When Bees, Bytes, and Boardrooms Collide! 🐝

Hey tech enthusiasts!👋

The tech world never sleeps, and neither do we! Today's Not So Artificial is packed with spicy AI developments, surprising business decisions, and some game-changing partnerships. Let's dive in!

🐝 WHEN BEES GROUND TECH GIANTS

Meta and Amazon face hurdles in their pursuit of clean energy

Remember that old saying, "the customer is always right"? Well, in this case, the customer might just be a tiny bee species.

• Meta had grand plans for a nuclear-powered AI data center, but those dreams were dashed when a rare bee habitat was discovered on the proposed site. Respecting the ecosystem, Meta opted to relocate.

• Amazon also ran into roadblocks when a government request to boost power from a nuclear plant for one of its data centers was denied, capping its use at 300 megawatts.

🌍 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: As tech giants race to power their AI ambitions, emissions have skyrocketed. Microsoft and Google have seen jumps of 29% and 48% respectively since 2020. These companies are increasingly turning to nuclear energy, but bees and regulations seem to have other plans.

🛰️ 💫 WOODEN SATELLITES TAKE FLIGHT

Japanese researchers launch the world's first wooden satellite into space

In a novel move, Japanese researchers have successfully launched the world's first wooden satellite into orbit. The satellite is made of honoki, a traditional Japanese wood used for sword sheaths.

• The researchers believe this sustainable material can be used to build structures in space, reducing the environmental impact of space exploration.

• The satellite will collect data for six months as a proof of concept, and if successful, the team plans to pitch the idea to SpaceX and other space companies.

• This innovative project showcases the potential for wood to replace conventional materials in the race to make space technology more eco-friendly.

🎥 SPOILER-FREE RECAPS WITH ALEXA'S HELP

Prime Video's new AI-powered feature is a game-changer

Tired of accidentally stumbling upon spoilers while trying to catch up on your favorite shows? Amazon's Prime Video has the solution - introducing "X-Ray Recaps"!

• Powered by Amazon's Bedrock AI, this new feature provides spoiler-free summaries of TV shows and movies, helping you stay in the loop without ruining the surprises.

• Simply select the rewind icon on a show's detail page, and you can choose to recap the current episode, the season so far, or even the previous season.

• No more frantically avoiding social media or scouring the web for plot refreshers. X-Ray Recaps has your back!

🇺🇸 OPEN-SOURCE AI HELPS AMERICA LEAD

Meta partners with the U.S. government on national security

In a surprising twist, Meta is stepping up to support the U.S. government's national security efforts. And they're doing it with the help of their newest AI model, Llama 3.

• Meta is granting government agencies and contractors access to Llama 3, which will assist in tasks like logistics, terrorist financing tracking, and cybersecurity.

• This represents a shift in Meta's "acceptable use policy," which previously prohibited military and nuclear applications. But now, the company says it supports "responsible and ethical" AI use that aligns with democratic values.

• Meta is aligning itself with tech giants like Microsoft, IBM, OpenAI, and Amazon, all of which already collaborate with the U.S. government on defense technology.

🤖 OPENAI BOLSTERS ITS ROBOTICS GAME

Poaching Meta's AR lead signals a new hardware focus

OpenAI is making some serious moves in the hardware department, and they're starting at the top. The company has recruited Caitlin Kalinowski, the former head of Meta's Orion augmented reality glasses initiative, to lead its robotics and consumer hardware efforts.

• Kalinowski brings nearly a decade of experience in VR/AR hardware, including work on Apple's MacBook Pro and Air models.

• This hiring is part of OpenAI's broader push into building and selling its own hardware, branching out beyond its AI software prowess.

• With Kalinowski's expertise, OpenAI is signaling its intent to become a major player in the robotics and consumer tech spaces, not just the AI arena.

🤑 ANTHROPIC'S HAIKU 3.5: PRICIER BUT SMARTER

When AI models get a 4x intelligence upgrade

Anthropic just dropped a surprise on the AI community - a hefty price hike for its smallest model, Claude 3.5 Haiku.

• The new Haiku model now costs users $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, a 4x increase.

• But Anthropic says the price jump reflects a significant boost in the model's intelligence, surpassing even its larger sibling, Claude 3 Opus.

• In testing, the Haiku 3.5 outperformed the Opus model, which costs $15 per million input tokens and $75 per million output tokens.

• This move signals Anthropic's confidence in its AI capabilities and its willingness to charge a premium for advanced functionality.

🗞️ PERPLEXITY CEO'S CONTROVERSIAL NYT OFFER

When AI steps in during a labor dispute

The ongoing labor tensions in the tech industry just took an interesting turn. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has offered to support the New York Times amid a strike by its tech workers.

• The NYT Tech Guild went on strike after negotiations stalled, demanding better wages and consistent in-office requirements.

• Srinivas's offer to provide AI services as a replacement for the striking workers faced significant backlash on social media.

• Many saw this as an attempt to undermine the collective action of the tech workers, highlighting the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI's role in labor disputes.

• The situation also shines a light on the ongoing tension between technological progress and labor rights in the journalism industry.

🍎 CHATGPT PLUS COMES TO iOS SETTINGS

Apple users get a direct path to OpenAI's premium service

Get ready, Apple fans - ChatGPT Plus is coming straight to your iPhone and iPad. With the upcoming iOS 18.2 release, you'll be able to upgrade to OpenAI's premium subscription service right from your device's Settings app.

• The ChatGPT Plus plan costs $20 per month and unlocks advanced AI capabilities that free users miss out on.

• This integration marks a strategic move by Apple, as the company plans to incorporate AI models from various developers on its platforms.

• However, it remains unclear if Apple will receive a cut of the revenue generated from the ChatGPT Plus signups through its ecosystem.

🔍 OTHER TECH HEADLINES

🔮 OPENAI'S PREDICTIVE OUTPUTS: The OpenAI API now features "Predicted Outputs," allowing users to send content as a prediction and have GPT-4o or GPT-4o mini use that as a starting point. This can reduce processing time, with users charged based on how much the final output differs from the prediction.

📱💰 EU TAKES ON APPLE'S APP STORE: The European Union is planning to fine Apple over its "anti-steering" practices, which allegedly harm competition in the App Store. The initial penalty could be as high as $38 billion, based on Apple's revenue. Apple is also under investigation for undermining alternative app stores in the EU.

📈🤖 ALPHABET'S AI BOOST: Google's parent company, Alphabet, is seeing its investments in AI pay off. The company reported a 16% jump in revenue, excluding partner payouts, to $74.6 billion, surpassing analyst estimates.

🛫✈️ AMAZON'S NEW DRONE: Amazon's MK30 delivery drone is smaller, quieter, and has a longer range than its predecessors, capable of flying through light rain.

🕵️‍♂️💼 NETFLIX TAX INVESTIGATION: French and Dutch authorities have raided Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam as part of a tax fraud investigation initiated in November 2022.

🤝💻 T-MOBILE'S AI PARTNERSHIP: T-Mobile will pay $100M to OpenAI over three years to develop an AI platform for customer service tasks.

🌍🤖 GOOGLE'S AI HUB IN SAUDI ARABIA: Google plans to establish an AI hub in Saudi Arabia, focusing on Arabic language models, despite previous commitments to distance itself from fossil fuel industry development.

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Thanks for Reading

That's your daily dose of tech news, complete with a sustainable twist! Remember, even tech giants have to tread carefully when it comes to the environment.