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BBC Threatens Legal Action Against AI Startup Perplexity Over Content Scraping, FT Reports

The BBC has threatened to take legal action against AI startup Perplexity, accusing the company of using BBC content to train its “default AI model,” according to the Financial Times report on Friday. This marks the British broadcaster as the latest news organization to allege content scraping by the AI firm.

The BBC may seek an injunction unless Perplexity stops scraping its content, deletes any existing copies used for AI training, and submits “a proposal for financial compensation” to address the alleged misuse of its intellectual property, the FT said, citing a letter sent to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas.

The broadcaster confirmed the report in a statement to Reuters.

Perplexity has faced similar accusations from other media outlets including Forbes and Wired for plagiarizing their content. In response, the startup has launched a revenue-sharing program aimed at addressing publishers’ concerns.

In October last year, the New York Times sent Perplexity a “cease and desist” letter demanding the company stop using its content for generative AI.

Since the rise of ChatGPT, publishers have expressed concerns about AI chatbots combing the internet to extract information and generate summarized content for users.

According to the FT report, the BBC said parts of its content were reproduced verbatim by Perplexity, and links to the BBC website have appeared in the AI startup’s search results.

Perplexity described the BBC’s claims as “manipulative and opportunistic,” stating that the broadcaster has “a fundamental misunderstanding of technology, the internet and intellectual property law,” in a statement to Reuters.

Perplexity’s service provides information by searching the internet, similar to ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The startup is backed by notable investors including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, AI leader Nvidia, and Japan’s SoftBank Group.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Perplexity is in advanced talks to raise $500 million in a funding round that would value the company at $14 billion.

Apple Explores Using AI to Accelerate Chip Design, Says Executive

Apple is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the design of its custom chips, a senior hardware technology executive revealed during a recent speech.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, spoke last month in Belgium while receiving an award from Imec, a semiconductor research and development group that collaborates with leading chipmakers worldwide.

In his speech, Srouji traced Apple’s journey in chip design from the introduction of the first A4 chip in the iPhone back in 2010 to the latest processors powering Mac desktop computers and the Vision Pro headset. He emphasized that using the most advanced design tools is essential to meet the growing complexity of Apple’s chips.

He highlighted the importance of electronic design automation (EDA) software, developed by companies like Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, which are increasingly integrating AI technologies into their platforms. According to Srouji, generative AI has strong potential to boost productivity by enabling more chip design work in less time.

Srouji also reflected on Apple’s bold strategic decisions, especially the 2020 transition of its Mac computers from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips. The move involved no fallback plans or partial rollouts, reflecting Apple’s commitment to fully owning the chip design and software integration process.

“Moving the Mac to Apple Silicon was a huge bet for us. There was no backup plan, no split-the lineup plan, so we went all in, including a monumental software effort,” Srouji said.

Microsoft Plans Thousands of Job Cuts Amid AI Expansion

Microsoft is preparing to lay off thousands of employees, particularly in its sales division, according to a Bloomberg News report published Wednesday. The move comes as the company accelerates investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and realigns its workforce to support the growing demands of the technology.

The layoffs are expected to be announced early next month, following the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year. While the exact number of job cuts has not been confirmed, sources suggest that the move will impact more than just sales roles. Microsoft declined to comment on the report.

This would mark the second significant round of layoffs in 2025, following cuts in May that affected around 6,000 employees.

The tech giant has committed a record $80 billion in capital expenditure this fiscal year, with most of that spending allocated to expanding data centers and AI infrastructure. These investments are designed to support Microsoft’s growing suite of AI-powered services, including its close partnership with OpenAI and integration of generative AI across its software platforms.

The shift mirrors trends across the industry. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated on Tuesday that generative AI and agent technologies would likely reduce corporate workforce needs over the coming years, underscoring how automation and AI are reshaping traditional business roles.

With a global workforce of 228,000 employees as of June 2024, Microsoft is balancing aggressive growth in AI with internal restructuring — a sign of how tech giants are repositioning for the next phase of innovation-driven competition.