A Japanese trade organization representing prominent publishers, including Studio Ghibli, recently sent a letter to OpenAI urging the company to cease using their copyrighted materials for training its AI models without permission. This collective call comes amid concerns over OpenAI’s generative AI applications drawing inspiration from iconic films like “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” […]
The countdown is almost over — tomorrow’s the day! In less than 24 hours, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 takes over Moscone West. From October 27-29, 10,000 founders, investors, and innovators will gather in San Francisco for an exciting three days of building, connecting, and deal-making. As participants prepare, they can look forward to live demos of […]
The massive venue known as the Sphere in Las Vegas is set to screen its first classic movie, "The Wizard of Oz," starting August 28. However, this experience goes beyond simply projecting the film onto Sphere’s impressive 160,000 square foot, wraparound LED screen. According to Sphere Entertainment CEO James Dolan, a dedicated team of 2,000 […]
A group known as the Independent Publishers Alliance has lodged an antitrust complaint against Google with the European Commission. The complaint highlights concerns over Google’s AI Overviews feature, arguing that the company is “misusing web content” in a way that harms publishers. This misuse reportedly leads to a decline in traffic, readership, and revenue for […]
An open letter from prominent authors like Lauren Groff, Lev Grossman, R.F. Kuang, Dennis Lehane, and Geoffrey Maguire has urged book publishers to limit their reliance on AI technology. The authors accuse AI companies of "stealing" their work, arguing that while publishers profit from their creations, the financial return to the authors has dramatically decreased […]
Paul Pope, a renowned cartoonist known for his visually striking comics like “Batman: Year 100” and “Battling Boy,” is making a comeback after a decade-long hiatus from major works. In a recent Zoom interview, Pope expressed the frustrations of creating graphic novels, likening the process to writing a novel where final output is often unseen […]
There are only 48 hours left to secure your tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, where you can save up to $900 and enjoy 90% off on a second ticket. After May 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT, the Early Bird pricing will end, eliminating this unique opportunity to join 10,000 of the tech industry’s most innovative […]
While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has expressed his fondness for podcasts, he seems to have shifted toward favoring chatbots instead. This revelation emerged from a recent Bloomberg profile where Nadella discussed his daily life and Microsoft’s ongoing AI initiatives. To demonstrate his engagement with technology, Nadella explained that rather than listening to podcasts, he uploads […]
Amazon has launched a new feature called "Recaps" for Kindle users, aimed at helping them recall plot points and character arcs before diving into the latest book in a series. Though Amazon’s initial announcement did not mention artificial intelligence, the company confirmed to TechCrunch that the recaps are indeed generated using AI technology. Ale Iraheta, […]
Users have discovered a controversial use for Google’s new Gemini AI model — removing watermarks from images. This functionality has stirred debate as it includes images published by well-known stock media outlets like Getty Images. Recently, Google expanded access to its Gemini 2.0 Flash model, which allows users to generate and edit images directly. This […]