The Last of Us/The 100WBNetflix has just added a solid new show to its collection as of this week, combining one of the most underrated actresses on the market, and one of my favorite actresses of several years ago, and I was sad she mostly disappeared from view.Kaitlyn Dever of Unbelievable and her upcoming role as Abby in The Last of Us season 2 stars in Apple Cider Vinegar alongside Alycia Debnam-Carey of The 100 and Fear the Walking Dead, both shows she unfortunately left too early. It also stars Aisha Dee from The Bold Type and Channel Zero.Apple Cider Vinegar is a bizarrely named series that is getting great reviews, currently an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and Dever in particular is attracting a ton of praise for her role in the series. This is based on a true story that is very disturbing in concept. Heres what happened (I guess, spoilers):Its been a decade since it was revealed that the Australian wellness entrepreneur Belle Gibson, who billed herself on Instagram as a Gamechanger with brain cancer + food obsession did not have a malignant brain tumor after all. In 2017, Gibson was convicted of misleading and deceptive conduct, and the Federal Court of Australia ordered her to pay a fine of about $400,000 (Australian) or $322,000 (U.S.). Her cookbook The Whole Pantry was pulled from circulation.Apple Cider VinegarNetflixMORE FOR YOUDever plays Gibson and the story is based on a non-fiction book about the whole thing, The Woman Who Fooled The World: The True Story of Fake Wellness Guru Belle Gibson, written by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. A central point here was that Gibson said she was treating her non-existent cancer with healthy meals and alternative medicine (one solution being apple cider vinegar) which led to her amassing her influencer empire. And again, it was all a lie.The story would still have particular relevance in 2025 here, as we are not exactly out of the era of influencers peddling sub-par products, albeit I cant remember anyone actually faking cancer as of late. And in terms of alternative medicine, that has always been around, and now we have a distrust of the medical establishment in terms of the harms of vaccines in particular despite all evidence to the contrary.Dever was unbelievable in Unbelievable, also on Netflix, where she plays a rape victim, which is also based on a true story. And I look forward to seeing her in The Last of Us season 2 where she will play the co-lead of the story and a foil to Bella Ramseys Ellie. Thats out this April.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

Something to look forward to: Researchers have developed a new type of asphalt capable of repairing its own cracks over time. This material, inspired by the regenerative abilities of trees and certain animals, aims to address the problem of potholes in the UK, which cost millions annually in repairs, not to mention causing significant frustration for drivers. The exact mechanisms of crack formation in asphalt are not fully understood, but they often originate from the hardening of bitumen due to oxidation. To tackle this issue, scientists from King's College London and Swansea University collaborated with researchers in Chile on ways to reverse this process and effectively "stitch" asphalt back together.The researchers used artificial intelligence, specifically leveraging Google Cloud's AI capabilities, to develop the self-healing asphalt by combining materials science with advanced modeling techniques.The key innovation is a sophisticated blend of natural spore microcapsules and waste-based rejuvenators. In laboratory experiments, researchers demonstrated that this new asphalt material could heal a microcrack in less than an hour.The asphalt mixture incorporates tiny plant spores filled with recycled oils. These microcapsules are smaller than a strand of hair and are designed to rupture when cracks begin to form in the asphalt. When the road surface is compressed by passing traffic, the spores release their oil, softening the bitumen and allowing it to flow back together. This process enables the asphalt to mend its own cracks over time, effectively "stitching" the material back together.The researchers used machine learning algorithms to analyze organic molecules in the bitumen for insights into the molecular structure and behavior of asphalt materials. They developed data-driven models that accelerate atomistic simulations and advance research into the crack formation processes. The AI also helped identify chemical properties that contribute to self-healing capabilities and enable the creation of virtual molecules, similar to techniques used in drug discovery.Asphalt production for construction and maintenance in the UK is a massive undertaking, with over 20 million tons produced annually. While the industry has been moving towards more sustainable practices by incorporating recycled materials like food waste, the persistent issue of cracks and potholes has remained challenging. // Related StoriesThis difficulty arises due to asphalt's composition of binder, aggregates, and air voids, which complicates the prediction of crack initiation and propagation. Various contributing factors, including traffic loading, temperature fluctuations, oxidation, moisture infiltration, and construction quality, further complicate the process and make it hard to model accurately.The self-healing asphalt is still in the development phase, but it holds promise for improving infrastructure and promoting sustainability worldwide.

