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Americans echo Pope Leo’s concerns about AI: ‘It threatens workers, privacy and human life’
Guardian readers in the US spoke of fears about unregulated AI in response to the pope’s encyclical warning about the risks of the technology In his first major papal text since assuming leadership of the Catholic church last year, Pope Leo issued a stark warning about the rise of artificial intelligence this week, denouncing the…
Anthropic reaches valuation of $965bn, beating OpenAI to become world’s most valuable AI firm
Claude’s parent company’s $65bn in latest funding round underscores vast sums of money still flowing into industry Anthropic, the AI firm behind the Claude chatbot, announced on Thursday it had raised $65bn in funding to value the company at $965bn post-money. The move makes Anthropic the world’s most valuable AI startup, eclipsing its competitor OpenAI.…
So dumb it just might work: can these dumbphone evangelists convince you to dump smartphones?
As part of a growing anti-tech movement, startup dumb.co is pushing flip phones as a way for young people to find ‘social and spiritual freedom’ “They aren’t as dumb as they look,” our facilitator said, referring to the dark gray flip phone in his hand. He just as easily could have been talking about us,…
‘Hidden datacentre tax’ costing Irish households millions, report says
Datacentres used 22% of country’s electricity last year, pushing up household bills, study suggests Energy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a report. Ireland’s growing number of datacentres last year used 22% of the country’s electricity,…
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…
‘This isn’t freedom’: anger, anxiety and tears as Iran’s internet flickers back
After 88 days of near-total blackout, first reactions to the return of partial connectivity were not celebratory After 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life. The first reactions, however, were not…
Are robots nearing their ChatGPT moment? – podcast
Last month at Beijing’s half marathon, a robot named Lightning beat the human world record by nearly seven minutes. It’s the latest in a string of AI-powered milestones that have got people wondering whether robots are about to enter our everyday lives, just as chatbots have. And the country leading the charge is China, where…
Studio Display XDR review: Apple’s pro display shines very brightly
Crisp 27in 5K Mac monitor is packed with features and some of the best HDR performance you can get for work or play Apple’s new 27in Studio Display XDR is its best monitor yet, with an exceptionally bright and gorgeous 5K screen that wants to be the pro display for Mac-wielding content creators everywhere, with…
Nasa selects Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin for first of three uncrewed lunar missions
Three lunar landings are planned for this year in preparation for the construction of a $20bn moon base Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Nasa announced on Tuesday ambitious plans for three uncrewed lunar missions this year to kickstart construction of a $20bn moon base, and said it had chosen the Amazon…
‘We can stitch together our past’: the AI-generated time-travellers vlogging from history
The content creators behind channels like Chloe VS History are using AI tools to ‘bring history to life in a really visceral way’ “I have just arrived in Tudor London, 1536,” a young woman in a green puffer jacket tells the camera. “I’m going to check in at my room in the inn, get into…