Humanity’s plan was to depend less on gas to generate energy. The AI ​​think something very different

When The alarms jumped by him temperature increase globally, it was launched The decarbonization plan. Countries, large technology and automotive companies marked objectives for reduce your carbon emissions with goals set for 2030 and 2050. Have been applying measures for itbut with what the industry – and the planet – did not have the rise of the artificial intelligence and his Energy voracity. One so extreme that there are those who rub their hands: companies that create gas turbines. The threat of renewables. 2024 was a Good year for renewables. Although it is something that has caused an authentic War between Chinese companiesmarket saturation has allowed the panel price Lower considerably. This facilitates the Installation of self -consumption systemsbut it has also allowed huge parks to flourish even in such oil -dependent as Texas. We have witnessed Sorpasso of renewables in Europethere are countries that have worked for months only with renewables And that push of solar panels is making progress in the race for the Green hydrogen. Artificial intelligence. Companies have also adapted their systems to be more efficient, consume less water and even build more respectful and sustainable facilitiesbut in the same way that 2024 was the year of the explosion of renewables, it was also for AI. That is why the main technological have begun to Expand and build data centers all over the world (something that It doesn’t look good everywhere) to be able to meet the current demand for this technology. Change of plans. That high energy consumption has pushed some of the Big Tech to opt for something striking: Operate your own nuclear power plants. Giants such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft have shown their plans to Create or reactivate nuclear centralsbut it’s not the only thing. European oil companies have readjusted your renewable support strategy And there are already seen that, during the AI ​​consumption peaks, the coal burning as gas to meet energy demand. Gas interest. That renewed interest in gas is something that already has consequences, and Siemens is a perfect example. How can we read in Bloombergthe German company estimated a financial result close to balance for this fiscal year, but after the growing interest in gas, they now estimate that their income could grow up to 15%. Siemens Energy manufactures, among other things, gas turbines And in recent months they have seen how this avalanche of investments in data centers with high energy demand has promoted turbine orders. In fact, contrary to what we might think in mind that we wanted to stop depending on the gas, the company has seen that the orders received have doubled during the first three months of the year. And price increase. According to the International Energy Agency, The energy demand of data centers HE will duplicate By 2030 due to AI workloads and, although renewables are in clear expansion, as the supply is intermittent, there are times when they do not meet the constant demand of these data centers. Gas is here a safety net For companies, since it provides constant energy for artificial intelligence infrastructure and coal would be used for peaks of demand. And there are already those who predict that this increase in gas demand will result in an increase in its price for the next winters. And also of carbon emissions, as we are already experiencing with cases such as Microsoft and Google, with Increases of 30% and 50% respectively in recent years. Images | Pexels, Balticservers In Xataka | Putin’s not so secret plan to survive without Europe: a giant gas pipeline to China

A company has created an alternative to facial recognition. Does not scan faces and its use already begins to generate controversy

When cities like San Francisco They decided to prohibit use From the facial recognition by the police, many celebrated it as a victory for privacy. However, a new tool begins to make its way as an alternative. It does not scan faces, but allows people with remarkable precision to follow. Identify without analyzing the face. The tool is called Track and has been developed by Veritonea company specialized in artificial intelligence solutions applied to video analysis. Unlike classic systems, Track tracks individuals based on attributes such as physical complexion, hair color and style, clothing, accessories or the type of footwear. The algorithm also distinguishes the skin tone, although, according to the company, it does not allow to search explicitly by that criterion. With all this information, the system generates chronologies that allow following a person along different scenarios and video sources. It is not a development concept or a future promise. According to data provided by VERITONE itself, more than 400 customers are already using this technology in the United States, including state and local police forces, universities and private companies. Among them are federal prosecutors of the Department of Justice, who began using the tool in August 2024. Track is available through cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, and is part of the company’s digital forensic analysis solution ecosystem. An evolving system. Currently, Track works exclusively with recorded videos, such as those captured by body cameras, drones, public recordings on YouTube or content provided by Citizens. Veritone claims to be less than a year after enabling the analysis in live broadcasts, which would open the door to a real -time surveillance system capable of following people even when their faces are not visible. Covering your face no longer guarantees anonymity. Until now, avoid facial recognition systems It was possible with hairstylelarge glasses, disruptive makeup or garments designed to confuse algorithms. But Track works differently. It does not depend on the face, but on general visual patterns. You can follow a figure through multiple videos analyzing complexion, clothes or way of moving. Of course, he needs a starting point: someone should mark the person before starting tracking. Even so, its logic doubts many of the classic strategies to avoid being identified. And privacy? Although this technology does not use biometric data in the strict sense, such as faces or footprints, it is based on physical and aesthetic attributes that can be repeated frequently. As Mit Technology Review collectsACLU, an American civil rights defense organization, warns that tools such as track could significantly expand surveillance capabilities. On the other hand, some digital rights specialists underline that continuous tracking through different video sources could be functionally equivalent to facial recognition. An alternative that can avoid the current legal framework. As Track is not based on traditional biometric characteristics, many of the laws that regulate facial recognition in different parts of the world would not be applied directly. This does not mean that the surveillance is less, but that it operates from another technical angle, less regulated for now. The tool is thus positioned in a gray terrain. It offers advanced monitoring without formally invading the biometric space, but its practical effects are dangerously approaching those who have already generated concern with automated facial identification. Images | Xataka with XAI | Alex Knight In Xataka | The intentions of the United Kingdom with Apple are a nightmare for privacy. That of the British and that of the whole world In Xataka | Alibaba wants to be the new Deepseek: he claims to have a training method for his AI 88% cheaper

