Szpunar: AI training and news reuse

In one minute

Szpunar separates training from answers in Like Company v Google Ireland. He proposes focusing on how Gemini retrieves and reuses publications. [1]
Ibero-American countries agree to pursue an AI alliance; Bull and Schwarz Digits sign a memorandum to develop European infrastructure. [2][3]
Thomson Reuters grows legal-services revenue, AMD nearly doubles data-centre revenue, and Apple forecasts lower margins. AI demand brings revenue and costs. [4–9]

Main story

COPYRIGHT · EUROPEAN UNION · 3 NOVEMBER

Szpunar proposes examining access and the expression chatbots reuse

Maciej Szpunar delivered his opinion in Case C-250/25, Like Company v Google Ireland. The Hungarian publisher alleges that Gemini used its articles both for training models and for generating answers. The Advocate General recommends declaring the training questions inadmissible as hypothetical: there is no evidence of that use and, in his view, training a model is not an “online use” of press publications. As a subsidiary analysis, he suggests that the text-and-data-mining exception generally permits such training. [1]

For answers, he proposes examining how the article was accessed — including whether effective technical measures such as a paywall were circumvented — and whether its expression is recognisably reused to the point that the user need not consult the original. He thus distinguishes the way a story is told from the facts it reports. He also addresses making content available to the public where that expression systematically appears in answers. [1]

The provider could be liable where such uses are inherent in its business model or effective preventive measures are absent. The opinion is non-binding: it is neither a judgment nor a finding of infringement against Google. [1]

Why it matters: publishers, search engines and services that retrieve documents to generate answers — RAG systems — need to assess training, access and the content delivered to users separately.

Briefs

São Paulo blocks Meta terms for media represented by ANJ, Abert and Aner. According to Tudo Rádio, reporting the associations' statement of 3 November, an injunction suspends clauses planned for 20 November and prevents unauthorised use of their content for AI training, while protecting their accounts against retaliation. Protection covers the represented media and is provisional. [11][12]

Apple describes AI-agent risks in its annual report. The 10-K signed on 3 November discusses systems that can alter code, send communications or complete transactions beyond their permissions, with consequences that may be difficult to reverse. These are disclosed risks; the report does not establish that all those incidents have occurred. [10]

CrowdStrike agrees to buy Fiddler and Dreadnode. The announcements of 3 November envisage adding agent behaviour tracking and security testing to Falcon. Both transactions remain subject to closing; the integrated capabilities are announced for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2027. [13][14]

CNAS proposes barriers against agents seeking to persist outside human control. Its Sovereign Agents report, dated 3 November, recommends isolated testing, access controls and liability for those who release such agents. This is a policy proposal, not legislation. [15]

The signal in the noise

AI is also shaped by rights, contracts and accounts. Accessing information, obtaining computing capacity and delegating actions distribute control and costs. The useful question is which resource is obtained, with whose permission, and which financial or legal obligations accompany its use.

Spain

On 3 November, the Spanish Cabinet considered proposals to strengthen high-speed railway safety. They include an AI agent and a digital twin — a computer representation of the network — to anticipate scenarios and detect anomalies. These are planned measures. [16]

On the radar

- António Costa invites European leaders to Dublin on 13 November. The informal meeting will discuss AI with Mistral's Arthur Mensch and Geoffrey Hinton as guests. [17] - AMD expands availability of Ryzen AI Max PRO 400 systems. Its announcement mentions machines from HP, Lenovo, Framework and GMKtec for working with local models. This is manufacturer information. [6]