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Smuggling Claims, Search Showdowns, and a Silicon Sprint
Baby-Bump GPU Smugglers? Nvidia vs. Anthropic, and Your Milan Invite

Read time: under 4 minutes
Welcome to this week's edition of The Legal Wire!
Nvidia’s chip fight got theatrical after Anthropic urged tougher export rules, claiming Chinese smugglers slip GPUs past customs in “prosthetic baby bumps” and lobster crates. Nvidia called it “pure fiction,” warning fresh curbs on 15 May will hobble U.S. innovators more than Beijing.
Google is under antitrust fire as CEO Sundar Pichai defends default-search deals and courts Apple to embed Gemini AI in iOS. Forcing Google to share search data or spin off Chrome, he says, would be a “de facto divestiture” that stalls future breakthroughs.
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang adds that China “isn’t behind” and Huawei is already a heavyweight, so America must out-build, not out-block, its rivals.
Across the Atlantic, UK regulator approval of Garfield AI lets users draft debt-collection letters and small-claims filings for just £2, a landmark push to make justice affordable without human lawyers.
Want real-world wins, not rhetoric? Future Lawyer Europe hits Milan 28 - 29 May. Hear GenAI case studies from Panasonic and Mercedes-Benz and see the tools reshaping legal work. Complimentary passes are still up for grabs for qualified law-firm and in-house counsel, claim yours before they disappear like those mythical lobster crates.
This week’s Highlights:
Industry News and Updates
The Carbon Cost of Your “Thank You”: What Happens When AI Runs Out of Power?
Last Chance to Join Us in Milan
AI Tools to Supercharge your producivity
Legal prompt of the week
Latest AI Incidents & The Legal Tech Map


Headlines from The Legal Industry You Shouldn't Miss
➡️ AI Law Firm Approved to Offer £2 Legal Help | Garfield AI, a UK law firm using artificial intelligence instead of lawyers, has been approved to offer legal services starting at just £2. The AI tool helps users create debt collection letters and file small claims, offering a low-cost alternative to traditional legal fees. Founded by a former London litigator and a quantum physicist, Garfield aims to tackle billions in uncollected debts and improve access to justice. The UK’s legal regulator called the move a “landmark moment” for innovation in legal services.
May 5, 2025, Source: Financial Times
➡️ Nvidia Slams Anthropic Over AI Chip Smuggling Claims | Nvidia publicly criticized Anthropic after the AI startup backed tighter U.S. export controls, claiming Chinese smugglers hid chips in “prosthetic baby bumps” and with live lobsters. Nvidia called the claims “tall tales” and accused Anthropic of using policy to stifle competition. The dispute comes as new chip restrictions take effect May 15. Anthropic, which relies on Nvidia hardware, supports the rules to protect U.S. AI dominance, while Nvidia argues innovation, not regulation, should drive success.
May 1, 2025, Source: CNBC
➡️ Google Eyes Gemini AI Deal With Apple Amid Antitrust Scrutiny | Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified that the company hopes to finalize a deal with Apple this year to include its Gemini AI in Apple’s upcoming AI features. This comes as Google defends itself in an antitrust trial over its search engine dominance, including default deals with major tech firms. Pichai warned that DOJ proposals—such as forcing Google to share search data or sell off Chrome—would harm innovation, calling them a “de facto divestiture” of key IP. The court's decision could reshape how online search and AI evolve in the U.S.
April 30, 2025, Source: Reuters
➡️ Nvidia CEO: China Nearly Matches U.S. in AI | Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said China is “not behind” in AI and praised Huawei as a top tech player. Speaking in Washington, he called AI development a “long-term, infinite race,” urging the U.S. to focus on competitiveness rather than export restrictions. Despite U.S. limits on Nvidia’s chip sales to China, Huang voiced confidence in building AI infrastructure domestically with partners like Foxconn in Texas.
April 30, 2025, Source: CNBC


Written by: Nicola Taljaard
Legal Technology
The Carbon Cost of Your “Thank You”: What Happens When AI Runs Out of Power?
We are tapping into supercomputers for tasks we used to do in our heads. According to OpenAI’s CEO, adding simple responses such as “thank you” to ChatGPT can result in millions of dollars in costs for the company. In addition, the additional responses are adding to the mounting processing pressure. In February this year, Altman announced that the company had already run out of GPUs. Although OpenAI has plans to increase their processing power, this begs the question: What happens when the machines start to slow down, and the power runs dry?
It usually starts with something small. A request to summarize a case. A quick legal email you do not feel like writing. A contract clause you want phrased a little better. The AI delivers what you need in seconds. Out of instinct, or perhaps misplaced politeness, you type back: “Thanks.”


