Pixel 9 Folds, AI Content Ethics, and New Canon Cameras
The Latest in Tech Leaks
The team dives into the recent Pixel 9 series leaks, featuring the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and the surprisingly debated Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Much of the discussion focuses on the controversial camera visor design, which has shifted to a less integrated "island" style, sparking a lively debate about the evolution of the Pixel aesthetic.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold Specs
• The Fold adopts a form factor more similar to the OnePlus Open.
• There is concern regarding the battery capacity downsizing despite a larger overall footprint.
• The interior camera is now a corner hole-punch, maximizing screen real estate.
The Ethics of AI Training Data
A major portion of the discussion covers the report that Apple and other major tech firms utilized training data sets—specifically the Pile—that include scraped YouTube subtitles and transcripts.
"We as a channel specifically pay extra money to make sure that is not only super accurate... and so if they're scraping the subtitles they're going to end up scraping from YouTube API what I uploaded... so they're stealing."
• The hosts highlight the irony of corporations using human-generated content to create AI that may eventually replace the very creators they scraped.
• There is significant debate over fair use, terms of service violations, and whether a trillion-dollar company should rely on questionable data sets instead of licensing content properly.
Canon Camera Refresh
Moving to photography, the team analyzes Canon's new R1 and R5 Mark II.
• The R5 Mark II is praised for adding highly requested features like C-Log2 and a full-size HDMI port.
• They express excitement (and skepticism) about the new eye-tracked autofocus, a throwback to vintage film cameras but modernized for high-end digital mirrorless performance.