Copilot pricing, CSIRO critiqued

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

GitHub Copilot ditches flat-rate pricing for tokens and devs are not happy
CSIRO's former Data61 chief says the agency has mishandled AI and should step back from leading national science
SoftBank commits up to €75B to French data centre buildout
Google ships Gemini Spark, a standalone always-on AI assistant

AI · Worldwide

GitHub Copilot moves to token billing, devs revolt

Microsoft's GitHub Copilot is shifting from flat-rate subscriptions to token-based billing. Developers are pushing back hard, calling it the end of Copilot's golden age and a sign that generous AI pricing was never going to last.

Google launches Gemini Spark as a standalone AI assistant

Gemini Spark automates everyday tasks like inbox summaries and local event planning around the clock. Early impressions are positive, though it's unclear why Google carved it out as a separate product from the main Gemini line.

SoftBank pledges up to €75B for French data centres

SoftBank plans to develop and operate up to 5 GW of additional data centre capacity in France. The deal underscores the sheer scale of infrastructure investment being pulled toward AI workloads globally.

Australian Tech

Former Data61 chief says CSIRO has botched AI

Adrian Turner, the founding CEO of CSIRO's Data61, argues the agency has so badly mishandled its AI strategy that it should no longer lead Australia's national science agenda. He says the missteps put public trust and social licence at risk.

Meta's employee mouse-click tracking hits EU privacy wall

Internal documents reveal Meta's plan to capture detailed US employee computer activity for AI training is broader than disclosed and will sweep up non-US data too. The revelations add fresh privacy headaches in the EU and flag concerns for any jurisdiction with similar data protection rules.