Hi and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Jeffrey Mo.

Today, we'll be talking about a new way to protect crops in Taiwan...

and a court ruling in Japan that protects people's voices from being copied
by artificial intelligence.

And in News Flash, we'll explain the word "unauthorized".

Stay tuned to learn more.
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微小天敵幫助農民保護作物
Tiny Mites Help Farmers Fight Pests

Farmers grow many kinds of crops (作物), from vegetables like corn and carrots
to fruits like strawberries and mangoes.

But growing crops isn't always easy.

Storms, floods, and droughts (旱災) can damage plants.

Climate change (氣候變遷) also makes the weather harder to predict.

And farmers must deal with pests (害蟲)!

One tiny pest is the spider mite (葉蟎).

Spider mites are so small that they are even smaller than a dot on a piece of
paper.

But don't let their size fool you!

They can damage many crops, including papayas, strawberries, and melons.

They also eat plant leaves, causing the leaves to turn yellow and fall off.

Farmers often use pesticides (殺蟲劑) to kill these pests.

However, pesticides can harm the environment (環境), and spider mites can
become resistant to them (產生抗藥性).

This means the chemicals may stop working.

But researchers in Miaoli have found a natural way to fight back!

They use another tiny creature called a predatory mite (捕食蟎).

In Chinese, the particular species (物種) they use is called “長毛小新綏蟎”.

Predatory mites hunt spider mites and eat their eggs.

They can also reach the small spaces underneath leaves, where pesticides are
hard to spray.

They can survive high temperatures (耐高溫) too, making them useful during hot
summers.

By eating spider mite eggs before they hatch (孵化), these mites can help keep
the number of pests down.

Researchers say the predatory mites can start protecting crops within one to
two weeks after they are released (被釋放).

Tests on papayas, strawberries, melons, eggplants, and flowers have shown
good results.

To make the process easier for farmers, the team has also developed a special
device for releasing the mites.

為了讓農民簡單操作，團隊還開發一種釋放蟎蟲的專用裝置，讓農民只需要一分鐘，就能完成五十公尺範圍的釋放作業。

With this device, farmers can release the mites across a 50-meter stretch of
crops in just one minute.

The new technology is now being licensed for commercial use (授權商業使用).

Researchers have also studied how pesticides affect these helpful mites.

This will help farmers decide when to release them after using pesticides.

The goal is to use fewer pesticides while still protecting crops.
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東京法院裁定人聲需要受法律保護
Tokyo Court Says People's Voices Need Protection

Now, it's time to head to Japan for a story about AI (人工智慧) and a person's
voice.

The Tokyo District Court has ruled (裁決) that people's voices can receive
legal protection (法律保護).

The case involved Kenjiro Tsuda, a famous Japanese voice actor (配音員) known
for his deep voice.

He has played characters (角色) in popular anime, including "Jujutsu Kaisen
《咒術迴戰》."

Tsuda found that someone had used an AI-made voice (AI生成的聲音) that sounded
like his in more than 180 TikTok videos (抖音短片).

The videos told stories about urban legends (都市傳說) and paranormal stories
(靈異故事).

By November 2025, the account had more than 200,000 followers.

Tsuda said the person behind the account was using a voice like his to get
more viewers and make money without asking him.

The court agreed that this could break rules that protect a person's right to
control how their voice or image is used to make money.

法院表示，人的聲音就像個人的肖像一樣，能代表一個人的特色，因此未經許可使用他人的聲音或肖像吸引觀眾並獲利，可能侵害對方的權利。

The case is important because AI can now copy the way people sound.

Many voice actors worry that others could copy their voices and use them
without permission (許可).

A similar concern (擔憂) came up in 2024, when actor Scarlett Johansson said an
AI voice offered by an AI company sounded very much like her own.

That company then said it would stop using that voice.

As AI gets better, copying voices becomes easier.

But should people be allowed to make money from a copied voice without the
owner's permission?

Japan's court ruling might help decide how similar cases are handled in the
future.
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RECAP

Researchers in Miaoli have found a natural way to fight harmful spider mites.

They release predatory mites that eat the mites' eggs.

This helps farmers protect their crops and reduce pesticide use.
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And,

A court in Japan has ruled that people's voices can receive legal protection.

The case involved an AI-made copy of anime voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda's voice,
used in more than 180 TikTok videos without his permission.

The court said using someone's voice to attract viewers and make money could
break rules that protect their rights.
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NEWS FLASH

Let's look at the word "unauthorized."

It means doing something without permission.

For example, if you use someone else's phone without asking, that's
unauthorized use.

And if someone copies a voice and uses it in videos without the person's
permission, that could also be unauthorized use.

The opposite of “unauthorized” is “authorized," which means it’s okay for you
to do something.
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to share with us, record your message and send us your Bite-Sized Break to
newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it in an episode.

See you next time for another episode of News Bites!