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A viral doomsday scenario aims to shake Europe out of its AI complacency
Does a thought-experiment about US ascendancy in the technology say as much about AI jitters as it does about the reality? It’s 2031 and the US and China are about to tear Europe into pieces. The US ploughed vast sums into datacentres and the EU did not. China built robots and Europe did not. American…
Tech billionaires are spending unprecedented sums in California races. Experts say it’s the tip of the iceberg
From Google co-founder Brin spending $82m to fight a billionaire tax to Google and Meta funding a joint Super Pac, Silicon Valley is engaged in an existential fight for its political power at home Tech billionaires have shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the 2 June primary election in California, in an…
Why I’m grateful to the Pope for his encyclical on AI | Francine Prose
The intelligent and thoughtful encyclical is an important warning of the uses and misuses of a rapidly developing technology. Silicon Valley is wrong to dismiss it Often I’m asked if I think that the novels of the future will all be written by AI. It’s not so much a question as a provocation. Do I…
High-stakes courtroom drama of Musk v OpenAI hears closing arguments
Nine-person jury to consider whether AI firm bilked world’s richest person and unjustly enriched themselves Closing arguments began on Thursday in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI, bringing the weeks-long courtroom battle between the two tech moguls nearer to a decision. A nine-person jury is set to deliberate and return a verdict on…
What is Mythos AI and why could it be a threat to global cybersecurity?
Anthropic’s decision to restrict access to its powerful new model increases fears about the advanced technology Anthropic has ruled out releasing its latest AI model, Claude Mythos, to the public because of the threat it poses to global cybersecurity. However, the US tech startup behind the Claude chatbot confirmed on Wednesday it was investigating a…
Silicon Valley city to give residents doorbells equipped with cameras
Milpitas approves measure to distribute smart doorbells and says residents can upload footage to police database A Silicon Valley city will offer its residents free wireless doorbells equipped with cameras to help police collect video evidence. The city council of Milpitas, a suburb north of San Jose, California, recently approved $60,000 to provide these devices…
OpenAI shutters AI video generator Sora in abrupt announcement
Tech firm ‘says goodbye’ to Sora, made publicly available in 2024, just six months after its launch of a stand-alone app In an abrupt announcement on Tuesday, OpenAI said it was “saying goodbye” to its AI video generator Sora. The move comes just six months after the company’s splashy launch of a stand-alone app where…
Anthropic and Pentagon face off in court over ban on company’s AI model
After Anthropic refused to let its AI to be used in autonomous weapons systems, Trump ordered US agencies to quit using it Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Anthropic faced against the Department of Defense in a federal court on Tuesday afternoon, as the artificial intelligence…
Tech legend Stewart Brand on Musk, Bezos and his extraordinary life: ‘We don’t need to passively accept our fate’
He was at the heart of 1960s counterculture, then paved the way for the libertarian mindset of Silicon Valley. At 87, Brand is still keen to ensure the world is maintained properly – not just today, but for the next 10,000 years Stewart Brand thinks big and long. He thinks on a planetary scale –…
What technology takes from us – and how to take it back | Rebecca Solnit
Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collective effort Summer after summer, I used to descend into a creek that had carved a deep bed shaded by trees and lined with blackberry…