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OpenAI has signed countless billion-dollar agreements with other companies. We are discovering that they are made of paper

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OpenAI has announced that will abandon development of Soraits AI video generator, just six months after the launch of its standalone app. Disney, which had announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI in exchange for licensing its characters for Sora, has confirmed that the deal will not go ahead. The money never changed handsand joins others in recent weeks that send a worrying message. One that calls into question the real strength of the most valued company in the AI ​​sector. Paper agreements. In recent months, OpenAi has been the protagonist of a frenetic string of announcements that have shaken the stock markets and sent prices skyrocketing. Analysts like Ed Zitron have documented in detail how these agreements are for now more smoke than anything else: all of them were “letters of intent”, conditional commitments that now seem increasingly difficult to come true. There are examples everywhere. The NVIDIA case: the one hundred billion that did not exist. In September 2025 NVIDIA announced a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI to invest “up to 100 billion dollars” and build 10 GW of data centers. Four months later, the company led by Jensen Huang considerably reduced that investment to 30 billion dollars. Jensen Huang recently stated that this will “probably” be the last round he will enter into OpenAI and clarified that the statement made it clear that this was a “letter of intent”, not a contract. Months later in NVIDIA’s quarterly results, the agreement is described as “an opportunity to invest in OpenAI.” Not a single dollar has been sent to him, and it is not certain that he will. The AMD case: 34% rise in the stock market. In October, another mega-deal. amd announced a “definitive” agreement with openAI to deploy 6 GW of data centers. The company indicated that would potentially generate “tens of billions in revenue,” and AMD shares rose 34% in one day. Four months later, in quarterly results from the company, zero mentions of OpenIA. IN November 2025, in AMD’s 10-Q filing, AMD’s outstanding obligations on contracts with a duration greater than one year were 279 million dollars. There were practically no mentions of OpenAI. Many promises, no reality. The Broadcom case: a confusing order. Broadcom too was going to deploy 10 GW of “AI accelerators designed by OpenAI” at the end of 2029, but at the moment there is still no evidence that chip sales have occurred and there are no clues in OpenAI’s latest quarterly results, which do not mention this agreement anywhere or its impact. Broadcom CEO he did tell investors that they expected to deploy 1 GW of computing in the form of XPUs in 2027, but did not give details of how they planned to reach 10 GW in 2029. And also revealed that “we do not expect much in 2026” from the contract with OpenAI, because the return will focus on 2027, 2028 and 2029. The Disney case: a very bad sign. The agreement with Disney announced in Decemberincluded the company taking a $1 billion stake and will license more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars for use on Sora. It was the type of agreement that validates a company before the general public, especially since Disney does not sign agreements with just anyone. However, the agreement was entirely built on stock warrants, not cash, they point out in Deadline. By abandoning Sora, Disney has withdrawn without consequences and without having transferred a dollar. Another paper agreement. The SKHynix case: where are we going to get so much memory from?. SK Hynix and Samsung intended to provide 900,000 RAM wafers per month for OpenAI’s Stargate project, but the result of these intentions has been null. That agreement would have consumed 40% of world production of DRAM in the midst of the crisis of this type of components. The mysterious Norwegian data center case. OpenAI promised in July 2025 that would boost construction of an AI data center belonging to the Stargate project but which would be in Norway. It was then expected that this center would have 100,000 NVIDIA chips by the end of 2026, and that it would expand “significantly” from that figure. There has been no news of this development since then. Nobody asks questions. Zitron complained in your reflection how financial analysts seemed not to ask the necessary questions when faced with these announcements. He explains that OpenAI had committed about $300 billion in different agreements to create new data centers, but its real income is around $4.5 billion a year and it is expected that it will have losses of about $14 billion in 2026. Despite everything, Zitron criticizes, the stream of advertisements continues to work because it generates increases in the stock market and positive headlines. The difference between contracts and letters of intent was buried in the fine print of the advertisements that almost no one reads. And the examples continue. In fact, the advertisements do not stop coming despite everything and everyone. OpenAI announced in February an investment of 110 billion dollars by SoftBank (30 billion), NVIDIA (30 billion) and Amazon (50 billion). SoftBank itself is “testing its lending limits” with that bet, which we will see if he can complete. Amazon’s 50 billion are divided in two phases: a first of 15,000 million that should be executed on March 31, and another of 35,000 million dollars whose deadlines depend on several events. Too many agreements that must demonstrate something critical: that they are not made of paper. In Xataka | Problems are multiplying for OpenAI in the race for AI. Your solution: go from 4,500 to 8,000 workers

