Adobe Adds AI Models from OpenAI, Google to its Firefly App 

Adobe logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Adobe logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Adobe Adds AI Models from OpenAI, Google to its Firefly App 

Adobe logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Adobe logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Adobe said on Thursday it is adding image-generation artificial intelligence models from OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to its Firefly app and bringing the app to mobile devices.

Adobe is the owner of multiple software programs such as Photoshop and Premiere that are widely used by creative professionals in the visual arts. Since 2023, the San Jose, California-based company has been developing its own AI models in its Firefly service to generate images and video clips, promising its customers that they won't face legal liability for using the images and video created by those models, Reuters reported.

But last year, Adobe said it was open to also offering third-party models from ChatGPT creator OpenAI and others to its user base.

On Thursday, Adobe said that Firefly users will be able to generate images with OpenAI's GPT image generation, Google Imagen 3, Google Veo 2 and Flux 1.1 Pro, in addition to a new version of its own proprietary Firefly image model. The company plans to offer models from partners including fal.ai, Luma and Runway in the coming months.

"We still have lots and lots of customers for whom taking stuff to production, they will only use Firefly because the commercial safety really matters to them," Ely Greenfield, Adobe's chief technology officer for digital media, told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

"But for other parts of the workflow, like ideation, they're interested in experimenting with other models as well. So we're making that choice available to them."

Adobe's users will be able to generate content with third-party models in Firefly and pull it over into the company's other apps such as Photoshop with a few taps or clicks. They will be able to pay for third-party models with the same system of credits that they use to pay for Adobe's AI models, though Adobe declined to disclose how the revenue will be split between itself and third-party model providers.



France's Top Court Blocks Social Media Ban for under-15s

(FILES) This photograph shows a set up smart-phone screen displaying the logo of main social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Telegram, X, Bluesky, Tiktok and Whatsapp in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, on April 29, 2026. On August 14, 2026, the French Constitutional Council struck down the ban on social media for under-15s, ruling that this measure constitutes "a disproportionate infringement" of their freedom of expression. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows a set up smart-phone screen displaying the logo of main social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Telegram, X, Bluesky, Tiktok and Whatsapp in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, on April 29, 2026. On August 14, 2026, the French Constitutional Council struck down the ban on social media for under-15s, ruling that this measure constitutes "a disproportionate infringement" of their freedom of expression. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP)
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France's Top Court Blocks Social Media Ban for under-15s

(FILES) This photograph shows a set up smart-phone screen displaying the logo of main social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Telegram, X, Bluesky, Tiktok and Whatsapp in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, on April 29, 2026. On August 14, 2026, the French Constitutional Council struck down the ban on social media for under-15s, ruling that this measure constitutes "a disproportionate infringement" of their freedom of expression. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows a set up smart-phone screen displaying the logo of main social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Telegram, X, Bluesky, Tiktok and Whatsapp in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, on April 29, 2026. On August 14, 2026, the French Constitutional Council struck down the ban on social media for under-15s, ruling that this measure constitutes "a disproportionate infringement" of their freedom of expression. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP)

France's top court on Friday blocked a bill banning social media access for under-15s, saying it infringed upon freedom of expression, a setback for President Emmanuel Macron who asked his government to rewrite the legislation.

"By prohibiting minors under the age of fifteen from accessing certain online services, the law inherently requires every person, even an adult, to prove their age before accessing them," the Constitutional Council said in its decision.

"However, by failing to specify the conditions and limits under which such proof must be provided, the legislature has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements," it added. French lawmakers had approved a ban on social media access for children under age 15, becoming the first in Europe to follow Australia, whose world-first ban barred access to platforms including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for under-16s in December.

Macron has ordered Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to re-work the draft legislation to take the Constitutional Council's concerns into account, the Elysee said in a statement.

The Elysee said Macron was determined the reform take effect before spring 2027, when France holds a presidential election. Macron cannot run for a third term.


