Industry
'She Has a Presence': The 'Melania' Superfans Who Turned Up for Opening Weekend
'She Has a Presence': The Superfans Who Turned Up for Opening Weekend WIRED attended two documentary screening parties--one on each coast--for the First Lady's film. For decades now, people have been wondering: Who is Melania Trump? The First Lady opens her 2024 memoir with a story about leaving her family in Slovenia to immigrate to America as a 26-year-old model. Ten years later, she became an American citizen. "It was not an easy process," she writes. "And my personal experience dealing with the trials of the immigration process opened my eyes to the difficulties faced by all who wish to become US citizens." OK, but what does that mean, exactly? Her husband, in both his terms as president, put harshly enforcing immigration policy at the center of his domestic agenda. This is all to say that I was authentically excited to see, the documentary that Amazon paid $40 million to acquire and $35 million to market. The director, Brett Ratner, previously accused of sexual misconduct by six different women, is currently in the news thanks to his appearance in a photo included in the most recent dump of Epstein files. What is Melania like behind closed doors?
Switch 2 sales boost Nintendo profits, but chip shortage looms
Nintendo's Switch 2 became the world's fastest-selling gaming console after launching to a fan frenzy last summer. The runaway success of the Switch 2 console drove up Nintendo's net profit by more than 50% in the nine months to December, the Japanese video game giant said Tuesday. But a global memory chip shortage, created by frenzied demand for artificial intelligence hardware, could push up manufacturing costs. The Switch 2 became the world's fastest-selling gaming console after launching to a fan frenzy last summer. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
Elon Musk merges SpaceX with xAI at 1.25tn valuation
Elon Musk's SpaceX is already one of the world's most valuable private companies. Elon Musk's SpaceX is already one of the world's most valuable private companies. Aerospace business and artificial intelligence firm to unite for IPO as world's most valuable private company Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence business xAI, in a $1.25tn (£910bn) merger that consolidates part of Musk's empire as SpaceX prepares to go public later this year. The two companies announced the deal on Monday in a statement on SpaceX's website, saying the merger would form "the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world's foremost real-time information and free speech platform". SpaceX, one of the world's most valuable private companies, will gain xAI properties such as its Grok chatbot and the social media platform X.
The drones being used in Sudan: 1,000 attacks since April 2023
During Sudan's civil war, which erupted in April 2023, both sides have increasingly relied on drones, and civilians have borne the brunt of the carnage. The conflict between the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group is an example of war transformed by commercially available, easily concealable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones. Modular, well-adapted to sanctions evasions and devastatingly effective, drones have killed scores of civilians, crippled infrastructure and plunged Sudanese cities into darkness. In this visual investigation, Al Jazeera examines the history of drone warfare in Sudan, the types of drones used by the warring sides, how they are sourced, where the attacks have occurred and the human toll. The RSF traces its origins to what at the time was a government-linked militia known as the Janjaweed.
'Deepfakes spreading and more AI companions': seven takeaways from the latest artificial intelligence safety report
The international AI safety report warns systems are improving rapidly - but remain prone to'hallucinations' and hard to control. The international AI safety report warns systems are improving rapidly - but remain prone to'hallucinations' and hard to control. The International AI Safety report is an annual survey of technological progress and the risks it is creating across multiple areas, from deepfakes to the jobs market. Commissioned at the 2023 global AI safety summit, it is chaired by the Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, who describes the "daunting challenges" posed by rapid developments in the field. The report is also guided by senior advisers, including Nobel laureates Geoffrey Hinton and Daron Acemoglu.
U.S. Withholds Support From Major International AI Safety Report
Booth is a reporter at TIME. Yoshua Bengio testifies during a hearing before the Privacy, Technology, and the Law Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee on July 25, 2023. Yoshua Bengio testifies during a hearing before the Privacy, Technology, and the Law Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee on July 25, 2023. Booth is a reporter at TIME. Artificial intelligence is improving faster than many experts anticipated, and the evidence for several risks has "grown substantially."
Musk merges SpaceX and xAI firms, plans for space-based AI data centres
Elon Musk's SpaceX has acquired his AI company xAI as part of an ambitious scheme to build space-based data centres to power the future of artificial intelligence. The billionaire, who is also the CEO of Tesla, announced the merger in a statement on Tuesday on the SpaceX website. AI demand will require "immense amounts of power and cooling" that are not sustainable on Earth without "imposing hardship on communities and the environment," he said. Space-based data centres that harness the power of the Sun are the only long-term solution, according to Musk. "In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale. To harness even a millionth of our Sun's energy would require over a million times more energy than our civilisation currently uses!" he wrote.