Welcome to The Week in Generative AI, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights that sums up the latest news surrounding this rapidly evolving technology.

Report: Apple, Nvidia and others used YouTube subtitles to train AI without permission

In an article co-published with Wired titled “Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic used thousands of swiped YouTube videos to train AI,” Proof News’ Annie Gilbertson and Alex Reisner report that Apple, Nvidia and other companies trained AI models on YouTube video subtitles without obtaining permission, despite the platform having rules against doing so. Examples of channels whose content was trained on include The Wall Street Journal and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, as well as content from star YouTube creators such as MrBeast. Find the full story here.

Previously: “Scarlett Johansson threatens legal action against OpenAI for allegedly copying her voice,” as we noted in the May 24 edition of this column.

See also: “U.S. record labels sue AI music generators, alleging copyright infringement,” as we noted in the June 28 edition of this column.

Paramount’s new Ads Manager brings AI-powered TV advertising creative to small businesses

Paramount has launched Ads Manager, a new AI-powered tool that aims to streamline the content creation process for video and TV advertising, Adweek’s Saleah Blancaflor reports. Targeting midsized and small businesses looking to break into TV advertising for the first time, the tool is focused on the creation of 15- and 30-second video ads, Blancaflor notes, adding that campaign minimums are set as low as $500.

See also: “Adobe announces GenStudio, a new app focused on bringing marketers ‘brand-safe’ generative AI,” as we noted in the March 29 edition of this column.

Arm & Hammer launches AI tool to boost shelter cat adoptions

Cat litter maker Arm & Hammer has teamed up with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to create “Purrsonality Pics” — AI-generated images designed to help shelter cats get adopted, MediaPost’s Tanya Gazdik reports. The initiative initially launched in June with an additional wave of images set to drop on July 24. The campaign “aims to capture the unique personality of each cat, making it easier for potential adopters to feel an instant connection and lead to better adoption matches,” Gazdik notes.

The Verge explores the sketch-to-image generator on Samsung’s new smartphone

In an article titled “Samsung’s new image-generating AI tool is a little too good,” The Verge’s Allison Johnson explores an AI sketch-to-image generator on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 smartphone. To use it, Johnson explains, “You draw something, highlight it and choose from a handful of styles like ‘3D cartoon’ and ‘illustration’ to turn your doodle into something more detailed.” The concerning part of the impressive tech has to do with the fact that the “capabilities and accessibility of generative AI tools are outrunning our shared understanding of what might be real and what might be fake when you scroll through Instagram,” she writes. Read the full story here.

ICYMI: Goldman Sachs sees challenges ahead for AI ROI

Recent analysis from Goldman Sachs raises questions about the prospects that generative AI will produce large enough financial returns to justify the $1 trillion that may be invested in the technology over the next few years. “Gen AI: too much spend, too little benefit?” from Goldman Sachs Global Macro Research presents a series of interviews with economists and other experts and reaches two conclusions: First, Gen AI may provide only “limited US economic upside.” And second, it may not become the transformative force that many predict. Other observers express a bit more optimism about generative AI, but the report also highlights rising challenges ranging from the shortage of AI chips to the extreme energy demands of the technology.

See also: “AI’s $600B Question” (Sequoia Capital)

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