Freedom of expression Archives | Page 26 of 66

Adobe Firefly expands with new AI tools for audio and video creation

Adobe has unveiled major updates to its Firefly creative AI studio, introducing advanced audio, video, and imaging tools at the Adobe MAX 2025 conference.

These new features include Generate Soundtrack for licensed music creation, Generate Speech for lifelike multilingual voiceovers, and a timeline-based video editor that integrates seamlessly with Firefly’s existing creative tools.

The company also launched the Firefly Image Model 5, which can produce photorealistic 4MP images with prompt-based editing. Firefly now includes partner models from Google, OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Topaz Labs, and others, bringing the industry’s top AI capabilities into one unified workspace.

Adobe also announced Firefly Custom Models, allowing users to train AI models to match their personal creative style.

In a preview of future developments, Adobe showcased Project Moonlight, a conversational AI assistant that connects across creative apps and social channels to help creators move from concept to content in minutes.

A system that can offer tailored suggestions and automate parts of the creative process while keeping creators in complete control.

Adobe emphasised that Firefly is designed to enhance human creativity rather than replace it, offering responsible AI tools that respect intellectual property rights.

With such a release, the company continues integrating generative AI across its ecosystem to simplify production and empower creators at every stage of their workflow.

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Elon Musk launches AI-powered Grokipedia to rival Wikipedia

Elon Musk has launched Grokipedia, an AI-driven online encyclopedia developed by his company xAI. The platform, described as an alternative to Wikipedia, debuted on Monday with over 885,000 articles written and verified by AI.

Musk claimed the early version already surpasses Wikipedia in quality and transparency, promising significant improvements with the release of version 1.0.

Unlike Wikipedia’s crowdsourced model, Grokipedia does not allow users to edit content directly. Instead, users can request modifications through xAI’s chatbot Grok, which decides whether to implement changes and explains its reasoning.

Musk said the project’s guiding principle is ‘the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,’ acknowledging the platform’s imperfections while pledging continuous refinement.

However, Grokipedia’s launch has raised questions about originality. Several entries contain disclaimers crediting Wikipedia under a Creative Commons licence, with some articles appearing nearly identical.

Musk confirmed awareness of the issue and stated that improvements are expected before the end of the year. The Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, responded calmly, noting that human-created knowledge remains at the heart of its mission.

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Celebrity estates push back on Sora as app surges to No.1

OpenAI’s short-video app Sora topped one million downloads in under a week, then ran headlong into a likeness-rights firestorm. Celebrity families and studios demanded stricter controls. Estates for figures like Martin Luther King Jr. sought blocks on unauthorised cameos.

Users showcased hyperreal mashups that blurred satire and deception, from cartoon crossovers to dead celebrities in improbable scenes. All clips are AI-made, yet reposting across platforms spread confusion. Viewers faced a constant real-or-fake dilemma.

Rights holders pressed for consent, compensation, and veto power over characters and personas. OpenAI shifted toward opt-in for copyrighted properties and enabled estate requests to restrict cameos. Policy language on who qualifies as a public figure remains fuzzy.

Agencies and unions amplified pressure, warning of exploitation and reputational risks. Detection firms reported a surge in takedown requests for unauthorised impersonations. Watermarks exist, but removal tools undercut provenance and complicate enforcement.

Researchers warned about a growing fog of doubt as realistic fakes multiply. Every day, people are placed in deceptive scenarios, while bad actors exploit deniability. OpenAI promised stronger guardrails as Sora scales within tighter rules.

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MLK estate pushback prompts new Sora 2 guardrails at OpenAI

OpenAI paused the ability to re-create Martin Luther King Jr. in Sora 2 after Bernice King objected to user videos. Company leaders issued a joint statement with the King estate. New guardrails will govern depictions of historical figures on the app.

OpenAI said families and authorised estates should control how likenesses appear. Representatives can request removal or opt-outs. Free speech was acknowledged, but respectful use and consent were emphasised.

Policy scope remains unsettled, including who counts as a public figure. Case-by-case requests may dominate early enforcement. Transparency commitments arrived without full definitions or timelines.

Industry pressure intensified as major talent agencies opted out of clients. CAA and UTA cited exploitation and legal exposure. Some creators welcomed the tool, showing a split among public figures.

User appetite for realistic cameos continues to test boundaries. Rights of publicity and postmortem controls vary by state. OpenAI promised stronger safeguards while Sora 2 evolves.

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Church of Greece launches AI tool LOGOS for believers

LOGOS, a digital tool developed by the Metropolis of Nea Ionia, Filadelfia, Iraklio and Halkidona alongside the University of the Aegean, has marked the Church of Greece’s entry into the age of AI.

The tool gathers information on questions of Christian faith and provides clear, practical answers instead of replacing human guidance.

Metropolitan Gabriel, who initiated the project, emphasised that LOGOS does not substitute priests but acts as a guide, bringing believers closer to the Church. He said the Church must engage the digital world, insisting that technology should serve humanity instead of the other way around.

An AI tool that also supports younger users, allowing them to safely access accurate information on Orthodox teachings and counter misleading or harmful content found online. While it cannot receive confessions, it offers prayers and guidance to prepare believers spiritually.

