The European Union is set to introduce new legislation that would require makers of artificial intelligence tools to disclose the copyright material used in building their systems. This would allow publishers and content creators to seek a share of profits when their works are used as source material for AI-generated content. The new provisions would also require developers of generative AI models to publish a “sufficiently detailed summary” of the copyright materials they used as part of their creation. The EU bill is at the forefront of a global push by policy makers to lay down rules for the development and use of AI.
Russia fired missiles at Ukrainian cities, killing 17 people. Ukraine plans to counterattack to retake occupied land. Ukraine has new modern weapons and is preparing to launch a large ground assault using tanks and armored vehicles from the West. The missile attacks were the first since early March and were condemned as a war crime. The Ukrainian military shot down 21 of 23 cruise missiles fired by Russia. Kyiv and its Western allies hope a push by Ukrainian troops trained at Western bases, using newly donated tanks and armored vehicles, will shift the war's dynamics.
Ed Sheeran performed parts of his song "Thinking Out Loud" to a New York jury during a civil trial which will decide whether he copied Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On." The heirs of Gaye's co-writer claim that Sheeran stole elements of the chart-topping hit. Sheeran denied being influenced by Gaye's song, and described his artistic process, which was inspired by his personal life. A musicologist called by the plaintiffs testified that the two songs share similarities. If the jury finds Sheeran liable for copyright infringement, a second phase of the trial will determine how much he owes.
China investor Ray Dalio warns of imminent US-China war, citing flashpoints over Taiwan, Ukraine, and economic sanctions. He recommends de-escalation measures, such as a Biden-Xi meeting at APEC and US policymakers visiting China. The 2024 US election may worsen tensions as politicians appeal to anti-China sentiment.
This text discusses the cost of AI and the need for large compute and memory resources, which are driving the industry. While GPUs can speed up certain tasks, the bottleneck for AI training is transferring data to tensor cores. Training takes longer than inference and requires large compute clusters. Infrastructure choices include on-demand vs. in-house and cloud vs. data center. Software optimizations can greatly improve model running time. There is a GPU shortage, but the cost structure of AI software may change over time.
The CDC predicts that 2021 will have the highest number of firearm-related deaths in US history, with suicides accounting for 54% and homicides for 43%. The percentage of homicides committed with firearms has been steadily increasing since 1968, with firearms involved in 55% of homicides in 2021, the highest since 2001. Gun-related fatalities vary by state, with Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico having the highest rates and Massachusetts, Hawaii, and New Jersey having the lowest. FBI data shows an increase in active shooter incidents from three in 2000 to 61 in 2021, with handguns being the primary weapon used in gun murders.