Something to look forward to: Acer has announced new products in its Predator Helios Neo series that are among the first laptops to feature RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti mobile GPUs. They come in a variety of options, including Mini LED and OLED displays, with prices starting at $1,899. The new Predator Helios Neo 16 AI and Predator Helios Neo 18 AI gaming laptops pair the mid-range Blackwell mobile GPUs with Intel's Arrow Lake-HX CPUs.Both laptops can be fitted with an RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti alongside a Core Ultra 7 processor 255HX or a Core Ultra 9 processor 275HX, which should give them plenty of gaming performance. The now-compulsory addition of "AI" at the end of the name indicates these are more products that will have their artificial intelligence capabilities promoted heavily even though a study showed how the inclusion of the term can put consumers off buying something.Both devices offer four display types. In the case of the Predator Helios Neo 16 AI, users can choose a 16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED screen with a 240Hz refresh rate, a standard panel with the same resolution at either 240Hz or 180Hz, or a 1920 x 1200 screen at 180Hz. The OLED model has a 1ms response time, which increases to 3ms in the other variants.Related reading: The Best Laptops - Early 2025The desktop-replacement Predator Helios Neo 18 AI swaps out the OLED option for an 18-inch 2560 x 1600 Mini LED at 250Hz, a 2560 x 1600 LED at 240Hz or 165Hz, or a 1920 x 1200 LED at 165Hz. All four options have 3ms response times. // Related StoriesThe new Helios laptops can be specced with up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM (6,400 MHz), while storage consists of up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 in the two SSD slots. They also come with 90Wh batteries, Wi-Fi 6E support, FHD IR cameras, and four-zone keyboard lighting.Port-wise, the laptops offer one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, three USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.1, a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, a microSD slot, and an ethernet port.The Predator Helios Neo 16 AI is expected to start at $1,900 (RTX 5070/Ultra 7 255HX/FullHD screen) when it launches in the US this April. It will be 1,699 in the EMEA region at launch in May. The Predator Helios Neo 18 AI is expected to start at around $2,200 in the US this May. This bigger laptop will start at 1,799 in EMEA regions upon release in June.

Astronomers have discovered a truly ancient monster: a radio jet 200,000 light-years wide, originating from when the universe was less than 10% of its current age. Observed using the Gemini North and Hubble telescopes, astronomers are studying the jet to learn about how enormous black holes give off huge quantities of energy, and how they formed in the early universe.The jet, called J1601+3102, has two points, or lobes, spreading out from a central point and covering a width twice the size of our entire galaxy. That makes this the largest radio jet ever seen in the early universe, and at its center is an object called a quasar: the very bright center of a galaxy, also called an active galactic nucleus (AGN), which contains a supermassive black hole at its heart.Recommended VideosWe were searching for quasars with strong radio jets in the early universe, which helps us understand how and when the first jets are formed and how they impact the evolution of galaxies, explained lead researcher Anniek Gloudemans of the National Science Foundations NOIRLab.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe researchers found that the jet was formed when the universe was less than 1.2 billion years old and for reference, the universe is around 13.8 billion years old now. While you might think that youd need a huge black hole to form a huge jet, that doesnt seem to be the case. The black hole right in the center of this jet is on the smaller side compared to other quasars.Interestingly, the quasar powering this massive radio jet does not have an extreme black hole mass compared to other quasars, said Gloudemans. This seems to indicate that you dont necessarily need an exceptionally massive black hole or accretion rate to generate such powerful jets in the early universe.Researchers arent sure why this relatively small black hole was able to produce such a huge jet, or why other similar black holes dont create huge jets of their own. Its also rare to see very large jets in the early universe, so they want to search for more information about when the earliest jets formed.Even though it is huge, the recently discovered jet is an extremely long way away, so the researchers had to use data from ground-based telescopes and space-based telescopes to study it. Its only because this object is so extreme that we can observe it from Earth, even though its really far away, said Gloudemans. This object shows what we can discover by combining the power of multiple telescopes that operate at different wavelengths.The research is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.Editors Recommendations

