New court filings in an AI copyright case against Meta add credence to earlier reports that the company paused discussions with book publishers on licensing deals to supply some of its generative AI models with training data.The filings are related to the caseKadrey v. Meta Platforms one of many such cases winding through the U.S. court system thats pitted AI companies against authors and other intellectual property holders. For the most part, the defendants in these cases AI companies have claimed that training on copyrighted content is fair use. The plaintiffs copyright holders have vociferously disagreed.The new filings submitted to the court Friday, which include partial transcripts of Meta employee depositions taken by attorneys for plaintiffs in the case, suggest that certain Meta staff felt negotiating AI training data licenses for books might not be scalable. According to one transcript, Sy Choudhury, who leads Metas AI partnership initiatives, said that Metas outreach to various publishers was met with very slow uptake in engagement and interest.I dont recall the entire list, but I remember we had made a long list from initially scouring the Internet of top publishers, et cetera, Choudhury said, per the transcript, and we didnt get contact and feedback from from a lot of our cold call outreaches to try to establish contact.Choudhury added, There were a few, like, that did, you know, engage, but not many.According to the court transcripts, Meta paused certain AI-related book licensing efforts in early April 2023 after encountering timing and other logistical setbacks. Choudhury said some publishers, in particular fiction book publishers, turned out to not in fact have the rights to the content that Meta was considering licensing, per a transcript.Id like to point out that the in the fiction category, we quickly learned from the business development team that most of the publishers we were talking to, they themselves were representing that they did not have, actually, the rights to license the data to us, Choudhury said. And so it would take a long time to engage with all their authors.Choudhury noted during his deposition that Meta has on at least one other occasion paused licensing efforts related to AI development, according to a transcript.I am aware of licensing efforts such, for example, we tried to license 3D worlds from different game engine and game manufacturers for our AI research team, Choudhury said. And in the same way that Im describing here for fiction and textbook data, we got very little engagement to even have a conversation [] We decided to in that case, we decided to build our own solution.Counsel for the plaintiffs, who include bestselling authors Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, have amended their complaint several times since the case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division in 2023. The latest amended complaint submitted by plaintiffs counsel alleges that Meta, among other offenses, cross-referenced certain pirated books with copyrighted books available for license to determine whether it made sense to pursue a licensing agreement with a publisher.The complaint also accuses Meta of using shadow libraries containing pirated e-books to train several of the companys AI models, including its popular Llama series of open models. According to the complaint, Meta may have secured some of the libraries via torrenting. Torrenting, a way of distributing files across the web, requires that torrenters simultaneously seed, or upload, the files theyre trying to obtain which the plaintiffs asserted is a form of copyright infringement.

In BriefPosted:3:24 PM PST February 14, 2025Image Credits:Bryce Durbin / TechCrunchAI Alexa and AI Siri face bugs and delaysAmazon and Apple are struggling to put generative AI technology in their digital assistants Alexa and Siri, respectively according to a pair of reports that came out on Friday.Amazon hoped to release its new Alexa during an event in New York on February 26. Now Amazon plans to delay the release of its generative AI-powered Alexa until March or later, according to the Washington Post.Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Apples AI overhaul of Siri is running into engineering problems and software bugs. Some new features around Siri that were planned for release in April may not be ready until May or later.Amazon and Apple hoped to release these updated products quickly to compete with next-gen AI voice assistants, such as OpenAIs Advanced Voice Mode and Googles Gemini Live. However, those efforts are not going according to plan.Topics

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 18: MrBeast attends as MrBeast celebrates the premiere of the ... [+] new Prime Video Competition Series Beast Games at a content creator special screening on December 18, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Prime Video)Getty Images for Prime VideoBeast Games MrBeasts official crossover from YouTube to reality television aired the final episode of its first season on Amazon Prime Video yesterday, handing out an eye-watering $10 million to one lucky contestant.The show, which pitted 1,000 people against each other in a series of intense mental and physical challenges, has been an absolute smash-hit and a big part of its appeal has been its massive prize pool.Although the winner, Jeff Allen who competed as Player 831, took home a hair over $10 million home, MrBeast has now revealed the full amount given out throughout the season totaled a bit over $25 million.Lets do some math.Heres How Much Money MrBeast Gave Away On Beast GamesAlthough the grand prize was $10 million, Allen actually pocketed an additional $4,042 in challenges across the full stretch of the season.Overall, 85 players took cash prizes home. To keep this simple, Ive put together a list of the 10 biggest winners:MORE FOR YOU1. Player 831, Jeff Allen $ 10,004,2422. Player 952, Mia Speight $1.8 million (in the form of a private island)3. Player 974, Gage Gallagher $1 million4. Player 566, JC Gallego Iori $650,0005. Player 457, Esteban Zepeda $450,0006. Player 453, Michael Robert House $236,8787. Player 539, Akira Andrews $200,000 (including the value of the Lamborghini he won)8. Player 830, Twana Barnett $190,0009. Player 898, Davinci Crooks $100,00010. Player 438 $100,000Notably, Players 338, 625, 884 and 929 won $80,000 each, followed by Players 196, 221, 398, 464 and 563 claiming a healthy $50,000 each, too.The remaining winning playeers all took prizes in the amount between $14,000 and $19,231.In a post on X, MrBeast adds that $4.2 million was handed out to Beast Games viewers who signed up for a giveaway which took place as part of a brand partnership with a popular borrowing and lending app.That wraps it up. For a more detailed breakdown of what went down in the finale of Beast Games and how the internet reacted to it, check out my summary here.