JPMorgan has managed to generate really random numbers. The questions are what he needs them for and how he has done it

A classic computer cannot generate Really random numbers. The algorithms used in computer science to produce this type of numbers resort to an initial value usually known as “seed”, so that making mathematical calculations with it is possible Generate one or several pseudo -elementary numbers. In this context it is necessary to use the ‘pseudo’ prefix because the need to resort to that initial value, to that seed, causes the numbers that we obtain Don’t be really random. In fact, when taking the seed we have several options. Some algorithms resort to the system clock, and it is even possible to increase the apparent randomness of the generated numbers sequence using entropy sourcessuch as the mouse movement or the temperature of the CPU in a certain moment. Even so, the numbers that we will obtain will not be really random because it is possible to predict them if we know the seed and the operations that have been carried out to generate them. Quantum computers, rescue For the gigantic American financial conglomerate JPMorgan the random numbers are very important. A priori may seem strange that a bank is interested in the procedures for generating this type of numbers, but, in reality, this capacity lies in the heart of their business. And it is that random numbers are fundamental in cryptography techniques Employees, for example, to transmit encrypted information, work with cryptocurrencies, develop gambling, and, in general, in any process in which it is necessary to have a randomly as possible randomness. To test their plan they executed their algorithm on a quantum computer of 56 cubits with ion traps manufactured by Quantinuum For this reason, in May 2023, several JPMorgan cryptographers wrote an algorithm of random generation generation that was designed to be executed in a quantum computer. Its strategy was to take advantage of the randomness inherent in the behavior of the cubits, whose functioning is governed by The rules of quantum physics, To generate bits whose randomness It could be proven afterwards. To test their plan they executed their algorithm on a quantum computer of 56 cubits with ion traps manufactured by the American company Quantinuum, which belongs to Honeywell. And it worked. They have detailed the result of their experiment in a very interesting article that they have published in Nature. To check if the numbers given by their quantum algorithm are really random JPMorgan researchers worked side by side with scientists from the National Argonne Laboratory, the National Laboratory OAK RIDGE and the University of Texas in Austin. In Your article develop the method they have used to Mathematically demonstrate using super -touches of the US Department of Energy that the numbers delivered by the quantum computer are genuinely random. “It is a revolutionary result (…) the next step requires understanding where we can apply this technology,” Asses Marco Pistoialeader of the project and head of applied research in Global Technology of JPMorgan. Image | Honeywell More information | Nature | Bloomberg In Xataka | Psychantum’s success is not having collected 750 million: it is its groundbreaking quantum chips manufacturing technology

Alibaba has new Open Source to generate videos. The problem is that it is being used to generate pornographic deepfakes

Last week Alibaba launched Wanx 2.1a new AI model for video generation that competes with others such as Sorafrom OpenAi, or I see 2from Google. The tool ended up becoming 24 hours later the person responsible for dozens of pornographic videos They will be published on the Internet. Wanx 2.1 is also an Open Source model whose code It is available in github. Very soon users fond of pornographic content and who also possessed the appropriate technical knowledge took advantage of that fair model for that: to generate porn videos. They told it in 404 averagewhere they indicated how in communities dedicated to producing and sharing pornographic deepfakes without the consent of the people represented, the users were “salivating” because of the advanced Alibaba model. Some of those videos were shared in Civitai, A platform in which users share images and videos generated with AI tools, but in which such images are also bought and sold. The statistics that we can find in the pages of the AI ​​models used to create those images and video show how These models have already been downloaded hundreds of times by users. There are already dozens of pornographic videos created with WAN 2.1, indicate in 404 average. In Civitai, users are allowed to share AI models, but unseeled pornographic content is not allowed. That does not prevent users from discharging the models and use them to produce these models themselves, they affirm in this medium. The problem is once again the use of tools that, of course, allow perfectly appropriate and spectacular videos, but can also be used for uses such as these. We already saw how this type of Deepfakes They can become very profitableand the advance of these tools makes it difficult to control this type of content. In Xataka | In South Korea, Deepfake Porn has become a nightmare. Your solution: three years in jail for those who see it

Freepik already integrates 2 to generate video with AI. He has even released it even that Google herself

