Meta has removed a feature from its new Muse AI photo and video tools that had sparked outrage from Hollywood power players like CAA and SAG-AFTRA.
The tech giant on Friday evening said that it had pulled functionality that let users create AI content by tagging another public user to effectively remix their content. The company made it applicable to all public Instagram profiles unless users actively opted out of the feature.
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“Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by a-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference,” the company said in a statement Friday. “Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We’ve heard feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.
The feature had sparked outrage from Hollywood power players, including CAA, which said in a statement Wednesday that “no one’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent. “
SAG-AFTRA followed with a statement of its own, saying that “anything other than a clear and conspicuous OPT-IN for these types of uses of Instagram users’ images is unacceptable, and an utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use.”
It seems Meta has heard those concerns in dropping the functionality.
After the news was unveiled Friday, CAA released a statement commending the decision, which read, “We commend Meta for its swift decision to remove the Muse Image feature. Putting individual rights and consent at the forefront is essential to building responsible technology. We look forward to ongoing conversations to ensure creators stay protected as technology evolves.”
The backtrack bears a striking similarity to OpenAI’s backlash to the launch of its Sora app last year, which launched with limited IP protections, resulting in a slew of infringing characters, including many recognizable celebrities and figures, before backing away a few days later and cracking down on it. OpenAI, ultimately, nixed Sora as it shifted its strategy toward enterprise customers.
July 10, 6:18 p.m. Updated with CAA’s statement. %!s()
Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Apple's new lawsuit against OpenAI reads less like a routine trade-secret complaint and more like a play-by-play of how the iPhone maker says its rival built its consumer hardware ambitions.
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Filed Friday, the suit accuses OpenAI of "a coordinated pattern of misconduct at an institutional level," including everything from exploiting a security bug to recruiting Apple engineers for "show and tell" interview sessions involving confidential hardware.
In a statement to Business Insider, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets."
"We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere," the spokesperson said.
Here are the biggest allegations.
OpenAI allegedly exploited an Apple security bug
According to the complaint, Apple's investigation began after former employee Chang Liu left for OpenAI in January. Apple alleges Liu failed to return a company laptop and later discovered he could still access Apple's internal systems because of what the company describes as an authentication bug.
Rather than reporting the issue, Apple said that Liu downloaded dozens of confidential engineering files while working at OpenAI, including documents related to unreleased products, technical specifications, presentations, and manufacturing processes.
Apple also alleges Liu encouraged another Apple engineer who was interviewing at OpenAI to study confidential Apple materials ahead of her interviews and advised her how to avoid attracting attention from Apple's security team while copying files. The complaint says that the two moved conversations to a private messaging app to avoid detection.
Apple says OpenAI turned interviews into intelligence-gathering sessions
Apple also accuses OpenAI of systematically using its job recruitment process to obtain trade secrets. The buzzy AI company, which has filed the initial paperwork in a lead-up to an initial public offering, has become one of the most in-demand employers in tech. Amid the influx of talent, several hardware engineers at Apple have decamped to the AI juggernaut.
The lawsuit claims that Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan, a former Apple vice president who spent 24 years at the company, asked Apple job candidates to bring physical components for "show and tell" sessions during interviews. OpenAI employees would also ask candidates for prototypes and information about vendors, the complaint alleges.
One then-Apple employee screenshotted and downloaded files from a "highly confidential Apple project," the lawsuit says, alleging that Tan later asked about that project during the interview.
"OpenAI's recruiting practices suggest it hires these individuals at least in part because of the confidential Apple-specific knowledge and expertise they have and could improperly obtain," the complaint says.
Apple says the misconduct went all the way to OpenAI leadership
Apple says it raised its concerns with OpenAI earlier this year and asked the company to investigate whether Apple's confidential information had entered its business.
According to the complaint, OpenAI never responded, prompting Apple to continue its investigation before filing suit on Friday.
"This is the tip of the iceberg," the complaint reads. "Apple lacks visibility into what's been happening behind closed doors at OpenAI, where such misconduct is normalized and exemplified by leadership."
