Hasta La Gadget!

A group of publications that include the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and the Orlando Sentinel are suing Microsoft and OpenAI, as reported by The Verge. The eight publications in this particular lawsuit, all owned by Alden Capital Group (ACG), are accusing the companies of “purloining millions” of their copyrighted articles “without permission and without payment to fuel the commercialization of their generative artificial intelligence products, including ChatGPT and Copilot.” 

This is but the latest lawsuit filed against Microsoft and OpenAI for their use of copyrighted materials without express consent from publishers. The New York Times also famously sued the companies late last year, alleging that they’ve used “almost a century’s worth of copyrighted content.” Their products can regurgitate Times’ articles verbatim and can “mimic its expressive style,” the publication said, even though they didn’t have a prior licensing agreement. In a motion seeking to dismiss key parts of the lawsuit, Microsoft accused the Times of doomsday futurology by claiming that generative AI can pose a threat to independent journalism. 

ACG’s newspapers complain of the same thing, that the companies’ chatbots are reproducing their articles word-for-word shortly after they’re published without a prominent link back to the sources. They included several examples in their complaint. In addition, the chatbots are apparently suffering from hallucinations and are attributing inaccurate reporting to ACG’s publications. The publisher argued that the defendants pay for the computers, the specialized chips and the electricity they use to build and operate their generative AI products. And yet they’re using copyrighted articles “without permission and without paying for the privilege” even though they need content to train their large language models. The plaintiffs referenced OpenAI’s previous admission that it would be “impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials.”

OpenAI is no longer a non-profit company, the plaintiffs said, and is now valued at $90 billion. Meanwhile, ChatGPT and Copilot have added “hundreds of billions of dollars to Microsoft’s market value.” The publications are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and are asking the court to order the defendants to destroy GPT and LLM models that use their materials. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-and-openai-sued-yet-again-by-chicago-tribune-and-new-york-daily-news-085501073.html?src=rss

The EU has officially opened a significant investigation into Meta for its alleged failures to remove election disinformation. While the European Commission’s statement doesn’t explicitly mention Russia, Meta confirmed to Engadget the EU probe targets the country’s Doppelganger campaign, an online disinformation operation pushing pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Bloomberg’s sources also said the probe was focused on the Russian disinformation operation, describing it as a series of “attempts to replicate the appearance of traditional news sources while churning out content that is favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies.”

The investigation comes a day after France said 27 of the EU’s 29 member states had been targeted by pro-Russian online propaganda ahead of European parliamentary elections in June. On Monday, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot urged social platforms to block websites “participating in a foreign interference operation.”

A Meta spokesperson told Engadget that the company had been at the forefront of exposing Russia’s Doppelganger campaign, first spotlighting it in 2022. The company said it has since investigated, disrupted and blocked tens of thousands of the network’s assets. The Facebook and Instagram owner says it remains on high alerts to monitor the network while claiming Doppelganger has struggled to successfully build organic audiences for the pro-Putin fake news.

Meta

The European Commission’s President said Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), the landmark legislation passed in 2022 that empowers the EU to regulate social platforms. The law allows the EC to, if necessary, impose heavy fines on violating companies — up to six percent of a company’s global annual turnover, potentially changing how social companies operate.

In a statement to Engadget, Meta said, “We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”

The EC probe will cover “Meta’s policies and practices relating to deceptive advertising and political content on its services.” It also addresses “the non-availability of an effective third-party real-time civic discourse and election-monitoring tool ahead of the elections to the European Parliament.”

The latter refers to Meta’s deprecation of its CrowdTangle tool, which researchers and fact-checkers used for years to study how content spreads across Facebook and Instagram. Dozens of groups signed an open letter last month, saying Meta’s planned shutdown during the crucial 2024 global elections poses a “direct threat” to global election integrity.

Meta told Engadget that CrowdTangle only provides a fraction of the publicly available data and would be lacking as a full-fledged election monitoring tool. The company says it’s building new tools on its platform to provide more comprehensive data to researchers and other outside parties. It says it’s currently onboarding key third-party fact-checking partners to help identify misinformation.

However, with Europe’s elections in June and the critical US elections in November, Meta had better get moving on its new API if it wants the tools to work when it matters most.

The EC gave Meta five working days to respond to its concerns before it would consider further escalating the matter. “This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries,” EC President von der Leyen wrote. “If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-european-union-is-investigating-metas-election-policies-175134538.html?src=rss

Firefly Aerospace CEO Bill Weber envisions a future where the company conducts fully commercial lunar missions independently of NASA. Despite currently relying on NASA funding and partnering with SpaceX for launches, Weber sees enough commercial demand to support Firefly’s solo lunar ventures. This perspective reflects the shifting dynamics of the space industry, increasingly driven by commercial interests inspired by SpaceX’s success.

The burgeoning space economy is forecasted to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, with commercial sectors such as supply chain and consumer goods driving growth. Firefly, founded in 2017, positions itself as an end-to-end space transportation company, aiming to handle every aspect from launch to satellite deployment. The company’s focus on in-house capabilities, including manufacturing and testing facilities, enables rapid production and response times.

BLUE GHOST MISSION 2 – LUNAR LANDER RENDERING (Image by Firefly)

Despite having launched only three rockets successfully, Firefly’s streamlined processes allow for efficient scaling. Automation has significantly reduced production time and costs, positioning the company competitively within the market. While historically limited to launch vehicles and satellites, the commercial space sector is expanding, with NASA relying on private companies to advance lunar exploration.

