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Google limits Gemini from answering questions on elections
Google has revealed that its AI chatbot, Gemini, will now refrain from answering queries related to the upcoming global elections in 2024. The move aligns with Google’s cautious approach amid escalating concerns about misinformation and fake news fueled by advancements in generative AI, particularly in image and video generation. Previously restricted within the U.S. since December, Gemini’s updated response to election-related questions, such as the upcoming U.S. presidential contest, is now a redirection to “Google Search” while expressing its ongoing learning process. A spokesperson for Google stated on Tuesday, “In preparation for the many elections happening around the world in 2024 and out of an abundance of caution, we are restricting the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses.” This measure extends beyond the U.S., addressing national elections in significant countries like South Africa and India, the world’s largest democracy.
OpenAI expands lobbying efforts
OpenA has strengthened its advocacy efforts by enlisting the services of former Republican U.S. Senator Norm Coleman. The Microsoft-backed startup has tasked Coleman, now a senior counsel at Hogan Lovells, to champion research and development matters in the federal arena. This strategic move was revealed in a recent U.S. lobbying registration filing by Hogan Lovells. OpenAI, headquartered in San Francisco and renowned for its generative AI flagship, ChatGPT, is currently entangled in various legal battles, including copyright disputes. Notably, the company, co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk, faces a lawsuit from Musk himself, who alleges a deviation from OpenAI’s nonprofit mission. OpenAI and its co-founders dismiss the lawsuit as “convoluted” and “incoherent.” As legal complexities unfold, neither OpenAI nor Coleman has provided immediate responses to inquiries as of Tuesday.
NYT battles Wordle copycats
The New York Times is actively combatting Wordle “clones,” asserting that numerous games inspired by the wildly popular word-guessing phenomenon violate its copyright protections. Since Wordle’s meteoric rise to internet stardom less than three years ago, a multitude of imitators have surfaced, prompting the Times, which acquired the game in 2022, to issue takedown notices against certain look-alikes. Employing Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices, the Times targets developers of Wordle-inspired games, citing infringement on the newspaper’s ownership of the Wordle name and its distinctive visual elements, including the layout and colour scheme of green, gray, and yellow tiles. A spokesperson for The New York Times Co. clarified that the company supports the creation of similar word games that do not encroach upon Wordle’s trademarks or copyrighted gameplay.