The Church views LOGOS as part of a broader strategy to embrace digital tools responsibly, ensuring that faith remains accessible and meaningful in the modern technological landscape.

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EU investigates Meta and TikTok for DSA breaches

The European Commission has accused Meta and TikTok of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), highlighting failures in handling illegal content and providing researchers access to public data.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram were found to make it too difficult for users to report illegal content or receive responses to complaints, the Commission said in its preliminary findings.

Investigations began after complaints to Ireland’s content regulator, where Meta’s EU base is located. The Commission’s inquiry, which has been ongoing since last year, aims to ensure that large platforms protect users and meet EU safety obligations.

Meta and TikTok can submit counterarguments before penalties of up to six percent of global annual turnover are imposed.

Both companies face separate concerns about denying researchers adequate access to platform data and preventing oversight of systemic online risks. TikTok is under further examination for minor protection and advertising transparency issues.

The Commission has launched 14 such DSA-related proceedings, none concluded.

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Russia orders Apple to set Russian search engine by default

Russia’s federal anti-monopoly service has ordered Apple to preinstall a Russian-made search engine, such as Yandex or Mail.ru, by default on all devices sold in Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. The regulator claims Apple’s current setup gives foreign providers unfair market advantages.

The letter from FAS director Maxim Shaskolsky said Apple’s practices breach consumer protection laws by denying users equal access to local services. Authorities argue that default settings favour non-Russian search engines and restrict fair competition within domestic markets.

Apple has until 31 October to comply or face potential fines and restrictions. Russia’s Ministry of Digital Affairs warned of serious consequences if the company ignores the directive. Officials noted that Google previously avoided penalties after offering users a search engine choice.

Apple’s relations with Moscow have been tense since 2024, when the firm removed VPN apps under government pressure. Digital rights groups described the move as a threat to privacy, and analysts see the latest demand as part of Russia’s push for greater online control.

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Australia demands answers from AI chatbot providers over child safety

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has issued legal notices to four major AI companion platforms, requiring them to explain how they are protecting children from harmful or explicit content.

Character.ai, Nomi, Chai, and Chub.ai were all served under the country’s Online Safety Act and must demonstrate compliance with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.

The notices follow growing concern that AI companions, designed for friendship and emotional support, can expose minors to sexualised conversations, suicidal ideation, and other psychological risks.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the companies must show how their systems prevent such harms, not merely react to them, warning that failure to comply could lead to penalties of up to $825,000 per day.

AI companion chatbots have surged in popularity among young users, with Character.ai alone attracting nearly 160,000 monthly active users in Australia.

The Commissioner stressed that these services must integrate safety measures by design, as new enforceable codes now extend to AI platforms that previously operated with minimal oversight.

A move that comes amid wider efforts to regulate emerging AI technologies and ensure stronger child protection standards online.

Breaches of the new codes could result in civil penalties of up to $49.5 million, marking one of the toughest online safety enforcement regimes globally.

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Meta seeks delay in complying with Dutch court order on Facebook and Instagram timelines

Meta has yet to adjust Facebook and Instagram’s timelines despite an Amsterdam court ruling that found its current design violates European law. The company says it needs more time to make the required changes and has asked the court to extend its deadline until 31 January 2026.

The dispute stems from Meta’s use of algorithmic recommendation systems that determine what posts appear on users’ feeds and in what order. Both Instagram and Facebook have the option to set your timeline to chronological order. However, the option is hard to find and is set back to the original algorithmic timeline as soon as users close the app.

The Amsterdam court earlier ruled that these systems, which reset user preferences and hide options for chronological viewing, breach the Digital Services Act (DSA) by denying users genuine autonomy, freedom of choice, and control over how information is presented.

The judge ordered Meta to modify both apps within two weeks or face penalties of €100,000 per day, up to €5 million. More than two weeks later, Meta has yet to comply, arguing that the technical changes cannot be completed within the court’s timeline.

Dutch civil rights group Bits of Freedom, which brought the case, criticised the delay as a refusal to take responsibility. ‘The legislator wants it, experts say it can be done, and the court says it must be done. Yet Meta fails to bring its platforms into line with our legislation,’ said Evelyn Austin, the organisation’s director said in a statement.

The Amsterdam Court of Appeal will review Meta’s request for an extension on 27 October.

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Deepfake targeting Irish presidential candidate sparks election integrity warning

Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly condemned a deepfake AI video that falsely announced her withdrawal from the race. The clip, designed to resemble an RTÉ News broadcast, spread online before being reported and removed from major social media platforms.

Connolly said the video was a disgraceful effort to mislead voters and damage democracy. Her campaign team filed a complaint with the Irish Electoral Commission and requested that all copies be clearly labelled as fake.

Experts at Dublin City University identified slight distortions in speech and lighting as signs of AI manipulation. They warned that the rapid spread of synthetic videos underscores weak content moderation by online platforms.

Connolly urged the public not to share the clip and to respond through civic participation. Authorities are monitoring digital interference as Ireland prepares for its presidential vote on Friday.

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