Court rejects free speech rights for AI chatbots — for now

Can an AI be sued for the wrongful death of a young teen to suicide? Or do they have free speech rights? A trial will now decide.
A young teen was allegedly encouraged into suicide. Now the question is whether an AI chatbot can be held accountable. (Picture: Character.ai)
In a Florida court case that could one day define First Amendment rights for AI, a judge has declined to consider the defendant’s arguments for dismissal — setting the stage for a trial showdown over whether AI chatbots are faulty products or entities entitled to rights previously reserved for humans.

The case revolves around a teen whom Character.ai allegedly encouraged into suicide over a long interaction, and whether the developers should be held accountable for his tragic death, in a wrongful death lawsuit.

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«Intimate» AI deepfakes are now illegal in the USA

Donald Trump signed the new deepfake law yesterday afternoon.
After years of political wrangling, sexual deepfakes are finally unlawful in the USA. (Picture: DreamStudio (CC BY 2.0))
It sure took a while and some harrowing experiences, but the deepfake “industry” just took a body blow last evening.

The penalties for making nonconsensual sexual deepfakes now include up to three years in prison, and websites will have 48 hours to remove reported content — and copies of it.

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UN meets on rules for autonomous AI weapons

The AI-powered XQ58-Valkyrie flies alongside us fighter jets.
Autonomous systems pose a challenge to the rules of war, and the UN is trying to reach an agreement. (Picture. Department of Defence)
As more and more AI robots and drones are deployed to the battlefields of the world, the talks are taking on a new urgency.

The UN Secretary General has set a deadline for 2026 to reach an agreement on so-called «killer robots,» while great powers resist.

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Judge in Meta’s copyright case questions fair use defense

A judge finds scant evidence for fair use by Meta
A judge finds scant evidence for fair use by Meta. (Picture: Jeroen van Luin, CC BY 2.0)
In a hearing for summary judgment in the case where a group of authors sued Meta for copyright infringement, the judge seemed to side with the authors, but also said they needed to make a clearer case of actual harm, writes Ars Technica.

The case revolves around whether AI companies like Meta can use copyrighted works in the training of their models, which they claim is fair use, while the authors seek damages and compensation for the fact that they copied all of their work without authorization.

The case could upend the entire AI market, and Meta fears it would make them less competitive should they lose.

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