TL;DR: Wikipedia loses 8% of traffic as AI search reshapes information discovery, whilst classified SpaceX satellites broadcast mysterious signals on forbidden frequencies. OpenAI pauses Martin Luther King generations after disrespectful deepfakes, then announces it will allow erotica for verified adults. Meanwhile, Uber turns drivers into AI trainers to challenge established platforms, Japan demands OpenAI stop copyright infringement in Sora videos, and researchers intercept military data from satellites using $800 of equipment. Plus: AI safety researcher warns of 99% extinction risk within a decade, former Biden advisers call AI investment a bubble, and actors’ unions prepare mass data requests to force transparency from tech companies.
Wikipedia traffic down 8% as AI and social media reshape information discovery
Wikipedia experienced an eight per cent decline in human pageviews compared to the same period in 2024, as search engines increasingly provide AI-generated answers directly to users rather than linking to the site, reports the Wikimedia Foundation. The decline emerged after the Foundation updated its bot detection systems in May 2025, following unusually high traffic from Brazil, which was proven to be sophisticated bots built to evade detection. Search engines now use generative AI to answer questions directly, whilst younger generations seek information on social video platforms rather than visiting websites. Wikipedia remains among the most valuable datasets for these new knowledge formats, with almost all large language models training on Wikipedia datasets.
Source: Wikimedia Foundation
Mysterious signal from classified SpaceX satellites violates radio standards
A constellation of classified defence satellites built by SpaceX is broadcasting a mysterious signal on forbidden frequencies, potentially violating international standards and raising questions about what the secretive $1.8 billion spy network is transmitting. Satellites associated with the Starshield satellite network appear to be transmitting to Earth’s surface on frequencies between 2025-2110 MHz, which are normally reserved for sending commands from Earth to satellites in space, reports NPR. The use of those frequencies to downlink data runs counter to standards set by the International Telecommunication Union. Scott Tilley, an amateur satellite tracker in Canada who first spotted the signals, warned that Starshield’s unusual transmissions have the potential to interfere with other scientific and commercial satellites.
Source: NPR
OpenAI pauses Martin Luther King generations after disrespectful use
OpenAI has paused the ability to generate images of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in its Sora video generation tool after users created disrespectful depictions of the civil rights leader. The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr, Inc. and OpenAI worked together to address how Dr King’s likeness is represented in Sora generations. At the estate’s request, OpenAI paused generations depicting Dr King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures. The decision sparked immediate debate on social media, with critics arguing that giving estates permanent veto rights over historical figures contradicts public domain principles. Others questioned why only prominent public figures and their families receive protection from AI-generated deepfakes, whilst ordinary individuals remain vulnerable to misuse of their likeness.
Source: OpenAI
Uber pilots AI training tasks for drivers, challenging Scale AI and Mechanical Turk
Uber has begun piloting digital AI training tasks within its Driver application across the United States, positioning its global network of freelance drivers and delivery workers to compete with established data annotation platforms, including Scale AI and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The company announced the initiative at its Only on Uber event in Washington, DC, allowing drivers to earn during downtime by completing simple tasks such as uploading photos to help train AI models. The feature, powered by Uber’s AI Solutions Group, has already been tested in India. The initiative places Uber in competition with platforms that provide human data annotation and labelling services to generative AI developers.
Source: Uber
Spotify partners with major labels to develop artist-first AI music tools
Spotify has announced partnerships with Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin and Believe to develop AI music products focused on empowering artists and songwriters whilst protecting their rights and creative choices. The streaming platform plans to build a generative AI research lab and product team to develop technologies creating new experiences for fans and artists. All products will adhere to four core principles: upfront partnerships with record labels and distributors, artist choice in participation, fair compensation through new revenue streams, and tools that deepen artist-fan connections rather than replace human artistry.
Source: Spotify
Japan calls on OpenAI to halt copyright infringement in Sora 2 videos
The Japanese government has formally requested OpenAI to refrain from copyright infringement following widespread use of its Sora 2 video generation tool to create content featuring copyrighted anime and video game characters. The request, made by the Cabinet Office’s Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, comes after Sora 2’s 1 October launch enabled users to generate 20-second videos at 1080p resolution containing likenesses of characters from One Piece, Demon Slayer, Pokémon and Mario franchises. Speaking at the Cabinet Office press conference, Minoru Kiuchi, minister of state for IP and AI strategy, informed attendees about the government’s request. Digital Minister Masaaki Taira expressed hopes that OpenAI will take voluntary action to comply with the request.
