Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has launched a standalone iOS app for its chatbot, Grok, marking a major expansion beyond its initial availability to X users. The app is now live in several countries, including the US, Australia, and India, allowing users to access the chatbot directly on their iPhones.
The Grok app offers features such as real-time data retrieval from the web and X, text rewriting, summarising long content, and even generating images from text prompts. xAI highlights Grok’s ability to create photorealistic images with minimal restrictions, including the use of public figures and copyrighted material.
In addition to the app, xAI is working on a dedicated website, Grok.com, which will soon make the chatbot available on browsers. Initially limited to X’s paying subscribers, Grok rolled out a free version in November and made it accessible to all users earlier this month. The launch marks a notable push by xAI to establish Grok as a versatile, widely available AI assistant.
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging its Siri voice assistant violated users’ privacy. The lawsuit claimed that Apple recorded users’ private conversations without consent when the ‘Hey, Siri’ feature was unintentionally triggered. These recordings were allegedly shared with third parties, including advertisers, leading to targeted ads based on private discussions.
The class period for the lawsuit spans from 17 September 2014 to 31 December 2024 and applies to users of Siri-enabled devices like iPhones and Apple Watches. Affected users could receive up to $20 per device. Apple denied any wrongdoing but settled the case to avoid prolonged litigation.
The settlement amount is a small fraction of Apple’s annual profits, with the company making nearly $94 billion in net income last year. While the company and plaintiffs’ lawyers have yet to comment on the settlement, the plaintiffs may seek up to $28.5 million in legal fees and expenses. A similar lawsuit involving Google’s Voice Assistant is also underway in a California federal court.
Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model, has agreed to resolve aspects of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by major music publishers. The lawsuit, initiated in October 2023 by Universal Music Group, ABKCO, Concord Music Group, and others, alleged that Anthropic’s AI system unlawfully distributed lyrics from over 500 copyrighted songs, including tracks by Beyoncé and Maroon 5.
The publishers argued that Anthropic improperly used data from licensed platforms to train its models without permission. Under the settlement approved by US District Judge Eumi Lee, Anthropic will maintain and extend its guardrails designed to prevent copyright violations in existing and future AI models.
The company also agreed to collaborate with music publishers to address potential infringements and resolve disputes through court intervention if necessary. Anthropic reiterated its commitment to fair use principles and emphasised that its AI is not intended for copyright infringement.
Despite the agreement, the legal battle isn’t over. The music publishers have requested a preliminary injunction to prevent Anthropic from using their lyrics in future model training. A court decision on this request is expected in the coming months, keeping the spotlight on how copyright law applies to generative AI.
In May, OpenAI announced plans for ‘Media Manager,’ a tool to allow creators to control how their content is used in AI training, aiming to address intellectual property (IP) concerns. The project remains unfinished seven months later, with critics claiming it was never prioritised internally. The tool was intended to identify copyrighted text, images, audio, and video, allowing creators to include or exclude their work from OpenAI’s training datasets. However, its future remains uncertain, with no updates since August and missed deadlines.
The delay comes amidst growing backlash from creators and a wave of lawsuits against OpenAI. Plaintiffs, including prominent authors and artists, allege that the company trained its AI models on their works without authorisation. While OpenAI provides ad hoc opt-out mechanisms, critics argue these measures are cumbersome and inadequate.
Media Manager was seen as a potential solution, but experts doubt its effectiveness in addressing complex legal and ethical challenges, including global variations in copyright law and the burden placed on creators to protect their works. OpenAI continues to assert that its AI models transform, rather than replicate, copyrighted material, defending itself under ‘fair use’ protections.
While the company has implemented filters to minimise IP conflicts, lacking comprehensive tools like Media Manager leaves unresolved questions about compliance and compensation. As OpenAI battles legal challenges, the effectiveness and impact of Media Manager—if it ever launches—remain uncertain in the face of an evolving IP landscape.
LG aims to captivate attendees at CES 2025 with the introduction of the 45GX990A, a gaming monitor described as the ‘world’s first bendable 5K2K display’. The 45-inch OLED screen boasts a resolution of 5,120 x 2,160 pixels, a 21:9 aspect ratio, and an impressive ability to transition between a flat and 900R curvature for immersive gameplay.
Advanced WOLED technology powers the monitor, delivering vivid colours, true blacks, and reduced eye strain. LG has also incorporated its Anti-Glare & Low Reflection (AGLR) coating, designed to reduce distracting screen glare. The device includes a rapid 0.03ms response time and compatibility with Nvidia G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
Gamers can expect customisable presets tailored to various genres, such as FPS, RPG, and racing simulators. Connectivity is robust, featuring DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and USB-C with 90W power delivery, making the 45GX990A a versatile choice for PC and console users.
The Ultragear GX9 series will also introduce two additional models. These include the 45GX950A, featuring a fixed 800R curvature, and the 39GX90SA, a smaller yet equally striking 39-inch variant. All models will be showcased at the highly anticipated CES 2025 event.
