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TechnologyThe Guardian1 min read
Labour rejects Zack Polanski’s call to ‘slam brakes’ on building AI datacentres
Government says Green leader’s proposed moratorium on ‘energy-guzzling’ AI projects would be disaster for economy Labour has rejected calls to pause construction of major AI infrastructure in Britain after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, said it was time to “slam the brakes on these energy-guzzling, water-guzzling datacentres”. The government hit back at the opposition party’s proposal of a “moratorium other than [for] local-scale datacentres for the local community”, saying it “would be a disaster for jobs and national security”...
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What happened?
Government says Green leader’s proposed moratorium on ‘energy-guzzling’ AI projects would be disaster for economy Labour has rejected calls to pause construction of major AI infrastructure in Britain after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, said it was time to “slam the brakes on these energy-guzzling, water-guzzling datacentres”. The government hit back at the opposition party’s proposal of a “moratorium other than [for] local-scale datacentres for the local community”, saying it “would be a disaster for jobs and national security”...
Why it mattersAtlasHour context: this story may affect public policy, global affairs, business confidence, technology direction, energy security, or civic life.
Who is affected?Global Markets
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One of east coast’s largest datacenters accused of ‘violating federal law’
Thermal drone footage shows a Microsoft-backed AI datacenter powering its operations with dozens of unpermitted generators The largest planned AI datacenter in New Jersey is being accused of violating federal law after a visual investigation found the site running dozens of unpermitted gas-powered generators. Thermal drone footage captured by the non-profit newsroom Floodlight last week showed the partly completed DataOne facility in Vineland was operating at least 45 of the site’s 62 generators at the time...
The Guardian
Everyone hates datacentres. Do we really need them? – podcast
AI companies have promised us world-shifting technology. But there’s a cost: loud, unsightly datacentres that drain environmental resources. As the government pushes their rapid growth, can local communities do anything to push back? Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global technology reporter Aisha Down about the backlash to datacentres across the UK and around the world For tickets to the Science Weekly live event at the London podcast festival on the future of AI, visit the event page at kingsplace.co.uk Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod..
The Guardian
OpenAI, Anthropic join global call to strengthen cyber defences
More than 100 organisations, including OpenAI and Anthropic, called Thursday for governments and technology companies to strengthen cyber defences against increasingly sophisticated AI-powered attacks. The open letter warned that these could become far more widespread in the coming months as artificial intelligence models grow more capable.
France 24
Time is running out for cyber security, warn top tech firms
The letter warns cyber-attacks which use AI will become more sophisticated in a matter of months.
BBC Business
Tech companies call for collective action against AI-enabled cyber attacks
More than 100 companies have written an open letter calling for collective action to strengthen cyber defences amid a rise in AI-enabled cyber attacks.
Sky News
Sandhya Devanathan exits Meta after a decade; to join OpenAI as VP South East Asia, Australia
Sandhya Devanathan, is leaving the social media giant and is all set to join OpenAI as Vice President for South East Asia and Australia
The Hindu
Latest
Latest in Technology
How Meta’s $17.1 Billion Social Media Settlement Came Together
State attorneys general spent months in negotiations. Then, as its legal losses mounted, the social media giant’s new top lawyer brought a huge settlement to the table.
NY Times
UK risks falling behind in AI race without faster telecoms upgrades, say executives
Planning delays and slow 5G upgrades could leave the UK unable to cope with a surge in AI-related traffic The UK risks becoming a laggard in the global AI race as crucial telecoms upgrades to harness the technology fall behind rival nations, according to senior industry executives. The infrastructure AI race has centred on the need to build datacentres, and to ensure they have access to the huge water and energy supplies required to cool and supply the computational power to train and run AI models...
The Guardian
Hilarity, unease and relief: games show China is not over the finish line in humanoid robot race
World Humanoid Robot Games showcased leaps Beijing has made in the tech, but also highlighted limitations as US rivals prepare their own launches With exploding pelvises, enough comic pratfalls for a Buster Keaton show reel and the odd moment of ruthless violence, the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing gripped the world this week with an unsettling mixture of hilarity, trepidation and relief. The five-day showcase staked out China’s claim to undisputed leadership in humanoid robotics as android martial artists landed knockout roundhouse kicks and robot teams marched into the arena heralded by flag-waving captains astride giant robotic dogs. The games’ blue-riband event, the 100m, did not disappoint when the robot-sprinters ran quicker than Usain Bolt before slamming mindlessly into a padded wall in a blaze of sparks, flames and flying mechanical limbs...
The Guardian
Political Campaigns Are Quietly Paying Influencers to Support Candidates
Their videos have proliferated on social media, but the payments are frequently hidden from viewers.
NY Times
AI slopper in chief: Trump turns to social media amid tough questions
As the US president struggles to end his Iran war, and approval ratings hit new lows, he leans on a familiar gambit Donald Trump knows the power of an image – of himself, with everyone from Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un to Kim Kardashian. How about George Washington? As the US president struggles to end his war with Iran, and with his approval ratings hitting the lowest levels of his second term, he has in recent weeks posted a series of AI-generated images of himself alongside key historical American figures...
The Guardian
I dug through hundreds of Labor Day sales to find real deals on high-quality products that last
Prepare for autumn with our favorite end-of-season deals on staples including leaf blowers, blankets and bedding College grads share the room essentials that weathered the dorm Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things Labor Day offers one last hurrah for summer, a chance to reset for fall, and if you’re shopping, some choice end-of-season discounts. No matter your plans for the long weekend, we found sales on products to make the most of it while helping you prepare for the colder months ahead...