StrandsNYTLooking for Thursdays Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:Well, you are going to have to have a particular set of knowledge today in one specific athletic field. We do get a fun shape out of it though.How To Play StrandsThe New York Times Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. Its in beta for now, which means itll only stick around if enough people play it every day.Theres a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and youll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.Youll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.Be warned: Youll need to be on your toes.Some themes are fill-in-the-blank phrases. They may also be steps in a process, items that all belong to the same category, synonyms or homophones, The New York Times notes. Just as she varies the difficulty of Wordle puzzles within a week, [Wordle and Strands editor Tracy]MORE FOR YOU Bennett plans to throw Strands solvers curveballs every once in a while.What Is Todays Strands Hint?First we will start with the official hint from the NYT and then I will give you one of my own. The official hint is:Ice PacksAnd mine isPuck pushersThats probably enough to get you started.What Are Todays Strands Answers?Now we move on to the answers for the day and spoilers will follow, so be careful. We will start with the spangram and move on to the full list. The spangram is:HOCKEYTEAMAnd heres where that lies on the board:StrandsNYTAnd here is the answer list:AVALANCHEWILDJETSSHARKSDEVILSLIGHTNINGSo yep, its all NHL teams, and today we get to see how much crossover there is between hockey fans and Strands NYT players. Im guessing some, but perhaps not too many. I grew up in Hockeytown watching the Red Wings, so I was bummed to not see them on the board. But that let me find a lot of the others even though LIGHTNING and AVALANCHE were a bit long and tricky.Follow me , , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

If youre on the hunt for a budget-friendly laptop, you should check out the discounts from Dells laptop deals. Youre going to want to consider getting the Dell Inspiron 15, which is on sale with a $130 discount that makes it even more affordable at just $250 from its original price of $380. Youll need to be quick though, as stocks may run out sooner than you expect. Proceed with your purchase of the laptop if you dont want to miss out on this special price.For its price, you cant expect the Dell Inspiron 15 to challenge the performance of the best laptops. It wont let you down when it comes to regular tasks such as browsing the internet, typing documents, and watching streaming shows though. Its equipped with the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor and AMD Radeon 610M Graphics, plus 8GB of RAM thats perfect for casual users, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. These specifications are more than enough if youre not planning to edit videos and play PC games on high settings.The Dell Inspiron 15 features a 15.6-inch Full HD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is large enough to see whats going on but small enough to keep the laptop portable. The device also comes with a 512GB SSD, which will provide ample storage space for all of your apps and files. and a built-in HD webcam so youll look crystal clear whenever you make or receive video calls. Its also got Windows 11 Home pre-installed, so you can already start using the Dell Inspiron 15 right after unboxing it.RelatedThe Dell Inspiron 15 is an affordable laptop that still provides reliable performance for your daily activities, and its got an even lower price right now following a $130 discount from Dell. From $380 originally, its down to only $250, so we think theres going to be a lot of interest in this deal. If you want to get the Dell Inspiron 15 for this price, you need to hurry in completing your transaction for it because were not sure if the offer will still be around tomorrow. Add it to your cart and finish the checkout process immediately!Editors Recommendations

At CES 2025, I had the chance to go behind-the-scenes with Wacom and take a look at the new Intuos Pro tablet. Let me be clear about something upfront: I am no artist. Even my stick figures look like they want to be put out of their misery. Despite my complete inability to hold a pencil correctly, the Intuos Pro demonstrated exactly why this new tablet is so beneficial to users.The Intuos Pro doesnt have a screen of its own. Instead, this tablet is designed to go with its user anywhere they need and connect to whatever display they happen to use at the time. Depending on an artists field of work, they might choose to work on specifically-calibrated monitors. That might disqualify a tablet with a built-in screen, but the Intuos Pro isnt picky about the machine it connects with.Recommended VideosThis model comes in three separate sizes: small, medium, and large. And though the Intuos Pro is smaller than its predecessor, theres actually a larger amount of space to work with thanks to a clever redesign that moves the controls from the right side of the tablet to the top. This is a big deal for a reason. Not only does it provide more horizontal space for your hands and wrists, but its also easier for someone to use whether theyre right- or left-handed.The smallest model has five buttons at the top, while the two larger models have ten each. These can be customized with shortcuts, and during Wacoms demonstration, I had the chance to watch Sarajean Chung (@theonewithbear) on Instagram illustrate in real-time. It was obvious even to my untrained eye how fluid the Intuos Pro made the process, allowing the artist to transition between various tools with ease.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe Intuos Pro works with the Wacom Pro Pen 3, as well as previous generations of Wacom pens and several other EMR (electro-magnetic resonance) pens from other companies.These tablets will be available for purchase at the Wacom Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H starting at $250 for the smallest model.Editors Recommendations

The board of the ChatGPT developer decided the $97.4 billion bid was not in the best interests of the companys mission.

