Condé Nast has reportedly accused AI search startup Perplexity of plagiarism

Condé Nast, the media conglomerate that owns publications such as The New Yorker, Vogue and Wired, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to AI-powered search startup Perplexity, according to The Information. The letter, which was sent on Monday, demands that Perplexity stop using content from Condé Nast publications in its AI-generated responses and accused the startup of plagiarism. 

The move makes Condé Nast the latest in a growing list of publishers taking a stand against the unauthorized use of their content by AI companies, and comes a month after similar action taken by Forbes. Perplexity and Condé Nast did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Engadget.

Perplexity, a San Francisco-based startup, is valued at $3 billion and backed by high-profile investors including the Jeff Bezos family fund and NVIDIA, has recently come under scrutiny for not respecting copyright and ripping off content to feed its AI-generated responses. The controversy surrounding the company extends beyond copyright concerns.

A recent investigation from Wired reveled that the startup’s web crawlers do not respect robots.txt, a type of file that website owners can use to block bots from scraping their content. Last month, Amazon Web Services reportedly launched an investigation to determine whether the startup broke its rules around web scraping. Shortly after, a report from Reuters showed that Perplexity was just one of the many AI companies ignoring robots.txt. 

This practice has sparked concerns about the ethical and legal implications of AI development and its impact on content creators and publishers. In response, Perplexity executives have talked about starting a revenue-sharing program with publishers, although it is still unclear what its terms will be.

Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch has warned that “many” media companies could face financial ruin by the time it would take for litigation against generative AI companies to conclude. Lynch has called upon Congress to take “immediate action” by asking AI companies to compensate publishers for the use of their content and striking licensing deals in the future. Earlier this month, three senators introduced the COPIED Act, a bill that aims to protect journalists, artists and songwriters from AI companies using their content to train AI models.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/conde-nast-has-reportedly-accused-ai-search-startup-perplexity-of-plagiarism-191639677.html?src=rss 

EU officials say Meta may be violating consumer laws with paid ‘ad-free’ plan

The European Commission really isn’t happy about a Meta business model that gives users in the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland the generous choice of continuing to use Facebook and Instagram with targeted ads without paying anything, or signing up for a monthly subscription that’s said to offer an ad-free experience.

Officials from the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network — a group of national authorities that enforce EU consumer protection laws — have suggested that Meta may be violating consumer legislation with the “pay or consent” approach. The Commission, which is the European Union’s executive arm, coordinated the group’s action against Meta.

The CPC Network sent Meta a letter laying out numerous ways in which it believes the company may be violating consumer laws. The company has until September 1 to reply and propose solutions to officials’ concerns. If CPC officials find that Meta doesn’t take appropriate steps to solve the problems, they could take enforcement actions against the company, which may include sanctions.

CPC authorities have suggested that Meta is misleading users by describing its platforms as free to use if they opt not to pay for a subscription, when Meta in fact monetizes their personal data by displaying targeted ads. They further say that Meta is “confusing users” by requiring them to access different areas of the privacy policy and terms of service to see how their data is being used for personalized ads.

Officials have also taken aim at Meta’s “imprecise terms and language” that suggest subscribers will not see ads at all, even though those still might be displayed “when engaging with content shared via Facebook or Instagram by other members of the platform.” Furthermore, they claim Meta is pressuring users who have long used Facebook and Instagram without forking over any payment “to make an immediate choice, without giving them a pre-warning, sufficient time and a real opportunity to assess how that choice might affect their contractual relationship with Meta, by not letting them access their accounts before making their choice.”

Meta introduced its “pay or consent” options last year in an attempt to comply with the EU’s data protection laws while maintaining its advertising model. CPC officials say they are concerned that “many consumers might have been exposed to undue pressure to choose rapidly” between consenting to data collection or paying a monthly fee, “fearing that they would instantly lose access to their accounts and their network of contacts.”

This action is separate from other investigations the EU is carrying out against Meta over the “pay or consent” model. Earlier this month, the EU said Meta had potentially breached the Digital Markets Act with this approach. If found guilty, Meta could be on the hook for a fine of up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue.

In addition, the Commission requested more information from the company in March about the “pay or consent” model under the Digital Services Act, another law the bloc designed to keep the power of major tech companies in check. Not only that, consumer rights groups have filed complaints arguing that the approach violates the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-officials-say-meta-may-be-violating-consumer-laws-with-paid-ad-free-plan-175834177.html?src=rss 

Warner Bros. has bought the developer behind its MultiVersus brawler

Warner Bros. just announced the acquisition of Player First Games, the developer behind the popular free-to-play platform fighter MultiVersus. This makes a whole lot of sense as the hit Smash Bros-esque brawler pulls its entire roster from WB properties. The game includes characters like Batman, Bugs Bunny, Agent Smith from The Matrix and, of course, both Rick and Morty.

