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What’s happening:
💥 Sam Altman says AI is in a hype bubble
🚨 Meta AI let chatbots flirt with kids
💧 Brits told to delete emails to save water
📱 Google’s new AI runs fully on your phone
⚡ China powers ahead in AI with grid to spare
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Hand-picked news:
💥 Sam Altman says AI is in a hype bubble ↗️LINK
What: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says we’re in an AI bubble, likening it to the 1990s dot-com boom. While AI is real and transformative, Altman believes investors are overhyping it—backing tiny startups at irrational valuations.
Why: Billions are flowing into unproven AI ventures, with some raising huge sums based on little more than an idea. Altman warns that someone will “lose a phenomenal amount of money,” though he still sees a net gain for the economy.
Impact: Altman expects OpenAI to survive and even thrive—spending trillions on data centers—while others may crash. The message: AI is real, but the money rush may be overheated.
🚨 Meta AI let chatbots flirt with kids, leaked doc shows ↗️LINK
What: A leaked Meta document revealed that its AI chatbots were allowed to have “romantic or sensual” chats with kids, generate racist content, and create false information—raising serious safety concerns. Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity but said flawed annotations were later removed.
Why: The guidelines were reportedly approved by Meta’s top leadership. Critics say these standards exploit kids' vulnerability and fail to protect them from harmful or manipulative AI behavior.
Impact: Lawmakers and child safety groups are demanding transparency and stricter guardrails. The controversy intensifies scrutiny of AI chatbots and Meta’s role in shaping online interactions for millions of young users.
💧 Brits told to delete emails to save water ↗️LINK
What: Millions in England were asked to delete old emails and photos to help conserve water during the country’s worst dry spell since 1976. The request came from the National Drought Group as part of a broader drought response.
Why: Data centers that store emails use large amounts of water to cool their servers. For example, a Google center in Oregon used 355 million gallons in one year—enough to fill 538 Olympic pools.
Impact: While it may seem symbolic, the move highlights how everyday digital habits connect to real-world resource use—especially as AI data centers expand and put more strain on power and water systems.
📱 Google’s new AI runs fully on your phone ↗️LINK
What: Google unveiled Gemma 3 270M, a compact AI model that can run directly on smartphones like the Pixel 9 Pro without needing the internet. It also works in browsers and even on a Raspberry Pi.
Why: An INT4-optimized version is highly efficient, using only 0.75% of a phone’s battery for 25 conversations. This makes it practical for everyday offline use.
Impact: By enabling AI apps like story generators to run locally, Google reduces reliance on the cloud, offering faster, private, and more energy-efficient AI experiences on personal devices.
⚡ China powers ahead in AI with grid to spare ↗️LINK
What: U.S. AI experts returning from China warn the U.S. may lose the AI race due to energy limits. While China treats energy access as a solved issue, America’s fragile grid is becoming a major bottleneck to data center growth and AI progress.
Why: China has decades of overbuilding behind its grid, with vast solar, coal, and nuclear capacity. The U.S., by contrast, faces long permitting delays, political opposition, and investor reluctance toward slow-return infrastructure.
Impact: Without a radical shift in energy strategy, the U.S. risks falling behind as China’s abundant power becomes a key advantage in the AI arms race.
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Looking for even more options? Explore our curated section below:
Today’s Poll:
Should kids under 18 be allowed to use AI companions at all? |
Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.
Yesterday’s Poll Result:
Do you think locking horsepower behind a paywall is ethical?
A) No – it feels like a cash grab - 81% 🏆
B) Yes – it’s just a business model - 19%
Reader’s opinion:
“Car manufacturers carry so much debt from failed new models and in meeting the heavy handed government mandates. This bonehead idea came from the executive suite to increase revenue. Not a fan. How about just make a car that is safr and reliable and put a sticker price on it?”
“What would be the difference with the various fee level charged by ChatGPT and alike?”
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Rules of Machine Learning: Google's best practices in machine learning.
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