AI Industry Updates, October 2024: New Regulation & Product Tactics

Published 08 October 2024

Author
Adam Speight
2 min read

In a 25-country study on artificial intelligence (AI) imagery, 76% of consumers agreed with the statement “It’s getting to the point where I can’t tell if an image is real” (Getty Images, 2024). Now, China is planning legislation on content labelling to combat this confusion. Meanwhile, brands are exploring pricing models for advanced AI features.

  • China Demands AI Content Labelling: The Chinese government is implementing new rules on AI watermarks (labels to indicate imagery has been created using AI) on online platforms – stating “conspicuous notification labels” must be present. It will punish social media companies for falling foul of the new labelling standards and consider how widely the image has been shared.

    Speaking to Wired, Angela Zhang, a law professor at the University of Southern California studying Chinese tech regulations, highlights “labelling is a promising area for global consensus on a certain technical standard”. That being, putting the legal onus on the platforms to correctly signpost AI-generated content.

    For more, see Life in AI: Humanity, Society & Values.

  • Amazon & Samsung Consider New AI Payment Models: Amazon is set to launch an upgraded version of its Alexa voice assistant this October, and it will require a paid subscription. Meanwhile, Samsung has indicated some AI features currently featuring on its mobile devices will eventually require payment.

    Subscriptions offer brands a chance to recoup the costs of the high levels of investment required for AI computing power. Earlier this year, as Google launched its Gemini Advanced AI subscription product, Heather Dawe, chief data scientist at UK digital transformation consultancy UST, noted: “AI search is more expensive to compute than Google’s traditional search processes. So, in charging for AI search, Google will be seeking to at least recoup these costs.” 

    Further, Mark Wakefield, global co-leader at consulting firm AlixPartners, states: “Consumers have been far more willing to accept subscriptions or one-time activations post-sale than we expected them to be.”


For more, see Life in AI: Work, Learning & Skills.