You dont need to spend more than $1,000 in upgrading your gaming desktop, as there are gaming PC deals out there with huge discounts on powerful machines. You wont have to do the searching yourself though, as weve done that for you check out the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8, which is available with a 30% discount from Lenovo that drops its price from $1,330 to only $930. There are only limited stocks for this computer though, so you have to hurry with your purchase if you want to secure the $400 in savings.The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 is an affordable gaming desktop thats built similar to the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, which appears in our list of the best gaming PCs as our favorite option for below $1,000. The major difference is that the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 is powered by AMD the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, to be exact, alongside the AMD Radeon RX 7600 graphics card and 16GB of RAM thats the best place to start for gaming, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. With these specifications, youll be able to play the best PC games on this gaming PC without any issues.Theres ample storage space on the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 with its 512GB SSD, which ships with Windows 11 Home so you can start downloading and installing your favorite games as soon as you hook up the gaming PC to the necessary peripherals. Its built-in cooling system will let you play longer sessions without worries about overheating, and every purchase includes three months of Xbox Game Pass for access to an ever-growing library of games.RelatedIf your gaming PC is already having trouble with todays video games, it might be time to upgrade to the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8. Its currently available from Lenovo for an affordable $930, following a $400 discount on its sticker price of $1,330. Youre going to have to be quick in completing your transaction though, as the stocks that are up for sale are limited. Add the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 gaming PC to your cart and finish the checkout process as soon as you can to make sure that you get it at 30% off.Editors Recommendations

Sunrise shows might get more viewers if they reflected how the day really begins for most of us.

I SE what you did there Report: iPhone SE could shed its 10-year-old design as early as next week New budget phone may include bigger screen, USB-C, Face ID, Apple Intelligence. Andrew Cunningham Feb 7, 2025 8:18 am | 19 The iPhone 14 could be the foundation of a new iPhone SE. Credit: Apple The iPhone 14 could be the foundation of a new iPhone SE. Credit: Apple Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe rumor mill's most reliable sources have been pointing to a refresh for Apple's low-end $429 iPhone SE to land early this year, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the launch could be coming "as early as next week."The new fourth-generation iPhone SE ought to be the device's first significant makeover since 2020. It's said to be adopting a design similar to the iPhone 14one of the iPhones with Face ID in a display notch, rather than inside the Dynamic Islandbut with the internationally mandated USB-C port that was first added to the iPhone 15.We don't know much about its internal specs, but like older iPhone SE models it will likely stick to a single-lens rear camera. Some reporting suggests the phone's 6.1-inch display model could shift to OLED to match the rest of the iPhone lineup, dropping the LCD panel technology from older models. It should also support Apple Intelligence, which would most likely mean either an A17 Pro chip (like the iPad mini 6 just got) or an A18 like in the iPhone 16. Both of these include 8GB of RAM, a consistent requirement for Apple Intelligence across the entire iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup.Gurman suggests that Apple could raise the $429 starting price of the new iPhone SE to reflect the updated design. He also says that Apple's supplies of the $599 iPhone 14 are running low at Apple's storesthe 14 has already been discontinued in some countries over its lack of USB-C port, and it's possible Apple could be planning to replace both the iPhone 14 and the old SE with the new SE.Apple's third-generation iPhone SE is nearly three years old, but its design (including its dimensions, screen size, Home button, and Lightning port) hearkens all the way back to 2014's iPhone 6. Put 2017's iPhone 8 and 2022's iPhone SE on a table next to each other, and almost no one could tell the difference. These days, it feels like a thoroughly second-class iPhone experience, and a newer design is overdue.Other Apple products allegedly due for an early 2025 release include the M4 MacBook Airs and a next-generation Apple TV, which, like the iPhone SE, was also last refreshed in 2022. Gurman has also said that a low-end iPad and a new iPad Air will arrive "during the first half of 2025" and updated Mac Pro and Mac Studio models to arrive sometime this year as well. Apple is also said to be making progress on its own smart display, expanding its smart speaker efforts beyond the aging HomePod and HomePod mini.Andrew CunninghamSenior Technology ReporterAndrew CunninghamSenior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 19 Comments