China’s Lenovo Posts 43% Jump in Q1 Revenue, Highest in Five Years

The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo January 22, 2018. (Reuters)
The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo January 22, 2018. (Reuters)
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China’s Lenovo Posts 43% Jump in Q1 Revenue, Highest in Five Years

The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo January 22, 2018. (Reuters)
The Lenovo logo is seen in this illustration photo January 22, 2018. (Reuters)

China's Lenovo Group reported a 43% jump in quarterly revenue on Thursday, beating forecasts and sending shares of the world's largest computer maker surging, as it rides an AI hardware boom and reaps the benefits of a global memory chip shortage.

Lenovo's revenue rose to $26.94 billion in the three months ended June 30, beating analyst expectations of $22.3 billion, as the consumer electronics hardware giant benefited from artificial intelligence-driven demand and solid PC sales.

It was ‌the group's highest ‌quarterly revenue growth in the last five years, as ‌AI-related ⁠revenue grew 60% ⁠year-on-year to $9.3 billion, accounting for 35% of total revenue in its fiscal first quarter.

The company swung to a net loss attributable to shareholders of $609 million from a profit of $505 million last year, compared to the average analyst estimate of $589 million profit, according to data compiled by LSEG.

The company said the loss was primarily due to a non-cash fair value loss of US$1.7 billion arising ⁠from the revaluation of warrants issued in 2025.

Lenovo's shares hit ‌an all-time high on Thursday before ‌the results announcement, bringing its year-to-date gains to 225%. The shares surged as much as ‌17% after the results announcement.

Its US competitors Dell, Hewlett Packard and Super ‌Micro have been some of Wall Street's best performers this year but have raised prices by 10% to 30% due to soaring NAND and DRAM memory chip costs.

Lenovo's PC, tablet and smartphone division, which accounted for about 64% of total revenue, ‌reported a 27% year-on-year increase in revenue during the period. Adjusted net income, which excludes one-off items and non-cash charges, ⁠more than doubled ⁠to $1.075 billion.

R&D expenses jumped 30% year-on-year, the company said.

Global PC shipments declined by 2% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026 to 16.6 million units for the first time since Q1 2025 due to memory-driven cost pressures, according to Counterpoint Research.

Lenovo retained its market lead in the second quarter, giving it a market share of 25.6%. Its AI server pipeline reached $54.0 billion, up 157% quarter-over-quarter, reflecting demand from hyperscalers, AI cloud and enterprise AI clients, its earnings report said.

Lenovo's strong performance comes after the company warned earlier this year of pressure on PC shipments as the industry grapples with a memory chip shortage that is getting more severe.

It has also raised PC prices to mitigate the impact of soaring memory costs.


Brazil Demands Safety Controls on Discord After Livestreamed Suicide

The Discord logo is seen in this illustration taken November 7, 2022. (Reuters)
The Discord logo is seen in this illustration taken November 7, 2022. (Reuters)
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Brazil Demands Safety Controls on Discord After Livestreamed Suicide

The Discord logo is seen in this illustration taken November 7, 2022. (Reuters)
The Discord logo is seen in this illustration taken November 7, 2022. (Reuters)

Brazilian authorities are calling on US-based messaging platform Discord, popular among teens, to take action after a suicide case sparked outcry and the first lady called for its shutdown.

Investigators say a 13-year-old girl was encouraged to self-harm and take her own life during a Discord livestream, and five teenagers have been arrested in connection to the death.

The office of the Attorney General of the Union (AGU), a public body that defends the legal interests of the Brazilian state, told AFP on Tuesday it requested and has received a proposal from Discord to "adopt measures aimed at strengthening the safety of its users, particularly children and adolescents."

In a statement sent to AFP, Discord said it was "cooperating with authorities in the investigation into this serious case."

Discord said it had additionally "deactivated, before the teenager's death," a "private server" suspected of being used by "individuals involved in criminal activities encouraging self-harm."

The AGU has demanded concrete measures, like age verification of users.

In Brazil, a law that came into effect earlier this year obliges platforms to link the accounts of users under age 16 to their parents' accounts, and requires platforms to verify user age.

Following the recent death, Rosangela da Silva, wife of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called for Discord to be shut down and urged "the judiciary to remove this horrible network from the Internet."

Discord claims more than 90 million active daily users worldwide.

In 2024, the platform X was blocked for 40 days in Brazil, until the social media network owned by the world's richest man Elon Musk complied with the Supreme Court's orders to remove accounts spreading disinformation.