ai

Copyright lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft combined in AI showdown

Twelve copyright lawsuits filed against OpenAI and Microsoft have been merged into a single case in the Southern District of New York.

The US judicial panel on multidistrict litigation decided to consolidate, despite objections from many plaintiffs who argued their cases were too distinct.

The lawsuits claim that OpenAI and Microsoft used copyrighted books and journalistic works without consent to train AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot.

The plaintiffs include high-profile authors—Ta-Nehisi Coates, Sarah Silverman, Junot Díaz—and major media outlets such as The New York Times and Daily News.

The panel justified the centralisation by citing shared factual questions and the benefits of unified pretrial proceedings, including streamlined discovery and avoidance of conflicting rulings.

OpenAI has defended its use of publicly available data under the legal doctrine of ‘fair use.’

A spokesperson stated the company welcomed the consolidation and looked forward to proving that its practices are lawful and support innovation. Microsoft has not yet issued a comment on the ruling.

The authors’ attorney, Steven Lieberman, countered that this is about large-scale theft. He emphasised that both Microsoft and OpenAI have, in their view, infringed on millions of protected works.

Some of the same authors are also suing Meta, alleging the company trained its models using books from the shadow library LibGen, which houses over 7.5 million titles.

Simultaneously, Meta faced backlash in the UK, where authors protested outside the company’s London office. The demonstration focused on Meta’s alleged use of pirated literature in its AI training datasets.

The Society of Authors has called the actions illegal and harmful to writers’ livelihoods.

Amazon also entered the copyright discussion this week, confirming its new Kindle ‘Recaps’ feature uses generative AI to summarise book plots.

While Amazon claims accuracy, concerns have emerged online about the reliability of AI-generated summaries.

In the UK, lawmakers are also reconsidering copyright exemptions for AI companies, facing growing pressure from creative industry advocates.

The debate over how AI models access and use copyrighted material is intensifying, and the decisions made in courtrooms and parliaments could radically change the digital publishing landscape.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Sam Altman’s AI cricket post fuels India speculation

A seemingly light-hearted social media post by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stirred a wave of curiosity and scepticism in India. Altman shared an AI-generated anime image of himself as a cricket player dressed in an Indian jersey, which quickly went viral among Indian users.

While some saw it as a fun gesture, others questioned the timing and motives, speculating whether it was part of a broader strategy to woo Indian audiences. This isn’t the first time Altman has publicly praised India.

In recent weeks, he lauded the country’s rapid adoption of AI technology, calling it ‘amazing to watch’ and even said it was outpacing the rest of the world. His comments marked a shift from a more dismissive stance during a 2023 visit when he doubted India’s potential to compete with OpenAI’s large-scale models.

However, during his return visit in February 2025, he expressed interest in collaborating with Indian authorities on affordable AI solutions. The timing of Altman’s praise coincides with a surge in Indian users on OpenAI’s platforms, now the company’s second-largest market.

Meanwhile, OpenAI faces a legal tussle with several Indian media outlets over their alleged content misuse. Despite this, the potential of India’s booming AI market—projected to hit $8 billion by 2025—makes the country a critical frontier for global tech firms.

Experts argue that Altman’s overtures are more about business than sentiment. With increasing competition from rival AI models like DeepSeek and Gemini, maintaining and growing OpenAI’s Indian user base has become vital. As technology analyst Nikhil Pahwa said, ‘There’s no real love; it’s just business.’

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Thailand strengthens cybersecurity with Google Cloud

Thailand’s National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) has joined forces with Google Cloud to strengthen the country’s cyber resilience, using AI-based tools and shared threat intelligence instead of relying solely on traditional defences.

The collaboration aims to better protect public agencies and citizens against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

A key part of the initiative involves deploying Google Cloud Cybershield for centralised monitoring of security events across government bodies. Instead of having fragmented monitoring systems, this unified approach will help streamline incident detection and response.

The partnership also brings advanced training for cybersecurity personnel in the public sector, alongside regular threat intelligence sharing.

