In today’s Digest, we discuss Amazon being sued over its use of Twitch streamers’ videos to train AI models, UK digital infrastructure investment reaching dot-com era levels amid the AI data center boom, and Shein preparing to debut in Hong Kong at a valuation well below earlier expectations.

Amazon sued over AI training on Twitch videos

Amazon is now facing a class action lawsuit over its decision to feed Twitch streamers' videos into its AI training pipeline, a plan that didn't exactly go down well with users when it was first announced back in August. The company had offered an opt-out for anyone who didn't want their footage used this way, but that hasn't stopped the backlash. 

The suit, filed on behalf of millions of streamers, argues that Amazon, which owns Twitch, used their content to train its AI models without proper permission or fair pay. So far, neither Twitch nor Amazon has said anything publicly about the case. 

UK digital infrastructure investment hits dot-com era levels

British businesses poured more than £11bn into digital infrastructure last year, driven largely by a surge in data center construction to support artificial intelligence, according to revised figures from the Office for National Statistics. The investment level marks a return to spending seen during the dot-com boom of 2000, with 2024 and 2025 figures more than double what they were a decade earlier and significantly higher than initial estimates based on a narrower measurement approach. 

The ONS attributed the jump to "the growing importance of data centers as a component of digital infrastructure investment," reflecting surging demand for AI, cloud computing, and data storage services. Data center numbers in the UK have risen more than 400% between 2000 and 2024, according to analysis from Oxford Economics, as AI adoption accelerates among British businesses. ONS figures show more than a third of UK companies with 10 or more employees now use AI, up sharply from just 12% in 2023.

Shein eyes Hong Kong debut at lower valuation

Shein is preparing to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange next week at a valuation of up to USD$27bn (£19.8bn), a figure that falls significantly short of the fast fashion retailer's original ambitions. The pricing, set between HK$202bn (£19.1bn) and HK$210bn (£19.9bn), reportedly undercuts an initial target of around USD$30bn (£22bn) and stands in stark contrast to the more than USD$100bn (£73.3bn) valuation Shein commanded at its peak following a private fundraising round in 2022. 

Under Monday's listing notice, Shein will sell 280 million shares priced between 47.60 and 49.50 HK dollars ahead of its 1st September debut, a sale expected to bring in as much as USD$1.8bn (£1.3bn), with room to sell more if demand is strong. About 90% of the shares are earmarked for overseas investors, and heavyweight banks Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan are all backing the offering.