The Guardian
Must Read
Must-read stories
Social Media and the Myth of the Big Tobacco Moment
Smoking used to be everywhere, the way Facebook, TikTok, Snap, YouTube and Instagram are now. Society decided to break the habit, but it took a long time.
NY Times
Matt Lucas and Hugh Bonneville among actors calling for law on AI voice cloning
The performers are asking the government to give every person in the UK a legal right to own their voice.
BBC Technology
Why Countries Are Pushing Social Media Bans Despite Their Flaws
Proposals for curbing social media use among children have wide support, but critics say they are ineffective.
NY Times
Judge Rules Trump Administration’s Blacklisting of Anthropic Was Illegal
The government retaliated against the A.I. start-up “for constitutionally protected expressive activities,” a federal judge in California wrote.
NY Times
Meta Shifts the Blame + Do Data Center Bans Work? + The Final HatGPT
Meta negotiated an unusual provision in their landmark settlement: If TikTok and YouTube also agree to penalties and changes to their products, Meta will pay more.
NY Times
Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas among stars backing campaign against AI voice cloning
About 80 people sign open letter to Andy Burnham calling for legislation to protect voice ownership Nicola Coughlan, Hugh Bonneville and Matt Lucas are among a group of actors backing a campaign against artificial intelligence voice cloning. Save Our Voices Now, which is also being supported by Luke Evans, Jen Brister, Siobhán McSweeney and Pearl Mackie, aims to stop the practice in which AI technology is used to replicate a real person’s voice to say anything it is prompted to...
The Guardian
Explainers
Read the full storyLabour rejects Zack Polanski’s call to ‘slam brakes’ on building AI datacentres
One story, explained in layers.
What happened?
Government says Green leader’s proposed moratorium on ‘energy-guzzling’ AI projects would be disaster for economy Labour has rejected calls to pause construction of major AI infrastructure in Britain after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, said it was time to “slam the brakes on these energy-guzzling, water-guzzling datacentres”. The government hit back at the opposition party’s proposal of a “moratorium other than [for] local-scale datacentres for the local community”, saying it “would be a disaster for jobs and national security”...
Why it mattersAtlasHour context: this story may affect public policy, global affairs, business confidence, technology direction, energy security, or civic life.
Who is affected?Global Markets
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Technology
OpenAI and 100 Others Warn That Window to Defend Against A.I. Attacks Is Narrowing
In an open letter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others said a wave of A.I.-enabled cyberattacks was coming and organizations and governments needed to prepare themselves.
Technology
An $18bn settlement is a drop in the ocean for Meta – but the tide will still come for it | Chris Stokel-Walker
This week’s settlement without liability was pragmatic, but it doesn’t change the inevitability of further lawsuits around the world Not many people would count paying $18bn they didn’t expect to when they woke up that morning as a victory. Yet for Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram, the agreement with 52 US attorneys general to settle claims that it designed its products to be addictive to children, and misled people about their safety, could be described as a win of sorts. Meta denies wrongdoing, and the amount it plans to pay will be spread over a decade. Some of it is contingent on other big tech firms not named in its case coughing up too. The cash is chump change for Meta, which made around $60bn in profit last year. More damaging to the tech giant in the long run could be the agreement to unwind some of the mechanics it has spent two decades perfecting to keep us on its platforms. Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of TikTok Boom: The Inside Story of the World’s Favourite App..
Technology
What Meta’s $17 Billion Settlement Means
Our reporter Cecilia Kang explains Meta’s settlement of a lawsuit claiming that the company’s social media platforms had harmed teenage users.
Technology
AI-proof? Younger workers desert the digital world for traditional crafts
In a disrupted job market people are turning to heritage crafts such as bookbinding, metalwork and boatbuilding It’s a bleak moment for young people entering the workforce for the first time. For decades, a university degree seemed to promise a stable career – but entry-level white-collar jobs across almost all sectors are being disrupted by AI. Budding accountants, software engineers and junior lawyers increasingly find themselves displaced by cheap automation. Even creative fields are struggling against AI tech that can produce artwork, lengthy prose or complex design briefs in seconds...
Technology
‘We’re at a crisis point’: Chappell Roan, Shirley Manson and Eli on playing Olivia Rodrigo’s female-only festival
Ahead of playing Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields, artists explain why female-first festivals are due for a resurgence When I first saw the poster for Olivia Rodrigo’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival in June, I assumed it was AI. Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, the Breeders, Bikini Kill and Garbage, all arranged in a neat line – and this was before I got to the words “special guests”. Karen O, Sarah McLachlan. And, to top it all off, Stevie Nicks? No. I saw the post confirmed on Rodrigo’s Instagram, and thought: how?..
Technology
Black Box: The Chatbots: a new series from The Guardian Investigates – trailer
People are becoming convinced AI chatbots have helped them make scientific breakthroughs, cure diseases or invent new technologies. What does this reveal about a technology used by more than a billion people? A new series from The Guardian Investigates, coming soon..
Technology
Prediction Markets and States Clashed, Setting Off a Furious Political Battle
A legal dispute over the future of Kalshi, Polymarket and others has drawn in the Trump administration, the president’s son and nearly every state attorney general.
Technology
Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Make Sure YouTube and TikTok Share His Pain
Meta, the social media giant, agreed to change the way children interact with its apps. That could be trouble if its competitors don’t abide by the same rules.