toilet paper 10% more expensive

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It may be better or worse, single or double layer, white or decorated, but there are usually two characteristics that are often repeated in toilet paper. Their rolls are voluminous. And cheap. Both peculiarities explain that right now there are a part of China where they fear that the price of packages will skyrocket between 10% and 20%. The reason is very simple: the iran war. We explain ourselves. What has happened? That Hong Kong is preparing for an accelerated escalation in the price of toilet paper. The news is reported by local media such as The Standard, South China Morning Post either Dot Dot News: in the region there are already those who believe that rolls will soon become more expensive 10%, even more. Right now the stores are working with stored stock, but it is feared that as this stock runs out, businesses will update their rates upwards, generating more pressure on the pockets of Hong Kong families. Why’s that? Because of the Iran war. The Middle East conflict the price has skyrocketed of oil until the brent barrel is located above 100 dollarstransferring the tension to the logistics and transportation industry. This increase has an impact on any merchandise that must be transported, but not all are equally sensitive to the fluctuations in crude oil, such as I remembered these days Shiu Ka-fai, a retail sector representative in Hong Kong. Does oil affect that much? “While the value of toilet paper is low, its volume is very large, meaning it requires considerable transportation space,” Shiu reflectswho compares as an example what happens with a ship container full of iPhones and another with rolls of paper. The rise in the price of oil (and transportation in general) affects both equally, but since the first shipment has a high value, the increase in freight will be less noticeable in its final cost. Things change when we talk about very cheap and voluminous merchandise, like a pallet full of paper. Does only crude oil influence? The million dollar question. That the rise in Brent is transferred to transport and threatens to directly infect merchandise, fully affecting our shopping baskets, is no surprise. Another thing is the extent to which oil justifies price increases. In Hong Kong in fact already there are voices which encourage you to pay attention to which items become more expensive in the coming weeks, how much they become more expensive and, above all, why they become more expensive. Pascal Siu of Our Hong Kong Foundation warned yesterday that one thing is goods dependent on oil, such as fuels or petrochemical products, and quite another is items such as toilet paper, manufactured with other raw materials. In the latter case, crude oil intervenes in only part of the production. To be precise in transportation and plastic packaging. As an example, Siu points out that if inputs related to crude oil represent between 10 and 20% of the total costs of producing a commodity, no matter how much the barrel of Brent becomes more expensive, the final footprint on the price of the items should be low. After all, he emphasizes, other costs, such as labor or rent, have not yet experienced increases that affect the price. Is this something that happens only in Hong Kong? At the moment the alarms seem to have gone off in Hong Kong, an economy with its own peculiarities and that stands out above all for its high dependency of imports. If we talk about toilet paper the “photo” It is different in Spain. That does not mean that the Chinese region is the only one who fears that the war will affect the prices of basic goods. Right here, in Spain, the OCU published a report a few days ago in which he warned that the cost of food is skyrocketing “as a result of the war” in Iran. Specifically, the organization warns that March threatens to leave “one of the biggest increases” since 2024, when it began collecting monthly data. The emphasis is on the prices of fresh meat and vegetable products. Hong Kong is also not the only region where toilet paper is in the news because of the Middle East. In Japan, supermarkets have found a curious effect: panic buying of rolls like those already seen during the pandemic or the 1973 oil crisis. The authorities they have made a move to ask citizens not to engage in compulsive shopping. Images | Marques Thomas (Unsplash) and Michael Marais (Unsplash) In Xataka | There is only one correct way to place toilet paper. A patent ended the debate in 1891

