Ireland

In Ireland they fear that artists will go without food because of AI. So he’s going to give them a basic income.

by

The AI ​​is putting into serious doubt the continuity of different sectors as varied as the programmersthe music producerscinema and even illustrators. Creating a painting, a song, a video clip or an app used to involve having talent and the necessary knowledge. Now it is enough to choose the right AI model. A few days ago, the United Kingdom government was considering the possibility of implement a universal basic income to alleviate the effects of AI. The Irish government has gone ahead of them and has already launched an initiative in which it provides a basic monthly income to 2,000 artists. According to an official report of the impact of the measure, each public euro contributed to this basic income generates 1.39 euros of return. A test that is consolidated. In 2022, Ireland launched a pilot project of universal basic income for artists with which it sought to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the cultural industry. The test turned out to be an unexpected success, so the Irish Administration has chosen to consolidate it by turning the Basic Income for the Arts into a tool against the precariousness of artists, and prevent them from abandoning their creative work. for economic reasons. According what was published by EFEthe Irish executive has provided the project with a budget item of 18.27 million euros so that 2,000 artists benefit from a payment of 325 euros per week. “This is an important milestone for the arts in Ireland and how we support them,” said Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s Minister for Arts and Culture. “Ireland is a world leader in supporting artists thanks to the BIA (Basic Income for the Arts),” he added in the official statement of the measure. A test that was a success. The pilot program started in November 2022 after the pandemic, selecting 2,000 artists from 9,025 applications through a lottery to avoid bias. Each one received 325 euros net per week for 36 months, equivalent to 16,900 euros per year, tax-free and without working conditions. The composition reflected the diversity of the sector: 707 in visual arts such as painters and sculptors, 584 musicians and composers, 204 filmmakers and audiovisuals, 170 writers and poets, 160 in theater and dance, plus 175 in mixed areas such as design or performance. This randomized design allowed us to measure real effects without bias for successful profiles. The pilot test was subjected to a study constant from independent entities, which were able to measure the benefits of the measure. The pilot demonstrated with data that 325 euros per week was enough to cover part of the basic expenses, freeing up to 25 extra hours per week so that the artists could dedicate time to creating. That is, it was low enough to allow artists to dedicate time to their artistic production, but not so low as to make them dependent on it. It is a basic income, but with conditions. The measure allows maintaining the same economic conditions as the 2022 program, but incorporates a series of conditions that avoid dependency by assigning it to alternative three-year periods. That is, the beneficiaries of the income in the 2026-2029 cycle cannot opt ​​for the 2029-2032 cycle, but they are eligible again for the 2032-2035 cycle. In addition, at the end of each cycle, there is a gradual three-month decrease in income, where the payment drops by 25% per month to facilitate the transition until they stop receiving it. More art, less precariousness. The more consolidated results of the pilot test published in September 2025, indicated that the initial investment in the project was 105 million euros, of which only 72 million were executed. However, that was enough to obtain a return of around 80 million euros. The artists who participated in the test increased their monthly income by an average of 500 euros, while their income from non-artistic activities was reduced by an average of 280 euros. That is, the basic income allowed artists to concentrate on their creations and make them profitable, allowing them live from his art and not from precarious or part-time jobs. “The economic return on this investment in Ireland’s artists and creative arts workers is having an immediate positive impact for the sector and the economy in general,” said the Irish culture minister. In Xataka | Barcelona tested a basic income of 1,297 euros per month and the job search was reduced by 22%: the test was a success Image | Unsplash (Dillon Wanner)

Spain no longer knows what to do with its surplus of renewables. So he is going to build a huge electric bridge with Ireland

