AI Pulse #82: Authors Protest Meta Over AI Book Theft, Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs Raises $600M in Funding, + MORE
Hi everyone! 👋 We’ve got another packed issue full of big news, bold protests, and billions in AI funding—let’s dive in!
Dive in to discover more!
Latest Funding News
This week, writers are standing up to tech giants. Authors are planning a protest in London after Meta was accused of using “shadow libraries” to train AI on stolen books. And on the other side of the industry, Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs just raised a massive $600 million to push AI drug discovery forward. These are just two stories shaping the future of tech, read on for more.
Top Trending AI News
1. Authors Protest in London Against Meta for Using ‘Shadow Library’ to Train AI
Publisher: The Guardian
Published: 4/3/2025
Authors protest at Meta’s London office against AI training with copyrighted books from LibGen.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Authors protest Meta’s AI book training.
2️⃣ Meta accused of using stolen books.
3️⃣ London writers rally against Meta.
4️⃣ Meta’s AI training sparks outrage.
5️⃣ Novelists demand action on AI ethics.
2. NaNoWriMo Ends Amid AI and Content Moderation Controversies
Publisher: TechCrunch
Published: 4/1/2025
NaNoWriMo shuts down after 25 years amid AI scandal and content moderation issues, ending its era as a beloved writing challenge.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ NaNoWriMo closes after 25 years.
2️⃣ AI stance costs NaNoWriMo support.
3️⃣ Authors quit board over AI concerns.
4️⃣ Unsafe forums led to community issues.
5️⃣ Financial struggles part of NaNoWriMo’s end.
3. Qualcomm Expands AI Capabilities with Acquisition of VinAI’s Generative Division
Publisher: TechCrunch
Published: 4/1/2025
Qualcomm acquires the generative AI division of VinAI, a Hanoi-based AI research company, to expand its AI tooling sector and innovation.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Qualcomm buys AI firm VinAI.
2️⃣ Deal boosts Qualcomm’s AI tech.
3️⃣ VinAI to enhance Qualcomm’s offerings.
4️⃣ VinAI’s team joins Qualcomm.
5️⃣ Acquisition marks Qualcomm’s AI growth.
4. AI Image Generator’s Exposed Database Unveils User Intentions
Publisher: WIRED
Published: 3/31/2025
Exposed AI firm database had 95k+ records, including AI-generated CSAM and celebs de-aged as children, found open online by a researcher.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ AI firm leaks 95,000 explicit images online.
2️⃣ AI creates child abuse material of celebs.
3️⃣ Database leak exposes AI’s dark use.
4️⃣ Companies shut down after data breach.
5️⃣ AI-generated CSAM spikes concern.
5. US Immigration Officials Plan to Expand Social Media Data Collection
Publisher: AP News
Published: 3/30/2025
U.S. seeks public opinion on a plan to collect social media details from immigration applicants, sparking privacy and free speech concerns.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ US seeks social media data for immigration.
2️⃣ Proposal expands surveillance scope.
3️⃣ Public input requested on new vetting.
4️⃣ Social media checks not new, but wider.
5️⃣ Critics worry about free speech impact.
6. Survey Reveals Most Americans Doubt AI Will Enhance Their Lives
Publisher: Ars Technica
Published: 4/3/2025
US experts are more positive about AI’s impact than the public, expecting personal and national benefits, while the public remains concerned over issues like job loss and bias.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ AI experts view AI more positively than the public.
2️⃣ Public concerned about AI’s impact on jobs and bias.
3️⃣ Both groups distrust government’s AI regulation.
4️⃣ Experts and public agree on need for diverse AI views.
5️⃣ Americans use AI more than they realize, experts say.
7. Channel 4 Boss: AI Firms Scraping Value From UK’s £125bn Creative Industries
Publisher: The Guardian
Published: 4/1/2025
Channel 4 CEO warns UK’s creative industries at risk from AI scraping, urges government action for copyright protection and proper licensing.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ AI threatens UK’s creative industries.
2️⃣ Channel 4 CEO calls for government action.
3️⃣ Critics label AI opt-out proposal unfair.
4️⃣ Creative sector at risk from AI data scraping.
5️⃣ Channel 4 pushes for AI licensing regime.
8. Experts Warn Cuts to AI Cancer Tech Funding in England Could Cost Lives
Publisher: The Guardian
Published: 4/1/2025
UK cuts AI radiotherapy funding, increasing cancer treatment waits, risking lives, and forcing a return to manual contouring amidst staff shortages.
1️⃣ UK cuts AI cancer tech funding, risking longer waits.
2️⃣ AI reduces radiotherapy planning from hours to minutes.
3️⃣ Funding cut adds 500,000 days to cancer waiting lists.
4️⃣ Staff shortages in cancer care worsened by funding cut.
5️⃣ Government accused of reverting to outdated cancer care.
9. AI Experts Warn Current Path May Not Lead to Human-Like AI
Publisher: Gizmodo
Published: 3/30/2025
AI researchers at AAAI 2025 say current AGI pursuit is flawed, urging caution over hype and advocating for ethical, collaborative development.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ AI research aims miss the mark on achieving AGI.
2️⃣ Public hype misaligns with AI’s real progress.
3️⃣ Scaling current AI won’t achieve human-like intelligence.
4️⃣ AI improvements demand ethical, cautious approaches.
5️⃣ Misconceptions about AI quality persist among public.
10. Scientists Find Key Differences in Human and AI Thought Processes
Publisher: Live Science
Published: 4/1/2025
Study shows AI’s decision-making flawed due to poor analogy skills, posing real-world risks.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ AI struggles with complex analogies.
2️⃣ AI’s decision-making differs from humans.
3️⃣ Study finds AI lacks “zero-shot” learning.
4️⃣ AI’s analogy issue affects real-world use.
5️⃣ Evaluating AI needs focus on cognitive robustness.
AI Image of the Week
Prompt: /Createimage A humanoid AI robot child sitting in a classroom, learning alongside human children in the near future.
Did you find this helpful?
If so, subscribe on LinkedIn to this weekly newsletter to stay updated on everything AI!
About Onramp Lab
Onramp Lab was founded by Lawrence Ng in 2015. We are an agile team of 70 full-time professionals in our Los Angeles & Taipei offices.
Over the years, we built out our omnichannel digital marketing expertise, especially in paid search, display, native, paid social, SEO, email, and affiliate marketing across multiple verticals.
Our Businesses
Contactloop
AI-driven conversational messaging via SMS and webchat driving transaction-ready users to you and your sales team at scale.
Side Hustles
Your gateway to side jobs and part-time gigs. Side Hustles provides expert advice, diverse job ideas, and tips to maximize your earnings.
This Post Has 0 Comments