"This much is clear, however: at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple's trade secrets and confidential information," the complaint continued. "As a natural result, OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets."
Apple said it is "left with no choice" but to seek damages in an amount to be determined at trial, and court orders preventing OpenAI and the individual defendants from possessing or using Apple's trade secrets.
The suit marks a dramatic escalation in what had been one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile AI partnerships, following Apple's integration of ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence in 2024. The relationship has frayed as OpenAI ramped up its own consumer hardware ambitions by hiring former Apple executives and engineers.
Apple's suit isn't the only high-profile claim that OpenAI has engaged in dishonest business practices.
The ChatGPT creator is also embroiled in a legal battle with The New York Times over claims that it allowed its chatbot to use copyrighted material to train its systems.
Elon Musk also previously filed suit against OpenAI, alleging that CEO Sam Altman and the company's president, Greg Brockman, "stole" the original OpenAI nonprofit and unjustly enriched themselves by changing it to a for-profit model. A jury handed OpenAI a legal victory in May, concluding that Musk had missed the three-year statute of limitations to sue.
Tan, Liu, and representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
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Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert is a senior reporter on Business Insider's West Coast team. When she's not writing about trending business and tech news, from the latest supply chain snarls or advancements in AI, she covers the food and restaurant industries, specifically companies such as Starbucks and McDonald's.Some of her prior areas of focus have included coverage of the Supreme Court and emerging technologies such as quantum computing.Katherine has worked on award-nominated projects and has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC, CNN, and other outlets to discuss her reporting.Prior to joining Business Insider, she covered retail, hospitality, and nonprofits at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and received a master's degree in investigative reporting from the University of Southern California.Reach outDo you have feedback or a story tip? Contact Katherine on Signal at byktl.50, or email her at [email protected] her on Twitter and Instagram @scrawlgirl.Some of her recent scoops, exclusives, and original stories include: Starbucks set up a new office. It's a 5-minute drive from the CEO's California home.Inside Starbucks' crackdown on cup notesEndless Shrimp was Red Lobster's rock bottom. Now it's clawing back.Chipotle's new PAC signals a change in how the company engages in politicsKFC lost its footing in the Chicken Wars. Now it's gunning for a 'Kentucky Fried Comeback.'A few other highlights include: Clarence Thomas raised him 'as a son.' Now he's facing 25-plus years on weapons and drug charges.Call her Ivanka Kushner'Maybe I'll just resign:' Federal workers react to DOGE productivity emailSpaceX launches cause late-night booms that rattle windows, set off car alarms, and may damage property. Locals are pushing back.The US-China tech race is moving from chips to the raw materials they're made of
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Stephen is a Senior Tech Reporter at Business Insider, covering OpenAI, Anthropic and the ecosystem around the leading artificial intelligence companies.Previously he covered technology at SFGATE, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Information and CNBC. He studied journalism and economics at Northwestern University.His work has earned an SF Press Club Investigative Reporting Award and, in 2025, SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Award for Technology Reporting.Stephen lives in San Francisco. Contact him via email at [email protected], or on Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 415-757-8198. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.
US President Donald Trump has placed the Caribbean island under a de facto oil blockade, straining its ageing power grid.
Cuba has reported its second nationwide blackout in less than a week, plunging the island into darkness shortly before evening.
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On Friday, the Union Electrica de Cuba, the state-owned utility in charge of the electrical grid, announced that the outage began at 4:30pm local time (20:30 GMT).
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list of 3 items
list 1 of 3Cuba sees nationwide power blackout for third time in six months
list 2 of 3Cuba loses power across nation for third time this year
list 3 of 3At UN, Cuba rallies support against ‘ruthless’ US blockade
end of list
No explanation was given for the blackout. But it follows a similar power failure on Monday, bringing the total number of island-wide outages to four since the start of the year. Two other total blackouts struck in March.
Outages are not uncommon in Cuba, where the electricity infrastructure is increasingly aged. Much of the system dates to the Cold War period, between 1960 and 1980.
But the problem has intensified since January, when United States President Donald Trump effectively severed Cuba’s supply of foreign oil.