The war for AI talent is all too real. organizations across industries are rushing to implement it in its various forms, and the high demand is outpacing supply. According to an August 2024 report by digital transformation services company UST, 76% of survey respondents cite a severe shortage of AI-skilled personnel. How companies deal with the shortage varies.For example, based on a review of the H1B Visa Salary Base, efinancialcareers found that a member of the technical staff, (an intentionally vague job description) at OpenAI paid one individual a $650,000 salary. Thats salary alone, not total compensation. Anthropic paid another individual a $405,000 salary, also as a member of the technical staff while Balyasny Asset Management paid an AI researcher $275,000. These are some high-end examples, but six-figure salaries are common.When it comes to total compensation, Menlo Ventures reported that recent packages ranged from $900,000 to $2.8 million for Level 3 to 6 ML engineers and $1.7 to $4.2 million for AI researchers."The demand for AI talent is currently at an all-time high, with no end in sight," said Matt Corbett, president of the embedded recruiting division at global talent advisory ZRG in an email interview. "The demand is global, with the US at No. 1, India at No. 2, China at No. 3, and the UK at No. 4. AI talent demand outstrips supply, so compensation is being driven up."Related:Despite some cooling of overall global venture capital over the last two to three years, the AI sector has remained strong with AI startups grabbing nearly a third of VC funding. In addition, the global AI funding deal count jumped 24% between Q1 2024 and Q2 2024."In 2024, nine AI deals raised over $1B. The current global software engineering talent marketplace cannot adjust quickly enough to absorb this accelerating focus on AI investments, so the increase in compensation will likely continue through 2025," says Corbett.Matt Corbett, ZRGMore generally, many organizations have complained they cant compete with Big Tech companies for IT talent, simply because their pockets arent as deep. According to The Wall Street Journal, some organizations are offering million-dollar pay packages or accelerated stock-vesting schedules. Even entire teams are being poached.Corbett says the impact of AI in the financial services sector is in direct proportion to the size of the financial services company.In the past, smaller firms could be more agile, flexible with a boutique experience. Now that we have entered the era of AI, the larger firms with extensive amounts of data, insights, transaction history, etc. are able to pool that knowledge with an internal LLM which provide unprecedented amounts of knowledge and capability in the hands of every client-facing representative, says Corbett.Related:That takes knowledgeable AI talent to execute, however. According to a recent IBM study involving 300 CEOs from retail, corporate, commercial and investment banks and financial market companies, 53% are struggling to find the right AI talent. While money is one of the most powerful motivators when it comes to attracting and retaining employees, it isnt the only one.Company ValuesRuth Ebeling,North America lead of HR and technology people strategy at Boston Consulting Group has not observed companies sacrificing other positions for AI talent, but employers seeking data, AI and GenAI talent must re-evaluate why candidates should choose the company and why employees should want to stay.Any scarce talent cohort with skills in high demand tends to command higher salaries and often seek companies with a strong employee value proposition tailored to data [and] AI talent.For tech talent, broadly, things like compensation, work-life balance, flexible work models, learning and development, and career pathing typically top their list of preferences, says Ebeling in an email interview. Technologists are almost twice as likely to turn down a job offer that does not offer a hybrid or flex work model than non-tech talent.Also, a link to the company purpose and their ability to have impact is attractive.Related:More specifically, data and AI talent are keenly aware of the power and responsibility of managing data and AI and GenAI well. In recent years, theyve watched many tech icons leave lucrative roles with AI companies in large part due to ethics, or a perceived lack thereof.AI lighthouse leaders have set the tone powerfully -- Responsible AI (RAI) matters and no one should stake their career in a company that can't say the same, says Ebeling. Companies seeking this talent should clearly state their RAI policies and procedures.Proud GenAI technologists will put this on their resume as well.Noosheen Hashemi, CEO and co-founder at precision health company January AI, says his company has definitely felt the impact of high AI talent demand, so company values are important.Competing with the astronomical salaries offered by Big Tech and venture-funded startups is a challenge, particularly as we aim to attract individuals who are both technically skilled and deeply committed to healthcare innovation, says Hashemi in an email interview. However, rather than reducing our team size to fund these roles, we prioritize candidates who resonate with our mission of transforming healthcare. We actively seek individuals with personal or professional experiences tied to healthcare, which often fosters a greater commitment to the work. This focus on mission alignment helps us attract talent motivated by impact rather than just salary.AI detector GPTZero also leads with value.