🛑 Germany could soon declare ad blockers illegal

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Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here:

☀️ On this day: On August 19, 1960, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5, carrying two dogs—Belka and Strelka—along with mice, rats, and plants into orbit. It became the first mission to successfully bring living creatures back safely to Earth.

What’s happening:

• 🛑 Germany could soon declare ad blockers illegal

• 🇮🇳 OpenAI launches sub $5 ChatGPT plan in India

• 🎮 87% of game devs now use AI, says Google

• 🔐 UK drops iCloud backdoor demand for US data

• 📊 MIT report: 95% of GenAI pilots fail to deliver results

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

🛑 Germany could soon declare ad blockers illegal ↗️LINK

• What: Germany's top court has revived a lawsuit by Axel Springer against Eyeo, the maker of Adblock Plus, arguing that browser ad blockers may infringe copyright by modifying webpage execution. Mozilla warns this could lead to a ban.

• Why: The court questions whether DOM, CSS, and bytecode are protected as computer programs, and if ad blockers unlawfully modify them. Mozilla says such rulings could threaten a wide range of browser extensions, not just ad blockers.

• Impact: While not yet illegal, a ban could emerge in future rulings. Developers may preemptively restrict tools, limiting user control and innovation in browsers across Germany and potentially beyond.
  

🇮🇳 OpenAI launches sub $5 ChatGPT plan in India ↗️LINK

• What: OpenAI has launched "ChatGPT Go" in India at ₹399/month (~$4.60), undercutting the ₹1,999/month Plus plan. It includes 10x the usage limits of the free tier, access to image generation, file uploads, and better memory features.

• Why: India is ChatGPT’s second-largest market with 29M app downloads in 90 days, but low revenue. The Go plan, payable via UPI, addresses affordability concerns to boost subscriptions without offering free trials.

• Impact: The India-first rollout could set a template for expanding affordable AI access globally. OpenAI joins a wave of AI firms targeting India’s 850M+ internet users with localized pricing.
  

🎮 87% of game devs now use AI, says Google ↗️LINK

• What: A new Google Cloud study reveals 87% of videogame developers now use AI agents to automate tasks like content creation, coding, and processing media. The survey covered 615 developers across five countries.

• Why: Rising development costs, fan expectations, and mass layoffs have pushed studios to adopt AI for efficiency. While 94% expect long-term cost savings, many still struggle to measure ROI and worry about IP and job impacts.

• Impact: AI is becoming essential in gaming, but tensions remain over legal clarity and workforce displacement. As new consoles and premium titles launch, the industry's reliance on AI is likely to deepen.
  

🔐 UK drops iCloud backdoor demand for US data ↗️LINK

• What: The UK has backed off a mandate that would have forced Apple to disable end-to-end encryption (Advanced Data Protection) for U.S. users’ iCloud data. The reversal follows efforts by U.S. officials including DNI Tulsi Gabbard and President Trump.

• Why: The demand stemmed from the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act, which allows government access to encrypted data. Apple resisted, pulling ADP features in the UK earlier this year and reaffirming it won’t build backdoors.

• Impact: It's a major win for data privacy, but Apple hasn’t confirmed if or when ADP will return to UK users. Broader implications for international data access laws remain unresolved.

📊 MIT report: 95% of GenAI pilots fail to deliver results ↗️LINK

• What: A new MIT report reveals 95% of generative AI pilots in enterprises are failing to generate meaningful revenue impact. Only 5% show rapid gains, mostly from startups or focused deployments. Most projects stall due to poor integration, not poor AI models.

• Why: Companies overinvest in sales tools and underuse AI for back-office automation. Internal builds often fail, while vendor partnerships succeed 2x more. A key barrier is the organizational learning gap and resistance to workflow changes.

• Impact: AI is reshaping jobs quietly—mainly through non-replacement rather than layoffs. As firms explore agentic AI, the gap between leaders and laggards is widening fast.

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Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

Do you think employees should be forced to adapt to AI tools?

• A) Yes – It’s part of staying relevant - 58% 🏆

• B) No – Not everyone should be required to - 42%

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