Disney and Universal have filed a copyright lawsuit against popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney on Wednesday, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have enter the legal battle over generative AI.
Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute endless unauthorized copies of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars and the Minions from Despicable Me.
Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing,” the companies state in the complaint.
The studios also claimed the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation.
Midjourney didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
In a 2022 interview with The Associated Press, Midjourney CEO David Holz described his image-making service as kind of like a search engine pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity.
Can a person look at somebody elses picture and learn from it and make a similar picture? Holz said. Obviously, its allowed for people and if it wasnt, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the nonprofessional industry too. To the extent that AIs are learning like people, its sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like its fine.
Major AI developers dont typically disclose their data sources but have argued that taking troves of publicly accessible online text, images and other media to train their AI systems is protected by the fair use doctrine of American copyright law.
The studios case joins a growing number of lawsuits filed against developers of AI platformssuch as OpenAI, Anthropicin San Francisco and New York.
Meanwhile, the first major copyright trial of the generative AI industry is underway in London, pitting Getty Images against artificial intelligence company Stability AI.
Shawn Chen, AP technology writer
President Donald Trump’s quest to erase his criminal conviction heads to a federal appeals court Wednesday. It’s one way he’s trying to get last year’s hush money verdict overturned.A three-judge panel is set to hear arguments in Trump’s long-running fight to get the New York case moved from state court to federal court, where he could then try to have the verdict thrown out on presidential immunity grounds.The Republican is asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene after a lower-court judge twice rejected the move. As part of the request, Trump wants the federal appeals court to seize control of the criminal case and then ultimately decide his appeal of the verdict, which is now pending in a state appellate court.The 2nd Circuit should “determine once and for all that this unprecedented criminal prosecution of a former and current President of the United States belongs in federal court,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a court filing.The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted Trump’s case, wants it to stay in state court. Trump’s Justice Departmentnow partly run by his former criminal defense lawyersbacks his bid to move the case to federal court.If Trump loses, he could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.Trump was convicted in May 2024 of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels, whose affair allegations threatened to upend his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump denies her claim and said he did nothing wrong. It was the only one of his four criminal cases to go to trial.Trump’s lawyers first sought to move the case to federal court following his March 2023 indictment, arguing that federal officers including former presidents have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from “conduct performed while in office.” Part of the criminal case involved checks he wrote while he was president.They tried again after his conviction, arguing that Trump’s historic prosecution violated his constitutional rights and ran afoul of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which was decided about a month after the hush money trial ended.The ruling reins in prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a president’s unofficial actions were illegal.U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied both requests, ruling in part that Trump’s conviction involved his personal life, not his work as president.In a four-page ruling, Hellerstein wrote that nothing about the high court’s ruling affected his prior conclusion that hush money payments at issue in Trump’s case “were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority.”Trump’s lawyers argue that prosecutors rushed to trial instead of waiting for the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision, and that prosecutors erred by showing jurors evidence that should not have been allowed under the ruling, such as former White House staffers describing how Trump reacted to news coverage of the hush money deal and tweets he sent while president in 2018.Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche is now the deputy U.S. attorney general, the Justice Department’s second-in-command. Another of his lawyers, Emil Bove, has a high-ranking Justice Department position.The trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, rejected Trump’s requests to throw out the conviction on presidential immunity grounds and sentenced him on Jan. 10 to an unconditional discharge, leaving his conviction intact but sparing him any punishment.Appearing by video at his sentencing, Trump called the case a “political witch hunt,” “a weaponization of government” and “an embarrassment to New York.”
Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press
A federal appeals court agreed Tuesday to let the government keep collecting President Donald Trump’s sweeping import taxes while challenges to his signature trade policy continue on appeal.The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extends a similar ruling it made after another federal court struck down the tariffs May 28, saying Trump had overstepped his authority. Noting that the challenges to Trump’s tariffs raise “issues of exceptional importance,” the appeals court said it would expedite the case and hear arguments July 31.The case involves 10% tariffs the president imposed on almost every country in April and bigger ones he imposed and then suspended on countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. It also involves tariffs Trump plastered on imports from China, Canada and Mexico to pressure them to do more to stop the illegal flow of immigrants and synthetic opioids across the U.S. border.In declaring the tariffs, Trump had invoked emergency powers under a 1977 law. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled he had exceeded his power.The tariffs upended global trade, paralyzed businesses and spooked financial markets.
Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer
Google is offering buyouts to certain employees in the United States and requiring more workers to return to offices as it continues to shift toward AI.
The voluntary exit program, as Google calls it, is being offered to employees on the communications, core, knowledge and information (which includes search, ads, and commerce), marketing, and research teams, Google confirmed with Fast Company on Wednesday.
The buyouts would see Google provide employees with a pay and benefits package in exchange for their exit.
“Earlier this year, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for US-based Googlers, and several more are now offering the program to support our important work ahead, Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini said in a statement. A number of teams are also asking remote employees who live near an office to return to a hybrid work schedule in order to bring folks more together in-person.”
A new era for Google as search habits evolve
The exact details of this deal are to follow, according to a memo reportedly sent by Jen Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of core systems. CNBC reports that mid- to senior-level employees in the Peoples Operations unit received up to 14 weeks of their salary plus another week for every completed year on the job during a previous buyout in February.
CNBC and Business Insider reported on the memo on Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick reportedly stated that AI is reshaping everythingour products, our tools, the way we work, how we work, how we innovate and so on. She continued, To meet this transformational moment, we need everyone to show up with an unparalleled sense of energy and enthusiasm for Cores mission, connecting and collaborating at speed so that we can tackle all of the ambitious work we need to do.
Meeting the moment also means being willing to commute up to 50 miles to the office three times a week. In the same memo, Google reportedly announced that all employees within that distance of an approved return site must come in 60% of the time.
Taking the stance that workers must show face to perform well, Google reportedly stated, We want to ensure Core Googlers are fully committed to being here and actively contributing. These programs will help us be even more focused on our mission and will enable us to operate with greater velocity, efficiency and collaboration.
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick reportedly noted that the buyouts are for employees who arent feeling excited about and aligned with Cores mission and goals, or those who are having difficulty meeting the demands of their role. In other words, if you feel behind at work, quitting might be the best option.
Though the buyouts are voluntary, they could spell layoffs for those teams. In January, Google offered buyouts to employees in its platforms and devices division, only to lay off hundreds of workers in the unit a few months later. Google also laid off about 12,000 employees in January 2023 and has done multiple rounds of layoffs since.
U.S. inflation picked up a bit last month as food costs rose, though overall inflation remained mostly tame.Consumer prices increased 2.4% in May compared with a year ago, according to a Labor Department report released Wednesday. That is up from a 2.3% yearly increase in April. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.8% for the third straight month. Economists pay close attention to core prices because they generally provide a better sense of where inflation is headed.The figures suggest inflation remains stubbornly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, which makes it less likely that the central bank will cut its key short-term interest rate. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs.There were scattered signs that Trump’s tariffs may have contributed to some price increases, but the cost of some imported goods, such as clothing, fell in May from the previous month and many services, such as airline fares and hotel rooms, also dropped in price.On a monthly basis, overall prices ticked up just 0.1% from April to May, down from 0.2% previous month. Core prices also dropped to 0.1% from 0.2%.Grocery prices rose 0.3% from April to May, and are up 2.2% in the past year. Fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereals, and frozen foods all rose in price. Egg costs fell 2.7%, their second straight drop though they are still more than 40% more expensive than a year ago.Last week, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the inflation data, said it is reducing the amount of data it collects for each inflation report. Economists have expressed concern about the cutback, and while it isn’t clear how sharp the reduction is, most analysts say it is likely to have a minor impact. Still, any reduction in data collection could make the figures more volatile.Inflation has cooled in the past year and, excluding the impact of tariffs, economists say it would be on track to return to the Fed’s target, which would allow the central bank to cut its key interest rates. Yet core prices have been more stubborn and were stuck between 3.2% and 3.4% for nearly a year until February, when they started to decline. They have now been at 2.8% for three straight months.Nearly all economists expect Trump’s duties will make many things more expensive in the second half of this year, including cars and groceries, though by how much is still uncertain. Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will place 55% tariffs on all imports from China, up from the previous level of 30%. He has also imposed a 10% baseline tariff on imported goods from every other country, and 50% import taxes on steel and aluminum.Given the potential for higher prices in the coming months, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials have made clear they will keep their key rate unchanged until they have a better sense of how tariffs will affect the economy.
