Google SWE points 48 AI agents at NASA Lidar, finds unmapped Maya pyramid in 72h

Re:Google SWE points 48 AI agents at NASA Lidar, finds unmap... by brookst on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @10:52AM (#50454847)

From my perspective, the bad actors are the corporations and greedy people who turned copyright into a perpetual rent on IP. If copyright terms and IP laws were reasonable, I'd be 100% with you. But the idea that a novel written in 1940 is still not public domain, just so the heirs (or more likely, corporate purchasers of the rights) can continue to profit on a work that was itself but on the shoulders of thousands of years of civilization? Screw that.

The Walt Disneys of the world screwed themselves on this one. If copyright was still the 20+20 it started as, and if the bulk of people being "stolen" from (don't get me started on using theft to refer to IP), then I think most people would be much more up in arms over the AI industry.

But, in a world with sane copyright laws, perhaps AI companies would have different approaches. Today, if they want anything after 1930, they're either breaking laws or in uncharted territory.

And siloing our knowledge is a silly response even if you are a copyright maximalist.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google SWE points 48 AI agents at NASA Lidar, finds unmap... by GolfPopper on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @12:08PM (#50455768)

Which is all fine and dandy, but the scrapers aren't looting IP for the public good, they're looting it so they can make a profit. It's the class of people and organizations who were already benefitting from broken copyright ignoring the rules themselves, to the detriment of the countless individuals who kept our creativity going.

[ Parent | on HN ]