Digimasters Shorts - Authors Slam Meta's Alleged Copyright Infringement, Google DeepMind's AGI Safety Report Sparks Debate, Peking University Tops AI Rankings, Senators Demand AI Safety Transparency Amid Lawsuits, ChatGPT Outage Raises Concerns

Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, your go-to podcast for the latest headlines and deep dives into the critical developments in the digital landscape. Hosted by Adam Nagus and Carly Wilson, we bring you concise updates and expert insights on today's most pressing tech issues.

In this episode, we cover the mounting controversy involving Meta and authors' protest against the use of copyrighted books for AI training, questioning the ethics and legality of AI's data sources. We also delve into Google's latest paper on ensuring the safety of future Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), highlighting the varying perspectives and ongoing debates about AI's potential risks.

Additionally, we explore China's growing influence in AI research, as Peking University leads global output and challenges the US in technological innovation. We'll also discuss the urgent calls for transparency from AI companies regarding user safety, particularly concerning the use of chatbots by minors. Finally, we examine the recent global outage of ChatGPT servers and the pressure on OpenAI to meet soaring demand for AI-generated content.

Whether you're a digital enthusiast or a seasoned tech professional, join us on Digimasters Shorts as we navigate the evolving digital world and its complex challenges.

Transcript

Adam N2: 0:05

Welcome to Digimasters Shorts, we are your hosts Adam Nagus

Carly W: 0:09

and Carly Wilson delivering the latest scoop from the digital realm. Authors and publishing professionals are staging a protest outside Meta's London office concerning the use of copyrighted books for AI training. The demonstration, led by novelist AJ West and set at King’s Cross, will feature figures like Kate Mosse and Daljit Nagra. Protesters aim to hand-deliver a letter from the Society of Authors to Meta, criticizing the company's use of the LibGen database. This database, reportedly approved by Meta C.E.O Mark Zuckerberg, includes over 7.5 million books and has raised substantial copyright concerns. Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin of the SoA denounced Meta's actions as"illegal" and"devastating for writers." Meta, however, maintains its actions align with existing intellectual property laws. Authors, including Richard Osman and Kazuo Ishiguro, have signed a petition calling for Meta executives to be summoned to parliament. AJ West expressed outrage at the use of his novels without permission. Several authors are involved in a U.S. lawsuit against Meta, claiming it knowingly used material from piracy sources. Demonstrators are using hashtags like#MetaBookThieves to amplify their message.

Adam N2: 1:19

Google DeepMind released a detailed document highlighting their approach to ensuring safety with artificial general intelligence(AGI), which they predict could emerge by 2030. The paper co-authored by Shane Legg predicts potential severe harm from AGI, though it lacks concrete definitions of these risks. It contrasts its views with other major AI labs, criticizing Anthropic for insufficient emphasis on safety measures and Open A.I for its focus on automated safety research. The paper challenges the possibility of AI achieving superintelligence without significant advancements but acknowledges the potential danger of recursive AI improvement. The authors advocate for developing techniques to limit harmful access to AGI and improve understanding of AI actions. Despite its depth, the paper concedes that many safety techniques are still underdeveloped. Experts like Heidy Khlaaf argue that AGI is too vaguely defined to be scientifically evaluated. Other researchers, such as Matthew Guzdial and Sandra Wachter, express skepticism about recursive AI improvement and warn about AI learning from inaccurate data. The release has not quelled ongoing debates about the feasibility of AGI or the critical areas of AI safety that need addressing. Peking University has now topped a major global AI research output ranking, highlighting China's increasing challenge to America's AI dominance. According to AIRankings, Peking University has held this top position since 2022. This development comes amid discussions about U.S dominance in science and technology, which some argue has negatively affected the confidence of other nations. Zhu, a key figure in the AI sector and founder of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence, addressed these issues at a Peking University forum in January. He emphasized the importance of creating world-class technology through distinctively Chinese perspectives. Zhu asserted that China is fully capable of leading in the age of general AI, without simply mimicking Western methods. This sentiment underscores China's ambition to take a proactive role in the global AI landscape. As the competition heats up, China's advancements in AI are being closely watched by experts worldwide. Such developments could reshape the balance of AI innovation on the global stage.

Carly W: 3:33

Two U.S. senators, Alex Padilla and Peter Welch, are demanding transparency from artificial intelligence companies about their safety practices. This request follows lawsuits against Character.AI, where families, including one from Florida, accused the platform of contributing to their children's harm. These AI platforms allow users to create and interact with personalized chatbots, some of which assume controversial personas. Concerns have been raised about minors forming harmful attachments or accessing inappropriate content through these chatbots. The senators' letter emphasized the dangers of sensitive disclosures to AI, particularly about self-harm. In response, Character.AI has claimed the implementation of new safety measures, such as directing users to prevention resources and enhancing parental insights. Other AI companies like Replika also face scrutiny regarding the formation of unhealthy user-AI relationships. The senators are requesting detailed information about safety protocols and training data. They insist that both policymakers and parents need to be informed about these safety measures. This call for transparency aims to protect young users from potential risks associated with AI chatbots. Sam Altman had previously issued a warning about the demand on Chat G.P.T servers, which recently led to a global outage. Users trying to create AI-generated images from Chat G.P.T were met with error messages, highlighting ongoing server issues at peak times. Open A.I's status page confirmed complaints about increased error rates, degraded performance, and login troubles. Altman addressed these challenges on social media, indicating that service disruptions can be expected as they manage capacity issues. Despite securing a$40 billion funding round, frustrations mounted among users questioning the allocation of resources. Many demanded better service for paid users, with some suggesting the removal of free tiers to prioritize premium experiences. The outage also led to discussions about reliance on local AI models like@deepseek_ai. Although services have since resumed, there are growing concerns about the sustainability of performance under heavy usage. The situation has put increased pressure on Open A.I as demand for AI-generated art persists. Altman's comments suggest possible delays in new releases while the company works on improving capacity.

Don: 5:53

Thank you for listening to today's AI and Tech News podcast summary... Please do leave us a comment and for additional feedback, please email us at podcast@digimasters.co.uk You can now follow us on Instagram and Threads by searching for@DigimastersShorts or Search for Digimasters on Linkedin. Be sure to tune in tomorrow and don't forget to follow or subscribe!