Retiring Boss Surprises Employees With Big 'thank You' Checks

At this point, anyone who has been following AI research is long familiar with generative models that can synthesize speech or melodic music from nothing but text prompting. Nvidia's newly revealed "Fugatto" model looks to go a step further, using new synthetic training methods and inference-level combination techniques to "transform any mix of music, voices, and sounds," including the synthesis of sounds that have never existed. While Fugatto isn't available for public testing yet, a sample-filled website showcases how Fugatto can be used to dial a number of distinct audio traits and descriptions up or down, resulting in everything from the sound of saxophones barking to people speaking underwater to ambulance sirens singing in a kind of choir.

The Supreme Court signaled it may take up a case that could determine whether Internet service providers must terminate users who are accused of copyright infringement. In an order issued today, the court invited the Department of Justice's solicitor general to file a brief "expressing the views of the United States." In Sony Music Entertainment v.

One of the fastest monopoly trials on record wound down Monday, as US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema heard closing arguments on Google's alleged monopoly in a case over the company's ad tech. Department of Justice lawyer Aaron Teitelbaum kicked things off by telling Brinkema that Google "rigged" ad auctions, allegedly controlling "multiple parts" of services used to place ads all over the Internet, unfairly advantaging itself in three markets, The New York Times reported. "Google is once, twice, three times a monopolist," Teitelbaum said, while reinforcing that "these are the markets that make the free and open Internet possible."Read full article Comments

OpenAI keeps deleting data that could allegedly prove the AI company violated copyright laws by training ChatGPT on authors' works. Apparently largely unintentional, the sloppy practice is seemingly dragging out early court battles that could determine whether AI training is fair use. Most recently, The New York Times accused OpenAI of unintentionally erasing programs and search results that the newspaper believed could be used as evidence of copyright abuse. The NYT apparently spent more than 150 hours extracting training data, while following a model inspection protocol that OpenAI set up precisely to avoid conducting potentially damning searches of its own database.

Chicago scrooges who take public transportation may be unable to avoid holiday cheer in the coming weeks. CTA’s decked-out holiday bus is hitting the road Tuesday, and its dazzling holiday train will start ferrying customers across the city on Friday. Themed CTA vehicles have been spreading holiday cheer across the Windy City in some shape or form since 1992, when a sign with the phrase “Season’s Greetings from the CTA” was put on the front of an out-of-service Blue Line train used to deliver food to charity, according to the CTA. This year, when the holiday train pulls into a station, Santa will wave to riders from a sleigh on a flatcar outfitted with reindeer and decorated trees.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Google, already facing a possible breakup of the company over its ubiquitous search engine, is fighting to beat back another attack by the U. S. Department of Justice alleging monopolistic conduct, this time over technology that puts online advertising in front of consumers. The Justice Department and Google made closing arguments Monday in a trial alleging Google’s advertising technology constitutes an illegal monopoly. U.