by

Spain shines with sun and wind, but is drowning in its own green electricity. Solar and wind farms break generation recordsbut a good part of that energy is wasted due to lack of network, storage and connections with Europe. While the country operates in “reinforced mode”has found a possible solution to dispose of its renewable surplus. An electric bridge. On this path of releasing its excess energy, Spain has found in Ireland the best matches to connect. Irish Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment, Darragh O’Brien, advertisement After a meeting with the Spanish Secretary of State Joan Groizard, both countries are working on the construction of an underwater electrical interconnector between Ireland and Spain. Speaking to RTÉ NewsIrish Minister Darragh O’Brien announced that the project will seek to be co-financed with European funds and be completed in the mid-2030s. It will not be a minor project: the cable, he explained, will allow the buying and selling of electricity between both countries, balancing generation peaks. O’Brien acknowledged that, for now, “Spain is more likely to export energy to Ireland,” because the country usually has a surplus of renewable power that it cannot always take advantage of. We’re going to a wedding. The idea of ​​joining Spain and Ireland with an electric cable may sound eccentric, but it responds to continental logic: countries that produce green energy need to sell it, and those that are isolated need to receive it. In this context, our country is a clear example of the first group. The country has one of the largest renewable capacities in Europe —more than 40GW new since 2019—, but its level of international interconnection it barely reaches 2.8%well below the European target of 15% set for 2030. On the other hand, Ireland belongs to the second group. Its system depends almost entirely on the United Kingdom and France, and the country is, along with Spain and Finland, among the most exposed to blackouts due to lack of interconnections. according to a study by the consulting firm Ember. The analysis warns that 55% of the European electricity system has limits on importing electricity, which increases the risk of supply failures. How will the new cable work? It will be a high-voltage underwater interconnector (HVDC), the same system already used to move clean electricity over long distances between countries. The project is inspired by the Celtic Interconnectorthe Ireland-France link that will open in 2027, and will allow gigawatts of renewable energy to be transported under the Atlantic. There is still no closed route, but the Bay of Biscay appears as the most likely option: there it is already another cable advances between Spain and France, co-financed by the European Investment Bank. The political objective is clear: integrate the networks of the European periphery into an interconnected continental system, less vulnerable to blackouts and more efficient in the use of green energy. Furthermore, both countries recently led a meeting in Luxembourg of the “Friends of Renewables” group, together with 15 Member States and the European Commission. At that meeting, the new European Electricity Grids Package was presented, considered “one of the key pillars to facilitate affordable, safe and clean renewable energy.” Everything starts from the cables. The challenge is not only in producing more, but in transporting and storing energy. Spain invest only 30 cents in the network For every euro allocated to renewables, half of the European average. In this way, the cable with Ireland would fit into a map of projects that aims to break the energy isolation of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition to the Bay of Biscay link, are underway the Navarra–Landes and Aragón–Marsillón connections with France, a third interconnection with Morocco and new links between islands and the continent. If all these cables materialize, Spain will go from being “an energy island” to becoming an energy node between Europe and Africa, capable of exporting its renewable surpluses at competitive prices. The next great leap in European energy could start here: an electrical wire under the sea that connects the Spanish sun with Irish houses. Image | Jules Verne Times Two Xataka | When an undersea cable breaks in Africa, there is only one solution: call the only ship that has been repairing them for more than a decade

A factory in Ireland made a fortune selling baby formula to China. Until the Chinese stopped having children

by

If China’s demographic crisis is not reversed, if the world’s factories shrink and nothing stops the bleeding, its decline will drag and have effects throughout the world: from cost increases in consumer goods (telephones, footwear, electric vehicles) to inflationary pressures due to lower manufacturing efficiency. As an example, a “button”: thousands of kilometers from China, an entire population is already suffering from the lack of babies in Beijing. In Ireland, no one imagined a situation like this. Industrial mirage. For years, the small Irish town of Askeatonin County Limerick, found his redemption in a factory that produced gold dust. It wasn’t a metaphor. Infant milk was produced on Nestlé production lines for the chinese marketa product so profitable that some workers nicknamed it “the white cocaine” of the town. Overnight, that business transformed a town forgotten by modernization into a prosperous enclave, where credit flowed easily and employment was synonymous with stability. But when the Swiss managers arrived two years ago with the closure announcementdisbelief took over everyone. Nobody could conceive that such a modern plant, the result of a million-dollar investment, would simply be closed. Rely on China. Nestlé attributed the decision to a macroeconomic reason: he birth rate crash in China. The number of births had fallen from 18 million in 2016 to just nine million in 2023, and demand for foreign infant formula was sinking. However, The New York Times said that among the 1,100 inhabitants of Askeaton the official version did not convince. There were those who suspected that the multinational was simply responding to a Chinese demand: to move production to Asian territory itself. The argument made sense. For years, Nestlé had closed markets in Europe and the Middle East to concentrate exclusively in China. “We put all our eggs in one basket.” remember the diary Oliver Scanlon, one of the veterans of the place. And although the business experienced its golden age with that turn, everyone understood too late what it meant: China was not only buying the product, it was also learning how to manufacture it. Silent learning. The workers recount how every year Chinese auditors arrived, curious to the extreme, writing down every technical detail of the industrial process. Sometimes they even visited neighboring farms, taking an interest in dairy production methods. “They came to learn,” counted rancher Tim Hanley. “They can produce everything, and their goal is self-sufficiency.” Ultimately, what happened at Askeaton was the consequence of a repeated pattern: the initial enthusiasm for the Chinese market ended with the transfer of knowledge and the relocation of production. In November 2023, just a month after announcing the Irish closure, Nestlé obtained authorization to open a twin plant in Suzhoueast of China. While justifying the closure due to the drop in birth rates, the company proclaimed that the Chinese market “continued to be the largest in the world by absolute number of newborns.” Jobless. The Times remembered that the closure of the plant has left a visible scar. The machines stopped last month and, unless someone purchases the facilities for the 22 million euros at which Nestlé has valued them, the doors will close permanently in March. Layoffs, severance packages and outplacement programs have not compensated for the sense of loss. The factory was the invisible engine that made local businesses run, from Seán Moran’s hardware store to the credit union, which for years granted loans with only a payroll as collateral. “It was a good salary and the town prospered,” admits Patrick Ranahan, head of the entity. “But we knew it could disappear from one day to the next.” From globalization to dependency. He Askeaton’s case It is an example of the vulnerability of local economies in the era of globalization. The sudden success, sustained by Chinese demand, masked the fragility of a model based on a single customer and a single market. What began as a story of international cooperation ended up being technology transfer disguised as prosperity. In the process, China not only bought the product, but also the knowledge, and when it was ready to replicate it, it simply cut the tie. For Askeaton, the “crown jewel” has become a symbol of a bitter lesson: in global commerce, the shine of success can fade as quickly as the foam on the powdered milk that fed them for half a century. Image | Nestle In Xataka | The great paradox of China’s demographic crisis: its origin is due to a policy that worked too well In Xataka | China knows that its population is going to collapse but it already has a long-term plan to solve it. Of course, thanks to AI

