In what is being seen as an important early judicial ruling for the AI industry, a federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that Anthropic did not break the law when it used copyrighted material to train its AI chatbot Claude. The company will have to go to trial, however, over its use of pirated copies of books.

US District Judge William Alsup issued a pretrial ruling late Monday that absolves San Francisco-based Anthropic, for now, over the issue of the use of books and copyrighted material to train its AI model. As the Associated Press reports, Alsup was convinced by Anthropic’s attorneys that reading the material into their large language models qualifies as “fair use” under copyright law, because the product produced, the chatbot, was “quintessentially transformative.”

“Like any reader aspiring to be a writer, Anthropic’s [AI large language models] trained upon works not to race ahead and replicate or supplant them — but to turn a hard corner and create something different,” Alsup wrote in his ruling.

But, Alsup said that a trial could proceed on the question of how Anthropic collected the books it first fed into Claude, namely from pirated copies found on the internet. Internal communications at the company allegedly reveal that employees knew this could spell trouble, and only later did they pay for digital copies of the books.

Alsup wrote that “Anthropic had no entitlement to use pirated copies for its central library.” And, the fact “That Anthropic later bought a copy of a book it earlier stole off the internet will not absolve it of liability for the theft but it may affect the extent of statutory damages.”

This decision may set some precedent in the ongoing battles over chatbots and the fast-and-loose way in which companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have scraped the internet, copyrights be damned, to train the robots how to write and respond to human prompts.

A case with a somewhat different angle is headed to trial in New York, in which the New York Times and other publishers are suing OpenAI for the way in which it fed mass amounts of articles into its ChatGPT and other models. In that case, which a judge in March ruled could head to trial, attorneys for the Times argue both that OpenAI scoured its archive without payment, and that its model reproduces Times reporting in ways that are not “transformative,” as the “fair use” doctrine requires.

The Harvard Law Review noted in April that the Times is arguing the exact opposite case than it did 24 ago in a case involving freelance writers, New York Times Co. v. Tasini. The Times is now arguing for the “creative, deeply human work of journalists,” when in the earlier case, it fought to protect its own financial interests against the copyright interests of freelancers. The Supreme Court, in an opinion written by Ruth Bader Ginsberg, ruled in favor of the freelancers, who said their copyrights had been violated when the Times and other publications fed their work into databases devoid of the context in which it was originally written, and without compensation.

Previously: Meta’s AI Efforts Include Huge Privacy Flub; Sam Altman Says Meta’s Been Trying to Poach OpenAI Staff

Top image: In this photo illustration, a person holds a smartphone displaying the logo of “Claude,” an AI language model by Anthropic, with the company’s logo visible in the background, illustrating the rapid development and adoption of generative AI technologies, on December 29, 2024 in Chongqing, China. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a cornerstone of China’s strategic ambitions, with the government aiming to establish the country as a global leader in AI by 2030. (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

Infrared tech is moving beyond saunas and into daily life. Athletech News spoke with Hologenix CEO and co-founder Seth Casden about the rise of passive wellness and how body heat–powered infrared is reshaping recovery, sleep and everyday health

Forget spa facemasks and infrared saunas. Infrared technology is moving beyond the spa and into the fabric of daily life—literally—into activewear, pajamas, sheets and even ski boots. It may not be a household concept yet, but one company is aiming to change that: Hologenix, a California-based materials science company behind Celliant, a proprietary blend of minerals that converts body heat into infrared energy.

To put it simply, that energy is reflected into the skin and muscles, where it helps increase local circulation and oxygenation at the cellular level, supporting performance, recovery and improved sleep. The technology is powered by a blend of natural bioceramic minerals, which can be embedded into fibers and fabric or applied as a topical coating, making it easy to integrate into everyday products, such as bedding, apparel and more.

And as consumer expectations around wellness continue to shift, infrared is stepping into a larger role, supporting a more passive and “always-on” approach to health. Seth Casden, co-founder and CEO of Hologenix, is positioning his company to lead that charge.

“In today’s world, we consumers don’t just want a brand name,” he says. “We are looking for accessible products that look good, feel good and have tangible benefits. That’s where infrared comes in. It’s the perfect balance—a technology that has been around long enough that it is science-backed and people are familiar with the recovery benefits from seeing it in saunas, but in a completely new format that makes it exciting.”

Infrared Goes Mainstream

Casden believes the timing is right for the wider adoption of infrared. The technology has credibility, thanks to its long-standing use in therapeutic settings, but now it’s showing up in performance wear, recovery gear and even home textiles.

“It is essentially up-leveling everyday products,” Casden says. “Most people already understand that infrared can help with faster recovery, and now are discovering it can also improve athletic performance and support more restful sleep.”

