Business

Art created autonomously by AI can’t be copyrighted, federal appeals court rules

A federal appeals court ruled that art created autonomously by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted, saying that at least initial human authorship is required for a copyright. The ruling Tuesday upheld a decision by the U.S. Copyright Office denying computer scientist Stephen Thaler a copyright for the painting “A Recent Entrance to Paradise.” The picture was created by Thaler’s AI platform, the “Creativity Machine.” The...
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Amazon AI scammers duped investors out of millions with ‘passive income’ scheme, FTC alleges

The Federal Trade Commission is going after an e-commerce company that allegedly took millions of dollars from consumers as part of a “passive income” scheme, which spun up Amazon storefronts on their behalf and promised “insane returns” that were higher than the stock market. The FTC said Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against the company, called Click Profit; its...
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Klarna, nearing IPO, plucks lucrative Walmart fintech partnership from rival Affirm

Swedish fintech firm Klarna will be the exclusive provider of buy now, pay later loans for Walmart, taking a coveted partnership away from rival Affirm, CNBC has learned. Klarna, which just disclosed its intention to go public in the U.S., will provide loans to Walmart customers in stores and online through the retailer’s majority-owned fintech startup OnePay, according to people with knowledge...
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Dollar General CEO warns consumers are cash-strapped and says 2025 won’t be better

Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said on Thursday that inflation continues to hurt the discounter’s customers and that the macroeconomic environment won’t improve this year. On the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Vasos said customers are expecting value and convenience “more than ever” from the dollar-store chain. “Our customers continue to report that their financial situation has worsened over...
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