🇲🇹 Malta Gives Free ChatGPT Plus to Everyone

Plus, Now You Can Protect Your Face on YouTube

May 16, 2026

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Welcome back, AI Admirers!

Breaking News: Malta has struck a groundbreaking deal with OpenAI to provide every citizen free ChatGPT Plus for one year — but only after completing a mandatory AI literacy course.

Get ready to dive into the latest happenings in AI.

📢 Today's Headline:

Malta Offers Free ChatGPT Plus
Writers Fight Anthropic Payouts
YouTube Expands Deepfake Tool
OpenAI Refocuses on Core AI
Latest AI Tools & Resources
Today’s Poll and Results

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Hand-picked News

A whole country just got a free upgrade to ChatGPT Plus (with one catch)

Malta is partnering with OpenAI to give its entire population free access to ChatGPT Plus for a year, moving AI from a tech trend to a state-backed public utility.

No free rides here: Citizens cannot just sign up; they actually have to pass a university-backed AI literacy course on responsible usage before the government hands over the login.
The ultimate diaspora perk: The deal isn't just for locals, as even Maltese citizens living abroad are eligible to get the free premium access.
Repurposing the crypto hub: The program is being managed by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, the exact same agency the country set up in 2018 to regulate blockchain and crypto.

Malta has a history of trying to be a regulatory pioneer for emerging tech, and with roughly 540,000 people, it is the perfect size for OpenAI to use as a nationwide sandbox.

👀 So what: This is a massive shift in how governments view AI. It is no longer just software you buy; it is infrastructure like broadband or electricity. If this pilot succeeds, expect OpenAI to pitch similar state-level procurement deals to other small nations looking for a quick economic productivity boost.

💡 Try this now: Keep an eye on how your local government handles AI upskilling. If you run a team or a startup, use Malta’s approach as a blueprint: do not just hand people premium AI tools and expect magic; tie tool access directly to foundational training to actually see a return on investment.

Anthropic’s massive $1.5 billion settlement is getting incredibly messy

A federal judge has delayed final approval of Anthropic's historic $1.5 billion copyright settlement after book authors revolted over how much money is actually making it into their pockets.

The $320 million cash grab: Furious authors are accusing class-action lawyers of rushing the deal through just to secure a massive $320 million payday in legal fees while leaving creators with pennies.
A literal open-and-shut case: The core of the lawsuit wasn't just about AI training, as Anthropic got caught dead-rights downloading and storing over 7 million pirated books from shadow libraries like LibGen.
The ultimate corporate get-out-of-jail card: Objecting authors argue the current deal allows Anthropic to retroactively sweep massive copyright infringement under the rug without ever acknowledging that unconsented AI training is illegal.

Anthropic faced mind-boggling statutory damages of up to $150,000 per book if this went to trial, making a settlement the only logical choice to protect its Claude AI ecosystem.

⚠️ So what: The Wild West era of AI companies scraping pirated data with zero consequences is officially hitting a legal wall. Judges are no longer letting tech giants and eager lawyers quietly sweep these massive data-heists under the rug, meaning the future cost of training top-tier LLMs is about to skyrocket.

Anyone can now force YouTube to hunt down their AI lookalikes

YouTube is expanding its AI-powered likeness detection program to all users over the age of 18, meaning just about anyone can now force the platform to hunt down synthetic videos using their face without permission.

Handing over your biometrics: To actually use this tool to find your AI clones, you have to submit to a strict verification process that requires a government-issued photo ID and a live selfie-video scan.
A massive dragnet for everyone else: The system works by performing a one-time automated scan on every single newly uploaded video to find face matches, briefly scanning random bystanders, adults, and children before discarding their data.
No immediate guarantees: If the AI catches someone using your face, it doesn't instantly delete it, as users must manually review the flags and submit a removal request that YouTube evaluates against its privacy policies, which still allow exceptions for satire and parody.

The platform originally built this tool, which acts similarly to its massive copyright-tracking Content ID system, strictly for high-profile creators, politicians, and celebrities, but the rampant explosion of AI slop forced a universal rollout.

⚠️ So what: The line between public figure and private citizen has officially evaporated in the eyes of big tech. YouTube is effectively acknowledging that in the generative AI era, unauthorized identity theft is a mainstream crisis, shifting the burden of monitoring deepfakes off their content moderation teams and straight onto your shoulders.