Labor, IP, and regulation dynamics

2026 union agreements cement AI bargaining. EU AI Act enforcement begins Aug 2; California AI Transparency Act with $5K/day penalties. Twitch opt-out controversy, NO FAKES, state laws. Supergirl AI concept art detection highlights enforcement gaps. Google makes visible watermarks optional, impacting provenance debates. New: MPA-ByteDance copyright accord – landmark deal formalizing IP guardrails on Seedance/Seedream, shifting from confrontation to cooperation, setting precedent for AI copyright enforcement. Anthropic watermarking adds to transparency tools.