Non classé

Electric vehicles are ‘batteries on wheels’ that can put energy back into the National Grid when solar panels and windfarms do not provide much power Electric cars make some people afraid of the dark. While the batteries produce much less carbon, they require much more electricity to run. This has prompted ominous warnings that Great …

Sceptics say EVs will overwhelm the grid. In fact, they could be part of the solution Read More »

The military use of AI-enabled weapons is growing, and the industry that provides them is booming A squad of soldiers is under attack and pinned down by rockets in the close quarters of urban combat. One of them makes a call over his radio, and within moments a fleet of small autonomous drones equipped with …

AI’s ‘Oppenheimer moment’: autonomous weapons enter the battlefield Read More »

Whistleblowers say contracts include restrictions requiring staff to seek permission before contacting regulators OpenAI whistleblowers have urged the US financial watchdog to investigate non-disclosure agreements at the startup after claiming the contracts included restrictions such as requiring employees to seek permission before contacting regulators. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) typically bar an employee from sharing company information …

US financial watchdog urged to investigate NDAs at OpenAI Read More »

A subclass of PFAS has been found near manufacturing plants and landfills, and in remote regions of the world Toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” used in lithium ion batteries essential to the clean energy transition present a dangerous source of chemical pollution that new research finds threatens the environment and human health as the nascent industry …

‘Forever chemicals’ used in lithium ion batteries threaten environment, research finds Read More »

Videos of England football manager emblematic of growing internet trend for AI-generated memes It is not the calm and thoughtful Gareth Southgate the nation is used to and, in the rough and ready world of internet humour, that is probably the point. Within hours of England walking off the pitch after winning the semi-final against …

Deepfake clips of Gareth Southgate swearing at England team go viral Read More »

The concept of a guaranteed income is gaining traction as a solution to the impact of AI and way to encourage more rewarding and socially valuable work When Elinor O’Donovan found out she had been randomly selected to participate in a basic income pilot scheme, she couldn’t believe her luck. In return for a guaranteed …

Money for nothing: is universal basic income about to transform society? Read More »

In Coventry, the GMB has been canvassing hard to represent workers officially – and the potentially historic result is due this week On a traffic island on the outskirts of Cov­entry, armed with handmade signs and a stack of orange bucket hats, a small but noisy team of organisers from the GMB union are taking …

‘Let’s make history!’: Amazon staff at UK warehouse vote on union recognition Read More »

Jonathan Haidt’s claims about the effects of devices on children’s wellbeing have been criticised for lacking proof, but they tell us what we need to know Jonathan Haidt is a man with a mission. In his day job, he’s a professor of ethics at New York University’s Stern School of Business. But outside academia, he’s …

Smartphones are bad for kids – we don’t need to call on scientific data to know it Read More »

Advertising to children is strictly regulated – but household brands are flooding the gaming platform Roblox with interactive marketing. Is this a danger to young users? In the blocky world of Chipotle Burrito Builder, players don the uniform of the Tex-Mex restaurant chain to make burritos for virtual customers. The available toppings are taken from …

‘Advergames’: how games platform Roblox became a corporate marketing playground Read More »

The absence of a body adds intrigue to this shot of the photographer’s daughter on a rope swing Phil Doherty took this photograph on a family walk in a Warwickshire woodland in 2020. It was near the end of the first lockdown, and Doherty, his wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, Lulu and Pearl, had taken …

‘There is mystery and it’s also slightly disturbing’: Phil Doherty’s best phone picture Read More »