Pope Leo XIV has released his first encyclical, calling for strict international regulation of artificial intelligence and warning that the technology risks concentrating power in the hands of a few, spreading disinformation, and fueling armed conflict. The 83-page document, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), was presented at the Vatican today and is addressed to the …
US tech companies successfully convinced the European Union to keep environmental data from individual datacenters hidden from the public. Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian that Microsoft, alongside industry groups DigitalEurope and Video Games Europe, lobbied EU officials to classify all datacenter performance indicators as confidential commercial information. The lobbying effort was strikingly effective. The …
The European Parliament has voted to simplify parts of the Artificial Intelligence Act and push back key deadlines for compliance. The European Parliament writes in an official press release the vote passed by 569 votes in favour, 45 against, and 23 abstentions. The most significant changes affect when companies must comply with rules governing high-risk …
The UK government has abandoned its plan to let AI companies use copyrighted works without explicit permission. Graham Fraser reports for the BBC that the original proposal would have allowed an opt-out system, meaning creators would have needed to actively prevent AI firms from using their work for model training. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced …
About 10,000 authors have published a book with no content to protest against AI companies using their work without permission. Dan Milmo reports for The Guardian that contributors include Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman. The only content in “Don’t Steal This Book” is a list of the contributors’ names. Copies are …
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has proposed new measures allowing publishers to opt out of having their content used in Google’s AI Overviews without losing visibility in traditional search results. Robert Booth reports for The Guardian that media organisations have experienced declining click-through traffic and revenue since Google began displaying AI-generated summaries at the …
The European Union is weakening key parts of its artificial intelligence and data protection laws following pressure from technology companies and the US government. Robert Hart and Dominic Preston report for The Verge. The European Commission has proposed changes that extend the deadline for high-risk AI regulations originally set to take effect next summer. These …
The European Commission has rejected calls from a coalition of major European companies to delay the implementation of its landmark AI Act. A commission spokesperson confirmed that the rules will be rolled out according to the established legal timeline, with no pause or grace period. The statement followed a letter from over 45 organizations, including …
Over 400 Hollywood creative leaders have signed an open letter opposing AI companies’ efforts to weaken copyright protections. According to Todd Spangler of Variety, the letter was sent to the Trump administration’s Office of Science and Technology Policy in response to submissions from OpenAI and Google. Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, and Paul McCartney …
OpenAI and Google have both submitted policy proposals to the Trump administration’s upcoming “AI Action Plan,” advocating for minimal government intervention and looser copyright restrictions for AI development. These submissions follow President Trump’s revocation of Biden’s AI executive order, which had focused on safety and trustworthiness. OpenAI’s proposal emphasizes “the freedom to innovate in the …