AI executives

Newly unsealed court briefs in the Authors Guild's copyright lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI indicate that top executives at the companies were aware that using pirated books to train AI models was legally questionable. The Authors Guild, representing writers including prominent novelists, argues the disclosures show deliberate disregard of authors' rights. The case is one of several testing whether training AI on copyrighted works without permission qualifies as fair use.

Arthur Mensch, chief executive of French AI start-up Mistral, argues in an interview with Le Monde that artificial intelligence is fundamentally software and can therefore be controlled. He is pushing back against framings of AI as an uncontrollable force, a position that has drawn attention and debate among technology commentators.

NVIDIA has published OpenShell, an open-source project described as a safe, private runtime for autonomous AI agents. Written in Rust, the tool is aimed at letting AI agents execute tasks in an isolated environment without exposing user data or systems. The project is drawing attention in developer communities focused on AI agent security and deployment.

Robinhood is enabling users to create AI agents directly in its app that autonomously analyse markets, develop strategies and execute trades. This gives retail investors AI-powered trading capabilities that were previously reserved for professionals and hedge funds. Commenters in the finance community are discussing what this means for market access and the risks of letting automated agents trade on behalf of everyday users.

President Donald Trump says he and leading technology executives have signed an agreement on artificial intelligence that he described as 'morally binding'. The announcement followed a White House lunch with tech leaders focused on AI policy. Critics are likely to question what obligations a non-legally-binding pledge actually carries, while the industry's closeness to the administration continues to draw scrutiny.

President Trump has signed an executive order directing the US government to adopt the term 'super intelligence' when referring to artificial intelligence, according to a policy report covered by The Verge. The move has drawn attention over its framing of AI policy and what it signals about the administration's approach to the technology.

The New York Times reports that Microsoft has appointed Asha Sharma, an AI executive with no prior gaming experience, as the new head of Xbox. The move comes after a decade in which Xbox has consistently finished third behind PlayStation and Nintendo in the console market. Commentators are weighing whether an AI-focused leader can revive the brand's hardware fortunes or signal a shift away from traditional consoles.

Micron's chief executive says the memory market will be considerably tighter in 2027 and 2028 than in 2026, signaling expectations of stronger demand or constrained supply in the DRAM and NAND sectors. The comments point to potential price increases and supply pressure for device makers, and come as the industry absorbs surging demand tied to AI data centers.

SaaStr founder Jason Lemkin argues open-source AI has passed its peak, pointing to a wave of blockbuster deals: AMD acquiring Fei-Fei Li's World Labs for $8.2 billion and Meta paying roughly $500 million to recruit a top AI executive. The claims suggest consolidation and talent wars are now driving the AI industry more than open models.

Amazon has introduced Strands Decider 2B, a small AI model aimed at making AI agents faster and more efficient. The model is designed to help decide how agents should route and execute tasks, reducing cost and latency compared with larger models. The release is part of Amazon's broader Strands framework for building autonomous agents, as tech companies race to streamline agentic AI workflows.

Kevin Rudd, Australia's ambassador to the United States, has publicly criticised OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, telling him to 'lift his game' following a data breach at the artificial intelligence company. The comment puts direct pressure on one of the world's most prominent tech leaders at a moment when concerns over data security and AI governance are already running high.