Emperor

UK licensing bodies have announced a “pioneering” collective licence that will allow authors to be paid for the use of their works to train generative AI models.

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) – which is directed by the Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), representing publishers and authors – will develop the licence, set to be the first of its kind in the UK.

Expected to be made available to AI developers this summer, it will allow copyright holders “who are not in a position to negotiate direct licensing agreements with AI developers” to be paid for the use of their works.

“When we surveyed our members last year, they made it clear that they expect us to do something about their works being used to train AI,” said ALCS CEO Barbara Hayes. 81% of respondents said that they would want to be part of a collective licensing solution if ALCS was able to secure compensation for the use of writers’ works to train AI in cases where individual, case-by-case licensing is not a viable option.

The announcement comes as the UK government reviews responses to a consultation on its proposals for a copyright exemption for text and data mining, allowing AI companies to freely use copyrighted works unless rights holders opt out. The new licence “shows that a copyright exception is neither necessary nor desirable”, said the ALCS.

The government’s proposal “would give very limited choice, wouldn’t remunerate creators or provide any transparency about which works are being used”, said Hayes.

The collective licence, on the other hand, “will further demonstrate that licensing is the answer and can provide a market-based solution that is efficient and effective”, said Mat Pfleger, the CEO of CLA.

So no:

• AI generated memes of images
• AI generated answers to questions

edit: this applies to feddit.uk communities, we won't block AI art communities on other instances or sanction our users for posting on them.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/28031394

A medieval cemetery unearthed near Cardiff Airport is continuing to confound archaeologists, as the mysteries surrounding it are multiplying.

The discovery of the site, dating to the 6th or 7th Century, was announced last year, with dozens of skeletons found lying in unusual positions with unexpected artefacts.

Now researchers have learned nearly all of those buried in the cemetery are women, and while their bones show signs of wear and tear - indicating they carried out heavy manual work - there are also surprising signs of wealth and luxury.

Another unexpected find has been a woman tossed in a ditch, in stark contrast to all the other people who were buried with great care.

"Every time we think we understand something, something else crops up and the picture gets more intriguing," said Andy Seaman from Cardiff University, who is leading the project.

Britain's economy will be among the hardest hit by the global trade war and inflation is set to climb, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned – as it slashed its UK growth forecast by a third.

In a sobering set of projections, the Washington-based organisation said it was grappling with "extremely high levels of policy uncertainty" - and the global economy would slow even if countries manage to negotiate a permanent reduction in tariffs from the US.

Echoing earlier warnings about the risks to the global financial system, the IMF said stock markets could fall even more sharply than they did in the aftermath of Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs announcement, when US and UK indices recorded some of their largest one-day falls since the pandemic.

It comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to meet her US counterpart Scott Bessent at the IMF's spring gathering in Washington this week.

She is hoping to negotiate a reduction to the 10% baseline tariff the US president has applied to all UK goods. Steel, aluminium and car exports face an additional 25% tariff.

...

The UK economy is expected to grow by just 1.1% this year, down 0.5 percentage points from the 1.6% the IMF was predicting in January. Growth picks up to 1.4% next year, still 0.1 percentage points lower than the January forecast.

Along with recent tariff announcements, the IMF blamed the UK's poor performance on a rise in government borrowing costs, which has in part been triggered by growing unease among investors over the fate of the US economy.

When borrowing costs rise, the chancellor has to rein in public spending or raise taxes to meet her fiscal rules. That can weigh on economic growth.

It also pointed to problems in the domestic economy, mainly "weaker private consumption amid higher inflation as a result of regulated prices and energy costs".

In a blow to the chancellor, the IMF warned that the UK would experience one of the largest upticks in inflation because of utility bill increases that took effect in April.

It upgraded its inflation forecast by 0.7 percentage points to 3.1% for 2025, taking it even higher above the Bank of England's 2% target and deepening the dilemma for central bankers who are also grappling with weak growth.

A United Airlines plane was forced into an emergency landing after it caught fire after a rabbit was reportedly sucked into its engine.

