The Download: tech help for herders, and bacteria clean-ups
1 AI is unleashing a data center goldrush
It could rise from 2% of the global data center footprint to 10% by 2025. (NYT $)
+ AI’s carbon footprint is bigger than you think. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Emissions reached a record high in 2023
A big driver of that increase was extreme drought, which cut hydropower production in some countries. (Bloomberg $)
+ And forecasters predict we’re in for a very hot 2024. (The Verge)
+ ExxonMobil is suing investors who want quicker climate action. (NPR)
3 GoFundMe donations to campaigns in Gaza keep being frozen
Legitimate concerns over money laundering and terrorist financing are blocking desperate civilians from getting aid. (The Verge)
4 Can we control AI’s hallucinations?
It’s possible that we can’t. And in that scenario, it’ll remain risky to use AI for any important tasks. (The Economist $)
+ Google’s problem isn’t that its AI is ‘woke’. It’s that it’s being rushed out into products too quickly. (Bloomberg $)
+ The SEC is investigating whether OpenAI misled investors. (WSJ $)
+ Generative AI is challenging the very notion of copyright. (The Atlantic $)
+ Your posts are being used to train AI. Yes, even the ones you would imagine are safe. (Vox)
5 A humanoid robots startup got $675 million from tech investors 🤖
But can it really succeed where so many others have failed? (FT $)
6 More than one billion people now have obesity
It’s shocking how big this public health problem has become now. (Axios)
+ However, weight loss drugs are poised to potentially help alleviate it. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Conspiracists are obsessing over Kate Middleton online
These people seem to just have way too much time on their hands. (The Atlantic $)
8 The FBI is using push alerts to catch suspects
But it’s a privacy nightmare, and could include people seeking abortions. (WP $)
9 A viral photo of a guy smoking in McDonald’s was made by AI
There are ways to tell, but they’re tricky to spot at a glance. (Quartz)
10 Zuckerberg is having a bit of a PR moment
Enjoy it while it lasts, Mark. (Axios)
Quote of the day
“I’m totally 100%, sadly addicted to this.”
—Artist and musician Laurie Anderson tells The Guardian she can’t stop talking to an AI version of her late husband Lou Reed.
The big story