OpenAI has unveiled plans to transition its for-profit arm into a Delaware-based public benefit corporation (PBC). The move aims to attract substantial investment as the competition to develop advanced AI intensifies, and the proposed structure intends to prioritise societal interests alongside shareholder value, setting the company apart from traditional corporate models.
The shift marks a significant step for OpenAI, which started as a nonprofit in 2015 before establishing a for-profit division to fund high-cost AI development. Its latest funding round, valued at $157 billion, necessitated the structural change to eliminate a profit cap for investors, enabling greater financial backing. The nonprofit will retain a substantial stake in the restructured company, ensuring alignment with its original mission.
OpenAI faces criticism and legal challenges over the move. Elon Musk, a co-founder and vocal critic, has filed a lawsuit claiming the changes prioritise profit over public interest. Meta Platforms has also urged regulatory intervention. Legal experts suggest the PBC status offers limited enforcement of its mission-focused commitments, relying on shareholder influence to maintain the balance between profit and purpose.
By adopting this structure, OpenAI aims to align with competitors like Anthropic and xAI, which have similarly raised billions in funding. Analysts view the move as essential for securing the resources needed to remain a leader in the AI sector, though significant hurdles remain.
Amazon and Universal Music Group (UMG) have expanded their collaboration to address issues surrounding AI in the music industry. The partnership aims to combat the unauthorised use of AI-generated content and protect artists from fraud and misattribution, while also focusing on innovations in audio, audiobooks, and livestreamed content.
The initiative comes as UMG, alongside Sony Music and Warner Music, has filed lawsuits against AI music startups, alleging unauthorised use of copyrighted material. The defendants argue their practices fall under ‘fair use,’ highlighting the ongoing debate over intellectual property and AI-generated works.
Legal experts underscore the need for clearer guidelines as businesses adopt AI tools for content creation. While AI offers opportunities for efficiency and creativity, its integration must balance innovation with copyright protection. Industry leaders like Adobe are already developing tools to ensure AI-generated content remains legally safe for commercial use.
A German court has ordered Signify, the world’s largest lighting maker, to recall and destroy certain products sold since 2017, citing patent infringement claims made by Seoul Semiconductor, a South Korean firm. The Düsseldorf court also ruled that Signify could face fines of up to €250,000 ($259,925) for each violation of the order, according to a statement from Seoul Semiconductor.
Signify, headquartered in the Netherlands and spun off from Philips in 2016, has not yet responded to requests for comment. The court ruling adds to the challenges faced by the company, which has a global reputation in the lighting industry.
Seoul Semiconductor, a leader in light-emitting diode (LED) technology, invests heavily in innovation, allocating about 10% of its revenue to research and development. The company boasts a portfolio of over 18,000 patents and has pursued legal action against multinational corporations to protect its intellectual property rights.
Google contractors improving the Gemini AI model have been tasked with comparing its responses against those of Anthropic’s Claude, according to internal documents reviewed by TechCrunch. The evaluation process involves scoring responses on criteria such as truthfulness and verbosity, with contractors given up to 30 minutes per prompt to determine which model performs better. Notably, some outputs identify themselves as Claude, sparking questions about Google’s use of its competitor’s model.
Claude’s responses, known for emphasising safety, have sometimes refused to answer prompts deemed unsafe, unlike Gemini, which has faced criticism for safety violations. One such instance involved Gemini generating responses flagged for inappropriate content. Despite Google’s significant investment in Anthropic, Claude’s terms of service prohibit its use to train or build competing AI models without prior approval.
A spokesperson for Google DeepMind stated that while the company compares model outputs for evaluation purposes, it does not train Gemini using Anthropic models. Anthropic, however, declined to comment on whether Google had obtained permission to use Claude for these tests. Recent revelations also highlight contractor concerns over Gemini producing potentially inaccurate information on sensitive topics, including healthcare.
Samsung Electronics, Texas Instruments, and Amkor Technology are set to receive a combined $6.75 billion in chip manufacturing incentives from the US Commerce Department. The funding aims to bolster domestic semiconductor production and strengthen the supply chain.
Samsung will receive up to $4.745 billion, slightly reduced from the initial $6.4 billion estimate, reflecting scaled-down investment plans. The South Korean tech giant plans to invest $37 billion by 2030 to build chip production facilities, a research centre, and a packaging site. These projects are expected to solidify the US as a hub for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Texas Instruments has secured up to $1.61 billion for expanding its chip production facilities in Texas and Utah. The company is investing over $18 billion through 2029, creating 2,000 manufacturing jobs. Amkor Technology will receive $407 million to help build a $2 billion semiconductor packaging plant in Arizona, its largest in the US. This facility will cater to chips for autonomous vehicles, 5G/6G, and data centres.
These awards form part of a broader $39 billion subsidy programme for domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Over $33 billion of the allocated funding has now been finalised, with the US positioned as the sole nation hosting all five leading-edge chipmakers.
