Artificial Intelligence: News, Business, Science

AI research

Sep 17, 2025

OpenAI outperforms humans and Google at the world's top collegiate programming contest

AI in practice

Sep 15, 2025Sep 15, 2025

New data from OpenAI and Anthropic show how people actually use ChatGPT and Claude

AI and society

Sep 14, 2025

Leading AI chatbots are now twice as likely to spread false information as last year, study finds

AI research AI and society AI in practice

AI research

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

Gemini 2.5 Deep Think achieves gold at the world’s leading student programming competition

AI and society

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

Anthropic restricts surveillance use of Claude models, fueling tensions in Washington

AI in practice

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

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Google has introduced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), a new open standard aimed at enabling AI agents to carry out secure payments across different platforms. AP2 builds on the existing Agent2Agent protocol and supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, stablecoins, and bank transfers.

A key element of the design is digital mandates, which are cryptographic authorizations that lock in user intent. These mandates are intended to ensure that transactions remain verifiable and secure, whether for real-time purchases or automated transactions when the user is not directly involved.

The initiative is already backed by more than 60 companies, among them Mastercard, PayPal, Coinbase, and Adobe. By creating a unified framework, the goal is to establish a standardized and trustworthy system for agent-driven commerce. Google has made the documentation available on GitHub.

Google

AI and society

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

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Meta has set up its own super PAC in California to shape AI policy. According to The Verge, the "Meta California PAC" is designed to channel millions of dollars into campaigns supporting politicians who back the company’s approach to AI regulation.

Unlike other tech firms, Meta is funding the effort exclusively with its own corporate funds, meaning Mark Zuckerberg ultimately controls its resources. The company’s strategy contrasts with rivals that often join collective lobbying efforts or seek funding from multiple sources.

Critics, including Rick Hasen of UCLA, argue the move could give Meta an outsized advantage over competitors by transforming corporate wealth into political power. At the same time, a separate industry-wide super PAC called Leading the Future recently launched without Meta’s participation.

The Verge

AI in practice

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

YouTube adds generative AI to Shorts and podcasts

AI in practice

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

Deepseek outputs weaker code on Falun Gong, Tibet, and Taiwan queries

AI and society

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

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According to the Financial Times, China has ordered leading tech firms including Bytedance and Alibaba to cancel orders for the RTX Pro 6000D, a chip designed specifically for the Chinese market. The Cyberspace Administration of China is seen as pushing this policy to reduce reliance on US technology.

The measure goes further than earlier guidelines, which only targeted the H20 chip, another Nvidia product adapted for China. The move also comes just after China accused Nvidia of violating competition law in connection with its Mellanox acquisition.

At the same time in the US, the House of Representatives is investigating the ties between Nvidia and Huawei spinoff Futurewei. Until 2024, Futurewei leased three buildings on Nvidia's Santa Clara campus. Lawmakers are now demanding access to documents over espionage concerns. Nvidia said its campus and intellectual property remained secure.

FT Bloomberg

AI and society

Sep 17, 2025Sep 17, 2025

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Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery have filed a lawsuit in California against Chinese company Minimax. The studios accuse Minimax of using their copyrighted characters, including Darth Vader, the Minions, and Wonder Woman, to promote its AI service Hailuo AI and generate content.

According to the complaint, Minimax ignored requests to add safeguards that other AI platforms typically use to prevent copyright violations. The studios argue that Minimax actively encouraged infringement by treating their characters as if they were its own property. They are seeking damages and an injunction to stop the service from operating without protections in place.

This case follows earlier actions against Midjourney. Disney and Universal filed suit in June, and Warner Bros. launched its own complaint in September.

Reuters