This versatility is fueling a new frontier in reimagining health, described by Casden as “passive wellness.”

The Rise of Passive Wellness

“Passive wellness is the idea that you can incorporate things into your daily life that don’t require active effort, but still support your overall health and well-being,” he explains. “I think we can all agree that an intense 60-minute long workout or going to a weekly spa appointment are great ways to live a healthy lifestyle, but those require quite a lot of commitment—time, energy and money.”

For consumers short on time, Casden says integrating infrared products like bedding, pajamas, kinesiology tape or socks containing an ingredient like Celliant can be a simple way to embrace passive wellness.

“It’s often things people are already doing or buying, but with a little bit more intention and a lot more payoff thanks to infrared,” he says.

Science vs. Skepticism

If passive wellness is the concept, peer-reviewed science helps ground it. Celliant has ten peer-reviewed, published clinical trials, something Casden says separates legitimate wellness tech from gimmicks.

“Consumers are smart,” he says. “They’ve become extremely well-versed in finding quality solutions and sussing out bogus claims. Science is the key to success when it comes to validating wellness claims.”

Scientific validation has become increasingly important in a wellness market crowded with self-proclaimed biohacks. Still, even with studies to support it, infrared faces a visibility problem—literally.

“The idea that you have to ‘see it to believe it’ is one of our biggest hurdles as a company,” Casden points out. “The hardest step is convincing people to give the product a shot, but once they do, the results are nearly immediate and they have incredibly positive feedback.”

To address skepticism, Hologenix has leaned on real-world demonstrations, like a grip strength test to give consumers a tangible sense of a technology that’s largely invisible.

See Also

“We’ll have people try out their grip using a hand-held dynamometer, squeezing as hard as possible to set their benchmark, and then retest after wearing a Celliant wristband just a few minutes later,” Casden says. “In most cases, their measured grip strength improves just by wearing the wristband.”

A Consumer Shift, A Brand Evolves

With growing interest in recovery, performance and sleep, Hologenix is expanding quickly and is launching its own direct-to-consumer offerings, beginning with the Infrared Dream Pillow Powered by Celliant, designed to enhance sleep through improved thermoregulation, circulation and cellular oxygenation. 

The brand also appeals to eco-conscious consumers, as Celliant is known for its durability.

“Because the infrared-emitting minerals are embedded directly into the core of the fibers, they don’t wash out or fade throughout the useful life of the product,” Casden says. “The technology repurposes body heat, so the benefits don’t deteriorate over time—creating an exceptionally long lifespan.”

Next Stop: Healthcare

While Celliant is already used in some medical textiles and equipment, including bandages and wraps, Casden sees broader potential in clinical settings. He says the company continually evaluates new applications and is especially interested in expanding further into the healthcare sector.

“For example, people with diabetes are a population that might benefit from increased circulation,” he says. “There is definitely more work to be done around medical applications.”

A Vision for the Future

Ultimately, Casden sees infrared not as a performance enhancer, but as a foundational wellness tool.

“The dream is for every home to have infrared-enhanced products,” he says. “But if we can help improve the health of even one person I would consider it a success. I really believe that infrared can change lives and create a happier, healthier world. In 5 years, I hope that infrared technology has become more mainstream and there is a high level of consumer trust—and collectively, we are all getting more restful sleep, live at peak performance and recover well.”

As much as the term “customer experience” has become somewhat of a buzzword, it has also become a serious consideration for businesses across almost every sector in today’s post-pandemic world.

Consumer behavior has shifted drastically over the past five years and continues to change based on a number of external factors, including economic uncertainty, climate change and a volatile political climate. Companies are now tasked with meeting the customer where they’re at – wherever that may be – and creating an overall experience that almost transcends the product or service being sold.

In consumer-facing industries, such as entertainment and hospitality, technology can be used to make customer interactions more efficient, personalized and engaging. BizTimes spoke to a few consumer-facing businesses in the region about how they’re using new and innovative technology to improve the consumer experience.

Smarter, faster drive-thrus

The COVID-19 pandemic created growth opportunities for quick-service restaurants, thanks to drive-thru, carryout and online ordering systems that were already established and equipped to handle an increase in demand for off-premise dining. Some brands used the shift as an opportunity to invest in upgrading their e-commerce sites and mobile ordering platforms.

Five years post-pandemic, a lasting trend in the QSR category has been the use of drive-thrus as a preferred ordering method, and many fast-food restaurants have made efforts to improve their drive-thru systems with the latest technology, including digital screens, order confirmation and, most recently, voice AI.

