WhatsApp sets steep prices for rival AI access. (Picture: generated)As the EU Commission is considering «interim measures» against the messaging app for refusing chatbots not made by Meta, WhatsApp is slightly opening the door to rivals in Europe.
The platform has 3 billion users, and is considered a «gatekeeper» in EU laws, subject to demands for equal access.
The compromise Meta is rolling out is that rival chatbots will be allowed on the platform, but have to pay their way.
The fees range from €0.0490 to €0.1323 for «non-template messages.» That could ratchet up quickly, considering that chatbot sessions cover multiple messages across millions of users, writes TechCrunch.
The European Commission is said to be «analyzing» how this move «might affect its interim measures» as well as the broader investigation, Reuters reports.
Basic income schemes are closely watched in case AI supplants jobs at scale. (Picture: Images Money, CC BY 2.0)After a pilot scheme lasting from 2022-25 with basic income for artists, the Irish Government is moving to make it permanent.
2,000 eligible artists will be randomly selected to get €325 per week, after the pilot found that for every €1 invested, society received €1.39 in return.
It’s not enough to live on, but it is enough to see artists through their arts without taking on side gigs and onerous secondary jobs.
During the pilot, artists reported they had more time for their art, produced more work, experienced a boost in well-being, had greater life satisfaction and that it reduced their anxiety.
— The BIA [Basic Income for Artists] pilot research has consistently demonstrated both the positive impact it has had on those in receipt of it and how difficult it is to work as an artist in Ireland, says Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan.
This is the first such officially enacted Government-based basic income program in the world, O’Donovan says.
The EU might decide that WhatsApp has to open for competing AI bots sooner rather than later. (Picture: European Commission)The European Commission said yesterday that it had notified Meta on possible action to open up WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots.
Meta banned all AI chatbots other than Meta AI from WhatsApp on January 15th, and while the EU can take a long time to investigate antitrust allegations — they are considering issuing an early order to «avoid Meta’s new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe,» says Teresa Ribera, The EU’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
WhatsApp has over 3 billion users worldwide and qualifies as a gatekeeper in EU parlance, subject to rules on equal access.
Meta says that «There are many AI options and people can use them from app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and industry partnerships,» in a statement to Reuters.
The process following this formal notification is that parties can examine the EU’s files, reply in writing and then receive a hearing. After that, the Commission will consider «interim measures,» such as restoring access for competitors, even as the case moves forward in their systems.
Danes will be the first to get statutory protection for their own image and likeness. (Picture: Bill Smith, CC BY 2.0)The government hopes Europe will follow its lead when it enacts statutory rights to its citizens appearance in its new, amended copyright law.
The idea is to ensure that people’s identities are protected against use in deepfakes, which is defined as very realistic digital representations of real people, including their appearance and voice, writes The Guardian.
