Science and Technology (old posts, page 192)

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Meta sacrifices a heap of money at the altar of AI

The magnitude of Meta’s investment in Scale may seem like command of the AI race, but the company’s playing catchup

Mark Zuckerberg announced in April that the company would make huge capital expenditures in the coming year to keep up in the race to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence. He made good on that promise last week with a $15bn “AI superintelligence” team that would feature reported nine-figure salaries and a 49% investment in Scale AI. Meta also hired Scale’s 28-year-old founder, Alexandr Wang, a former roommate of OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

Before Meta’s investment, Scale counted most of the major players in AI among its clients, and some of them were less than thrilled with the development. Bloomberg puts it succinctly: Scale AI’s Wang Brings to Meta Knowledge of What Everyone Else is Doing. Google, Scale’s largest customer, got scared. The tech giant told the startup that their working relationship would end in response to the deal, Reuters reported on Friday.

Revealed: Thousands of UK university students caught cheating using AI

Disney and Universal sue AI image creator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement

Hey AI! Can ChatGPT help you to manage your money?

Researchers create AI-based tool that restores age-damaged artworks in hours

Keir Starmer says technology can create a ‘better future’ as he addresses AI fears

Misinformation about LA Ice protests swirls online: ‘Catnip for rightwing agitators’

US immigration agency flies drones capable of surveillance over LA protests

Software used in surveillance of immigrants has deep ties to the LAPD

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‘Ayahuasca tourism’ is a blight on Indigenous peoples and our environment | Nina Gualinga and Eli Virkina

The popularity of ‘healing’ through psychedelics is fueling exploitation of Indigenous peoples and threatening biodiversity in Ecuador

In the world of the Ecuadorian Amazon, humans, plants and animals are relatives, and ancient stories reflect real ecological relationships and Indigenous knowledge rooted in profound connections to the land. But one of those connections – ceremonial medicine known as hayakwaska – is now marketed as a mystical shortcut to healing and enlightenment. Behind the scenes of these “healing retreats” lies a deeper story of cultural erasure, linguistic distortion and ongoing colonisation masked as wellness.

The global popularity of “ayahuasca” has given rise to a new form of spiritual tourism that romanticises and distorts Indigenous cultures. This growing industry fuels the exoticisation of Indigenous peoples, turning our languages, practices and identities into consumable fantasies for outsiders. Sacred rituals are stripped of context, spiritual roles are commercialised, and even the names of the plants are misused, reducing complex cultural systems into simplified, marketable experiences.

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Weight loss jabs may achieve less drastic results outside trials, study suggests

Patients in real world shed less weight than in clinical settings and may benefit more from bariatric surgery

People using weight loss jabs shed far fewer pounds in the real world than in clinical trials, researchers have found.

Jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, which contain the drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide respectively, have transformed the treatment of obesity, with studies suggesting the former can help people lose up to 20% of their body weight after 72 weeks of treatment.

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Pragmata, the quirky science-fiction game that’s back from the dead

Originally meant to release in 2022, Capcom’s futuristic game – featuring an astronaut and a mysterious blond-haired little girl – has just re-emerged from stasis; and it looks like it will be worth the wait

When Pragmata was first announced five years ago, it wasn’t clear exactly what Resident Evil publisher Capcom was making. The debut trailer featured eerie, futuristic imagery, an astronaut, and a blond-haired little girl, but there was nothing concrete or clear about its content. And when it missed its 2022 release window and was “paused indefinitely” in 2023, it wasn’t clear if Pragmata would ever come to be.

That all changed on 4 June, when a brand-new trailer was broadcast during a PlayStation showcase. The blond-haired little girl turns out to be a weaponised android, accompanying an astronaut called Hugh (of course) through space-station shootouts. I played about 20 minutes of the game during Summer Game Fest the following weekend. A lengthy, troubled development cycle is usually a bad omen, but my time with it was promising.

Pragmata will be out in 2026 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

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Does the UK need nuclear to reach net zero? – podcast

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has promised £14bn of investment to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, kicking off what the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, says will be a ‘golden age for clean energy abundance’. But for critics, the technology’s high costs and lengthy construction times have always eclipsed the benefits of abundant low-carbon electricity.

Ian Sample is joined by the Guardian energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose to find out why the UK government is backing nuclear and whether it will help Britain hit its target of net zero by 2050

What’s behind Keir Starmer’s decision to back nuclear power?

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