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It’s not just Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin looking to send data centers into orbit. Google is also looking to get in on the fun — and is now gearing up to launch a fridge-sized satellite with the equivalent computing power of a single server as soon as next week.As the New York Times reports, the prototype satellite is part of the tech giant’s Project Suncatcher. As its name suggests, the goal is to take advantage of unfiltered sunlight around the clock to power AI data centers in our planet’s orbit — instead of crushing the electrical…
Whatever special kind of brain worms have established themselves in Elon Musk’s noggin appear to be spreading throughout his companies.In the midst of a state trial on behalf of over 6,000 Black workers at Tesla’s flagship factory in Fremont, California, attorneys for Musk’s electric vehicle argued that it’s acceptable to use the n-word in certain situations, insisting that it’s a “term of respect and endearment” in the Black community.Sure, it’s true that many Black people have reclaimed the word. But the lawsuit is about non-Black Tesla employees and managers abusing Black workers — including allegedly hurling the slur at them…
As the public backlash to cheap AI-generated slop continues to grow, companies continue to insist on cutting costs by relying on the tech for their ads.Some are taking the trend to the extreme by creating deepfakes of videos uploaded by real influencers to market their products.Sleazy gambling and insider trading platform Kalshi is under fire after tech YouTuber Elliott Choy found that one of his videos had been turned into an ad that he was served on YouTube — a process that involved turning the Asian-American creator “into a white dude” that doesn’t exist.It’s a particularly egregious example that not…
Looking for solutions to what they claim is a fundamentally broken public education system, wealthy families are sending their offspring to institutions called Alpha Schools, a private school network that’s putting AI-based tutoring front and center for an eye-searing cost of $75,000 a year.But the kind of education students are being exposed to is nothing short of bizarre, if the latest reporting is anything to go by, turning them into guinea pigs in a game set up by a dystopian enterprise that’s allegedly trying to revolutionize schooling with tech like AI.The situation is even more dire than it sounded at…
As climate change continues to rear its ugly head, this summer has been particularly brutal for much of the planet. A “super El Niño,” a heightened version of a recurring natural climate pattern that triggers unusually hot temperatures, has resulted in the perfect storm, endangering a staggering number of lives with extreme weather.The prognosis is grim, if not catastrophic. According to the latest report by scientists at the research organization Climate Impact Lab, some 451,000 lives “will be lost due to heat in the first half of this El Niño, compared to a normal year.”“The estimate of 451,000 people is…
Just over a month after suing prediction market Kalshi for running an “illegal gambling” operation, New York state authorities are now accusing competitor Polymarket of exactly the same thing.On Thursday, the state’s attorney general Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Polymarket, accusing it of violating state laws against illegal gambling, as Reuters reports.James’ office will seek a court order to block the company from operating as an unlicensed gambling business, which would require it to pay fines and forfeit any illegal gains.“By running an unlicensed gambling operation, Polymarket has done more than just knowingly violate state law,” said New York…
Despite centuries of scientific research, the human brain remains an enigma. It’s made up of tens of billions of neurons, each of which can form connections to its neighbors. It’s easily the most complex part of the human body: a three-pound organ that determines it all, from body movement to sense interpretation to — of course — cognition.Even its basic structure remains the subject of heated debate. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, a team led by scientists at Stanford University determined that the human brain is technically made up of two distinct organs, which…
The shift to digital platforms has not been kind to the independent media industry, which has had to scramble for a shrinking share of ad revenue and adapt to near-constant changes to Google’s algorithms. Yet as problematic as the move away from print media was, few could have imagined just how grim the media ecosystem would become once generative AI hit the scene.Traffic to web media sites has nearly hit terminal velocity over the past year, as tech giants like Google funnel users away from traditional web search and into AI products that summarize journalism instead of encouraging users to…
Never mind killer robots and sci-fi doomsday scenarios. A former Google executive says we need a slowdown in AI development now because the tech is already harming children at a scale that’s surpassing the damage wreaked by social media.“We find ourselves in a really terrible situation in terms of what AI is doing to kids,” Tom Siegel, the former vice president of trust and safety at Google, told Reuters. “The idea that the industry will figure it out by itself without outside help is unrealistic.”Major AI companies, Siegel says, are releasing their features without creating robust enough guardrails. On Tuesday,…
Meta brags that its new AI agent, Muse, can be an all-around “personal assistant” that takes care of everything in your mundane little life, ranging from online shopping, to managing emails, to keeping tabs on your finances — and, hell, even picking your wardrobe, disheveled slob that you are.Last week, it also announced something that actually sounded useful in an age where picking up the phone usually results in conversing with a bot: calling businesses on your behalf. No longer would you need to make an appointment, reserve a table, or wait through a phone tree on your own. Muse,…