Good morning and happy hump day. Let’s get through the tech news.
1. AI rules on the way in Australia
Kicking things off today with the Sydney Morning Herald, which is reporting on Australia’s in-the-works AI laws. Industry and Science Miniter Ed Husic released the government’s interim response to a 500 submissions large inquiry into AI, with the government calling for an expert advisory committee, voluntary labels on AI content, and watermarking. “We’d want to make sure that whatever we do in this space, that regulation can keep pace for future development as well,” Husic said to the Sydney Morning Herald.
2. Medion pays fine for breaching anti-scam laws
Moving on to a penalty for Aussie telco Medion, which has paid $259,000 for breaching Australian anti-scam laws. The Australian Communications and Media Authority said that Medion failed to comply with customer identification rules, leading to a number of sim-swap scams. “SIM-swap fraud can cause significant harm as scammers may then be able to gain access to your online banking accounts and other personal information. In this case, criminals have taken advantage of Medion’s compliance failures,” ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said. “The rules have now been in place for well over 12 months, so telcos have had more than enough time to ensure they have robust verification processes.”
3. U.S. Supreme Court calls time on Epic v. Apple
Moving overseas, and as reported by The Verge, the U.S. Supreme Court has denied petitions to hear out arguments from Epic or Apple in their anti-trust dispute, which leaves things mostly as a win for the iPhone maker. When the legal case wrapped up in 2021, taking place after Epic claimed Apple had an anti-consumer walled garden, Apple mostly won out, however, the company was ordered to allow “calls to action” that could bypass Apple’s payment system.
The Supreme Court denied both sides’ appeals of the Epic v. Apple antitrust case. The court battle to open iOS to competing stores and payments is lost in the United States. A sad outcome for all developers.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 16, 2024
4. Musk wants more control over Tesla
Reuters is reporting that Elon Musk wants 25 per cent voting control at his company Tesla, and that he would be uncomfortable growing the company to be an AI and robotics leader without it. If he can’t get it, Musk said that he would prefer to build products separate from the electric vehicle manufacturer.
5. Microsoft wants you to pay for AI
Microsoft has just announced its newest AI-adjacent product – Copilot Pro, a business-oriented subscription that gives users access to “a higher tier of service for AI capabilities”. Including features like cross-device context for a single AI, a GPT maker, and an enhanced image generator, Microsoft expects customers to fork over $US20 per month for this Pro version – about $30 in Australia.
BONUS ITEM: Good boy.
Speedrunning Dog Didn’t Set Record At AGDQ 2024, Still Good Boy https://t.co/B2xpzHpdR0 pic.twitter.com/6G5jg0wRHU
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) January 16, 2024
Have a nice day.