AI enabling voice-driven payments...

Monday morning is exciting for some, but it is dreadful for others. Regardless, we hope our newsletter can brighten your day and keep you informed of the latest and greatest in AI! 😄

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CAN AI-GENERATED ART BE COPYRIGHTED? 👩‍⚖️

Some works of art have perpetual copyright … for example, music by Prince or Queen will never be “royalty” free. 👑

What happened? On Friday, United States District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell made a significant ruling that AI-generated artwork cannot be copyrighted. This verdict arose from a lawsuit involving Stephen Thaler's attempt to secure copyright protection for an AI-generated image produced using his Creativity Machine algorithm. Thaler's multiple attempts to register the image as a "work-for-hire" with himself as the artwork's owner were repeatedly denied by the US Copyright Office.

Why? Judge Howell's decision rested on the principle that copyright has historically required a "guiding human hand" in the creative process. She emphasized that human beings are an “essential part of a valid copyright claim.” While highlighting previous cases, such as the famous monkey selfie case, the judge also noted instances where unique creative input, even if believed to be from a supernatural source, warranted copyright protection. She recognized the emergence of new copyright frontiers where AI serves as a creative tool, noting that AI models are often trained on pre-existing work, leading to questions about the extent of human input necessary for AI-generated works to be eligible for copyright.

What does this mean? Although Thaler plans to appeal the ruling, Judge Howell's decision underscores the evolving landscape of copyright law in the context of AI. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, legal questions surrounding its copyright protection are growing and continue to be dizzying in their complexity and nuance. This decision opens the door to discussions about the degree of human involvement required in AI-generated creations to qualify for copyright protection.

MAJOR AD AGENCIES DABBLE WITH AI 📺

Tired of annoying ads? Well, AI is about to produce even more annoying ads. 🙃

What’s up? The realm of advertising is undergoing a transformative shift as industry giants like Nestle and Unilever embark on innovative experiments with generative AI software.

How does this work? By leveraging technologies such as ChatGPT and DALL-E, these companies aim to streamline operations, boost efficiency, and cut costs by 10-20 times. Generative AI operates by producing content rooted in past data, presenting novel opportunities for marketing campaigns. This technology offers the promise of creating seemingly original text, images, and even code, as opposed to conventional AI's focus on data categorization and identification.

Should companies dive headfirst? Investment in generative AI is intensifying, as industry leaders anticipate a paradigm shift in advertising dynamics, permanently reshaping the way products are brought to market. However, we might need to pump the brakes as many challenges linger, including concerns over security, copyright issues, and the inadvertent biases embedded in AI-processed data. For these reasons, the human touch (at least for now) remains indispensable to navigate these complexities and mitigate potential pitfalls.

AI TO EXPAND DIGITAL PAYMENTS WITH VOICE RECOGNITION 🗣️

First there was swiping your card, then inserting your card, then tapping your card, and now all you have to do is talk. 💸

What’s up? The Reserve Bank of India recently announced a plan for AI-powered, “conversational” payments using voice recognition. These digital, offline transactions aim to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas, where limited internet access and lower literacy rates have hindered the adoption of digital payments.

How will this work? Unified payments interface (UPI) users will be able to give verbal transfer instructions through their phones, which will be processed using AI-powered speech recognition to initiate transactions. The system leverages open-source AI language tools developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and will be available in English and Hindi, with the plan of expanding to other languages later on. Additionally, users can perform transactions without internet connectivity by utilizing "near field communication" technology, similar to contactless card transactions, allowing for digital payments in areas with weak or absent internet connectivity.

What does this mean for the future? By creating an alternative means of payment that doesn't rely on the internet, more people across India, including those in underserved regions, can access digital financial services, offering a beacon of hope across the globe. Additionally, the voice recognition usage feature could prove revolutionary for the future of digital payments as we know them. 🦾

MEME MONDAY 🤣

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