Christopher Rugaber and Anne D’Innocenzio, Associated Press Writers
Mark Zuckerberg has decided he wants to claw back lost ground in the AI race, and hes willing to spend heavily to do it.
The Meta CEO is reportedly hiring staff personally for a new superintelligence lab within the company, offering massive salaries to attract top talent. Meta has also announced the acquisition of Scale AI, with founder Alexandr Wang joining the superintelligence team. I’m not surprised with the choice of Alex Wanghe is friends with Zuckerberg, says a former Meta employee, granted anonymity due to restrictions from their current employer. Wangs political leanings may help deflect regulatory scrutiny, the former staffer adds, and he also has a track record of executing whereas the new Meta AI leads have messed up Llama big time.
The real challenge may be finding people to join them. AI talent is in high demand, with leading labs offering millions to top engineers. Meta, with its vast resources, is reportedly offering up to nine-figure compensation packages.
Meta has been trying to pull in top-tier talent from other labs for a while now, like the big open source AGI announcement on Zucks Instagram, says another industry source who requested anonymity. I guess they felt they needed to mix it up for whatever reason. But Metas reputation could be a hurdle. What you have to understand about Meta is that it’s very Game of Thrones-like, with people constantly fighting over power and influence, says the former employee. Bloat and excessive middle management remain problems. That’s a major reason why their products are crap and now it’s affecting their AI research too, the former employee adds. (Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
According to the anonymous industry source, one potential draw for candidates is Metas vast supply of GPUs. Meta has an absolutely massive stockpile of GPUs it doesnt seem to be using particularly well, so possibly they think that could turn some heads, they say. Still, the companys AI output has often trailed competitors. The hope would probably be that the new org completely clears house.
Ray Wang, a Washington-based semiconductor and technology analyst, agrees hiring could be tough, especially given Metas recent stumbles in large language model development. Still, he sees reasons some might sign on. Meta still possesses deep hardware and software resources, platforms with tens of millions of users, and forthcoming AI-enabled products, which together should offer researchers and engineers a compelling environment for developing future cutting-edge models and implementing them in the companys products and platforms at scale, Wang says.
The money is likely to be the biggest motivator. The main pull is probably compensationthough its possible some people could feel like they are getting in on the ground floor of a new org despite Meta being a giant, says the industry source.
But for potential hires, a lingering concern may be Zuckerbergs direct involvement in the new lab. Im also not surprised Zuckerberg is deeply involved, says the former Meta staffer. Hes always done that when things he cares about go badly. Or he feels he can make them better by getting involved. Sadly, he has a poor track record: Rooms, e-commerce, metaverseall flops.
Elon Musk stepped back from his explosive feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, writing on X that he regrets some of his posts about his onetime ally and that they went “too far.”Early Wednesday morning, he posted “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”Musk’s break with a president whom he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect appeared to put an end to his influence in the White House and prompted concerns about effects on his companies. As a major government contractor, Musk’s businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution, and Trump has already threatened to cut Musk’s contracts.Musk earlier deleted a post in which he claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president’s association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, other posts that irritated Trump, including ones in which Musk called the spending bill an “abomination” and claimed credit for Trump’s election victory, remained live.On Sunday, Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warned that Musk could face ” serious consequences ” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections.