The Howard Company is currently working with several large-sized, national QSR clients to test voice AI tech in their drive-thrus, said president and CEO Sara Sina. The Brookfield-based company provides branding signage and technology, including drive-thru equipment, digital displays and indoor menu boards, primarily for the restaurant industry but also for banks, convenience stores and grocers.

The company is now pairing its order confirmation system with third-party voice AI technology for a better customer experience in the drive-thru line, said Sina. Digital order confirmation allows the customer to see their order as they’re placing it, speeding up service and reducing errors. With the integration of voice AI, an AI agent – instead of a human being – takes the order using voice recognition.

Sina said the voice AI technology is currently about 90% accurate and is quickly approaching human-level accuracy, while also sounding more and more conversational and human-like. The agent is receptive to order customizations and corrections, but if there are communication challenges, The Howard Company’s software allows a human operator to seamlessly intervene anywhere in the ordering process.

“Speed, convenience, and accuracy are the biggest things that people are looking for – besides good food – when they go through the drive-thru, and all of these technologies are meant to help with that,” said Sina.

Voice AI eliminates the need for a person to be manning the drive-thru all day, enabling the restaurants to save on labor costs.

Self-order kiosks have also been a popular tech addition at many fast-casual restaurants, said Sina. The kiosks help with “handling peak surge,” keeping lines at the counter at bay, but they also allow customers to feel more control of the order process with customization options at their fingertips and more time to peruse the menu. A kiosk screen also has more space than an overhead menu board to display detailed descriptions of each item.

A baseball fan walks into American Family Field using the new hands-free MLB Go-Ahead Entry option. Credit: Milwaukee Brewers

Getting into the ballgame – faster

Over the past year, the Milwaukee Brewers have implemented new technology at American Family Field to make arrival and entry more efficient for fans.

This season, a new facial authentication ticketing system, called MLB Go-Ahead Entry, was installed at two of the stadium’s seven gates, with plans to expand the option to more gates next year. Last season, the Brewers introduced a new automated parking payment system that allows fans to pay in advance or day-of using QR codes posted in the parking lots. Both systems are integrated into the MLB Ballpark app.

“One of the things we’re trying to do with parking and ingress is to make it a much more seamless experience,” said Rick Schlesinger, president of baseball operations, at a March press conference previewing the 2025 season. “People want to get here, they don’t want to wait in lines, they want to come to the ballpark … If you can get here faster, that’s a good thing.”

The Brewers are now one of 10 MLB teams to implement the voluntary MLB Go-Ahead Entry system. To use it, fans who are 18 or older can register and enroll by capturing a live selfie in the MLB Ballpark app. Upon entry at one of the designated gates, fans proceed through security and then – instead of taking out their phone to show their ticket – they simply walk past a facial recognition camera and straight into the ballpark. For groups, only the ticket holder needs to be enrolled in the system for everyone to enter using MLB Go-Ahead.

Schlesinger told BizTimes in June that MLB Go-Ahead has “dramatically” increased the speed of entry into the ballpark and the number of fans using the technology has increased from game to game as well, averaging about 1,800 scans per game. The positive reception from fans was expected based on the successful rollout of the technology at other ballparks, and it’s why the Brewers are “seriously considering” having it available at all gates next season.

“I think fans appreciate the fact that we’re using this technology to help them get into the ballpark faster,” said Schlesinger, adding that quicker entry is also good for business. The sooner fans step into the stadium, the sooner they can purchase concessions, merchandise and the like.

Schlesinger says he’s “bullish” on what technology can bring to the fan experience but acknowledged the varying levels of comfortability around its use. For example, some people may not be comfortable giving out their personal information or an image of their face.

“We want to make sure that there’s alternatives for them because not everybody’s going to embrace technology at the same level or have the same level of comfort, and we want to make sure that we don’t alienate any one or portion of our fan base,” he said.

As the Brewers continue to realize the benefits of technology, Schlesinger said it’s important to keep an open mind and continue to try new things, “even if they don’t work the first time.”

When the Brewers debuted their new QR code-based parking payment system on Opening Day last year, many users experienced connectivity issues, forcing the system to be temporarily suspended. It relaunched in August after additional testing and has worked “extremely well” since then, according to Schlesinger.

Developed by Milwaukee-based Interstate Parking Co., the system uses license plate recognition technology and eliminates the need to wait in line at the entrance to pay for parking or scan a pass. Instead, fans drive straight into the lot, still directed into spots by parking attendants onsite. QR codes posted visibly on light poles throughout the parking lots allow fans to activate a pre-paid parking pass or purchase a pass upon arrival. As an alternative to scanning a QR code, fans can find a parking ambassador or pay station to complete the transaction.