Already, Cuba has been under the longest-running trade embargo in modern history. Since the 1960s, the US has largely barred trade with the island, which sits roughly 140 kilometres — or 90 miles — from its shores.
Since taking office for a second term, though, Trump has sought to trigger regime change on the communist-led island. Critics have long accused the government in Havana of human rights abuses, including the violent suppression of dissent.
On January 3, Trump authorised a military operation against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a socialist leader and ally of the Cuban government. The operation culminated in Maduro’s abduction and transport to New York, where he remains imprisoned on drug- and weapons-related charges.
Shortly after Maduro’s removal, Trump announced that Venezuela would no longer send oil or money to Cuba. His administration has continued to control Venezuelan oil exports in the months since.
Then, on January 29, Trump issued an executive order declaring that Cuba “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat” to the US. As part of the order, he threatened any country that supplies the island with fuel with steep tariffs.
Since then, only a single Russian oil tanker has reached Cuban soil — but that was in March.
As of 2023, Cuba only produces 40 percent of the oil it uses, according to the International Energy Agency. The rest comes from overseas.
Human rights experts have warned that the continued fuel deprivation could have consequences for Cuba’s civilian population, as public services like transportation shut down.
In June, the high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations, Volker Turk, pointed to statistics that showed infant mortality nearly doubled in recent months.
“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable,” Turk said in a statement.
“Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable.”
The Trump administration, meanwhile, has blamed mismanagement in the Cuban government for the blackouts.
“We’ve done nothing punitive against the Cuban regime,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera in March.
Prior to the fuel blockade, Cuba had planned to shift some of its energy infrastructure away from fossil fuels, in favour of solar and other renewable energy sources.
It has sped up that transition, with the help of solar technology imported from the US’s main economic rival, China.
Still, renewable energy only accounts for about 18 percent of Cuba’s overall energy consumption, according to estimates from 2022. Cuba aims to produce nearly a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. %!s()
The last few years of anticipation for Grand Theft Auto 6 has been all about what's next. When's the first trailer coming? When's the second trailer dropping? When will pre-orders open? How much will it cost? When will marketing kick into high gear? Now, everyone is waiting on the third and possibly final trailer before the November 19 release date. Let's talk GTA.
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Key Facts At A Glance
Game: Grand Theft Auto 6
Release date: November 19, 2026 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
Digital preload: November 12, 2026
Pre-orders: Live now — $79.99 Standard, $99.99 Ultimate
Trailer 3: Unreleased as of publish; projected late July to August
What Has Rockstar Confirmed About GTA 6 Trailer 3?
How about nothing? It's true. To be honest, we don't know for sure that there will be a third trailer. That said, conventional wisdom suggests there will be because there's still so much we don't know.
What is locked is the release date and the money behind it. GTA 6 arrives November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with the digital preload set for Nov. 12.
Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes
Pre-orders opened June 25 at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for Ultimate, arriving alongside the official cover art and new logo. Rockstar took that money with no fresh trailer attached, which is exactly why the Trailer 3 wait has gotten so loud.
What Does Rockstar's Trailer History Tell Us?
This is the good news. There's historical reference that says a third trailer is coming pretty soon.
GTA 6's own cadence is already long. Trailer 1 landed Dec. 4, 2023, and Trailer 2 followed on May 6, 2025, roughly 17 months later.
The two most recent Rockstar launches set the rhythm. Red Dead Redemption 2 dropped its third trailer about six months before its October 2018 release and its first gameplay trailer roughly 78 days out. GTA 5 ran six pre-launch trailers and didn’t truly ramp marketing until the final four months, part of the same backloaded playbook that survives even as Rockstar changes other big things from GTA 5.
When Could GTA 6 Trailer 3 Drop?
I believe the third trailer will drop in early August, and there will be an extended look at gameplay that is sure to be overanalyzed and flipped with AI tools ad nauseam.
The history backs that read. Apply GTA 5's final-four-months ramp to a Nov. 19 launch and the window opens in mid-July, while RDR2's roughly 78-to-85-day gameplay-trailer timing points toward late August, since 85 days before Nov. 19 lands on Aug. 26.