Google Cloud Web Risk will be integrated into government operations to automatically block websites hosting malware and phishing content, instead of relying on manual checks.

Google further noted the impact of its anti-scam technology in Google Play Protect, which has prevented over 6.6 million high-risk app installation attempts in Thailand since its 2024 launch—enhancing mobile safety for millions of users.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Microsoft showcases Copilot’s AI potential with Quake II demo

Microsoft has introduced a browser-based, AI-generated version of the classic game Quake II as a demonstration of its Copilot Gaming Experiences.

The innovative approach showcases the capabilities of generative AI by applying it to a beloved retro game, providing a fresh, interactive experience that requires no traditional game engine.

The project stems from the company’s research labs, utilising technologies like MuseWorld and the Human Action Model (WHAM) to generate gameplay in real time.

Training the AI model on a level of Quake II enabled Copilot to dynamically create game visuals and respond to player inputs instantly. Microsoft describes the technology as ‘a glimpse into next-generation AI gaming experiences’.

Rather than relying on standard game engines, it simulates gameplay through AI generation, demonstrating how older games can be revitalised through modern techniques.

Although the demo is not a full game, it provides users with a tangible example of how AI can enhance classic games.

Microsoft encourages players to share their experiences and feedback, as the company seeks to refine and expand the use of AI in gaming. The demo is now available to try for free, offering an engaging preview of what could be a new frontier in interactive entertainment.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Meta unveils Llama 4 models to boost AI across platforms

Meta has launched Llama 4, its latest and most advanced family of open-weight AI models, aiming to enhance the intelligence of Meta AI across services like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.

Instead of keeping these models cloud-restricted, Meta has made them available for download through its official Llama website and Hugging Face, encouraging wider developer access.

Two models, Llama 4 Scout and Maverick, are now publicly available. Scout, the lighter model with 17 billion active parameters, supports a 10 million-token context window and can run on a single Nvidia H100 GPU.

It outperforms rivals like Google’s Gemma 3 and Mistral 3.1 in benchmark tests. Maverick, the more capable model, uses the same number of active parameters but with 128 experts, offering competitive performance against GPT-4o and DeepSeek v3 while being more efficient.

Meta also revealed the Llama 4 Behemoth model, still in training, which serves as a teacher for the rest of the Llama 4 line. Instead of targeting lightweight use, Behemoth focuses on heavy multimodal tasks with 288 billion active parameters and nearly two trillion in total.

Meta claims it outpaces GPT-4.5, Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Gemini 2.0 Pro in key STEM-related evaluations.

These open-weight AI models allow local deployment instead of relying on cloud APIs, though some licensing limits may apply. With Scout and Maverick already accessible, Meta is gradually integrating Llama 4 capabilities into its messaging and social platforms worldwide.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Tech giants face pushback over AI and book piracy

Meta and Anthropic’s recent attempts to defend their use of copyrighted books in training AI tools under the US legal concept of ‘fair use’ are unlikely to succeed in UK courts, according to the Publishers Association and the Society of Authors.

Legal experts argue that ‘fair use’ is far broader than the UK’s stricter ‘fair dealing’ rules, which limit the unauthorised use of copyrighted works.

The controversy follows revelations that Meta may have used pirated books from LibraryGenesis to train its AI model, Llama 3. Legal filings in the US claim the use of these books was transformative and formed only a small part of the training data.

However, UK organisations and authors insist that such use amounts to large-scale copyright infringement and would not be justified under UK law.

Calls for transparency and licensing reform are growing, with more than 8,000 writers signing a petition and protests planned outside Meta’s London headquarters.

Critics, including Baroness Beeban Kidron, argue that AI models rely on the creativity and quality of copyrighted content—making it all the more important for authors to retain control and receive proper compensation.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

AI-powered search expands with Microsoft’s Copilot Search

Microsoft has unveiled Copilot Search, a new AI-powered feature designed to enhance the Bing search experience.