“We’re seeing a tremendous increase in how quickly cars can come in and park,” said Schlesinger. “And the beauty of the system is no longer is there a transaction at the parking entrances that can require a credit card or cash … it takes time to have a transaction.”

Reflecting on the issues with the initial rollout, Schlesinger said launching the new tech on Opening Day, one of the busiest days of the year, was probably not the best idea. The Brewers and Interstate purposefully delayed the relaunch until August to be sure all the kinks had been worked out. While fans have largely adopted the new system, there is still – like with most things – a learning curve.

“Innovation and technology, they come with challenges and pitfalls and sometimes things don’t work, but that’s not a reason not to pursue it,” he said.

Moviegoers can order food and beverages ahead of time or from their seats through the Marcus Theatres mobile app. Credit: Marcus Theatres

High-tech cinema

Marcus Corp. is another Milwaukee-based company that has invested heavily in technology in recent years to improve the on-premise customer experience. Its theatres division today sells 70% of its tickets through online channels, including its mobile app, its website or partner ticketing sites, according to Marcus Corp. chief financial officer Chad Paris.

The Marcus Theatres mobile app was first rolled out in 2020 and has since evolved to allow customers to not only purchase tickets but also pre-order concessions, sign up for the chain’s loyalty program, redeem gift cards and more.

Concession ordering was added to the app soon after its debut. At the time, the function was based out of necessity due to the pandemic, but it continues to add value to the theater experience – and to business.

“When we get customers to use online ordering, they tend to buy more,” said Paris. “They’re buying more items, and more customers are buying food and beverages that way.”

He said there’s a tendency for customers to bypass the concession stand if the line is too long, so “we’d like to shift as much of the purchasing process to the app just to help alleviate the lines at the concession stands.”

Beyond its mobile app, Marcus Theatres has installed new digital projection technology for enhanced viewing and the opportunity to expand programming into live and pre-recorded musical performances, sporting events and other alternative content. It has also made investments in its loyalty system to better understand and analyze customer data around genre preferences and purchase behavior.

“I would say the technology right now is allowing us to provide a higher level of customer service and a better experience for customers,” said Paris. “It’s giving us insights into what customers expect and what they want. And it’s helping our associates more efficiently serve the guests and allowing us to allocate resources and labor more efficiently.”

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Quick Summary

A new feature could be coming to the Android Fitbit app that will make life much easier.

An AAPK teardown suggests a future version of the Android Fitbit app will send you a notification when your fitness tracker is fully charged. This is something that’s been available on iPhone for years.

We haven’t seen a new Fitbit fitness tracker for quite some time now. The Fitbit Charge 6 arrived back in September 2023 and while there are rumours of a Fitbit Charge 7 in the works, nothing has officially materialised as yet.

It’s possible Google – which acquired Fitbit back in 2021 – will release a new device in September, as this has traditionally been one of the months new Fitbit devices have launched (to coincide with trade show IFA), but that might not be all we hear before the year is out.

There is a report on Android Authority that suggests Google is also working on bringing a feature to the Fitbit app on Android, which iPhone users have had for a long time.

What feature can Android Fitbit users look forward to?

According to the APK teardown of the Fitbit app (version 4.46.fitbit-mobile-110330687-770369387), your Android phone may soon send you a notification when your Fitbit has fully charged.

Sounds like a pretty simple feature to offer doesn’t it? Well, despite Google owning Fitbit and Android, iPhone users have benefitted from getting a notification when their Fitbit has charged for years, while Android users have to constantly check their tracker instead.

We still don’t have official confirmation on the addition or when it might arrive, but it’s fair to say it has been a long time coming.

The Fitbit app was recently updated to introduce a redesigned Device Settings page that is similar to the Pixel Watch app, while Android users will also get a notification if their Fitbit device is running low on battery.

Software updates often come around much more regularly than new devices, so we’re hoping for the sake of the Android Fitbit users out there that this discovery will be pushed sooner than later. For now, you’ll have to sit tight and keep those Android fingers crossed.

After launching at the X Games last January, The Owl AI has raised an $11 million seed round as it seeks new sports and settings where it can update human-based functions like officiating and judging.

Championed by Jeremy Bloom, a tech entrepreneur and former Olympic skier who was also a onetime NFL draft pick, the company has drawn significant backing. Its seed round was led by S32, which was founded by Google Ventures creator Bill Maris, and participants also include Menlo Ventures and Susa Ventures. Bloom, who is CEO of the X Games, has installed former Google Cloud AI chief Josh Gwyther as CEO. 