Associated Press
Databricks, known for secure data storage and AI, has launched a new AI business intelligence dashboard called Databricks One, designed for nontechnical business users across various departments. While Databricks initially focused on providing secure data storage for large organizations (it works with 60% of the Fortune 500), it has in recent years shifted toward helping customers harness the power of AI models situated close to their data.Until now, access to the Databricks platform was primarily limited to engineers and data scientists with SQL or Python skills. Databricks One introduces a completely redesigned interface, simplified specifically for users without a technical background.We want to make our experience for nontechnical users as amazing as our experience for technical users, said Databricks cofounder and CEO Ali Ghodsi. This is our first step of making this true so that everyone across the organization can unlock the full value of their data and drive innovation.The Databricks One tool resembles an AI chatbot interface. Users can describe the type of data or analysis they need, and a large language model translates those requests into actions. According to Ghodsi, this could involve deploying AI agents that tap into pipelines of various models and databases to retrieve data or perform specific analyses.Ordinarily, such requests would require coding, but the dashboard handles that complexity for the user. Behind the scenes its actually creating SQL and executing on a data warehouse, and all of that is abstracted away from you, Ghodsi says.[Animation: Databricks]To help users better understand the data, Databricks integrated visualizations directly into the One interface. Users can interact with an AI/BI Genie to refine their view, asking custom questionsnot just selecting from preset queries offered by the dashboard.A user might run advanced analytics on the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, conduct a legal review of overlapping (and potentially conflicting) business contracts, or quickly gather everything a salesperson needs before meeting a prospect.Ghodsi says the idea for Databricks One came from many conversations with large enterprise clients. These organizations wanted to put AI-powered business intelligence into the hands of more employees who could act on it. At the same time, they were wary of the security risks involved in broadening access to potentially sensitive data on the Databricks platform. Threading that needle and making sure that you have the right balance is very hard, and so were very excited we finally found the thing that works for all of our customers, Ghodsi says.[Image: Databricks]Specifically, customers were concerned that nontechnical users might misinterpret the data, access information they shouldnt, or use the platform in ways that couldnt be properly audited. Many of Databrickss clients operate in tightly regulated sectors like healthcare and financial services, where handling sensitive personal data is routine.In response, Databricks spent two years building guardrails to address these risks. This included systems that assign different levels of access based on user roles and permissions. According to Ghodsi, the One platform keeps customer data secure and sandboxed, preventing leaks. Some users have read-only access, and the company does not use one customers data to train models for another.Ghodsi believes the simplified interface could make the platform a strong fit for midsize and even small businesses in the future.Following a massive $10 billion Series J raise in December 2024, Databricks has brought in about $14.4 billion in venture funding, along with $5.25 billion in debt financing, reaching a $62 billion valuation. Its value has grown rapidly as large companies try to use AI to mine their own data for actionable insights. In 2023, the company was valued at $43 billionmarking a roughly 44% increase in a single year during the so-called AI boom. Many analysts expect a Databricks IPO in 2025 or 2026, depending on market conditions.Databricks One is currently in private preview, with a public beta expected later this summer. Ghodsi says the company wont charge seat licenses but will instead use a metered pricing model based on usage time and token consumption by AI models.Ghodsi says its ultimately up to customers to decide how widely to deploy the tools. The litmus test is easyare they like Okay, lets open it up to more people?
If last summer was for the 365 party girl, this year its all about the digital detox.
At least thats according to Pinterests 2025 Summer Trend Report. Sourced from internal data from January 2025 until March 2025, the social media platform found that Pinterest users are putting down their devices and embracing slower, more intentional ways of living. That is when theyre not scrolling Pinterest, of course.
A 2024 study from Pew found that nearly half of American teens are online almost constantly. Now it seems they are taking matters into their own hands, with searches for a digital detox vision board trending up by 273%, and digital detox ideas also up by 72%. From embracing dumphones to simply going outside to touch grass, in 2025 it seems Gen Z are serious about getting offline and reconnecting with the world around them.
The data backs this up: according to a recent survey by ExpressVPN, 46% of Gen Zers are actively taking steps to limit their screen time. Also catering to the demand, the market for digital detox apps is now projected to reach around $19.44 billion by 2032, up from approximately $0.39 billion in 2023, according to Dazed.