On paper they look very similar, but experience tells a different story

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In the midst of the rise of streaming platforms, there are still many reasons to buy an Amazon Fire TV Stick or a Xiaomi TV Box. You may want to convert an old TV into “Smart” or you simply want to try another way of consuming content on that screen. But deciding that you want to buy one of these devices is just the first step. The next, and perhaps the most important, is to choose which one best fits what you are looking for. As with any other category of technology products, the decision is not always easy. Several factors come into play that should be evaluated before investing our money. And this is where the Xataka team comes in: we like to try things so you don’t have to. Ana Boriawhich already has thoroughly analyzed devices like the Plaud Note Pro either various smart watcheshas decided this time to put his television to the test to clear up any doubts. Two ways to bring streaming to your television In this Versus, our partner compares the Amazon Fire Stick and the Xiaomi TV Box in key aspects such as image quality. “If we talk about image quality, both devices support content 4K at 60fps“, in addition to being compatible with HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision content,” he comments. And that’s where the interesting part begins. If the two share these specifications, the question almost arises by itself: are there really reasons to choose one over the other? Ana’s tests go further and also address an aspect that for many users can make a difference: the installation of applications. “Last year Amazon announced that it would begin blocking some unofficial applications and even the download of APKs,” he explains, pointing out a relevant difference between both proposals. Now, the situation may not be as clear-cut as it seems at first glance, and in the video you will find the keys to understanding what is happening. The analysis also focuses on other important sections such as the operating system, connectivity or gaming, a field that is increasingly gaining more weight in this type of devices. “With both devices I have been able to install the applicationsconnect the controls and play, but I have not had a perfect experience with both of them,” our colleague advances. If you want to discover which round each device won, which ended up winning in this Versus and what conclusions Ana drew after testing them thoroughly, we invite you to watch the video that we have just published on our YouTube channel. And, as always, we’d love to read from you in the comments: your feedback helps us continue fine-tuning our testing and also inspires future analysis. Images | Xataka In Xataka | Netflix spends 17 billion on producing content and YouTube does it for free. And that’s why YouTube is winning the game

Mercadona and the rest of the supermarkets spend tons of paper on receipts that no one reads. Now they want to change it

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You go to the supermarket, you buy a couple of things (just enough for dinner), you go to the checkout, they give you the ticket, you put it in your pocket and you leave with the bag in the direction of the parking lot. Pure routine. Our daily bread. If the employer’s retail achieves its objective, there is one element of that scene, however, that will change radically. Which? That ticket that you will end up throwing away without even reading it. What has happened? Every year supermarkets print millions and millions of strips of paper in which in many cases only a handful of articles appear, so they end up in the garbage can without anyone having even looked at them. It is a waste, a waste of resources. For chains like Dia, Lidl or Mercadona, but also for the environment. So Asedas (Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-Service and Supermarkets) has had an idea: they want us to start printing receipts only when the customer requests it. What do they want? The news I advanced it on thursday theEconomist. Asedas has proposed to the Government that it slightly tweak the regulations that regulate tickets so that they are no longer printed systematically. That does not mean that they are no longer issued or that the customer no longer has a receipt that clarifies what they have purchased and how much they have been charged. The change would focus on support. The idea, clarifies Ignacio García, head of Asedas, is “that the ticket continues to be generated electronically for control purposes, but that it is printed on paper at the consumer’s request.” That is, the user can request the physical or digital ticket. Right now, remember theEconomistthe regulations provide that supers deliver the receipt in two ways: either in paper or digital format. What’s happening? Since not all clients are in favor of handing over their data (including email) to the chains, in the end they have no choice but to print it. Not only that. The employer’s data They show that many of the times we go to the supermarket we buy only a handful of items, so the receipts show small transactions, for low amounts that we do not even review. Result: those papers end up in the trash as they are printed. It is not even strange for the customer to reject them when the cashier offers them to them. Is it that serious? “Our companies have been confirming for years that, in about a third of operations, the ticket is abandoned at the checkout line,” confirm Garcia. It is not surprising if we take into account the data on the shopping basket managed by Asedas. According to their estimates, 30% of the operations registered in supermarkets respond to almost urgent visits, during which we take home at most four products and spend less than 10 euros. In 60% of cases, purchases involve between five and 25 products with average tickets of between 10 and 50 euros. Only the remaining 10% actually respond to large purchases. In practice, the fact that all operations end up reflected in a receipt means that the supers generate about 5 billion tickets that require the use of almost 4,500 tons of paper and a million-dollar expense. Is it important? Beyond the millions of receipts that are printed each year and the cost that this entails in tons of paper and euros, Asedas’ proposal is interesting for at least two reasons. To start with who throws it. Asedas presume to be “the first food distribution business organization in Spain” and cover 19,200 retail stores and 495 wholesalers. Between your partners Companies such as Mercadona, Lidl, Aldi or Dia appear. Another key is that its idea is in line with what is already done in other European countries. For example, in 2023 France said goodbye to the generation of tickets by default precisely because of the amount of paper it consumed. That doesn’t mean they no longer exist, but they must be requested. In the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden there have also been changes related to the generation of receipts. In Spain itself, some large chains they take time moving towards the digital ticket. Images | Xataka Mobile and Wikipedia In Xataka | There was a time not too long ago when the future of supermarkets seemed like Amazon Go. Now Amazon Go is dead

