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The rapid development of AI is undoubtedly causing headaches for legislators and court systems globally as they struggle to deal with the technology.
A German magazine has used artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate an interview with former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher and now his family said they’ll pursue legal action over the matter.
The German magazine Die Aktuelle released on April 14 promised “the first interview!” with Schumacher since he suffered a serious brain injury in a 2013 skiing accident.
While the magazine did add the line “it sounds deceptively real” to the front cover, the article contained a series of alleged quotes that were generated by AI which was revealed at the end of the article, much to the disgust of many fans.
To actually print on your cover “World Sensation!” “First Interview” and even on the pages only give little hints that it was a AI, it’s absolutely crazy
— Patrick (@RacingStorki) April 19, 2023
A spokesperson for Schumacher's family confirmed to ESPN and Reuters on April 20 that they will be taking legal action against Die Aktuelle.
The slated lawsuit follows a growing wave of regulatory movements involving AI as governments and courts grapple with how to deal with the rapidly developing technology.
Twelve European Union lawmakers have called for the “safe” and collaborative development of AI in a letter that asked for a universal set of rules on AI development.
Related: Midjourney, other AI devs strike back in court, claiming their material is not similar to artists
The lawmakers asked for a summit to be convened by European and United States leaders to discuss governing principles for the development, control and deployment of AI.
Others could be using AI to deceive in the business world. A financial regulator in California recently took action against multiple companies alleging one used AI to create an avatar that appeared as its CEO in YouTube videos.
AI has recently been used to impersonate other celebrities. A clip of rapper Kanye West purporting to perform a cover of Drake’s hit song Hold On, We’re Going Home recently went viral on Twitter, but the audio was actually generated by AI.
The fact that this AI generated audio of Kanye West doing a cover of Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" sounds just like the real Kanye is scary and exciting.
— Aliou Sidibe (@heyaliou) March 31, 2023
The scary part: AI will never be this worst again.
Exciting part: this could unlock new doors of creativity. pic.twitter.com/u5RfmpKTcT
Media conglomerate the Universal Music Group is reportedly concerned over such AI-generated songs, having told streaming platforms such as Spotify to block AI-related services from able to harvest copyrighted media.
Magazine: Here’s how Ethereum’s ZK-rollups can become interoperable
The lawsuit escalates a months-long dispute between the crypto miner and one of its energy suppliers in Canada.
Canada-based Bitcoin (BTC) miner Hut 8 Mining Corporation has ramped up its ongoing fight with its power supplier for one of its mining sites, filing a lawsuit in a Canadian court.
Hut 8 said on Jan. 26 it filed a Statement of Claim in the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario against Validus Power, an energy supplier for a Hut 8 mining facility in North Bay, Ontario.
The firms have been in an ongoing dispute since early November 2022 due to what Hut 8 alleges is a failure by Validus to “meet its contractual obligations” for the power purchase agreement (PPA).
In its new lawsuit, Hut 8 is seeking “monetary damages incurred as a result of the dispute” and enforcement of certain provisions as per the agreement signed by the two companies.
Hut 8 and Validus started working together in late 2021 with Validus initially providing 35 megawatts (MW) of power to North Bay, but was slated to provide around 100 MW by the end of 2021.
On Nov. 9, 2022, Hut 8 issued a notice of default to Validus alleging it failed to achieve milestones by the dates outlined in the PPA and claimed the firm demanded Hut 8 pay for energy that was at a higher price than that under the terms of the agreement.
An update from Hut 8 later that month revealed Validus suspended the delivery of energy to its North Bay site. Validus fired back with its own default notice alleging Hut 8 failed to pay for its power charges — a claim Hut 8 denies.
We’re in North Bay today touring @Hut8Mining’s 3rd mining site, with @PowerValidus #btc #canada pic.twitter.com/3BWNQm0Sft
— Hut 8 (@Hut8Mining) October 25, 2021
To this date, operations at the site remain suspended. Hut 8 said it’s exploring alternatives to mitigate the impact of the dispute including through “organic and inorganic growth opportunities.”
Related: Bitcoin miners’ worst days may have passed, but a few key hurdles remain
Before it was taken offline, the North Bay site had 8,800 crypto mining rigs and a hash rate capacity of 0.84 exahashes per second (EH/s), accounting for over one-fourth of its total production capacity, according to a December 2022 investor deck.
Cointelegraph contacted Validus and Hut 8 for comment but did not receive an immediate response from either firm.