It doesn’t look like much will change with regard to the day-to-day workings of Player First Games. Co-founders Tony Huynh and Chris White will still lead the company, though the pair will report to Carlos Barbosa, Vice President and Studio Head of Warner Bros. Games.

Huynh says the team is excited about the acquisition and that it should “be great for MultiVersus overall.” There has been no announcement as to what comes next for the fighting game. However, Player First regularly drops new characters into the roster, so this will likely continue. I for one would like to beat up Tom and Jerry as Tony Soprano. Make it happen WB.

MultiVersus is available now on just about every platform out there, including PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Even better? There’s crossplay between platforms. The game isn’t available for the Nintendo Switch just yet, but maybe that’ll change whenever the Switch 2 makes its grand entrance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/warner-bros-has-bought-the-developer-behind-its-multiversus-brawler-180355445.html?src=rss 

ThermoWorks’ RFX Meat wireless probe uses radio waves instead of Bluetooth to monitor food on the grill

Wireless food probes are some the best grilling gear for keeping tabs on meat and other items while cooking. You don’t have to dodge cords when you’re flipping a steak or trying to wrap a brisket. Several companies make these, Traeger-owned Meater being one example, but existing products rely solely on Bluetooth and have ambient temperature sensors that may not be the most accurate. ThermoWorks, the company that’s known for its Thermapen instant-read thermometers, has officially announced its take on the wireless meat probe: the RFX Meat. 

Like ThermoWorks’ more robust grill and smoker temperature-tracking devices, the RFX Meat uses radio technology to transmit data rather than Bluetooth. The company explains that its “patent-pending sub-GHz RFX wireless technology” provides a more reliable connection with up to 2,132 feet of direct line of sight range. When placed inside a grill or smoker, ThermoWorks promises up to 659 feet of range. Similar to the competition, the RFX Meat has four internal sensors that provide an accurate measure of food temps with 0.9-degree accuracy between 14 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This probe is also IP69K rated, so it’s safe to use for deep frying and sous vide. Plus, it can withstand temperatures of up 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it well-suited for high-heat searing, and you can stick in in the dishwasher when you’re done. 

Since the RFX Meat utilizes radio frequency and not Bluetooth, you’ll need a RFX Gateway receiver to use it. This small device sends cooking data to ThermoWorks Cloud when it’s connected to WiFi, or it can be used offline with your phone via Bluetooth. Either way, you get timely updates on your phone to keep tabs on meat and other foods. And when the RFX Gateway is connected to WiFi, you can monitor what’s on the grill or smoker from anywhere. The RFX Gateway is also capable of handling readings for up to 70 RFX Meat probes at once. 

ThermoWorks

Most of these wireless probes come with a charging dock that doubles as a Bluetooth transmitter. RFX Meat resides in one of these (minus the Bluetooth), and ThermoWorks says you can get over 50 hours of use with a 10-minute charge. The dock uses a single AAA battery which should be enough for over 175 full charges, according to the company. 

One thing the RFX Meat doesn’t have is a built-in ambient temperature sensor. Meater’s products, for example, have one situated at the far end of its wireless probes. But, ThermoWorks argues this component doesn’t provide accurate readings. Due to the fact that it’s close to cold meat at the start or in an evaporative cooling zone around food, a built-in ambient temperature sensor can’t accurately keep tabs on the grill, according to the company. So, ThermoWorks devised a solution that uses a wired Pro-Series Air Probe from its other products that plugs into the RFX Gateway. Since this probe is only monitoring grill or smoker temps and can be placed out of the way, it’s not as essential that it be wireless. 

The RFX Meat starter kit is available for preorder today for $159. That price includes the RFX Meat probe, the RFX Gateway and a Pro-Series Air Probe. The same bundle with four RFX Meat probes is $349 and individual probes are $89. You can also purchase the RFX Gateway for $79, which comes with a Pro-Series Air Probe. ThermoWorks says it will start shipping the grilling devices on September 10th. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/thermoworks-rfx-meat-wireless-probe-uses-radio-waves-instead-of-bluetooth-to-monitor-food-on-the-grill-183446728.html?src=rss 

Generated by Feedzy
Exit mobile version