Rather than scrolling, Pinterest users are instead looking to have a Martha Stewart summer, complete with farm-to-table cooking, urban gardening and detox summer drinks. According to the report, searches for Martha Stewart aesthetic were up by 2,889%, the biggest increase behind lip gloss keychain (up 3,045%).
Trends like cottagecore and the trad wife movement have been gaining momentum in recent years as young people in particular seek simplicity in a world that feels increasingly chaotic and uncertain. Now a combination of nostalgia for a simpler time and screen fatigue has Gen Z putting down their phones and embracing their inner Martha Stewart.
If you want to find Gen Z this summer, catch them nature bathing (searches up 32%), hosting book retreats (up 265%) or crafting (up 106%) in the Switzerland countryside (up 177%) or an Irish forest (up 33%). Perhaps they wont even post about it.
This week at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced a ton of features across its various upcoming operating systems, including the all-new visual design aesthetic known as Liquid Glass, which is coming to iOS 26, iPadOS 28, and macOS 26 this fall.
But the company also spent the first few minutes of its 90-minute keynote presentation focusing not on software, but on the new Brad Pitt film F1: The Movie, which is being co-distributed by its film production arm, Apple Original Films.
And now Apple is further promoting the film with what is a first for the film industry: a haptic trailer.
What is a haptic trailer?
The unique thing about Apples latest F1: The Movie trailer is that it literally vibrates as you watch it. Well, as long as you watch it on a compatible iPhone.
Apple calls this latest trailer a haptic trailer.
In the two-minute trailer, whenever an F1 car is in motion on the screen, your iPhone will vibrate with an intensity proportional to the on-screen action. So when a cars tires are being changed in a pit stop, youll feel a small vibration in your handand when the car continues racing down the track, youll feel an even more intense vibration.
These vibration feedbacks in the gadget world are known as hapticsa technology that simulates physical touch. Apple can make your phone vibrate like thisand at certain points in the trailer, thanks to the iPhones Taptic Engine, a piece of hardware inside the iPhone that is essentially a motor that can vibrate on command.
Haptic feedback has been used for years in the iPhone. For example, when you press and hold an icon on the homescreen to rearrange its layout, youll feel haptic feedback produced by the Taptic Engine. You can feel haptic feedback in plenty of other places on the iPhone, such as when adjusting the volume or pressing a widget in Control Center.
But Apples application of haptic feedback to a movie trailer is the first time that the technology has been used to promote a film. Given the vibrations and forces an F1 car undergoes while racing down the track, a trailer for F1: The Movie is a natural fit for such technology.
How to watch the ‘F1: The Movie’ haptic trailer
To watch the F1: The Movie haptic trailer, youll need an iPhone running the latest version of iOS 18. You can find the haptic trailer in the TV app on your iPhone by doing the following:
Launch the TV app on your iPhone.
On the Home screen of the TV app, you should see the F1 haptic trailer poster image show in the top carousel. If not, you can scroll down and find a poster image for the haptic trailer lower in the Home Screen feed. Tap the poster image.
Now, the F1: The Movie haptic trailer will play on your iPhone. As the trailer plays, youll feel various intensities of vibrations in your hand, depending on the action being performed on the screen.
Apple has high hopes for ‘F1: The Movie’
F1: The Movie is the most high-profile movie that Apple Original Pictures has ever released. The movie stars one of Hollywoods last big-name drawsBrad Pitt. Its also directed by Top Gun: Maverick‘s director, Joseph Kosinski.
Combine the star and directing power with one of Americas most popular sportsF1 racingand you have, Apple hopes, one of the biggest hits of the summer on its hands. If the film is successful, it could help propel Apples film division to new heights, not to mention attract subscribers to its Apple TV Plus streaming service.
However, it should be noted that F1: The Movie isnt debuting immediately on Apple TV Plus. Instead, the film will be shown exclusively in theaters starting on June 27. The film will stream on Apple TV Plus later in the year.
You can check out the non-haptic trailer for F1 The Move below.