Available at bing.com/copilotsearch, it generates responses using AI, providing users with summarised answers, related links, and reasoning behind the results. The feature follows Google‘s introduction of AI Mode in Search, which similarly offers AI-generated overviews for complex queries.

Copilot Search enables users to explore their queries more interactively. Responses include two key options: ‘See all links,’ which displays sources used in the summary, and ‘See reasoning,’ which explains how the response was generated.

Users can also submit follow-up questions within the same interface, keeping the entire conversation on a single page for easier navigation. Additional options for images and videos are available, though they redirect to Bing’s standard media search.

The latest search enhancement introduced by Microsoft reflects the increasing role of AI in online search, blending AI-generated insights with traditional web links.

Bing users who prefer the classic search experience will still have access to traditional results, while AI-generated answers will appear at the top of natural language queries.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Amazon introduces AI-generated recaps for Kindle book series

Amazon has introduced a new Recaps feature for Kindle users, designed to help readers recall key plot points and character developments before starting the next book in a series.

The feature, now available to Kindle users in the United States, provides AI-generated summaries for thousands of best-selling English-language e-books.

While Amazon did not initially mention AI in its announcement, the company later confirmed that Recaps are created using generative AI, with human moderators ensuring accuracy.

Concerns about the reliability of AI-generated summaries have surfaced among Kindle users, with some questioning whether they will accurately reflect book content. Amazon maintains that its process ensures accuracy, though further details have not been provided.

Recaps can be accessed through the Kindle Library or within a book series page, and users must acknowledge a spoiler warning before viewing the summary.

The feature aims to improve the reading experience by helping readers stay immersed in complex stories without having to re-read previous books.

Amazon plans to expand Recaps to the Kindle app for iOS soon, covering a variety of genres, including fantasy, mystery, and thriller series.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Midjourney’s V7 debuts with personalization and improved image quality

Midjourney has launched V7, its first new AI image model in nearly a year, introducing major improvements in image quality and text prompt accuracy.

The model, which rolled out in alpha on Thursday, features enhanced textures, better coherence in generating bodies and objects, and a new personalization system that tailors results to individual users.

To access V7, users must first rate around 200 images to create a personalised profile, a feature enabled by default for the first time.

The new model is available in two versions: Turbo, which generates images at a higher cost, and Relax, a more budget-friendly option. A new Draft Mode also allows users to create lower-quality images at ten times the speed and half the cost of standard mode, with the option to enhance them later.

Some existing Midjourney features, such as image upscaling and retexturing, are not yet available in V7 but are expected within two months.

Midjourney remains an independent company, having raised no external funding since its launch in 2022. The San Francisco-based firm is reportedly generating around $200 million in revenue and is expanding into hardware, video, and 3D object generation.

However, the company faces ongoing legal challenges, with multiple lawsuits accusing it of using copyrighted images without permission to train its AI models.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Deutsche Telekom expands partnership with Google Cloud

Deutsche Telekom has strengthened its collaboration with Google, moving more of its services to the Google Cloud platform as part of its transformation into an ‘AI-first company.’ The expanded partnership aims to improve the agility and efficiency of Deutsche Telekom’s operations through AI-driven solutions.

Stefan Schloter, Chief Infrastructure Officer for Europe at Deutsche Telekom, highlighted how leveraging data and AI will enhance digital solutions across business entities, software engineering, and customer interfaces.

The MyMagenta app, for example, will integrate Google’s AI-powered Gemini assistant, further improving customer experience.

Google Cloud will also serve as the technical foundation of Deutsche Telekom’s new AI platform, the ‘One Data Ecosystem.’ However, this platform consolidates data systems and enhances data processing speed while ensuring compliance with privacy and data-sharing regulations.

Marianne Janik, Vice President of Google Cloud for Northern Europe, expressed excitement about the partnership, noting how cloud technology is pivotal for communications providers in driving innovation, flexibility, and growth for enhanced user experiences.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.