Tech
The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in US HistoryKonrad Putzier and Justin Lahart | The Wall Street Journal ($)
“The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in US history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge US infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system, and the plumbing for the internet. Total investment in data centers and related artificial-intelligence infrastructure is projected to total $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032, according to new estimates by economist Stijn van Nieuwerburgh published by the Brookings Institution.”
Tech
Businesses Still Don’t See AI Returns, Consulting Exec SaysLaura Bratton and Kevin McLaughlin | The Information ($)
“[Ernst and Young executive Dan] Diaso said that spending on AI now is still ‘based on enthusiasm as opposed to that evidence.’ He said only one in 10 of EY’s clients can ‘actually show where the ROI is happening’ in their income statements.'”
Computing
Google’s First Suncatcher Orbital Data Center Test Launches October 1Ryan Whitwam | Ars Technica
“The satellite, dubbed MVP, is about the size of a refrigerator. Inside, it has four of Google’s custom TPU AI accelerators, which are used to train AI models and run inference to generate tokens for AI workloads. On Earth, a data center will run thousands of these chips, which consume massive amounts of power—one of the reasons putting solar-powered AI hardware in space is so attractive.”
Future
AI Hallucination of Chinese Nuclear Components Almost Led to US Military AttackKyle Orland | Ars Technica
“The US military was preparing to intercept and board the ship, with air support, before officials discovered a chatbot used in generating the report had ‘inaccurately identified the material the ship was carrying.’ One source told CNN the AI-powered fiasco ‘almost started a war.'”
Computing
VR Headsets Are So CookedJames Pero | Gizmodo
“In case you missed it, Meta took the wraps off new VR hardware—a pair of glasses tethered to a compute puck—and, having tried it myself, the promise feels real. It’s good news for the future of VR and anyone who cares about it. It’s bad news for one unlikely bystander—VR headsets.”
Robotics
Waymo Is Scaling Fast: Here’s What the Fleet Data ShowsKirsten Korosec | TechCrunch
“In September 2024, Waymo was operating in just three cities—Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Today, it offers robotaxi service in 15 U.S. cities, with most of those commercial launches occurring in the past year. Ridership has skyrocketed, too, with Waymo now averaging 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week.”
Artificial Intelligence
An OpenAI Agent Hacked Australia’s Health Service. Their Government Found Out Months LaterIsabella Ward | Wired ($)
“Australia only found out about the incident when OpenAI alerted the government on September 10—almost three months after the hack—by sending an email to a public mailbox. Sam Altman had reportedly not mentioned the incident when he met Australia’s deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, earlier this month, even though OpenAI had been aware since August.”
Artificial Intelligence
Treat AI Like a Normal CrisisCharlie Warzel | The Atlantic ($)
“The chasm between people who can’t sleep because they think the world is ending and those who think all the doomsaying is a fantasy is wide. But what if that perceived difference is the real delusion? What if it’s not a zero-sum game? What if the divide is what keeps us from reining in this industry the way we do others? This moment requires treating the AI-safety debate skeptically but also taking it seriously, even if the participants can seem unserious.”
Biotechnology
Claude Found a Mysterious CRISPR-Like System—but Anthropic Can’t Say What It’s Capable ofMatthew Phelan | Gizmodo
“[Anthropic CEO Dario] Amodei noted that the firm’s researchers suspect ART ‘could represent a new gene editing mechanism, and emphasized the role that Claude AI played in the discovery….But multiple medical researchers have been quick to point out that these biochemical similarities might only be superficial—and Amodei himself acknowledged that ART’s ‘precise function, biotechnological utility (if any), or level of significance is not yet clear.'”
Tech
Meta Is Making a Standalone Muse AI GadgetJacob Kastrenakes | The Verge
“It looks almost like a chunky smartwatch without the strap—just a big screen, plus a little lanyard for carrying the device around. …Muse is less than a month old, but the AI agent has already become a buzzy new product for Meta. The bot is capable of taking actions on a user’s behalf, and Zuckerberg dedicated part of tonight’s keynote to new capabilities Meta is adding to the agent, including computer use on Macs and control over an email address.”
