Spotify teams up with record labels to develop “responsible” AI tools aimed at protecting artists and their work, while Anthropic makes a play for accessibility with cheaper, high-performing AI models. Here are some of the product stories that caught our attention this week.
Spotify strikes deal with record labels to develop AI tools
Spotify has struck a deal with a number of major record labels and independent distributors to develop "responsible" AI tools that protect artists and their copyrights.
Spotify is partnering with Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, licensing agency Merlin and music distribution and publishing house Believe to form an AI research lab and product team focused on developing tools that "empower" artists and songwriters. Artists will have a choice about whether and how their music is used in AI-related initiatives and Spotify the partners promise to create new revenue streams for artists and songwriters, ensuring they are properly compensated for their work and credited transparently.
Gustav Söderström, co-president and chief product and technology officer, Spotify, said: “AI is the most consequential technology shift since the smartphone, and it’s already reshaping how music is created and experienced. At Spotify, we want to build this future hand in hand with the music industry, guided by clear principles and deep respect for creators, just as we did in the days of piracy. Our company brings deep research expertise to this opportunity and we’re actively growing our AI team and capabilities to drive the continued growth of the entire music ecosystem.”
Reaction from musicians to the deal has been mixed - some have welcomed the initiative as a way to control AI's development, while others are viewing it with deep suspicion, citing Spotify's history and CEO Daniel Ek’s controversial investment in AI defence company Helsing. A growing number of high-profile artists have boycotted Spotify in response to Ek’s investment in Helsing by removing their music from the platform.
The backlash against Spotify is growing among musicians, who now find it extraordinarily tough to make money from music streaming. The Guardian recently reported on the growing “Death to Spotify” movement, whose goal is “down with algorithmic listening, down with royalty theft, down with AI-generated music”.
Anthropic launches cheaper AI models
Anthropic is launching cheaper AI models in a bid to widen its appeal and lower the barrier to using powerful AI capabilities at scale. Use cases and internal tooling that were previously cost-prohibitive might now become viable.
Anthropic’s Chief Product Officer Mike Krieger told Reuters that traditional companies outside Silicon Valley are more likely to use AI if they have cheaper, yet still capable models to try.
Anthropic says its Claude Haiku 4.5 provides near-frontier AI performance, similar to more expensive, larger models that were cutting edge just a few months ago, at a fraction of the cost. The model makes advanced capabilities more widely accessible, particularly for enterprises and developers. According to a company statement: “Five months ago, Claude Sonnet 4 was a state-of-the-art model. Today, Claude Haiku 4.5 gives you similar levels of coding performance but at one-third the cost and more than twice the speed.”
Releasing a high-performing, lower-cost model should force Anthropic’s competitors to respond, either by dropping prices, pushing model efficiency, or rethinking model tiers.
Waymo’s robotaxis come to London
Robotaxi firm Waymo aims to launch its driverless taxi service in London next year, its first foray into Europe. Waymo plans to begin mapping and testing in London with a fleet of electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles fitted with safety drivers before the end of this year. The tests will cover a 100-square-mile area across London's boroughs.
If it succeeds in getting regulatory approval under the UK's Automated Vehicles Act, Waymo then intends to offer fully driverless rides to the public via its app in 2026.
Waymo has also started testing delivery services through a multi-year partnership with DoorDash, TechCrunch reports, with services initially being tested in Phoenix.
X to combat bots with more user info
In a bid to beat the bots and improve user trust, X, Elon Musk’s social network, plans to add an "About this account" screen with metadata from each user, including their location, how long they’ve had the account, and how many times they've changed their usernames. A post from X’s Head of Product Nikita Bier said: “When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity. This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world.”
The feature will appear initially on X staff profiles before it is rolled out to other users.