Two scientists tried to publish a paper on why we get belly button lint. And that’s where his problems began

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In 2005, writer Mark Leyner and doctor Billy Goldberg published ‘Why do men have nipples?‘, a hilarious popular science book in which they answered very crazy questions: from the reason why hair comes out of our ears to the physiological reasons why asparagus perfumes our pee. However, they were not able to answer a key question: where did the fluff of the navel? Four years later, Georg Steinhauser wanted share your answer with the world. According to him, navel lint was mainly related to abdominal hair. According to him, the hair collected the fibers from the clothing and directed them to the navel. He did experiments for three years removing breasts to see the differences! But no one wanted to publish it. Nobody? No! A magazine populated by irreducible mad scientists still resists, as always, the most basic control practices of contemporary scientific publication. Welcome to the world of ‘Medical Hypothesis‘. Against the “gentrification” of science In recent years, “evidence-based” things They have enjoyed unprecedented fame. From politics to medicine, thousands of professionals have turned to science in search of solutions to respond to the problems of an increasingly complex society. However, all that glittered was not gold: again and again We have once again reflected on one of the blind spots of the approachthat science is, by nature, conservative. Not in a political sense, but in an epistemological sense. That is, we know better what we have; but when what we have doesn’t work, it’s a problem. A problem because, without resources to investigate new optionsare forced to implement interventions that do not work, leaving many professionals with their hands tied. For good reasons, yes. But with his hands tied. It is not strange, of course, that there are people who want more diversity. This is the case of ‘Medical Hypotheses‘, the most WTF science magazine of the last 40 years. ‘Medical Hypotheses’ was founded by the physiologist David Horrobin who directed it until his death in 2003. Horrobin, who was already himself a controversial figure (the British Medical Journal defined as one of the greatest “snake oil salesmen of his time”), made a magazine in his image and likeness. Fun, refreshing and dangerous In theory, the idea was to build a respectable forum to debate unconventional ideas unconstrained by current scientific publishing standards as a way to boost the diversity threatened by academic monoculture. ‘Medical hypotheses’ wanted to be a place to bring intuitions, extravagant ideas and crazy theories. In a world like the scientific one full of certainties and phrases in the present indicative, Horrobin’s magazine was all the y-sis and conditionals. That makes it a profound magazine. fun and refreshingbut it also does a bomb box. You can also read a study that relates heels with schizophrenia that one about the similarities between people with Down syndrome and Asians. These days, without going any further, a study is circulating in tabloids around the world about If we can abandon ourselves so much that we end up dying due to pure psychology. For years, the world was a party in ‘Medical Hypotheses’. In the first issues, pioneers from some of the most developing fields of the time wrote. But its main asset is also its main problem. It is a magazine that requires a very skilled editor to be able to navigate controversial terrain without publishing malicious and even dangerous work. The end of the party When Horrobin died in 2003, he was replaced by Bruce G. Charlton. Horrobin had written down that he was the only person he truly trusted to continue his work. At the end of 2009, an article in which he stated that “there was no evidence that HIV caused AIDS” was published in the magazine. The party was over. The paper had been rejected in all research area publications until it ended up in ‘Medical Hypotheses’. He scandal It was capital and Elsevier, owner and publisher of the magazine, fired Charlton a few months later. Furthermore, in an attempt to contain the damage, Elsevier introduced a review system halfway between the original system and the peer review of traditional publications. That clearly went against the magazine’s reason for being and Hundreds of researchers protested against the decision. ‘Medical Hypotheses’ is, in some ways, a symbol of the risky, indomitable and (often) reckless science that we still need, but it no longer plays a central role in public debate. Today, the preprints (and the repositories that store these open drafts — with arXiv.org at the head) fulfill that function. A function that, despite making our lives difficult, is best never missed. In Xataka | This frog is so photogenic that it is now on the verge of extinction In Xataka | Spain turns in the opposite direction to the rest of Europe. It is part of a geological plan: close the Mediterranean Image | Pexels

We send fewer and fewer paper letters. So Denmark Post has said goodbye to the service after 400 years

