode. The rollout follows earlier releases of MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1-preview, signaling Microsoft’s broader push to build its own AI stack while still offering OpenAI and Anthropic models for other services.Read more

Google has unveiled Project Suncatcher, a research effort to place AI‑focused Tensor Processing Units on solar‑powered satellites, creating data centers in orbit. The company argues that space could offer near‑continuous solar energy, potentially making compute more sustainable. Key hurdles include ultra‑high‑speed inter‑satellite links, tight formation flying, radiation tolerance, and cost competitiveness. Google plans a joint launch with Planet to test prototype hardware by 2027, hoping the approach could become comparable to Earth‑based energy costs by the mid‑2030s.Read more

OpenAI has launched a promotion that makes its ChatGPT Go subscription free for a full year for users in India. The offer applies to both new and existing subscribers and can be redeemed through the ChatGPT website or the Google Play store, with an Apple App Store rollout expected soon. ChatGPT Go provides a selection of premium features—including extended access to GPT‑5, image generation, file uploads, advanced data analysis, longer memory, and custom GPT tools—at a lower price point than ChatGPT Plus. The move highlights India as a key test market for OpenAI’s pricing experiments and positions the company against local and international AI competitors.Read more

Amazon has launched Alexa Plus, a generative AI assistant, within its Amazon Music mobile app for iOS and Android. The new feature, available to users in an early‑access beta, lets listeners ask complex music‑related questions, identify songs by lyrics or context, and receive highly personalized recommendations based on era, mood, artists, instruments, and more. Users can also filter out unwanted content, such as specific genres or performers, while exploring deeper details like chart positions, sample origins, and song meanings.Read more

Educators are warning that AI agents from companies such as OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Instructure are being used to complete assignments, quizzes, and essays for students. While firms point to the educational potential of their products, they also acknowledge the difficulty of blocking locally‑run tools. Schools report that AI agents can submit work quickly and evade detection, leading to concerns over academic integrity. Stakeholders are urging a collaborative approach to define responsible AI use in classrooms, but practical solutions remain limited.Read more

Coca-Cola released a new holiday commercial created with generative AI. The spot features the brand’s iconic red trucks traveling through snowy forests accompanied by animals such as polar bears, rabbits and sloths. While visual quality has improved compared to the previous AI effort—showing more realistic movement and lighting—the ad still feels detached and lacks the emotional warmth that defined earlier campaigns. Industry observers note the move signals a broader shift toward AI in core creative work, but also warn that reliance on machines may erode the human spark that connects with audiences.Read more

At a recent industry gathering, Microsoft’s AI chief Mustafa Suleyman dismissed the notion that artificial intelligence can become conscious. He argued that asking whether AI can be self‑aware is the wrong question and that the field should instead concentrate on building useful tools. Suleyman emphasized that AI models operate through transparent mathematical processes—token inputs, attention weights, and probability calculations—without any hidden internal experience. He warned against anthropomorphizing chatbots and urged developers and users to keep expectations realistic, focusing on functionality rather than imagined sentience.Read more

Anthropic is targeting up to $70 billion in revenue and $17 billion in cash flow by 2028, driven by rapid adoption of its AI business products. The firm expects its current‑year API sales to reach $3.8 billion, more than double OpenAI’s projected $1.8 billion from the same channel. Partnerships with Microsoft, Salesforce, Deloitte and Cognizant are expanding Claude’s enterprise footprint, while new, cost‑effective models such as Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Claude Haiku 4.5 aim to capture large‑scale deployments. A recent $13 billion financing round valued Anthropic at $170 billion, and future fundraising could push the valuation toward $300–$400 billion. The company also reports a $2.5 billion credit facility and a $1.5 billion legal settlement. Gross‑profit margins are projected to rise to 50% this year and 77% by 2028, marking a dramatic turnaround from a negative 94% margin last year.Read more

Amazon has rolled out Alexa+, its AI‑powered assistant, within the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. The feature is available to all subscription tiers but requires early‑access enrollment. Alexa+ enables conversational music discovery, letting users ask detailed questions about artists, lyrics, or movie placements, and it can generate personalized playlists on request. Early users report deeper engagement, exploring songs more frequently and listening to more recommendations. The launch positions Amazon Music against competing AI‑enhanced streaming services and showcases the company’s broader AI ambitions.Read more

ClickUp has refreshed its productivity platform with a 4.0 release that introduces two AI assistants, aiming to create a single‑shop solution that rivals Slack, Notion and Microsoft Teams. The new agents draw on internal knowledge bases and external tools such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Figma and Gmail, while a general‑purpose assistant called Brain can schedule meetings, generate ideas and draft content. CEO Zeb Evans highlighted the company’s eight‑year vision, recent revenue growth past $300 million, and plans to go public within two years. ClickUp’s funding totals more than $537 million from investors including a16z, Tiger Global, Craft Ventures and Lightspeed.Read more

Amazon has launched Alexa+ as an early‑access AI assistant embedded in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. Users can tap an "A" button to ask natural‑language questions about songs, lyrics, moods, eras, and more, and receive conversational responses that help refine searches. The feature also supports playlist creation, music‑related queries, and integrates with a range of Amazon devices, including Echo Studio, Ring, Kindle, and the new Vega smart TV platform. While currently in early access for all Amazon Music tiers, the service will eventually become free for Prime members and cost $20 per month for non‑Prime users.Read more

Nvidia has signed a €1 billion partnership with Deutsche Telekom to create an AI factory in Munich. The project, called the Industrial AI Cloud, will deploy over 1,000 Nvidia DGX B200 systems and RTX Pro servers equipped with up to 10,000 Blackwell GPUs to deliver AI inferencing and other services to German companies while respecting data‑sovereignty rules. Early partners include Agile Robots, which will install server racks, and Perplexity, which will use the facility for in‑country AI inferencing. SAP will supply its Business Technology platform, and the center is slated to begin operations in early 2026.Read more

In a recent interview, director Guillermo del Toro talks about his long‑awaited adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, his skepticism toward AI‑generated art, and his upcoming stop‑motion venture based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. He also reflects on the changing landscape of streaming, his desire to explore crime narratives, and the artistic possibilities of stop‑motion beyond children’s fare. Del Toro emphasizes the moral complexity of playing God, compares modern technologists to Victor Frankenstein, and outlines his creative roadmap for the next few years.Read more

Meta has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the company illegally downloaded pornography to train its artificial‑intelligence models. The plaintiff, Strike 3 Holdings, alleges that Meta’s corporate IP addresses were used to torrent adult films over several years, and that a hidden network of IP addresses concealed the activity. Meta counters that the downloads were sporadic, likely for personal use, and that there is no evidence the content was used to train any AI system. The company asks the court to drop all copyright claims.Read more

Apple is planning to power the upcoming version of Siri with a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The tech giant evaluated both Google and Anthropic as potential partners, ultimately favoring Google because of a more attractive financial arrangement. The custom Gemini model will operate on Apple’s private cloud, while on‑device models will continue handling personal data. Apple will not publicize Google’s role in the assistant, and representatives for both companies have not responded to comment requests. The move reflects Apple’s broader effort to catch up in the fast‑moving generative‑AI landscape.Read more