[W]e are invested in the AI game, but we also have strong company values that [underscore] that respecting and taking care of our employees is our top priority, says Edward Tian, CEO at GPTZero in an email interview. We arent letting employees go to afford taking on AI experts with high salaries. Instead, we prioritize education and training for our current employees, providing them with learning opportunities to develop their AI skills and expanding our skills as a company to stay on top of our game. Thats the thing about AI it is evolving so rapidly that the best AI experts are the ones who are constantly learning and educating themselves on whats changing.Align AI Expectations With Actual CapabilitiesImed Yahmadi, CTO of call center software company Readymode, says that finding and retaining AI talent is challenging, but his strategy is to set appropriate expectations for what AI-powered solutions will deliver. That involves addressing practical AI uses cases and partnering with other organizations, like Amazon, to fill the gaps.This expectation setting means the company doesnt need to hire massive AI engineering teams, which helps the organization protect itself from talent shortfalls.Setting realistic expectations might sound straightforward, but in the tech world, its surprisingly rare, says Yahmadi in an email interview. Many companies set the bar for AI so high that it becomes nearly impossible to reach. We focus on applications where AI has already demonstrated reliability and value. As a result, we avoid overextending.Run LeanSince IT consultancies arent immune from the talent shortage, they must think creatively, too.We are always trying to be creative in how we can attract top talent and retain the talent we have. Competing with the big names with deep pockets is difficult when limited talent is on the market, says Cheryl Pounders, talent acquisition manager at technology consultancy https://smartbridge.com/ Smartbridge in an email interview. We choose to focus on the things we can control that benefit the employee and the company, such as incentives. [These include] paying bonuses for earning certifications in areas that our clients are looking for experts in, annual incentive plans and hybrid work arrangements.How does the company do it? It runs lean, which also helps avoid job cuts in soft economy conditions. In the meantime, Pounders is optimistic about emerging talent enabled by schools and certification programs that are churning out new and upskilled talent.Think DifferentlyJulia Stalnaya, CEO and founder of B2B hiring platform Unbench says flexible hiring models are becoming essential for companies grappling with talent shortages or budget constraints.I've seen organizations transition existing teams to part-time roles to retain talent while managing costs, says Stalnaya. Additionally, there's a growing trend toward hiring part-time specialists, contractors, and subcontractors for short-term or project-based work. This approach allows companies to test new AI models or ideas while managing resources.UpskillCompanies are finding that upskilling existing employees helps fill the talent gaps. It can also help keep existing employees motivated. Upskilling is also a staple that candidates have come to expect.One practical solution is to encourage motivated team members to pivot to AI-focused roles. With proper training and development, these transitions can build a more adaptable workforce. In my experience, flexibility and a willingness to learn are becoming critical traits for all specialists as markets evolve rapidly, says Unbenchs Stalnaya. Over the next few years, we'll see more professionals transitioning into AI roles and new graduates entering the workforce with AI expertise. As AI becomes a standard business function, the demand will level out. Eventually, AI specialists will be as common as software developers are today -- a vital but normalized part of the workforce.Spend management firm Emburse, has been upskilling its data science team so they are also GenAI experts."All of the hype around AI, and more specifically generative AI, has driven a lot of demand in the market in a relatively short period of time. That has certainly put pressure on the supply of talent which, of course, has an upward effect on compensation, says Ken Ringdahl, chief technology officer at Emburse. [W]e did not have to necessarily recruit a lot of new talent. Rather, it was more about investing in our existing talent both in terms of new education and skills but also providing the tools to be successful.Reassess the Hiring StrategyBCGs Ebeling points out that while upskilling is something organizations should proactively provide, that they should also revisit their hiring strategy.Ruth Ebeling, Boston Consulting GroupEmployers must also shift how they think about the skills these roles require.Certainly, data and AI skills are a must, but more important than that is self-starter behavior or the intellectual curiosity and ability to learn and self-teach, says Ebeling. This technology is moving so quickly, there is no online curriculum that keeps folks on the cutting edge.They do so by experimenting.Often the best recruit is someone who has demonstrated this capability of self-teaching through experimentation, [such as teaching] themselves to play a new instrument, learning a new language, or creating a side hustle because their day job didn't push their limits.Employers should value this skill above a 15-year-old degree that may not be relevant any longer.Bottom LineMany organizations cant compete with the compensation packages being offered by Big Tech, large companies and AI startups, so they need to think long and hard about why scarce talent would want to work for the company, and what makes employees want to stay.While money is the top motivator for many individuals, younger generations expect different things from their employers than older generations have. Values matter more than ever. So does upskilling, a clear career path and policies that make sense in 2025.

