Welcome to another edition of Let's talk tech Thursday, the newsletter that is correctly named if you live in Hawaii.

It's been a big week for AI and copyright law. We talk New York Times's new partnership with Amazon, while student-backstabber-turned-technology-expert Nick Clegg argues that giving creatives breathing space from big tech will kill the UK's chance at a slice of the sweet AI pie.

Elsewhere, we look at why Mozilla closing down Pocket is important for the fabric of the internet (even if you haven't heard of either of those things), the UK moves a step closer to 1984, and we might have a new way to harness solar power.

Let's dig in...

Top Stories

Mozilla is shutting down Pocket

Summary

This July, Mozilla will shut down Pocket, its bookmarking tool. The company says the move is about focusing on new projects that better match how people browse the web today, including improvements to it's popular Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client.

So what?

It's the latest in a long list of products that have been shuttered by the Mozilla Foundation, all with the aim of refocusing their efforts on the Firefox browser. Reading between the lines though, I'm a little concerned. There's a deceptive amount to unpack here...

Firstly, why is Mozilla important? The Mozilla Foundation is one of the largest bodies in favour of a more open web. It acts as a comparative heavyweight counter to the Big Tech monopolies that most of our web-based experience is filtered through. Championing user privacy and rights, and opposing proprietary tech, Mozilla's most well known product - the Firefox browser - is the only mainstream browser not powered by Google or Apple under the hood. It was first to market with features like Private Browsing and Reader Mode, and contributes heavily to online accessibility standards and W3C.

So why is Pocket shutting down a problem? Well in isolation it isn't really. Pocket is a "read it later" style application, of which there are dozens of available alternatives - many of them open source. But as I mentioned Pocket is the latest in a series of product cutbacks, and while it isn't necessarily a solely financial decision, people are still worried about the longevity of Mozilla.

You see, over 80% of Mozilla's revenue comes from one source - Google. Yes, you read that correctly. The largest counterweight to big tech is almost entirely funded by the biggest tech. Not only that, but the funding comes mainly from Google paying Mozilla to be the default search engine on the Firefox browser. Can Mozilla really be the paragon of tech-virtue if it's taking all that money by funnelling people to Google? It's a great question, sadly for another time. For now, the simple truth is that if Google funding vanishes, Pocket will certainly not be the last in the product line to go.

And why would Google's money vanish? Ironically because of the push by legislators to break up tech monopolies, something we covered a while back. Google's paying for market dominance - by, for example, giving money to be the primary search engine - isn't far from being made illegal. Ironic, no?

Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But if I'm not, and if in the coming years Firefox becomes the only product that Mozilla operates, the internet will be a much poorer space for it.

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Summary

Former deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has warned that requiring artists' consent for their work to be used in AI training could harm the industry. He believes it is impractical to ask for permission from every creator before using their content. Clegg's comments come as lawmakers debate a bill aimed at giving creatives more transparency about how their work is used by AI companies.

So what?

In case the summary was unclear, Clegg is saying that asking permission to use content will harm the AI industry, not the creative one. His argument is that the technical aspects of asking every content creator to give permission, coupled with the financial incentive to not do any of that, means that the UK AI industry would suffer if the government votes in favour of content creators.

The thing is, he's not actually wrong. Of course allowing tech companies to steal content and train their models on it for free is going to be cheaper. And if the UK is the only one policing this, then there is no incentive for AI to be trained on UK content, and no incentive for AI companies to setup under UK law.

And, if I stop being glib about this for a second, the government isn't arguing about whether it should be legal for companies to steal content. The current discussion is around whether content creators and artists should have to opt-in to being available to AI companies, or to opt-out.

But is that where we should be setting the bar? Opting-out is the AI industries preference, of course, but that puts the burden on artists and creators to follow whatever bureaucratic process ends up being created. And it won't be the big names who are hit the hardest. If smaller artists - be they musicians, painters, writers, whatever - by default get their content sucked up into a Large Language Model, how long before that IP is used it someone else's work? What are the implications of that then, even if the part-time guitarist manages to figure out the deliberately obtuse opt-out system. They can't get their chords back.

I'm not going to pretend that I understand the complexities of IP-law. But I do know that the more the government favours technology companies over the arts, the worse we'll all be for it.

New York Times partners with Amazon for first AI licensing deal

Summary

The New York Times has signed its first licensing deal with Amazon, allowing the company to use its news content for AI products like Alexa. This multi-year agreement includes access to articles and recipes, aiming to enhance Amazon's AI capabilities. The deal also helps the Times reach potential new subscribers, following recent legal challenges over content usage.

So what?

In case you thought that the New York Times was suing OpenAI and Microsoft because they were worried about the damage to journalistic integrity that Artificial Intelligence poses, you'd be mistaken. It was just about the money.

In this new deal, owners of Amazon Alexa devices will be able to have access to snippets of NYT content through their Echo devices and the like.

This isn't the first time that a news company has signed a deal with an AI company. The Guardian, for example, signed an agreement back in February to allow OpenAI to train models on its content. This NYT/Amazon deal however is among the first that involves smart devices, and provides a clear customer pathway for content.

Any other news?

Beaming solar power from space is closer to reality after breakthrough Japanese test

Japanese researchers have successfully tested the beaming of solar energy from a jet to ground receivers, showing that space-based solar power is feasible. This technology could provide continuous renewable energy while taking up less space than traditional solar farms. However, challenges like energy loss during conversion and potential space debris still need to be addressed.

Apple’s DIY repair program now covers iPads

In another win for Right-to-Repair, which we've covered a couple of times, Apple's self-service repair program now includes iPads, such as the mini, Air, and Pro models. Users will be able to order spare parts and repair kits for these tablets. Prices for the repair kits have not yet been announced, but similar iPhone parts in the States range from $69 to $379. It's still a long way from you being able to pick up third party parts and Frankenstein your device back to life, but progress none the less.

Live facial recognition cameras may become ‘commonplace’ as police use soars

Police in England and Wales are planning to expand the use of live facial recognition cameras, which scanned nearly 5 million faces last year. We've talked before about the dangers of this type of technology, but the apparent benefits seem to good for the Government to pass up. The Home Office is exploring the need for a specific law to govern its use, as police forces deploy it more frequently.

That's it for another week. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next time!

Will