AI Update: Data Provenance, Latham Atty Against AI Regulation, New EU AI Laws

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The Data Provenance Institute, a research project organized by “machine-learning engineers and legal experts,” has released a report detailing how open source data sets used to train large language models are “rife with improperly licensed data,” according to the Washington Post. “People couldn’t do the right thing, even if they wanted to,” said Sara Hooker, one of the report’s co-authors.

Politico revealed the involvement of Sy Damle, a Latham Watkins attorney representing OpenAI, in the drafting and circulation of a letter to Congress urging lawmakers not to create new copyright-related legislation targeting AI platforms. The letter, signed by “a broad coalition of think tanks, professors and civil-society groups with a stake in the growing debate about AI and copyright in Washington,” argued that “that existing law can handle any legitimate copyright concerns raised by the emerging technology.”

With the EU AI Act, the EU is “within touching distance” of the world’s first legislation specifically addressing the potential danger of AI, The Guardian reports. The legislation would cover “everything from homemade chemical weapons made through AI to copyright theft of music, art and literature,” and may serve as a guide to lawmakers around the world as they grapple with the benefits and risks of the rise of AI.

In a new analysis piece, Legaltech News broke down what e-discovery professionals are watching as AI becomes an increasingly popular tool in the legal industry. Their main areas of focus include how AI use will impact e-discovery costs, as well as how AI will impact existing ESI protocols and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Cloud computing and AI-related services were essential in driving Microsoft’s very successful Q3, the AP reports. In a prepared statement, CEO Satya Nadella said that the tech giant is looking to “rapidly infusing AI across every layer of the tech stack” with an eye towards increasing productivity for customers. The New York Times’ DealBook newsletter places Microsoft’s success in the greater context of the tech industry, highlighting issues encountered by Alphabet and Meta.

Ethan Beberness is a Brooklyn-based writer covering legal tech, small law firms, and in-house counsel for Above the Law. His coverage of legal happenings and the legal services industry has appeared in Law360, Bushwick Daily, and elsewhere.