Richard Pallardy, Freelance WriterFebruary 7, 20257 Min ReadTithi Luadthong via Alamy StockArtificial intelligence technology is pervasive in the third decade of the 21st century. It manifests in nearly every product or service used in the Western world. And it will only become more entangled in our daily lives. As such, it has the potential to create extensive liability.Both the design of AI, which may -- intentionally or not -- be trained using private data and protected intellectual property, and its implementation, which may result in provision of false or inaccurate information, may lead to claims against AI companies and the customers who use their technology as part of their operations.Legislation specific to AI is scant and very new -- and it is untested in the courts. Most current cases rely on common law -- contractual violations and breaches of intellectual property rights. Some may even resort to torts. And the vast majority of these cases are still in progress, either in the early stages or in appeals courts.They will likely be incredibly expensive for defendants, but costs are difficult to discern. Firms are unlikely to publicly disclose their rates and judgments against defendants are too rare to allow for any generalizations. As new European legislation comes into force and additional legislation follows in the United States, the landscape will almost certainly change. Now, AI liability exists in a state of limbo.Jorden Rutledge, an associate attorney with the Artificial Intelligence Industry Group at law firm Locke Lord, recently spoke with InformationWeek. Rutledge has represented tech companies and advised them on their deployment of AI tools.Hediscusses what is happening in the courts right now and how AI litigation will likely play out in coming years.Where are the US and the EU on AI liability in terms of legislation?The EU is further along than the US. The US has some proposals -- the NO FAKES Act [introduced in July 2024] -- but nothing has really gotten off the ground. The EU is slightly ahead, but there isn't anything really there yet. There has also been some discussion about revenge porn. States have started to get involved. Ultimately, it's going to have to be a federal issue. Hopefully the new administration can get to it.Is AI liability largely a civil issue at this point? Have there been any cases of criminal liability?It's been addressed civilly in terms of trade, secret protections, copyright, and trademarks. Criminally, I haven't seen any cases yet. In the very near future, AI- generated porn and people cyberbullying through AI are going to be hot buttons for prosecutors. Prosecutors will have to take those cases. There are some barriers to creating those things with a lot of the AI out right now. Once those barriers are removed, I think those prosecutions will come into play.It would be helpful to have actual laws on this topic, as opposed to applying the common law to these novel scenarios.What kind of laws are coming into play?There's a lot of liability. If you ask plaintiff attorneys, there's a whole lot more liability than if you ask me. The laws relied on now are largely trade secret laws and copyright laws. Getty Images filed suit against Stability AI, alleging copyright violations. Common law and the right to publicity are going to come into play. The ubiquity of AI will create scenarios of liability in ways we cant imagine yet.Where are litigators finding holes in those protections?Right now, it's largely in the copyright context. The main fight there is going to be fair use. That gets into a complex tangle of what's transformative use and what's not. I suspect there are multiple cases going on right now, either dancing around the topic or directly addressing it. I expect that'll be decided on appeal. Then probably, if there's a circuit split, the Supreme Court will have to sort it out.Jorden Rutledge, Locke LordThe fair use argument is an AI company's strongest argument. As a practical matter, the people who have their art used or scraped, have a persuasive argument. Their stuff got taken. It was used. That just seems off to a lot of people.Have we seen any cases involving the improper use of peoples private data? How would that be proven?I've heard rumblings of it. The problem will be the scraping of documents. The scraping used by AI companies in building their models has been a black box. They will fight to preserve that black box. Their argument will be, You don't know what we scraped. We don't even know what we scraped.How does improper data use even get discovered?It's one of those things that is nearly impossible to find. If you're a plaintiff asking for discovery, you're going to get very frustrated, very fast. Imagine, for example, that I wrote a book. Someone wrote a summary of my book. If the AI company scrapes the summary and not my book, do I really have a claim