The actors’ union responded swiftly, warning that Tilly was trained on the work of countless performers without their consent or compensation. It also reminded producers that hiring her would involve dealing with the union.
The episode highlights two key lessons for business leaders in any industry. First, never assume a technology’s current limitations will remain its inherent limitations. Some commentators, including Whoopi Goldberg, have argued that AI actors pose little threat because their physical movements still appear noticeably artificial.
The second lesson concerns human behaviour. People are often irrational; their preferences can upend even the most carefully planned strategies. Producers avoided publicising actors’ names in Hollywood’s early years to maintain control.
Audiences, however, demanded to know everything about the stars they admired, forcing studios to adapt. This human attachment created the star system that shaped the industry. Whether audiences will embrace AI performers like Tilly remains uncertain, but cultural and emotional factors will play a decisive role.
Hollywood offers a high-profile glimpse of the challenges and opportunities of advanced AI. As other sectors face similar disruptions, business leaders may find that technology alone does not determine outcomes.
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The Bombay High Court has granted ad-interim relief to Asha Bhosle, barring AI platforms and sellers from cloning her voice or likeness without consent. The 90-year-old playback singer, whose career spans eight decades, approached the court to protect her identity from unauthorised commercial use.
Bhosle filed the suit after discovering platforms offering AI-generated voice clones mimicking her singing. Her plea argued that such misuse damages her reputation and goodwill. Justice Arif S. Doctor found a strong prima facie case and stated that such actions would cause irreparable harm.
The order restrains defendants, including US-based Mayk Inc, from using machine learning, face-morphing, or generative AI to imitate her voice or likeness. Google, also named in the case, has agreed to take down specific URLs identified by Bhosle’s team.
Defendants are required to share subscriber information, IP logs, and payment details to assist in identifying infringers. The court emphasised that cloning the voices of cultural icons risks misleading the public and infringing on individuals’ rights to their identity.
The ruling builds on recent cases in India affirming personality rights and sets an important precedent in the age of generative AI. The matter is scheduled to return to court on 13 October 2025.
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The EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security’s AI Cluster gathered in Tallinn on 25–26 September for a workshop focused on AI and its implications for security and rights.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) played a central role, presenting its Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment framework under the AI Act and highlighting its ongoing project on assessing high-risk AI.
A workshop that also provided an opportunity for FRA to give an update on its internal and external work in the AI field, reflecting the growing need to balance technological innovation with rights-based safeguards.
AI-driven systems in security and policing are increasingly under scrutiny, with regulators and agencies seeking to ensure compliance with EU rules on privacy, transparency and accountability.
In collaboration with Europol, FRA also introduced plans for a panel discussion on ‘The right to explanation of AI-driven individual decision-making’. Scheduled for 19 November in Brussels, the session will form part of the Annual Event of the EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security.
It is expected to draw policymakers, law enforcement representatives and rights advocates into dialogue about transparency obligations in AI use for security contexts.
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The Mexican government is preparing a law to regulate the use of AI in dubbing, animation, and voiceovers to prevent unauthorised voice cloning and safeguard creative rights.
Working with the National Copyright Institute and more than 128 associations, it aims to reform copyright legislation before the end of the year.
The plan would strengthen protections for actors, voiceover artists, and creative workers, while addressing contract conditions and establishing a ‘Made in Mexico’ seal for cultural industries.
A bill that is expected to prohibit synthetic dubbing without consent, impose penalties for misuse, and recognise voice and image as biometric data.
Industry voices warn that AI has already disrupted work opportunities. Several dubbing firms in Los Angeles have closed, with their projects taken over by companies specialising in AI-driven dubbing.
Startups such as Deepdub and TrueSync have advanced the technology, dubbing films and television content across languages at scale.
Unions and creative groups argue that regulation is vital to protect both jobs and culture. While AI offers efficiency in translation and production, it cannot yet replicate the emotional depth of human performance.
The law is seen as the first attempt of Mexico to balance technological innovation with the rights of workers and creators.
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Perplexity has made its Comet AI browser available to everyone for free, widening access beyond its paid user base. The browser, launched three months ago for Max subscribers, introduces new tools designed to turn web browsing into an AI-driven task assistant.
The company describes Comet as a ‘browser for agentic search’, referring to autonomous software agents capable of handling multi-step tasks for users.