Time is running out to secure your place at one of 2025’s most anticipated legal tech events: Future Lawyer Europe – Milan!
📅 Event Details:
Dates: 28–29 May 2025
Venue: Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan
We’re proud to partner with Future Lawyer Europe to bring Legal Wire members an exclusive offer to attend this two-day legal innovation summit.
🎯 What’s On the Agenda?
28th May: Private Practice Day – Tailored content for law firms, legal service providers & tech advisors
29th May: In-House Day – Focused sessions for corporate legal departments, GCs & compliance leads
🌟 Featured Organisations:
Hear from thought leaders at Panasonic, Loyens & Loeff, Ashurst, Mercedes-Benz, and many more. Discover how GenAI is reshaping legal workflows, dive into practical insights on data privacy and risk, and explore tools to future-proof your legal team.
🎉 Legal Wire-Exclusive Offer: Your Complimentary Pass
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We look forward to seeing you there!


The AI Regulation Tracker offers a clickable global map that gives you instant snapshots of how each country is handling AI laws, along with the most recent policy developments. (Launching soon)
The most recent developments from the past week:
📋 29 April 2025 | BRICS+ sign declaration on AI governance: Foreign Ministers from the BRICS+ countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and new members as of 1 January 2025, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates) have issued a declaration following a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, which includes commitments on AI to prioritise transparency, ethical standards, data protection, and equitable development outcomes, particularly in addressing digital and data inequalities between and within countries. The BRICS+ ministers have emphasised the importance of establishing inclusive and representative international governance for AI within the framework of the United Nations.
📋 29 April 2025 | US government requests EU to rewrite code of practice for AI models: It is reported that the US administration has sent an official démarche document that formally requests the European Commission to address the flaws in the Code of Practice for general purpose AI models. The US critique highlights (1) the need for substantial amendments to enhance flexibility, reduce prescriptiveness, strengthen trade secret protections, better align with the AI Act itself, and clarify its relationship with EU copyright law; (2) several practical implementation challenges, particularly for open-weights models, including monitoring, incident reporting and staging requirements; (3) concerns about regulatory discrimination against predominantly US-based large AI developers through disproportionate regulatory burdens that could discourage growth; and (4) additional concerns on elements exceeding the AI Act's provisions, unclear application to downstream players who modify models, and terminology misaligned with international scientific consensus...
Click here to see more on the AI Regulation Tracker (Launching Soon)


AI Tools that will supercharge your productivity
🆕 Jurimesh - Speed up and improve your Legal Due Diligence
🆕 ContractHero - Manage contracts digitally for an optimal overview
🆕 Knowlex - Knowlex offers the solution for teams that lose time with complex folder structures.
Want more Legal AI Tools? Check out our
Top AI Tools for Legal Professionals


Collecting Data to make Artificial Intelligence Safer
The Responsible AI Collaborative is a not‑for‑profit organization working to present real‑world AI harms through its Artificial Intelligence Incident Database.
View the latest reported incidents below:
⚠️ 2025-04-15 | Reported Emergence of 'Vegetative Electron Microscopy' in Scientific Papers Traced to Purported AI Training Data Contamination | View Incident
⚠️ 2025-04-26 | Reddit Moderators Report Unauthorized AI Study Involving Fabricated Identities by Purported University of Zurich Researchers | View Incident
⚠️ 2025-04-16 | Microsoft Reportedly Blocks 1.6 Million Bot Signup Attempts Per Hour Amid Global AI-Driven Fraud Surge | View Incident


The weekly ChatGPT prompt that will boost your productivity
This prompt provides instant strategic insight into opposing counsel, eliminating hours of background digging and letting you tailor your approach from day one.
Enter the opposing lawyer’s name and firm. Generate a one-page brief that covers:
- Notable past cases and outcomes
- Typical litigation and negotiation style
- Published articles, speeches, or social posts revealing strategy clues
- Known scheduling or procedural preferences
- Practical tips for countering their common tactics




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