Sunday, April 6, 2025

Image Credits: Moor Studio / Getty Images

To what extent has OpenAI trained its models on copyrighted content? And is that training protected as fair use?

These are big questions that will be debated as the company faces lawsuits from authors, publishers, and other rights holders. But a new study co-authored by researchers from the University of Washington, the University of Copenhagen, and Stanford may at least shed some light on the issue, according to Kyle Wiggers.

The researchers argue that by asking GPT-4 to guess words that are "high surprisal" (namely, uncommon in the context of a larger work), they found evidence that the model has been trained on popular fiction e-books, as well as New York Times articles.

Keep reading to see what else TechCrunch is covering this weekend.

Weekend news and opinion

Image Credits: TechCrunch

Is San Francisco bouncing back? The city's new mayor, Dan Lurie, spoke at our StrictlyVC San Francisco event, where he highlighted his administration's efforts to make sure SF stays at the center of the startup ecosystem, particularly when it comes to AI.

Flexport CEO still sees opportunity for global trade: Also at StrictlyVC, Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen discussed the Trump administration's tariff plans and made the case for remaining optimistic (at least in the long term) about international trade.

All the latest tech layoffs: Layoffs hit a broad swath of tech companies in March, from Block to HelloFresh to Sequoia Capital — to say nothing of the big cuts at government agencies like NASA. To help readers stay current on these changes, we've updated TechCrunch's comprehensive layoff tracker.

A Message from TechCrunch Events

Experience a full day of AI insights at TC Sessions: AI on June 5!

Be part of AI's future at TechCrunch Sessions: AI, taking place June 5 in Berkeley, California. Connect with 1,200+ leaders, VCs, and experts, and gain insights from top AI minds like Logan Kilpatrick (Google DeepMind), Oliver Cameron (Odyssey), Jae Lee (Twelve Labs), and more. Join main stage talks, roundtables, and top-tier networking. Don't wait — save $210 and register now!

What else we're reading 📗

Politico takes a broader look at how Silicon Valley is reacting to Elon Musk's work with the Trump administration. Apparently a number of (largely anonymous) sources say the industry's liberal-leaning corners remain fearful of criticizing Musk's efforts to dismantle huge swaths of the federal government.

Also, Defector looks at how we're littering Earth with space trash.

A Message from TechCrunch Events

From seed to scale — TC All Stage unites founders and VCs on July 15

Unlock your growth potential at TechCrunch All Stage! On July 15 in Boston, founders and investors connect for insights on early growth and post-Series A scaling. Learn from Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Jon McNeill (DVx Ventures), Chris Gardner (Underscore VC), and more. Breakouts, roundtables, and elite networking await. Save up to $210 now!

Before you go 🎬

They made a "M3GAN" sequel, and it looks very dumb (in a good way).

Featured jobs from CrunchBoard

Head of Strategic Finance, GITAI USA (Torrance, CA)

Senior Software Engineer, Source (Remote)

Engineering & Support Senior Director, AAOS (Rosemont, IL)

Research Systems Engineer - Computing Services, Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)

Machine Control Technician, Sinacola (Dallas, TX)

See more jobs on CrunchBoard

Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.

Check out some of our other newsletters:
Startups Weekly
TechCrunch Events
TechCrunch Mobility

Got a tip?
Get in touch securely.

Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com

Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.

Update your preferences here at any time

View this email online in your browser

By Dominic-Madori Davis

Friday, April 4, 2025

Happy Friday, y'all. I'm back with the afternoon rundown. We have news of President Trump extending the deadline for the TikTok ban and some new AI developments from Microsoft and Google. Let's dive in.

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Jens Büttner/picture alliance / Getty Images

😭 Well, the end has come: Meta is officially getting rid of its U.S. fact-checkers come Monday. The company previously announced it would get rid of fact-checks back in January, when it also said it would loosen rules around content moderation.

🤳 In some not-quite-shocking news: President Trump announced an extension to the deadline for the TikTok ban by 75 days. He announced the deadline extension via his Truth Social account, stating that he would sign an executive order to give more time for a deal to finalize.

🚀 Turbine takeoff: Debt platform Turbine raises $22 million in a round co-led by Alpha Edison and TTV Capital to give limited partners access to funds using fund stakes as collateral.

A Message from Silicon Valley Bank

Grow from seed to Series A with SVB

With 40+ years of industry experience, Silicon Valley Bank gives your seed funding the support it needs to bloom.

Learn More

Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Lionel Ng/Bloomberg / Getty Images

🛑 Usage caps: GitHub Copilot might get pricey for some users. It announced on Friday a limit on actions that can be taken for new models without having a subscription.

🎫 Speaking of a Copilot: Microsoft is teaching its Copilot to peruse the web for users and complete tasks such as making reservations or booking tickets. It can also remember things about its users, just like ChatGPT.

📈 Prices go up: Google announced API pricing for its Gemini 2.5 Pro, making it a bit more expensive for developers compared to Google's other AI models.

☁️ Obsessed with Bluesky? Well, we have the rundown of other consumer-facing apps seeking to give users more control over their social media and personal data. Many of these apps are built either on top of Bluesky or its underlying protocol.

A Message from TechCrunch Events

Founders and VCs, meet where it matters — TC All Stage on July 15!

Where founders and VCs connect: TechCrunch All Stage, taking place July 15 in Boston. Get insights on early growth and post-Series A scaling with speakers like Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Jon McNeill (DVx Ventures), Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures), and more. Breakouts, roundtables, and top networking await. Register now and save up to $210!

Around the web

💰 Tariff troubles: The impact of Trump's tariffs is being felt around the nation. Klarna and Medline, which were both looking to IPO this year, have postponed their public offering debuts as the tariffs rock the global markets, according to the Financial Times. Those companies aren't the only ones taking a pause.

🏞️ Pondering parks: Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk is looking to build a park in Austin, featuring everything from walking trails to a playground and tennis courts. His footprint down in Texas has been growing, the outlet said, as he funds schools, buys houses, and tries to incorporate a city.