Free users can access the sidecar assistant alongside tools for shopping comparisons, travel planning, budgeting, sports updates, project management, and personalised recommendations.
Max subscribers gain early access to more advanced features, including a background assistant likened to a personal mission control dashboard. The tool can draft emails, book tickets, find flights, and integrate with apps on a user’s computer, running tasks in the background with minimal intervention.
Pro users also retain access to advanced AI models and media generation tools.
Perplexity is further introducing Comet Plus, a $5-per-month standalone subscription service that acts as an AI-powered alternative to Apple News. Current Pro and Max subscribers will receive the service automatically.
The move signals Perplexity’s ambition to expand its ecosystem while balancing free accessibility with premium AI features.
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A Dutch court has ordered Meta to give Facebook and Instagram users in the Netherlands the right to set a chronological feed as their default.
The ruling follows a case brought by digital rights group Bits of Freedom, which argued that Meta’s design undermines user autonomy under the European Digital Services Act.
Although a chronological feed is already available, it is hidden and cannot be permanent. The court said Meta must make the settings accessible on the homepage and Reels section and ensure they stay in place when the apps are restarted.
If Meta does not comply within two weeks, it faces a fine of €100,000 per day, capped at €5 million.
Bits of Freedom argued that algorithmic feeds threaten democracy, particularly before elections. The court agreed the change must apply permanently rather than temporarily during campaigns.
The group welcomed the ruling but stressed it was only a small step in tackling the influence of tech giants on public debate.
Meta has not yet responded to the decision, which applies only in the Netherlands despite being based on EU law. Campaigners say the case highlights the need for more vigorous enforcement to ensure digital platforms respect user choice and democratic values.
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The majority of US adults thus do not turn to AI chatbots as a regular news source, signalling a limited role for chatbots in news dissemination, at least for now.
However, this finding is part of a broader pattern: despite the growing usage of chatbots, news consumption via these tools remains in the niche. Pew’s data also shows that 34 percent of US adults report using ChatGPT, which has roughly doubled since 2023.
While AI chatbots are not yet mainstream for news, their limited uptake raises questions about trust, accuracy and the user motivation behind news consumption.
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The update means that if you chat with Meta’s AI about a topic, such as hiking, the system may infer your interests and show related content, including posts from hiking groups or ads for boots. Meta emphasises that content and ad recommendations already use signals like likes, shares and follows, but the new change adds AI interactions as another signal.
Meta will notify users starting 7 October via in-app messages and emails to maintain user control. Users will retain access to settings such as Ads Preferences and feed controls to adjust what they see. Meta says it will not use sensitive AI chat content (religion, health, political beliefs, etc.) to personalise ads.
If users have linked those accounts in Meta’s Accounts Centre, interactions with AI on particular accounts will only be used for cross-account personalisation. Also, unless a WhatsApp account is added to the same Accounts Centre, AI interactions won’t influence experience in other apps.
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An AI ‘actress’ created in the Netherlands has sparked controversy across the global film industry. Tilly Norwood, designed by Dutch actress Eline van der Velde, is capable of talking, waving, and crying, and is reportedly being pitched to talent agencies.
Hollywood unions and stars have voiced strong objections. US-based SAG-AFTRA said Norwood was trained on the work of professional actors without life experience or human emotion, warning that its use could undermine existing contracts.
Actresses Natasha Lyonne and Emily Blunt also criticised the Dutch project, with Lyonne calling for a boycott of agencies working with Norwood, and Blunt describing it as ‘really scary’.
Van der Velde defended her AI creation, describing Norwood as a piece of art rather than a replacement for performers. She argued the project should be judged as a new genre rather than compared directly to human actors.
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China’s new K visa, aimed at foreign professionals in science and technology, has sparked heated debate and online backlash. The scheme, announced in August and launched this week, has been compared by Indian media to the US H-1B visa.
Tens of thousands of social media users in China have voiced fears that the programme will worsen job competition in an already difficult market. Comments also included xenophobic remarks, particularly directed at Indian nationals.
State media outlets have stepped in, defending the policy as a sign of China’s openness while stressing that it is not a simple work permit or immigration pathway. Officials say the visa is designed to attract graduates and researchers from top institutions in STEM fields.
The government has yet to clarify whether the visa allows foreign professionals to work, adding to uncertainty. Analysts note that language barriers, cultural differences, and China’s political environment may pose challenges for newcomers despite Beijing’s drive to attract global talent.
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