Catnip for diners and an economical delivery system for high-ticket ingredients, creativepastadishes are driving business and letting chefs say Arrivederci to the expected at restaurants around the country.

Bravo Hyundais NACS adapter for EVs will be free to all existing owners Existing Hyundai EV owners will just need their VIN to claim their free adapter. Jonathan M. Gitlin Feb 14, 2025 6:54 pm | 8 From model year 2025, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can charge at Superchargers without an adapter. For all earlier Hyundai EVs, that adapter will be free. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin From model year 2025, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can charge at Superchargers without an adapter. For all earlier Hyundai EVs, that adapter will be free. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreHyundai Ioniq 5s with NACS (J3400) ports, as opposed to the CCS1 style, are starting to roll out of its factory in Savannah, Georgia. It's the first manufacturer to sell electric vehicles with native NACS portsother than Tesla, that is, and you'll be able to read about our first drive in the model year 2025 Ioniq 5, as well as the new, off-roady Ioniq 5 XRT next week. But we've got some good news for owners of any existing Hyundai EVs out thereif your car has a CCS1 port, then next month, you're eligible for a free CCS1-NACS adapter.Hyundai wasn't the first OEM to ink a deal with Tesla to gain access to the Supercharger network, but it is ahead of Ford, General Motors, and Rivian in swapping to the Tesla-style charge ports. Existing owners get access to the large charging network, too, but they'll need an adapter to make use of the smaller NACS plugs.And those will be available next month, Hyundai told us. What's more, they're going to be gratis, or free as in beer. As long as you have a VIN, the automaker will send you the adapter, which you'll be able to order once the website goes live in March.Ford briefly showed similar generosity to its EV owners last year, offering its NACS adapters for freeat least until late June, at which point it started charging $200 for them. GM never even bothered with the free giveaway; instead it asks $225 for the NACS adapter.Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 8 Comments

OpenAI's board of directors on Friday unanimously rejected Elon Musk's bid to buy the company.A Musk-led investor group on Monday submitted an unprompted $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI.Bret Taylor, chair of OpenAI's board, called it "Musk's latest attempt to disrupt his competition."OpenAI's board of directors on Friday flatly refused Elon Musk's unprompted bid to buy the company."OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk's latest attempt to disrupt his competition. Any potential reorganization of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity," Bret Taylor, chair of OpenAI's board, said in a Friday statement posted on X.A Musk-led investor group on Monday submitted an unprompted $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI. The bid immediately garnered staunch refusals from CEO Sam Altman, who said in several public interviews at an AI summit in Paris that the company and its mission to ensure artificial intelligence benefits humanity is not for sale."There's been like versions of Elon trying to, you know, somehow take control of OpenAI for a long time, so, it's like, okay, here's this week's episode," Altman told Axios.In a statement to Business Insider, Marc Toberoff, an attorney for the investor group, said OpenAI's rejection of the bid "comes as no surprise, given that Altman and Board chair, Taylor, already rejected Musk's $97 billion bid while stating they had not yet received it.""But we are surprised to see the Board, which has strict fiduciary duties to carefully consider the bid in good faith on behalf of the charity, use the same kind of deflective double-talk Altman used in testifying to the Senate," Toberoff' said. "Of course they're putting the charity's assets (control of the for-profit enterprise) up for sale. That's what their 'reorganization' is all about. They're just selling it to themselves at a fraction of what Musk has offered, enriching Board members, Altman, Brockman, and others rather than the charity in a classic self-dealing transaction. Will someone please explain how that benefits 'all of humanity'?"Musk and Altman cofounded OpenAI together years ago, but their relationship soured after Musk departed the company in 2018 and founded his own AI venture, xAI. The tech titans have since repeatedly traded public barbs over their conflicting views about the development of artificial intelligence.Musk filed suit against OpenAI and its executives in March 2024, alleging that the company's direction in recent years had violated its founding principles. He later withdrew the complaint. In a separate August suit, Musk alleged he was "manipulated" into cofounding the company.In a Monday statement about his proposal to buy OpenAI, Musk said, "At x.AI, we live by the values I was promised OpenAI would follow. We've made Grok open-source, and we respect the rights of content creators. It's time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was. We will make sure that happens."Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.