The flight in the US issued an alert following a “giant fireball” after the reportedly got stuck in the plane’s engine before take off.

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The plane was turned around after around 75 minutes in the air and landed safely. There were no reports of injuries.

An unusual startup announced the world's first sperm race -- a race involving actual sperm -- will be held April 25 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Sperm Racing, a startup founded by a team of young millionaires, announced representatives from two competing schools -- the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles -- will provide the microscopic swimmers for the inaugural Sperm Race.

The race will take place under a microscopic camera that will track the progress of the sperms as they attempt to cross to the finish line.

The startup said there will be three races held to determine the overall winner, and play-by-play commentary will be provided during each heat. There will also be instant replays, leaderboards and betting through approved partners.

Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Look Up

It Begins

The notorious “Am I The Asshole?” subreddit is being turned into a gameshow for Comedy Central UK hosted by LOL: Last One Laughing UK’s Jimmy Carr. Jimmy Carr’s Am I The Asshole? will invite members of the public to come before the host and a panel of two other comedians to ask controversial questions. These questions will cover everything from jaw-dropping relationship disputes to the pettiest of family squabbles and stories of behaviors that are guaranteed to split opinion. The “Am I The Asshole?” sub-reddit is famous worldwide and uses the acronym AITA. The BBC mined Reddit in the past for its hit comedy Am I Being Unreasonable?, which is also a famous subreddit. Jimmy Carr’s Am I The Asshole? is being produced by STV Studios-owned Tuesday’s Child. The series will be filmed in late spring and is due to air later this year on Comedy Central UK. Carr said: “There are an impressive number of assholes in our country and they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve on national television.”

Note: because of markdown formatting I have had to change "a**hole" to 'asshole". While it should obviously be "arsehole", it isn't actually clear what the series will be called, it might actually be using the bowdlerised version in the title.

Netflix‘s strategic investment in Welsh production hubs has generated more than £200 million ($265 million) for the U.K. economy since 2020, according to a report released Wednesday by the streaming giant and Creative Wales.

The economic windfall comes as the streamer gears to bow director Gareth Evans’ action thriller “Havoc,” starring Tom Hardy – now holding the distinction as the largest feature film ever shot entirely within Wales.

...

The Welsh investment represents part of Netflix’s broader U.K. production strategy, with the nation becoming a key filming destination for the streamer’s high-profile content. Beyond “Havoc,” Wales has hosted production for tentpole series including “The Witcher,” creating substantial economic ripple effects throughout the region.

According to the report, Netflix productions have supported over 500 Welsh businesses across multiple sectors since 2020. For every £1 ($1.32) spent by the streamer in Wales, 58 pence (76 cents) flows to TV and film sectors, with the remainder benefiting industries including rental and leasing, creative arts, and food and hospitality. The financial impact extends beyond direct spending, with each £1 invested by Netflix generating an additional 80 pence ($1.06) across the Welsh supply chain.

A year ago, Lionsgate flew Henry Cavill to Las Vegas, where he charmed audiences at CinemaCon with tales of the extensive sword training he was undergoing to star in Highlander for the studio. The project had been in development for almost a decade with filmmaker Chad Stahelski, but finally seemed to be moving forward.

Now, that project is indeed still moving forward, but it will be headed to Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists, which is in final negotiations to acquire the package from Lionsgate. The film is intended as a theatrical play.

At one time, Lionsgate was plotting an entire universe for Highlander, with Stahelski to oversee it all. But the new deal will give UA full rights to the franchise, which dates back to the 1986 feature about immortal warriors starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. As the tagline “there can only be one,” suggests, these warriors are pitted in battle agaisnt one another. With each immortal they kill, they become stronger, until only one will remain. The film spawned four sequels and three television series.

Under the deal, UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce. Neal H. Moritz will also produce with Stahelski’s banner, 87Eleven Entertainment. Michael Fench, who worked on Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 4, will pen the script.

Cavill has been attached to the proejct since 2021, while Stahelski has been attached since 2016.

...

Cavill is already in business with Amazon, starring in its upcoming Voltron movie, and is developing Warhammer 40,000 as a franchise.