Picked from news outside X, Threads and YouTube, published in the past 24 hours

1. KoreaAnthropic illegally downloaded 21 Korean ebooks, including Han Kang's; Korean bookstores fielded bulk-buy requests

   Anthropic, the U.S. company behind Claude, illegally downloaded 21 ebooks by 20 Korean authors, including Nobel laureate Han Kang, Hwang Sok-yong, Kim Ae-ran and Kim Young-ha.

   Newsis reported on Oct. 18 that the Literature Translation Institute of Korea identified the downloads and notified the authors. The titles include Han Kang's Human Acts, The Vegetarian and The White Book. The institute said it would actively support legal action if needed so the authors receive fair compensation.

   Anthropic also received print books through Korean distributor Woongjin Booxen, which said it signed a contract in 2024, supplied books in 2025 and treated it as an ordinary sale. Kyobo Book Centre said companies in the U.S. and U.K. emailed asking to buy 100,000 titles, but it declined after getting unclear answers about the final buyer. Yes24 and Aladin received similar offers.

   In the U.S., the Bartz v. Anthropic class action by authors and publishers ended with $1.5 billion in compensation.

   Keep reading ↓

   Further reading

   • Why is a U.S. AI company trying to buy Korean books in bulk? Publishers on alert뉴시스 ↗
   • Anthropic used 21 books by Korean authors including Han Kang and Kim Young-ha for AI training without permission아시아경제 ↗

2. USApple's $250 million Siri AI settlement: iPhone 16 buyers could get up to $95

   Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class action alleging it marketed Siri AI features for iPhones that weren't available when customers bought them.

   According to a Moneywise report on Yahoo Finance on Oct. 17, the settlement covers U.S. buyers of the iPhone 16 lineup, iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025 — about 37 million devices. Valid claims filed by Dec. 21 get $25 per device, potentially rising to $95 depending on the number of claims.

   Plaintiffs said Apple's 2024 pitch for a Siri that understands personal context set expectations it couldn't meet. Apple denies wrongdoing, and the deal still needs court approval. Apple ships HomeView, a $299 smart display built around the same Siri AI, on Nov. 13.

   Keep reading ↓

   Further reading

   • Apple bets on the same Siri AI technology with new HomeView device that led to a $250M settlement for iPhone usersYahoo Finance ↗

3. MarketsAnthropic co-founder Jack Clark: AI could lift U.S. GDP 50% in four years, to $44 trillion

   Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark said continued AI progress could grow U.S. gross domestic product by about 50% to $44 trillion by 2030.

   Speaking at the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok on Oct. 17, Clark, who leads public benefit at Anthropic, cited an internal company model, Yonhap reported. U.S. GDP is currently around $30 trillion. He acknowledged the figure sounds very outlandish.

   Clark also warned that evidence is mounting for a singularity in which AI outpaces human control. AI is still under human control, he said, but only a few years remain to build safeguards.

   Keep reading ↓

   Further reading

   • Anthropic co-founder: AI to lift U.S. GDP 50% in four years, from $30 trillion to $44 trillion연합뉴스 ↗