Weekly Tech recap: Jio's New Year Plan, Tesla robot incident and more

In a week packed with significant developments, legal battles took center stage as The New York Times (NYT) filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, accusing them of unauthorized use of NYT's content to build artificial intelligence models, namely ChatGPT and Copilot. 

Meanwhile, on the innovation front, Reliance Jio and the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay announced the 'Bharat GPT' program, aiming to leverage large language models for transformative applications in India. Additionally, Jio unveiled its Happy New Year 2024 prepaid plan, and Apple overcame a temporary ban on two high-end Apple Watch models due to a patent dispute. Here is a recap of everthing occured this week in the world of technology.

Legal Battle: NYT vs. Microsoft and OpenAI

The New York Times initiated legal proceedings against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement by using millions of its articles without permission to develop AI models, including ChatGPT and Copilot. The lawsuit claims that these models generate content that mimics NYT's style, directly competing with the media outlet and undermining its relationship with readers. The NYT demands "billions of dollars" for the unauthorized use of its content, asserting that Microsoft and OpenAI sought a "free ride" on the massive investment in journalism.

Bharat GPT Program

Reliance Jio and IIT-Bombay announced the 'Bharat GPT' program, aiming to harness the power of large language models and generative AI to drive innovation across various sectors in India. Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio, emphasized the transformative impact of AI in the next decade and highlighted ongoing efforts to integrate AI horizontally across all sectors. The collaboration, part of Jio's broader vision 'Jio 2.0,' signifies a commitment to technological advancements and creating a comprehensive ecosystem of development.

Jio's New Year Plan and Operating system for TVs

Continuing its tradition, Reliance Jio launched the Happy New Year 2024 prepaid plan at ₹2,999 with additional validity. The plan offers 365 days of validity, 912.5GB data, unlimited voice calls, and free subscriptions to Jio apps. Additionally, Akash Ambani revealed Jio's plans to develop its own operating system for televisions, focusing on enhancing user experience and contributing to the company's ecosystem of services.

Apple Watch patent dispute resolution

Two high-end models of the Apple Watch, Series 9 and Ultra 2, can resume sales following a federal court's temporary lift of a sales halt imposed by the International Trade Commission due to a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo. Apple complied with the ITC ruling, temporarily halting online sales just before Christmas. The court's decision allows sales pending further consideration of Apple's appeal, highlighting the challenges as Apple expands its watches into health-management devices.

Tesla robot incident raises safety concerns

Reports surfaced about a Tesla robot attacking a software engineer at the company's Austin, Texas factory two years ago. The malfunctioning robot, intended for transporting car parts, allegedly trapped the engineer, causing severe injuries. The incident underscores potential safety compromises in the pursuit of swift production and raises questions about the robustness of safety measures in automated environments.

NPCI's Directive on inactive UPI IDs

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) issued a directive instructing payment applications to deactivate UPI IDs inactive for over a year by December 31, 2023. This measure aims to prevent inadvertent fund transfers when users switch mobile numbers without updating their banking information. Users of UPI applications are urged to verify the activity of their UPI IDs and associated phone numbers to avoid deactivation and the need for re-registration.