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🗞 News of the day

🚀 Meta Torrented 82TB of Pirated Books

Meta is facing a lawsuit for allegedly using 81.7TB of pirated data to train its AI, raising concerns about copyright infringement.

• Allegations Against Meta: Court records show that Meta allegedly downloaded massive amounts of pirated data from shadow libraries, such as Annas Archive and Z-Library, to train its AI. Internal communications revealed that employees were aware of the pirated nature of the materials, yet the company still proceeded, taking steps to avoid detection.

• Internal Concerns: Ethical concerns were raised by senior AI researchers within Meta as early as October 2022. Some researchers compared the shadow libraries to notorious sites like PirateBay, indicating significant ethical dilemmas. Despite these concerns, Meta's leadership, including Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly pushed to move forward with the AI training.

• Legal Context and Public Reactions: This lawsuit is part of a larger trend of legal battles in the AI sector over copyright issues, with companies like OpenAI and Nvidia also facing similar allegations. The public has mixed reactions, with some doubting that Meta will face serious consequences due to its financial might, while others worry about the impact on authors and creative industries. This case could set a precedent for future AI copyright infringement cases.

🔖 Today's Cool Story

🚨 AI Video Restoration

Project Starlight by Topaz Labs is revolutionizing video restoration with its new AI model.

• AI-Driven Enhancement: Topaz Labs has introduced Project Starlight, an AI model capable of automatically improving low-quality videos. This cutting-edge model can enhance home videos and archival footage without needing any manual inputs, offering a unique and streamlined solution for video restoration.

• Innovative Features: Project Starlight stands out due to its unparalleled ability to restore details, ensuring visual quality that is both consistent and clear. Unlike traditional methods that require human intervention, this model can denoise, deblur, upscale, and anti-alias footage with ease, making it accessible even to those without technical expertise.

• Competitive Edge: While other AI tools exist, Project Starlight distinguishes itself with its fully automated process and the use of diffusion models. Despite some challenges with certain clips, it generally performs well, positioning itself as a promising tool for creative workflows and historical video restoration. Users can access a free version for short clips, with an enterprise version available for longer, higher resolution videos.

💡 AI Insight

🎯 UK AI Could Lead to Water Shortages

The UK's AI ambitions may lead to increased water shortages.

• AI Expansion Risks: Sir Keir Starmer's plan to make the UK a leader in AI could strain the already limited supply of drinking water, as data centers needed for AI require significant water for cooling.

• Environmental Concerns: Industry sources and environmental groups have expressed concerns over the sustainability of these data centers, especially in areas already facing water shortages due to climate change and population growth.

• Industry and Government Responses: The tech industry is working on more efficient cooling systems, and the government is backing new reservoirs to meet water demand. However, accurate reporting and sustainable practices are needed to prevent environmental damage.

🤖 Today on AI Robotics

🚨 Humanoid 100

• Humanoid Robotics Investment Guide: Morgan Stanley's "Humanoid 100" highlights companies poised to benefit from humanoid robots, categorizing them into Brain, Body, and Integrators. This includes firms like NVIDIA and Tesla.

• China's Leading Role: The report notes China's significant presence, with 56% of humanoid-related companies based there, reflecting the country's strong push into robotics through state-backed initiatives and local adoption. This raises competitive concerns for Western firms.

• Investment Timing and Challenges: Despite growing interest, challenges like costs and safety need resolving before mass adoption. Morgan Stanley advises investors to position themselves early, as the industry's evolution will likely impact labor markets and global GDP.