The calendar cooperates too. Take-Two’s next earnings call is expected in early August, the July 19 World Cup final offers the social-first stage Rockstar has said it wants, and the latest projections have converged on that same late-July-to-August range.
What Should You Expect From Trailer 3?
A ton of story details, more beautiful visuals and even deeper looks at specific locations in the game. Those are the surest bets.
Both prior trailers leaned cinematic, heavier on mood than mechanics, so more of Lucia and Jason plus a wider look at Leonida tracks with the pattern, as laid out in the earlier Trailer 3 breakdown.
The real pressure point is gameplay. Millions pre-ordered without seeing a second of raw mechanics, and if Rockstar runs the RDR2 script, a dedicated gameplay trailer arrives after the cinematic one rather than sharing its spotlight. That is the video that turns anticipation into a countdown. %!s()
Yes, Caleb McDaniel knows he’s the internet’s boyfriend.
Caleb quickly rose to fame on Season 8 of “Love Island USA,” entering the villa with about 10,000 Instagram followers, and now sitting with more than 1 million just one week after leaving the show.
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“I’m waiting to wake up from a dream right now. It’s just been overwhelming love,” Caleb tells Variety. “The fact that there is very little hate, and the only thing people really have to say about me is I’m boring? It’s been great.”
Entering at the end of the sixth episode, Caleb arrived as a bombshell alongside Jennifer “Jen” Terry and Sol Dean. America voted to couple Caleb up with Mackenzie “Kenzie” Annis, who he was intent on pursuing. His efforts dragged him into a love triangle with Annis and her former partner, Corbin Mims, which ultimately left Caleb single ahead of Casa Amor, the show’s midseason twist.
Caleb coupled up with Jaiden Bacciocco while in Casa, and the two of them returned to the villa together. When their fellow islanders were later asked to vote on the two least compatible couples, Caleb and Bacciocco were sent home, along with Gal Tshnieder and Amora Robinson on Episode 27.
While his “Love Island” journey may have come to an end, Caleb is just getting started. Season 8 became Peacock’s most-watched TV debut ever, and he’s ready to “ride the train” of its success. Caleb says he’s open to any opportunities that may come his way, which includes trying his hand at acting (“People tell me I kind of resemble Matthew McConaughey”).
The “Love Island USA” season finale airs this Sunday on Peacock. Until then, Caleb is waiting for his former contestants to join him outside the villa, and, no, the internet’s very strong opinions haven’t changed how he views his friendships.
“This is controversial, but I love Sincere,” he says. “I don’t love the way he goes about things, but whenever it’s just me and him and we can vibe and talk about anything other than his connection and what he’s doing, it’s good.”
Below, Caleb talks to Variety about his unexplored connection with Melanie Moreno, his thoughts on “Brinity” and where he and Jaiden stand now.
What was it like getting your phone back and seeing everybody’s reaction on social media?
It’s been insane. Coming off the show, I was not expecting this much. I was in my head like, “If I’ve got 50,000 followers, that’d be insane.” And then seeing what I have is absolutely out of this world. It doesn’t feel real. I’m waiting to wake up from a dream right now, but it’s just been overwhelming love. The fact that there is very little hate, and the only thing people really have to say about me is I’m boring? It’s been great.
You’re posting videos online now that show a lot of your personality that we didn’t get to see on the show. Do you think that’s because of the editing, or would you say you were more reserved in the Villa?
I would definitely say I was a little bit more reserved just because it’s a wild environment. I’m a little bit in an uncomfortable situation, but I also feel like my personality wasn’t portrayed as much as I would have wanted it to. I was very unproblematic. I didn’t have much drama, and this show is based on drama. If you’re not going to put me in there because I’m not dramatic, I’m fine with that. I’d much rather be myself and get less screen time.
We’re getting to see the full picture now.
It’s not performative. People say I’m performative. I’m like, “No, this is just me. I’m sorry you didn’t see this in there, but this is actually me.”
