May 1, 2024
Eight U.S. Newspapers Sue Microsoft and OpenAI
Tech powerhouses are facing new waves of litigation. Eight U.S. newspapers have sued Microsoft and OpenAI, claiming their articles were used without permission in AI products like ChatGPT and Copilot. The newspapers, owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group, claim unauthorized content has been reproduced and misattributed. Despite ongoing legal challenges, OpenAI continues to secure partnerships to train its AI models, most recently with the Financial Times.
A group of visual artists have filed a class-action lawsuit against Google in California federal court, alleging the tech giant used their copyrighted work to train its AI image generator, Imagen. As litigation ramps up on AI, so does regulation. The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act proposed by California Rep. Adam Schiff aims to require developers to disclose when they use copyrighted works to train AI models.
Media and Tech Layoffs Continue
Layoffs and corporate restructuring continue to rock the world of media and tech. Paramount CEO Bob Bakish has stepped down amid ongoing struggles with the company’s streaming business. NPR affiliates are downsizing—Boston’s WBUR announced layoffs and voluntary buyouts due to significant declines in ad revenue. Seattle’s KUOW is also making cuts, laying off staff and ending its RadioActive youth program.
Google and SAP America are planning to cut dozens of jobs in the Bay Area, signaling that recent tech sector layoffs are not slowing down. Meta’s Oversight Board, established to review content moderation decisions, is planning workforce reductions amid critiques of its slow decision-making and concerns about effectiveness and autonomy.
U.S. and E.U. Voters Face Misinformation Ahead of Elections
Misinformation is taking a toll on social discourse and democracy. In the U.S., the spread of false information has brought fringe theories to the forefront of the 2024 political season. A new survey by the Media Insight Project reveals that while most U.S. adults follow election news closely, they have low confidence in both local and national news sources, with significant concerns about misinformation.
As elections draw closer in Europe, the E.U. is set to initiate formal proceedings against Meta for failure to effectively counter Russian disinformation efforts. Google is launching a “prebunking” campaign across five European countries to educate voters on recognizing misinformation techniques ahead of the E.U. parliamentary elections.
Sequence Summaries: Latest Litigation, Continued Cuts, and More Misinformation
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