Ireland tested a basic income of 1,300 euros for 2,000 artists. It has gone so well that now they do not want me to end

by

The last of the experiments we had heard about that idea of ​​receiving money every month without conditions, also called basic income, It happened in Germany. The test consisted of 1,200 euros per month to 122 participants and the results contradicted many of the topics that we usually hear around the proposal. Ireland has been the next stop, about to finish another unprecedented test: basic rent, but for art. A salary for the artist. The story It began in 2022at which time Ireland launched one of the most significant pilot programs of basic income aimed at the cultural sector, granting 2,000 artists and art workers an unconditional weekly income of 325 euros, 1,300 euros per month. For three years, without performance or consideration requirements, these beneficiaries enjoyed unusual economic stability in the artistic world, allowing them to fully focus on their creative work. The initiative, promoted by the then Minister of Culture, Catherine Martinhe was born in response to acute precariousness after the pandemic and was a total investment of 28 million dollars In the sector. Now, as the end of the program approaches in August, the beneficiaries and their defenders face the uncertainty of the return to financial insecurity, while the voices that claim their extension and conversion in a permanent policy of universal basic income grow. Creative freedom. But there is much more. A prepared report By sociologist Jenny Dagg, from the University of Maynooth, collects the testimony of more than 50 participants and reveals deep effects that go far beyond economic relief. Admission allowed artists to experience, assume risks and fail without constant fear of poverty, which raised quality and originality of its production. At the same time, many reported substantial improvements in their Emotional well -beingincluding better sleep, less anxiety and renewed confidence in their professional career. The ability to devote time to thought, research or innovation, before a luxury, became creative routine. For many, the program was the first real opportunity to imagine a long -term viable artistic career, without sacrificing dignity or health. A sociocultural laboratory. He Irish pilot It has also become a world reference in the midst of the growing debate on the future of employment in the face of artificial automation and intelligence. With technological leaders such as Elon Musk and Sam Altman advocating the need for a universal basic income in response to mass labor disruption, the Irish experience It provides concrete evidence that a guaranteed income does not discourage work, but enriches it. While other similar initiatives in the United States or Germany have been more limited, Ireland opted for a sector that, although not always lucrative, is essential for the symbolic and emotional fabric of any society: art. In this context, driving organizations such as Ubi Lab Network either Basic Inome Ireland They argue that no more evidence is needed: the positive impact is already demonstrated. The dilemma of the return. And as in almost all these experiments, there is an end. With the conclusion of the program in sight, many participants They express fear Given the possibility that their progress and stability are faded. The concerns on how to maintain the creative impulse without that economic mattress extend through all artistic disciplines. The Minister of Culture, Patrick O’Donovan, He has recognized The value of the pilot and has promised to thoroughly evaluate its results before proposing new measures, although there is still no certainty about possible extension. Meanwhile, promoters insist that basic income is not only an economic policy, but a essential tool to deal with the multiple crises of the present (economic, social and ecological) returning time, agency and health to those who create, interpret and enrich the cultural life of the nation. Lessons Thus, and although the future of this Irish basic rent It is still uncertain, its impact has already left a fingerprint in the lives of thousands of artists and in the global debate on the value of unconventional work. Far from becoming a mere experiment, the program has shown that giving people a minimum of security can release their maximum potential. If you want also, in a world that is vertiginously approaching a New and unpredictable Technological revolution, the question that Ireland poses is not so much if we can afford to implement a basic income, but, perhaps, if we can really allow ourselves. Image | Pxhere In Xataka | Germany has successfully tested the vital basic income of 1,200 euros: they improved their training and changed jobs In Xataka | Sam Altman has been giving millions of dollars in secret. Its objective: the biggest study on universal basic income