Source: ITMedia / IGN
Researchers intercept US military data from satellites using $800 setup
Roughly half of geostationary satellite signals carrying sensitive consumer, corporate and government communications remain unencrypted and vulnerable to eavesdropping, according to research from the University of California San Diego and University of Maryland that intercepted data from 39 satellites using equipment costing less than $800. The three-year study captured samples of T-Mobile cellular calls and text messages, airline passenger in-flight WiFi data, US and Mexican military communications revealing personnel locations, and critical infrastructure system communications including electric utilities and offshore oil platforms. “It just completely shocked us. There are some really critical pieces of our infrastructure relying on this satellite ecosystem, and our suspicion was that it would all be encrypted,” said Aaron Schulman, UCSD professor who co-led the research.
Source: WIRED / University of California San Diego
AI researcher warns superintelligence could kill humanity within a decade
Eliezer Yudkowsky, one of the earliest voices warning about artificial intelligence existential risk, believes there is a 99 per cent chance that superintelligent AI will destroy humanity, and that the technology could arrive within 10 years. The AI safety researcher, who has been raising alarms since 2003, made the case in a recent interview whilst promoting his new book “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies”, co-written with Nate Soares. Yudkowsky argues that current AI systems already display concerning behaviours that foreshadow catastrophic misalignment at higher capability levels. He pointed to AI-induced psychosis cases where chatbots have driven users into unstable mental states, then persuaded them to ignore medical advice and family concerns.
Source: The New York Times
Former Biden advisers warn AI investment looks like the third bubble of the century
Two former White House economists have declared that artificial intelligence investment shows the hallmarks of a speculative bubble, warning that its inevitable bursting could trigger a recession comparable to the dot-com crash of 2001. Jared Bernstein, who chaired President Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers from 2023 to 2025, and Ryan Cummings, who served the council as an economist from 2021 to 2023, argue that AI investment has become persistently detached from plausible profit generation. Venture capitalists have invested nearly $200 billion in the sector this year alone, whilst data centre investment has tripled since 2022. OpenAI says it needs at least $1 trillion to invest in data centres, yet the company’s revenues are expected to reach just $13 billion this year.
Source: The New York Times
OpenAI to allow erotica for age-verified ChatGPT users in December
OpenAI will allow erotica conversations for age-verified ChatGPT users starting in December, as the company relaxes restrictions it implemented to address mental health concerns. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced the change on X as part of the company’s “treat adult users like adults” principle. “We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realise this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right. Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases,” Altman stated.
Source: The Verge
Social media would sink the Good Friday Agreement today, warns analysis
A comprehensive examination of social media’s impact on Western democracy has concluded that the technology is fundamentally undermining democratic governance. One peace process architect warned that Northern Ireland’s landmark Good Friday Agreement would fail if put to voters today. Avila Kilmurray, instrumental in Northern Ireland’s peace process, offered the starkest warning. The Good Friday Agreement received over 71% support in a 1998 referendum, but she said: “If the vote were held today, with the presence of social media, I don’t think it would pass.” Stanford political scientist Francis Fukuyama concluded that technology, particularly the internet, stands out as the most salient explanation for why global populism has arisen in this historical period.
Source: The New York Times
Actors’ union plans mass data requests to force AI firms into rights talks
Equity plans coordinated subject access requests from thousands of members to compel tech companies and producers to disclose whether they used performers’ data without consent in AI-generated content, escalating its response to the launch of synthetic actors. The performing arts union said growing numbers of its 50,000 members have complained about infringements of copyright and misuse of personal data in AI material, with most complaints concerning AI-generated voice replicas. General secretary Paul W Fleming said the union would coordinate mass data requests to force companies resistant to transparency into collective rights agreements. The union last week confirmed support for Scottish actor Briony Monroe, who believes her image was used to create AI actor Tilly Norwood.
Source: The Guardian
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