Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
Geostrategy
Indonesia begins $5.9 bn EV battery project despite environment fears
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesia broke ground Sunday on a $5.9 billion megaproject for EV battery production backed by Chinese giant...
Business
World Economic Forum
Risks are interconnected, need collaborative solutions, says WEF’s Mark Elsner
Davos, Switzerland – Mark Elsner, Head, Global Risks Initiative, World Economic Forum sat with TRENDS during WEF’s summit in Davos...
- The Global Risks Report 2025, with insights from over 900 experts, identifies state-based armed conflict as the most immediate risk for 2025.
- The report was circulated ahead of the Davos meeting, which serves as a platform for advancing dialogue, cooperation, and partnerships.
Geostrategy
Norway nears 100% goal of all-electric cars
By comparison, the share of electric cars in Europe was just 13.6 percent in the full-year 2024, a decline for...
- A total of 9,343 new cars were sold in January, of which 8,954 were all-electric, the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) said.
- Of the 50 most-sold models, only two were non-electric, the first of which came in 33rd place, the OFV said.
World Economic Forum
Maori-led AI initiative can revolutionize language preservation, says Peter-Lucas Jones
Davos, Switzerland -- Peter-Lucas Jones, a Kaitaia native, who has been listed in the prestigious Time100 AI 2024 List, was...
- Peter-Lucas Jones, a Time100 AI 2024 List honoree, discussed AI's role in preserving the Te Reo Maori language at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- His team at Te Hiku Media developed Te Reo Maori natural language processing tools and an automatic speech recognition model.
World Economic Forum
Readying for jobs of tomorrow: WEF’s Till Leopold stresses upskilling
Davos, Switzerland -- In the next five years, millions of jobs will be created. Governments, employers, and education institutions, therefore,...
- The key report findings highlighted that there will be 78 million new job opportunities by 2030 but urgent upskilling is needed to prepare workforces.
- The fastest-growing skills by 2030 will include technological skills alongside human skills, such as cognitive skills and collaboration.
World Economic Forum
Lithium-sulfur batteries will transform energy storage, says Lyten’s Horvath
Lyten, a Silicon Valley-based company, is revolutionizing the energy storage market with its groundbreaking lithium-sulfur battery technology. These batteries offer...
- Lithium-sulfur batteries are about half the weight of a lithium-ion batteries, but they have twice the energy density.
- These batteries work better in heat and, therefore, will be better suited to tropical countries that are expected to grow at a much faster pace.
Geostrategy
Samsung reshuffles leadership amid challenge in AI chips
Seoul, South Korea - Samsung Electronics reshuffled its leadership on Wednesday as it looks to gain an edge in the production...
- On Wednesday it tapped vice-chairman Jun Young-hyun to lead its memory business and appointed Han Jin-man as the new boss of the chip foundry division
- The reshuffle aims to "strengthen the company's growth and future competitiveness, focusing on the semiconductor business", Samsung said in a statement
Business
TikTok makes AI driven ad tool available globally
San Francisco, United States - TikTok on Thursday began letting all marketers on its platform use an artificial intelligence-powered tool for...
- The news came with word that Getty Images will make its stockpile of pictures and video available to TikTok's AI‑powered video generation tool called Symphony Creative Studio
- Brands will be able to use Getty's licensed images and videos to create AI-generated ads, including marketing messages featuring characters resembling real people
Drought forces Big Tech to rethink thirsty LatAm data centers
A prolonged drought in much of South America has forced tech giants Google and Amazon to rethink their plans for...
- Plans for a US$200 million data center project needed a cooling system that would consume 1.85 billion gallons of water yearly
- Google said the new facility would use air cooling technology, reducing its water use to a minimum
Science
Major tech companies turn to nuclear energy to power data centers and AI initiatives
Firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are now looking to outgun each other to tap atomic energy, while Goldman...
- Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are now looking to outgun each other with announcements on atomic energy
- According to Goldman Sachs research, data centers will consume 8 percent of US power by 2030, up from 3 percent in 2022
“Sextortion” of teens puts Instagram in trouble; Meta announces new combat measures
Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta accepts the rise of child/teen predators on Instagram and subsequently announces measures to battle...
- New measures to fight sextortion, a form of online blackmail where criminals coerce victims, often teens, into sending sexually explicit images of themselves
- In some countries, Instagram will show teens a video in their feeds about how to spot sextortion scams
Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Trump expands Apple tariff threat to all smartphones
Washington, United States -- US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened Apple and other smartphone manufacturers with a 25 percent...
Business
Anthropic’s Claude AI gets smarter — and mischievious
San Francisco, United States -- Anthropic launched its latest Claude generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models on Thursday, claiming to set...
Business
Global anti-malware crackdown leads to 20 arrest warrants, Europol says
Authorities took down more than 300 servers worldwide, neutralized 650 domains and seized 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million) in cryptocurrency,...
Geostrategy
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Science
OpenAI offers to help countries build AI system
OpenAI on Wednesday announced an initiative to help countries build their own artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructures, with the US government...
- The OpenAI for Countries initiative was launched under the auspices of a Stargate drive announced by US President Donald Trump
- OpenAI, in "coordination" with the US government, will help countries build datacenters and provide customized versions of its ChatGPT AI
Science
Experts seek to legitimize AI mental health care
Researchers at Dartmouth College believe artificial intelligence can deliver reliable psychotherapy, distinguishing their work from the unproven and sometimes dubious...
- Their application, Therabot, addresses the critical shortage of mental health professionals.
- The Dartmouth team recently published a clinical study demonstrating Therabot's effectiveness in helping people with anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
Geostrategy
AI companions present risks for young users, US watchdog warns
New York, United States -- AI companions powered by generative artificial intelligence present real risks and should be banned for...
- The watchdog, Common Sense, tested several of these platforms, namely Nomi, Character AI, and Replika, to assess their responses.
- While some specific cases "show promise," they are not safe for kids, concluded the organization, which makes recommendations on children's use of technological content.