Freepik has been consolidating for some time as A reference in the creation of multimedia content with AI. Not only at the national or European level, but worldwide. And now he has surprised the world by premiere exclusively, Google’s 2. Why is it important. The launch of I see 2 through Freepikeven before, on Google’s own platforms, it marks a turning point in the generative and consolidated market to the Malaga company as a global global actor. The context. The alliance between Google and Freepik is more than a simple technological collaboration. It represents a change in the usual strategy of the giants such as Google, who usually reserve the firstfruits for their own platforms. It has not been the case this time. Google, by deference towards a Partnerby commercial strategy or for the good work of the company Malaga, it has allowed it to be Freepik who hit first with I see 2. An example of what this integration is capable of doing, provided by Freepik itself: In figures. Freepik’s impact on the creative industry is huge: 64 million creatives use the platform. 247 million available graphic resources. 600,000 premium subscribers. More than one billion images generated with AI. In detail. I see 2 promises to raise the bar in the generation of video by AI: It offers unpublished realism in animations. Notably improves the accuracy of movements. It generates more fluid and natural transitions. The first 10,000 users to register They can try the system for free. Deepen. The Freepik CEO, Joaquín Cuenca, He explained They have been testing for weeks I see 2. “There is a new king in the city,” he says pointing out the technical superiority of the model about his competitors. The availability of I see 2 in Freepik marks the beginning of its global expansion, anticipating its arrival soon to Google Ai Studio and other channels, although for now the Spanish platform maintains the exclusivity of the launch. In Xataka | The Spanish Startup Freepik is already one of the most important ‘success’ in the history of Spain after being bought by the EQT fund Outstanding image | Freepik

We have a problem with pesticides in agriculture. And a bigger one with the panic they generate

Fear is a powerful weapon, and also a double -edged sword. Fear can lead us to caution or paralysis and dividing line is not necessarily wide. In the food sector this is especially true: Food is a pillar of our healthbut there are hardly any foods or additives that have not been at one time or another affected by some form of collective fear. A classic protagonist in this context is the pesticides. “People prefer not to know what the lettuce, tomato or strawberry by the BBC. Navarro de Castro is a sociologist and diploma in rural extension and development and in its latest novel, greenhouse planet, addresses The issue of the agricultural system That feeds us. Contemporary agriculture is difficult to understand without use of pesticidesnatural or artificial chemical compounds destined to poison arthropods and other animals that could threaten plantations. These compounds allow the integrity of our crops not to depend on periodic pests or that every year we lose a fraction of our production consumed by these animals. Pesticides raise two big problems. The first, about human health: if these compounds end up in our food chain, they can mean a risk to our health. The second risk is environmental: these compounds can end up extending beyond our orchards and greenhouses, causing damage to the environment. The possibility of consuming toxic substances in our foods scares. It is normal. But would you really be justified to eliminate entire categories of our diet for the fear of pesticides? Perhaps before reaching conclusions it is important to have a notion of the magnitude of the problem. A magnitude that can vary depending on our location: each country has its own legislation when regulating the use of pesticides, but also the ability to assert those laws It can depend on our geographical context. In Europe, the European Environmental Agency (EEA) published in 2023 A report in which analyzed the impact of pesticides in the environment and in our health. They observed, for example, “above the barrier of worrying” in 22% of the points monitored in rivers and lakes of the continent. They also referenced a study published in 2019 in which pesticide residues were found in 83% of agrarian soils in Europe. But the pesticide track is not only still in the environment, but also in our own bodies. In this case, the EEA refers to a study that monitored participants in five European countries between 2014 and 2021. In result: they found indications of the presence of at least Two types of pesticide in 84% of the sample. As the agency explains, the levels detected used to be older in children with respect to adults. The good news, in a certain sense at least, is that the sales of pesticides in the old continent were stable. Threat to health And what consequences can pesticides have on our health? It all depends on pesticide and dose so to talk about impacts. As noted The World Health Organization (WHO), pesticides are “potentially toxic for humans and can have both acute and chronic effects on health depending on the quantity and way in which a person is exposed.” The people most exposed to these agents are not necessarily consumers, but people with more risk are Those who manipulate themeither in their work as in their homes and orchards, adds the UN agency. The EEA indicates Some of the potential effects on our health. These include cancers such as non-hodgkin lymphoma, ovaries and prostate; neurological problems such as Parkinson and Alzheimer’s diseases; cardiovascular diseases; problems in the development of the little ones; reproductive problems both in men and women; and cognitive problems. Inter alia. The agency also points out that today it is impossible to estimate the degree to which these problems affect the European population. The issue of health impacts on health Still still investigated For experts from all over the world. The obvious question is, is there a solution? Washing the fruits and vegetables that we are going to consume is a simple act that Help reduce our exposure To this type of agents. But They do not solve the problem: This action does not eliminate all pesticides, does not avoid other forms of exposure and fails to reduce its presence in the environment. In Your interview with the BBCNavarro de Castro proposed a simple solution and within reach of consumers. “From the collective point of view, a thousand simple things could be done such as eating seasonal,” acquiring awareness of the origin of each product that we lead to our homes (and our stomachs). In Xataka | The big problem of agriculture in Spain is what nobody wants to address: every time it rains less and every time we want to plant more Image | Jürgen Althaus

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