I’m sure you’ve seen that you’re basically the internet’s boyfriend now. Have you been seeing all of the edits?
I have. It’s insane not being able to walk 200 feet without pictures, and, honestly, I love it. Just to know this many people support me has been insane. Seeing myself on my For You page, I’m like “OK, this is probably just because it’s my phone and I’ve been liking this stuff.” But then everyone is reaching out to me saying “You’re all over the internet.” I’m just now starting to realize that it’s as big as it is.
You worked on elevators before the show. With all the attention now, do you see yourself going back to that?
Hell no. I remember sitting at work one day, and these older guys were talking about how they would go back and change so much about their life, just warning me to get out of the trade while I could. If I were to sit there and continue doing that until the day I die, then I would have been holding myself back so much. I’m so happy to be out of that. It’s a very, very risky job. I had many instances where I could have got seriously injured.
What do you have planned next?
I’m definitely going to ride the train and see where this goes. I’m probably going to get out of Charleston. Not too sure where that is yet, maybe L.A., maybe Miami, just more connections. More freedom. Charleston is bigger than Asheboro, but it’s still pretty small, so there’s not a whole lot going on here. Now I’m really up for anything. Maybe, down the road, acting. I’m trying to soak it all in and not really think too far in the future. I’m excited for anything that comes my way, and I’m very open-minded to whatever happens.
Let’s talk about acting. Would you star in a rom-com? Drama? What’s the dream?
Growing up, I always loved Matthew McConaughey, and people tell me I kind of resemble him. I love his stuff, so maybe stuff like that. I love the “Fast and Furious” franchise as well. Some action or drama would be cool.
Ben Symons/Peacock
How are you and Jaiden doing right now?
We’ve stayed in contact. We’re still texting and talking. Everything’s going good between us. We haven’t really had the time to actually talk to each other about what this is, and how we’re going to go about things. We’ve both been so busy since we’ve got back. We still need to have conversations and see where everything’s at. It’s still very early, so the long distance thing is also something that’s pretty scary. We’re going to have to cross that bridge when it comes to it.
Have you reached out to any other Islanders since being back home?
Me and Gal had came home together. America is going to hate this, but I like Gal. He’s a really cool dude. I also reached out to Gabe. He’s already ready for me to come down to Miami and hang out, so I’m looking forward to that. I did finally get to meet Sean.
How was that?
It was good. He’s a really good dude. I haven’t talked to him over the phone yet, but we texted a little bit.
Who are you most excited to see again?
Really everybody. This is controversial, but I love Sincere. I don’t love the way he goes about things, but whenever it’s just me and him and we can vibe and talk about anything other than his connection and what he’s doing, it’s good. I think he’s a good friend. Maybe not as good of a relationship guy. He did really go about things in a really wrong way, and I was the first one to tell him, “You’re really fucking up dude.” And the thing is, he would acknowledge that. But then he does it again. When I walked in there, he was the first one to welcome me in with open arms. It was hard for me to be pissed at him for the way he was moving. I was frustrated with it. I’m sure everyone was, but I do think he is a good guy. I think [him and Melanie] could work through it.
Who do you want to win? Are you team Melanie and Sincere?
I think Bryce and Trinity are really cute. They’re probably one of my favorite couples, just because of their whole journey. They have been the slowest burn I’ve ever seen. The fact that they’re so into just wanting everything to do with each other, it’s really cute.
On “Aftersun,” you said one of your regrets was not getting to explore your connection with Melanie. Is there anything else you regret?
When I said that, I was more so meaning that when I went in there, I went straight after Kenzie. I didn’t get to explore other things. Me and Melanie did have a few chats, and they were really good. It wasn’t something that I was like, “I need to talk to Melanie as well.” It was more so like walking in there, she was a girl I wanted to chat to. It fizzled out a little bit, because of the way her and Sincere were both going through so much together, and Sincere being one of my good friends in there, I was helping him through so much. I was telling him how to go about everything, so me giving him all this advice, I want to see him use that. I want to see him win. So for me to go behind his back would be kind of hypocritical.
This interview has been edited and condensed. %!s()