for copyright officially at that point? You can't know unless you know exactly what was ingested. When its billions or trillions of pages of documents, I don't think you'll ever fully be able to determine that. It's going to be a discovery morass.Does the AI black box -- the difficulty of tracing the actions of an AI program -- make it harder or easier to defend against liability claims?It makes it easier to defend. They can say We can't tell you how it does what it does. Try to explain neural networks to a judge -- good luck to you.How far is liability being traced back? Are companies that deploy AI technology from other providers indemnified by their contracts?Some companies have indemnified their users in certain ways. It depends on the circumstances. If someone created a defamatory picture of a public figure, that person could sue the creator and then also sue OpenAI for letting them do it. The argument is better against the individual. In part, it depends on how aggressive the plaintiff wants to be. There's always a strong chance that the owner of the AI or the owner of the generative or the owner of the sort of black box can be liable as well. Plaintiffs would always want to get the owner involved in the case.Have there been any notable tort claims in regard to AI technology?Not that I've seen. I looked a little bit a few months ago and didn't see anything. Once it starts getting meshed into apps and used more, I think that'll happen. I think the plaintiffs bar will try to jump on that. I can imagine a lot of personal injury cases involving technology where the plaintiffs are going to want to know how things were created and if they were done by an AI. That would probably help their cases.How should companies go about structuring their contracts to limit liability?Employment agreements can outline how to use AI. I would recommend that companies using AI to help workflows strongly consider how to protect them as trade secrets. As for using AI that would hurt someone else -- as in the electric vehicle context -- I don't think there's much you can do to limit your liability contractually.Are we seeing any trends as to who is prevailing in AI liability cases?No. It isn't really one way or the other. I think that that trend will be found once we go up to appeals. That's going to take a little time. There are trial balloons. The courts have said some things on various motions. But the primary cases are being very heavily litigated. When things get heavily litigated, it takes a while. They have some of the best attorneys in the world helping them out.Are there any cases that you're keeping an eye on? Are there any trends youre paying attention to?I'm keeping an eye on a few of the federal cases that have been filed against OpenAI. They're largely about trade secrets and copyright -- the ingestion portion of it. What we're waiting on is the output portion of litigation. What do we do with that? There's no national trend, and there's certainly no national precedent about how we're going to treat it. Hopefully within the next five years we'll have a much clearer view of the path ahead.What are law firms charging to defend these liability cases?They're all good firms. I'm sure they're working the cases very hard. I'm sure theyre working long hours. There are a lot of filings in these cases.Has there been any regulatory action regarding AI liability in the US?Not that I've seen yet. That's in part because it's such a new technology. People don't know where those things fall -- whose jurisdiction it is.How long do you think it will take for legislation to catch up to these issues?I think the legal avenues will kind of crystallize in around five years. I'm less optimistic about the legislative fix, but hopeful.Read more about:RegulationCost of AIAbout the AuthorRichard PallardyFreelance WriterRichard Pallardy is a freelance writer based in Chicago. He has written for such publications as Vice, Discover, Science Magazine, and the Encyclopedia Britannica.See more from Richard PallardyNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

TechnologyA tiny chip on the tip of a fibre-optic cable can passively harness light to perform AI computations, dramatically reducing the amount of energy and computing power required 7 February 2025 A chip on the end of an optical fibreUniversity of Shanghai for Science and Technology in ChinaAn artificial intelligence chip smaller than a grain of salt can perch at the end of an optical fibre, harnessing the physics of light to process the information passed through the fibre while using far less energy and computational power than typical AI techniques.Optical fibres can carry data at the speed of light, but decoding these light signals usually happens on a slower and more energy-intensive external computing device. The new AI chip could perform that data-processing task more quickly while