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Trump admin tackles urgent electrical grid crisis as AI set to double demand

FOX News

Fox News anchor Bret Baier examines the U.S. power supply on'Special Report.' Over the next two decades, global electricity demand is expected to double, growth we haven't seen since post-World War II. To meet historic projections, we need to generate abundant, reliable and affordable energy at a massive scale. But new generation won't be enough. We must dramatically modernize the country's electrical grid infrastructure, the invisible backbone of our entire energy system.


AI firms 'unprepared' for dangers of building human-level systems, report warns

The Guardian

Artificial intelligence companies are "fundamentally unprepared" for the consequences of creating systems with human-level intellectual performance, according to a leading AI safety group. The Future of Life Institute (FLI) said none of the firms on its AI safety index scored higher than a D for "existential safety planning". One of the five reviewers of the FLI's report said that, despite aiming to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), none of the companies scrutinised had "anything like a coherent, actionable plan" to ensure the systems remained safe and controllable. AGI refers to a theoretical stage of AI development at which a system is capable of matching a human in carrying out any intellectual task. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has said its mission is to ensure AGI "benefits all of humanity".


Trump hosts Qatar's PM for private dinner, meets Bahrain crown prince

Al Jazeera

President Donald Trump has hosted Qatar's prime minister for a private dinner and met with Bahrain's crown prince at the White House as part of a United States effort to address regional issues, including securing a Gaza ceasefire, and promote diplomatic ties with the Gulf region. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and a member of the country's ruling family, had a private dinner with Trump on Wednesday evening. Before this meal, Trump met with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office. With little progress to share on the region's most pressing conflicts, including Israel's war on Gaza, Trump was more focused on Wednesday on promoting diplomatic ties as a vehicle for economic growth. Trump has lavished attention on the Gulf, a wealthy region where members of his family have extensive business relationships.


LEE ZELDIN: Trump's EPA clearing the regulatory path for America to dominate the global AI revolution

FOX News

Fox News anchor Bret Baier examines the U.S. power supply on'Special Report.' The global race to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) has begun. President Donald Trump got it right from the start when he issued an executive order in January to strengthen America's AI โ€“ the next great technological forefront. From Day One as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, it was clear that EPA would have a major hand in permitting reform to cut down barriers that have acted as a roadblock so we can bolster the growth of AI and make America the AI capital of the world. In fact, it's an endeavor so important, it is a core pillar of my Powering the Great American Comeback initiative.


Microsoft is saving millions with AI and laying off thousands - where do we go from here?

ZDNet

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft shared internally that it had saved 500 million in call center costs, thanks to AI -- shortly after the company laid 9,000 people off, the third round in a series of layoffs totaling 15,000. What does this mean for the tech industry -- and job security for humans -- at large? Also: 60% of managers use AI to make decisions now, including whom to promote and fire - does yours? According to Bloomberg, Microsoft's chief commercial officer Judson Althoff shared in a presentation that AI tools were improving productivity across several teams, including sales, customer service, and engineering, noting AI had created over a third of the code for Microsoft's new products. Althoff noted AI had reduced customer service costs by over 500 million while upping employee and customer satisfaction.


Robots in China are riding the subway to make 7-Eleven deliveries

Popular Science

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Subway commuters in Shenzhen, China, may soon need to make room for a fleet of chunky, snack-carrying delivery robots. Earlier this week, more than three dozen autonomous, four-wheeled delivery robots boarded and exited active subway trains, and eventually delivered packages to several 7-Eleven convenience stores. Although this demonstration was only a preliminary test and took place during off-peak hours, the company behind the subway-riding robots believes they could soon help stock shelves at around 100 7-Eleven locations. The initiative is part of a broader effort in China and other countries to normalize the presence of delivery robots operating in public spaces.


ElliQ Review: An AI Companion Bot for Lonely Elders

WIRED

For the past few weeks, the AI-powered ElliQ companion robot has perched on the end of my desk. Designed by Intuition Robotics for seniors living alone, this proactive animatronic chats to me throughout the day, checking how I'm feeling, suggesting "fun" activities, and prodding me to be more active and sociable. While it can be annoying, I've grown attached to ElliQ despite myself, and I can see the positive potential. According to the US Census Bureau, around 16 million elders (over 65) live alone in the country, and up to a third report feelings of loneliness. Multiple studies have shown that social isolation harms mental and physical health, increasing blood pressure, depression, weight gain, alcohol and drug use, and decreasing physical activity, cognition, heart health, and sleep.


I spent a day with Amazon's Alexa : It's not perfect, but it's much smarter

PCWorld

"Alexa," I asked the Echo display in my kitchen, "what was that song from The Hills? You know, that MTV show? Can you play it on the Echo Show in the office?" The old Alexa wouldn't have had a prayer of answering such a poorly worded query. But the new Alexa, now packing AI-enhanced smarts, handled it easily.


Trump and the Energy Industry Are Eager to Power AI With Fossil Fuels

WIRED

AI is "not my thing," President Donald Trump admitted during a speech in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. However, the president said during his remarks at the Energy and Innovation Summit, his advisors had told him just how important energy was to the future of AI. "You need double the electric of what we have right now, and maybe even more than that," Trump said, recalling a conversation with "David"--most likely White House AI czar David Sacks, a panelist at the summit. "I said, what, are you kidding? That's double the electric that we have. Take everything we have and double it."


AWS aims to be your one-stop-shop for AI agents from Anthropic, IBM, Perplexity, and others

ZDNet

Amazon Web Services (AWS) wants to be the go-to marketplace for businesses looking to buy and implement AI agents. At the annual AWS Summit in New York City on Wednesday, Amazon announced the launch of AI agents and Tools, a new virtual store within AWS Marketplace where enterprise customers can search through agents from Anthropic, IBM, Perplexity, Salesforce, and other vendors. Crucially, in addition to offering the agents themselves, the store also offers the various components of digital infrastructure required to deploy the agents safely and effectively, including relevant databases, third-party governance software solutions, IT support for implementation, and deployment options to ensure that the agents mesh with the various systems already running within the company. "With this launch, AWS Marketplace becomes a single destination where customers can find everything needed for successful AI agent implementations," Matt Yanchyshyn, vice president of AWS Marketplace and Partner Services, wrote in a blog post. "[This] includes not just agents themselves, but also the critical components that make agents truly valuable."