The Data That Powers AI Is Disappearing Fast
Kevin Roose | The New York Occasions
“Over the previous 12 months, a lot of an important internet sources used for coaching AI fashions have restricted the usage of their knowledge, in response to a research revealed this week by the Information Provenance Initiative, an MIT-led analysis group. The research, which checked out 14,000 internet domains which might be included in three generally used AI coaching knowledge units, found an ’rising disaster in consent,’ as publishers and on-line platforms have taken steps to forestall their knowledge from being harvested.”
How One Bad CrowdStrike Update Crashed the World’s Computers
Lily Hay Newman, Matt Burgess, and Andy Greenberg | Wired
“Solely a handful of instances in historical past has a single piece of code managed to immediately wreck laptop techniques worldwide. The Slammer worm of 2003. Russia’s Ukraine-targeted NotPetya cyberattack. North Korea’s self-spreading ransomware WannaCry. However the ongoing digital disaster that rocked the web and IT infrastructure across the globe over the previous 12 hours seems to have been triggered not by malicious code launched by hackers, however by the software program designed to cease them.”
Tiny Solar-Powered Drones Could Stay in the Air Forever
Matthew Sparkes | New Scientist
“A drone weighing simply 4 grams is the smallest solar-powered aerial automobile to fly but, due to its uncommon electrostatic motor and tiny photo voltaic panels that produce extraordinarily excessive voltages. Though the hummingbird-sized prototype solely operated for an hour, its makers say their strategy might lead to insect-sized drones that may keep within the air indefinitely.”
How Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Became Tech’s Steely Eyed AI Gambler
Karen Weise and Cade Metz | The New York Occasions
“Although it could possibly be years earlier than he is aware of if any of this really pays off, Mr. Nadella sees the AI increase as an all-in second for his firm and the remainder of the tech business. He goals to be sure that Microsoft, which was gradual to the dot-com increase and whiffed on smartphones, dominates this new know-how.”
Chinese Nuclear Reactor Is Completely Meltdown-Proof
Alex Wilkins | New Scientist
“A big-scale nuclear energy station in China is the primary on the planet to be utterly impervious to harmful meltdowns, even throughout a full lack of exterior energy. …To check this [capability in the power station], which grew to become commercially operational in December 2023, [Zhe] Dong and his workforce switched off each modules of HTR-PM as they have been working at full energy, then measured and tracked how the temperature of various elements of the plant went down afterwards. They discovered that HTR-PM naturally cooled and reached a secure temperature inside 35 hours after the ability was eliminated.”
The AI-Powered Future of Coding Is Near
Will Knight | Wired
“I’m certainly not a talented coder, however due to a free program referred to as SWE-agent, I used to be simply capable of debug and repair a gnarly downside involving a misnamed file inside completely different code repositories on the software-hosting web site GitHub. I pointed SWE-agent at a difficulty on GitHub and watched because it went by the code and reasoned about what is likely to be mistaken. It accurately decided that the basis reason for the bug was a line that pointed to the mistaken location for a file, then navigated by the challenge, situated the file, and amended the code in order that every little thing ran correctly.”
Balloons Will Surf Wind Currents to Track Wildfires
Sarah Scoles | MIT Know-how Assessment
“City Sky goals to mix the benefits of satellites and plane by utilizing comparatively cheap high-altitude balloons that may fly above the fray—out of the best way of airspace restrictions, different plane, and the fireplace itself. The system doesn’t put a human pilot in danger and has an infrared sensor system referred to as HotSpot that gives a pointy, real-time image, with pixels 3.5 meters throughout.”
Here’s the Real Reason AI Companies Are Slimming Down Their Models
Mark Sullivan | Quick Firm
“OpenAI is one in all numerous AI corporations to develop a model of its finest ‘basis’ mannequin that trades away some intelligence for some pace and affordability. Such a trade-off might let extra builders energy their apps with AI, and should open the door for extra complicated apps like autonomous brokers sooner or later.”
Will Space-Based Solar Power Ever Make Sense?
Kat Friedrich | Ars Technica
“Is space-based solar energy a expensive, dangerous pipe dream? Or is it a viable technique to fight local weather change? Though beaming solar energy from area to Earth might in the end contain transmitting gigawatts, the method could possibly be made surprisingly protected and cost-effective, in response to specialists from Area Photo voltaic, the European Area Company, and the College of Glasgow. However we’re going to wish to maneuver nicely past demonstration {hardware} and remedy numerous engineering challenges if we need to develop that potential.”
Picture Credit score: Edward Chou / Unsplash