Firefly’s upcoming Blue Ghost lunar mission, backed by NASA, signals a significant step towards independent lunar operations. Scheduled for launch on a SpaceX rocket, followed by a mission aboard Firefly’s medium launch vehicle (MLV) in 2026, these endeavors pave the way for commercial lunar exploration. By accommodating commercial payloads alongside NASA experiments, Firefly aims to diversify its revenue streams and achieve profitability by the end of the decade.

Weber emphasizes the importance of a diversified revenue structure, leveraging Firefly’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities across multiple missions.

While Firefly remains open to collaboration with NASA as a paying customer, its long-term vision involves self-sustained commercial operations in space; This strategic approach aligns with the evolving landscape of the space industry, characterized by increased commercialization and innovation.

Firefly CEO Envisions Independent Lunar Missions Amidst Growing Commercial Demand

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Firefly Aerospace CEO Bill Weber envisions a future where the company conducts fully commercial lunar missions independently of NASA. Despite currently relying on NASA funding and partnering with SpaceX for launches, Weber sees enough commercial demand to support Firefly’s solo lunar ventures. This perspective reflects the shifting dynamics of the space industry, increasingly driven by commercial interests inspired by SpaceX’s success.

The burgeoning space economy is forecasted to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, with commercial sectors such as supply chain and consumer goods driving growth. Firefly, founded in 2017, positions itself as an end-to-end space transportation company, aiming to handle every aspect from launch to satellite deployment. The company’s focus on in-house capabilities, including manufacturing and testing facilities, enables rapid production and response times.

BLUE GHOST MISSION 2 – LUNAR LANDER RENDERING (Image by Firefly)

Despite having launched only three rockets successfully, Firefly’s streamlined processes allow for efficient scaling. Automation has significantly reduced production time and costs, positioning the company competitively within the market. While historically limited to launch vehicles and satellites, the commercial space sector is expanding, with NASA relying on private companies to advance lunar exploration.

Firefly’s upcoming Blue Ghost lunar mission, backed by NASA, signals a significant step towards independent lunar operations. Scheduled for launch on a SpaceX rocket, followed by a mission aboard Firefly’s medium launch vehicle (MLV) in 2026, these endeavors pave the way for commercial lunar exploration. By accommodating commercial payloads alongside NASA experiments, Firefly aims to diversify its revenue streams and achieve profitability by the end of the decade.

Weber emphasizes the importance of a diversified revenue structure, leveraging Firefly’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities across multiple missions.

While Firefly remains open to collaboration with NASA as a paying customer, its long-term vision involves self-sustained commercial operations in space; This strategic approach aligns with the evolving landscape of the space industry, characterized by increased commercialization and innovation.

Firefly CEO Envisions Independent Lunar Missions Amidst Growing Commercial Demand

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The EU has officially opened a significant investigation into Meta for its alleged failures to remove election disinformation. While the European Commission’s statement doesn’t explicitly mention Russia, Meta confirmed to Engadget the EU probe targets the country’s Doppelganger campaign, an online disinformation operation pushing pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Bloomberg’s sources also said the probe was focused on the Russian disinformation operation, describing it as a series of “attempts to replicate the appearance of traditional news sources while churning out content that is favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies.”

The investigation comes a day after France said 27 of the EU’s 29 member states had been targeted by pro-Russian online propaganda ahead of European parliamentary elections in June. On Monday, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot urged social platforms to block websites “participating in a foreign interference operation.”

A Meta spokesperson told Engadget that the company had been at the forefront of exposing Russia’s Doppelganger campaign, first spotlighting it in 2022. The company said it has since investigated, disrupted and blocked tens of thousands of the network’s assets. The Facebook and Instagram owner says it remains on high alerts to monitor the network while claiming Doppelganger has struggled to successfully build organic audiences for the pro-Putin fake news.

Meta

The European Commission’s President said Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), the landmark legislation passed in 2022 that empowers the EU to regulate social platforms. The law allows the EC to, if necessary, impose heavy fines on violating companies — up to six percent of a company’s global annual turnover, potentially changing how social companies operate.

In a statement to Engadget, Meta said, “We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”

The EC probe will cover “Meta’s policies and practices relating to deceptive advertising and political content on its services.” It also addresses “the non-availability of an effective third-party real-time civic discourse and election-monitoring tool ahead of the elections to the European Parliament.”

The latter refers to Meta’s deprecation of its CrowdTangle tool, which researchers and fact-checkers used for years to study how content spreads across Facebook and Instagram. Dozens of groups signed an open letter last month, saying Meta’s planned shutdown during the crucial 2024 global elections poses a “direct threat” to global election integrity.

Meta told Engadget that CrowdTangle only provides a fraction of the publicly available data and would be lacking as a full-fledged election monitoring tool. The company says it’s building new tools on its platform to provide more comprehensive data to researchers and other outside parties. It says it’s currently onboarding key third-party fact-checking partners to help identify misinformation.

However, with Europe’s elections in June and the critical US elections in November, Meta had better get moving on its new API if it wants the tools to work when it matters most.

The EC gave Meta five working days to respond to its concerns before it would consider further escalating the matter. “This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries,” EC President von der Leyen wrote. “If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-european-union-is-investigating-metas-election-policies-175134538.html?src=rss