“When we launched The Owl in Aspen, the mission was clear: to modernize and elevate how sports are judged, experienced, and understood, using the power of AI,” Bloom said. “What I didn’t anticipate was the immediate surge of excitement among all the stakeholders including athletes and also other leagues. It was obvious that we were on to something big and necessary.”

Gwyther’s hiring, he added, is a “major moment, not just for The Owl, but for the entire world of sports technology.”

The goal of The Owl is to bring about fairness through technology. The company says it is in active discussions with a range of leagues and rightsholders in multiple sports. Although instant replay is now commonplace, more embeddable tech solutions like the Cyclops system in tennis for automated line calls, are more in line with where the company is heading. For TV and streaming viewers, the flaws and delays of the current landscape are also a pain point (just scroll social media on the morning after the big game). Plus, the explosion of sports betting and the financial payoffs hanging in the balance offer another reason to improve officiating and judging.

The Owl also says its tools help with viewer engagement by providing localized commentary in dozens of languages.

“At S32, we invest in bold ideas led by visionary teams and Owl AI is exactly that,” said Andy Harrison, CEO & General Partner, S32. “By fusing elite athletic insight with cutting-edge AI, Jeremy and Josh are building more than just a new layer of fairness in sports – they’re reshaping how the world experiences competition.”

In 2022, MSP Sports Capital purchased a majority stake in the X Games from ESPN, which launched the event in 1995 as a way to entice younger viewers. The organization also set a deal with Roku for live streaming.

Key Takeaways

• Fitness trackers aren’t accurately reflecting the effort of people with obesity

• Differences in gait, speed and energy burn throw the trackers off

• A new algorithm achieves more than 95% accuracy

WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fitness trackers aren’t accurately assessing the physical activity of people with obesity, a new study argues.

Differences in walking gait, speed, energy burn and other factors mean that folks with excess weight aren’t getting an accurate read from their devices, researchers wrote in the journal Scientific Reports.

“People with obesity could gain major health insights from activity trackers, but most current devices miss the mark,” senior researcher Nabil Alshurafa, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said in a news release.

Alshurafa’s team has developed a new algorithm that enables smartwatches to more accurately monitor the calories burned by people with obesity, researchers said.

Lab tests show that the new algorithm achieves over 95% accuracy in real-world situations, the study says.

“Without a validated algorithm for wrist devices, we’re still in the dark about exactly how much activity and energy people with obesity really get each day — slowing our ability to tailor interventions and improve health outcomes,” Alshurafa said.

Alshurafa said he was motivated to create the algorithm after going to an exercise class with his mother-in-law, who has obesity.

“She worked harder than anyone else, yet when we glanced at the leaderboard, her numbers barely registered,” Alshurafa said. “That moment hit me: fitness shouldn’t feel like a trap for the people who need it most.”

Current algorithms used by fitness trackers were built for people without obesity, Alsurafa explains.

Hip-held trackers often misread energy burn because people with excess weight walk with a different gait and wear the devices at a tilt, researchers said. Wrist-worn devices offer better accuracy, but haven’t been rigorously tested and calibrated for people with obesity.

The team tested their new algorithm against 11 other state-of-the-art methods for estimating exertion, using research-grade fitness trackers and wearable cameras to catch every moment when wrist sensors misread calorie burn.

In one group, 27 people wore a fitness tracker and a mask that calculates energy burn based on the amount of oxygen inhaled and carbon dioxide exhaled.

In another group, 25 people wore a fitness tracker and body camera during their daily activities, the study says.

Alshurafa also had people perform standard exercises modified to take their weight into account — for example, wall pushups as opposed to floor pushups.

“Many couldn’t drop to the floor, but each one crushed wall-pushups, their arms shaking with effort,” Alshurafa said, “We celebrate ‘standard’ workouts as the ultimate test, but those standards leave out so many people. These experiences showed me we must rethink how gyms, trackers and exercise programs measure success — so no one’s hard work goes unseen.”

The next step is to deploy an activity-monitoring app that uses the new algorithm for Apple- and Android-powered smartwatches, researchers said.

The algorithm is open-source, and other researchers are encouraged to test it and build upon it.

“To date, many works have examined the validity of proprietary algorithms from commercial activity monitors,” the research team wrote in their paper. “However, to the best of our knowledge, none of them have published an open-source algorithm that others can replicate using raw data obtained from commercially available wrist-worn sensing devices.”

More information

Harvard Medical School has more on the usefulness of fitness trackers.

SOURCES: Northwestern University, news release, June 19, 2025; Scientific Reports, June 19, 2025

What This Means For You

People with obesity might soon have more accurate fitness trackers to help them lose weight and improve their health.