Around 73 countries signed a landmark UN cybercrime convention in Hanoi, seeking faster cooperation against online crime. Leaders cited trillions in annual losses from scams, ransomware, and trafficking. The pact enters into force after 40 ratifications.
UN supporters say the treaty will streamline evidence sharing, extradition requests, and joint investigations. Provisions target phishing, ransomware, online exploitation, and hate speech. Backers frame the deal as a boost to global security.
Critics warn the text’s breadth could criminalise security research and dissent. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord called it a surveillance treaty. Activists fear expansive data sharing with weak safeguards.
The UNODC argues the agreement includes rights protections and space for legitimate research. Officials say oversight and due process remain essential. Implementation choices will decide outcomes on the ground.
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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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The decision follows calls from the technology sector for an exemption allowing AI developers to use copyrighted material without permission or payment.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the Government aims to support innovation and creativity but will not weaken existing copyright protections. The Government plans to explore fair licensing options to support AI innovation while ensuring creators are paid fairly.
The Copyright and AI Reference Group will focus on fair AI use, more explicit copyright rules for AI works, and simpler enforcement through a possible small claims forum.
The Government said Australia must prepare for AI-related copyright challenges while keeping strong protections for creators. Collaboration between the technology and creative sectors will be essential to ensure that AI development benefits everyone.
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Pullman’s intervention comes amid increasing concern in the literary community about how generative AI models are built using large volumes of existing texts, often without permission or clear compensation. He argues that uninhibited scraping undermines the rights of creators and could hollow out the foundations of culture.
He has called on UK policymakers to establish clearer rules and safeguards over how AI systems access, store, and reuse writers’ content. Pullman warns that without intervention, authors may lose control over their work, and the public could be deprived of authentic, quality literature.
His statement adds to growing pressure from writers, unions and rights bodies calling for better transparency, consent mechanisms and a balance between innovation and creator rights.
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Alan Hamel says he’s moving ahead with a ‘Suzanne AI Twin’ to honor Suzanne Somers’ legacy. The project mirrors plans the couple discussed for decades. He shared an early demo at a recent conference.
Hamel describes the prototype as startlingly lifelike. He says side-by-side, he can’t tell real from AI. The goal is to preserve Suzanne’s voice, look, and mannerisms.
Planned uses include archival storytelling, fan Q&As, and curated appearances. The team is training the model on interviews, performances, and writings. Rights and guardrails are being built in.
Supporters see a new form of remembrance. Critics warn of deepfake risks and consent boundaries. Hamel says fidelity and respect are non-negotiable.
Next steps include wider testing and a controlled public debut. Proceeds could fund causes Suzanne championed. ‘It felt like talking to her,’ Hamel says.
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A Fenland videographer says the rise of AI has forced him to close his business. David Johnson, who runs DMJ-Imagery in Chatteris, will wind up operations in April after client demand collapsed.
He believes companies are turning to AI tools for projects once requiring human filmmakers and editors. Work such as promotional videos, adverts, and scripting has increasingly been replaced by automated content generation.
Johnson said his workload ‘plummeted’ over the past year despite surviving the pandemic. He described AI-made work as lacking ‘passion or emotion’, arguing that human creativity remains an essential component to storytelling.
Despite this, the UK government says AI has vast economic potential, industry groups urge fairer protections for creatives. They argue that existing copyright laws do not adequately safeguard work used to train AI models.
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Adobe has launched a new enterprise service allowing firms to build custom AI models. The platform, called Adobe AI Foundry, lets companies train generative AI on their branding and intellectual property.
Based on Adobe’s Firefly models, the service can produce text, images, video, and 3D content. Pricing depends on usage, offering greater flexibility than Adobe’s traditional subscription model.
Adobe’s Firefly technology, first introduced in 2023, has already helped clients create over 25 billion assets. Foundry’s tailored models are expected to speed up campaign production while maintaining consistent brand identity across markets.
Hannah Elsakr, Adobe’s vice president for generative AI ventures, said the tools aim to enhance, not replace, human creativity. She emphasised that Adobe’s mission remains centred on supporting artists and marketers in telling powerful stories through technology.
The company believes its ethical approach to AI training and licensing could set a standard for enterprise-grade creative tools. Analysts say it also positions Adobe strongly against rivals offering generic AI solutions.
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In China, the use of generative AI has expanded unprecedentedly, reaching 515 million users in the first half of 2025.
The figure, released by the China Internet Network Information Centre, shows more than double the number recorded in December and represents an adoption rate of 36.5 per cent.
Such growth is driven by strong digital infrastructure and the state’s determination to make AI a central tool of national development.
The country’s ‘AI Plus’ strategy aims to integrate AI across all sectors of society and the economy. The majority of users rely on domestic platforms such as DeepSeek, Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen and ByteDance’s Doubao, as access to leading Western models remains restricted.
Young and well-educated citizens dominate the user base, underlining the government’s success in promoting AI literacy among key demographics.
Microsoft’s recent research confirms that China has the world’s largest AI market, surpassing the US in total users. While the US adoption has remained steady, China’s domestic ecosystem continues to accelerate, fuelled by policy support and public enthusiasm for generative tools.
China also leads the world in AI-related intellectual property, with over 1.5 million patent applications accounting for nearly 39 per cent of the global total.
The rapid adoption of home-grown AI technologies reflects a strategic drive for technological self-reliance and positions China at the forefront of global digital transformation.
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Wikipedia’s human traffic has fallen by 8% over the past year, a decline the Wikimedia Foundation attributes to changing information habits driven by AI and social media.
The foundation’s Marshall Miller explained that updates to Wikipedia’s bot detection system revealed much of the earlier traffic surge came from undetected bots, revealing a sharper drop in genuine visits.
Miller pointed to the growing use of AI-generated search summaries and the rise of short-form video as key factors. Search engines now provide direct answers using generative AI instead of linking to external sources, while younger users increasingly turn to social video platforms rather than traditional websites.
Although Wikipedia’s knowledge continues to feed AI models, fewer people are reaching the original source.
The foundation warns that the shift poses risks to Wikipedia’s volunteer-driven ecosystem and donation-based model. With fewer visitors, fewer contributors may update content and fewer donors may provide financial support.
Miller urged AI companies and search engines to direct users back to the encyclopedia, ensuring both transparency and sustainability.
Wikipedia is responding by developing a new framework for content attribution and expanding efforts to reach new readers. The foundation also encourages users to support human-curated knowledge by citing original sources and recognising the people behind the information that powers AI systems.
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Spotify partners with major labels on artist-first AI tools, putting consent and copyright at the centre of product design. The plan aims to align new features with transparent labelling and fair compensation while addressing concerns about generative music flooding platforms.
The collaboration with Sony, Universal, Warner, and Merlin will give artists control over participation in AI experiences and how their catalogues are used. Spotify says it will prioritise consent, clearer attribution, and rights management as it builds new tools.
Early direction points to expanded labelling via DDEX, stricter controls against mass AI uploads, and protections against search and recommendation manipulation. Spotify’s AI DJ and prompt-based playlists hint at how engagement features could evolve without sidelining creators.
Future products are expected to let artists opt in, monitor usage, and manage when their music feeds AI-generated works. Rights holders and distributors would gain better tracking and payment flows as transparency improves across the ecosystem.
Industry observers say the tie-up could set a benchmark for responsible AI in music if enforcement matches ambition. By moving in step with labels, Spotify is pitching a path where innovation and artist advocacy reinforce rather than undermine each other.
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