Italy and Ireland act against privacy concerns

by

It was a matter of time that Deepseek will enter the radar of European regulators. The Chinese Artificial Intelligence Company (AI) is now under the scrutiny of the data protection authorities of Ireland and Italy. We are not talking about formal investigation, but about information requirements that emerge in half concerns about the privacy of users who use the famous chatbot in the old continent. The Ireland Data Protection Commission, responsible for guaranteeing compliance with the RGPD, has requested A Deepseek Details on user data processing. The equivalent body in Italy, known as guarantor, has made a similar decision: It wants to know what personal data are collected, from what sources, for what purposes, what is the legal basis of the treatment and if stored in servers located in China. Deepseek, under the scrutiny of European regulators Earlier this week we indicated that Depseek was becoming tremendously popular, But it was not clear that I was doing the company with our data. However, some of the questions that regulators have asked They have an answer in Privacy policies of Hangzhou Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. and Beijing Deepseek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., The signatures behind Depseek. The aforementioned document indicates that the data of all Depseek users, including those residing in Europe, are stored in China. It also accounts for a huge data collection, which includes from the click patterns of the keys to the conversations. The options of opting not to participate in models training were not too clear either, and now they should be completely clarified. However, guarantor has gone one step further. The Italian regulator, That at the time it prohibited Chatgpt and fined OpenAi with 15 million euroswant to know what type of information use Deepseek for Train your models of language. In this sense, the ‘Web Scraping’ technique is focused and if registered and unregistered users of the service have been informed about the processing of the data collected. It remains to be seen how this issue will be resolved in the near future. We know that Depseek has 20 days to respond to guarantor, but it is not clear what Ireland has established. Nor can we download shares from other members of the European Data Protection Committee, composed of about twenty national authorities, among which we find the Spanish Agency for Data Protection. It is important to note that the concerns of data collection by DeDEEK They revolve around their online services. The Chinese company, which has caused an earthquake in the AI ​​industry with the launch of Deepseek V3 and Deepseek R1, Allows you to use your models locally And completely free. That is, open the door to access its novel technology without using the Internet. Images | Deepseek | Guillaume Périgois In Xataka | We already know the secret of the extreme efficiency of Deepseek: it has dodged the Cuda de Nvidia standard In Xataka | LaLiga wants your biometric data to enter the field. Europe has something to say

The price of energy that its chips factory is using in Ireland

by

The tuning of an advanced semiconductor factory equipped with machines with avant -garde lithography It costs up to 30,000 million euros. This is precisely what will cost the plant that Intel will build in Magdeburg (Germany) If the project finally goes ahead. And, as we tell you at the beginning of last November, this company has decided delay the start of construction of this factory until 2029 or 2030. Initially the works were going to start during the first half of 2023, but The negotiation of subsidies forced to delay this date until the summer of 2024. However, Finally Intel and the German government agreed as a construction start date May 2025. Anyway, the four or five years of lag planned by this company are a consequence of the delicate situation in The one that is intel. The cost of energy is crucial to preserve the competitiveness of a factory The center of the conversation on this occasion is not occupied by the Magdeburg plant, although we stay in Europe; It is monitored by the factory that Intel has in Leixlip (Ireland). These facilities began producing integrated avant -garde circuits In the Intel 4 node In September 2023, and they are also manufacturing semiconductors in the Intel 3 node. This plant is equipped with equipment of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) produced by the Dutch company ASML, and has a fundamental role in Intel infrastructure to serve its European clients. Intel is paying for electricity in Ireland that in the US or Israel As we have seen in the first lines of this article, the cost derived from the tuning of a last niche plant is very high, but, in addition, Intel has just stumbled with a problem in his Leixlip factory: The price of electricity in Ireland. According to this US company, this cost amounts to 15 cents per kilovatio houra figure that is approximately double high as in the US or Israel, which are the venues of some of its most advanced semiconductor production plants. As we can intuit, the price of electricity paid a chip factory has a direct impact on the final cost of the integrated circuits it produces. And, therefore, also in its competitiveness. Intel has rushed to ensure that the future of the Leixlip plant is assured due to the very important role he plays in his infrastructure, but in Rte They argue that he is negotiating with the Irish government to find a way to reduce the cost of electricity that he is currently paying. Presumably it is likely that the State finally assume a part of the cost of energy. Image | Intel More information | Rte In Xataka | The US does not press only Nvidia and Asml against China. Prepare more restrictions for TSMC, Intel and Samsung

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.