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“Denmark is the canary in the mine.” The comment is by Marvin Ryder, researcher at the McMaster University (Canada), and what he talks about is not about markets, finances or geopolitics, but about something that has been part of the daily lives of a large part of the world’s population for centuries: the mail. The postal operator PostNord has decided that on Tuesday, December 30 will send his last letter in Denmark. In fact, it has been removing its characteristic red mailboxes from the streets for months and Monday the 29th will be the last day it accepts certified envelopes. From now on he wants to focus on sending packages, something that makes a lot of sense in view of his results. The question, how Ryder slidesis whether the end of postal mail will be limited to Denmark or will reach more countries. Goodbye letters, goodbye mailboxes. End of cycle in Denmark. The once powerful Danish postal service has decided to adapt to the times and say goodbye to postal mail. It’s not exactly new (the announcement did it months ago), but the effects of the measure will begin to be felt now, with the turn of the year: in 2026 the operator PostNord will stop collecting and delivering letters in Denmark. In fact the company takes time preparing the ground for change: in June it began to withdraw its 1,500 mailboxes from the streets, on the 18th it stopped accepting letters and on the 29th it will collect the last certified envelopes with acknowledgment of receipt. One day later, New Year’s Eve, PostNord will deliver its last envelopes. Chart on letter sending (in millions) from PostNord Danmark. A key figure: 90%. PostNord, a Nordic operator founded in 2009 from the merger of Denmark’s Post Danmarck and Sweden’s Posten AB, has been very clear about its motives. Stop sending letters in Denmark because its users have stopped doing so. Only in the last 25 years has its flow been reduced more than 90% without the demand showing signs of having hit rock bottom. If in 2000 they were distributed more than 1.4 billion of letters, in 2024 they did not reach 200 million. This collapse has coincided with the increase in online commercewhich is precisely where the operator has decided to focus its efforts. From now on in Denmark it will focus exclusively on the parcel service. “We are forced to adapt to the new situation and take the next step to build a strong PosNord for the future,” claims. It makes sense considering that the MitID system already allows Danes to receive all their official notifications digitally, the option chosen by the vast majority of the population. Only 5% of adults has renounced that possibility. Will there be no more letters? Yes. And no. PostNord has decided to turn the page 400 years of postal history (the service operates from the 17th centuryin times of Christian IV), but that does not mean that paper envelopes will no longer be sent. Danes will be able to continue sending letters to each other through Daoa courier firm that is already operational and is now preparing for a considerable increase in activity: if its estimates do not fail, it will go from 30 million letters in 2025 to 80 million in 2026. Of course, the service will be somewhat different for citizens: whoever wants to send a letter will have to go to one of their locations to deliver it or pay extra if they want it to be picked up at home. Question of obligations. In the statement in which it advanced its plans PostNord made it clear that its decision comes preceded by a change at a legal level that, in practice, frees its hands. “Our responsibility for the universal postal service in Denmark was extinguished with the Postal Law which came into force on January 1, 2024, except for mail for the visually impaired, small islands and international mail during a transition period,” clarify. Things will be different in Sweden, where PostNord will continue to operate a mail system “self-financed and profitable” and assuming the postal service. “Difficult decision”. Breaking a tradition that dates back to the 17th century is not easy. And this has been recognized by PostNord, which talks about “a difficult decision” and an “important step” designed to be strengthened in the future. For now, his goodbye has served to unleash collecting fever for his mailboxes: the operator put 1,000 units on sale for between 270 and 200 euros (depending on their state of conservation) and sold out of stock. in just a few hours. It is estimated that its network is made up of about 1,500 mailboxes and in January they will be auctioned another 200. Beyond Denmark. Where PostNord’s movements are probably also followed with interest is in the Post Offices. Although there are signs which suggest that Generation Z is reconnecting with the pleasure of sending written letters, the truth is that postal mail is also going through slow times in Spain. The National Markets Commission calculate that in ten years the exchange of letters has plummeted by 64%, which has forced Correos to try new (and multiple) avenues of business. Parcel shipping is increasing, moving at “record levels”, but precisely for this reason it is a sector with fierce competition in which it is not easy to gain a foothold. In Denmark, the readjustment of the postal service will be accompanied by a snip of staff, with the loss of 1,500 jobs. Images | News Ãresund – Johan Wessman (Flickr) and PostNord In Xataka | Correos wants to be a bank in 2025. It is an eye-catching plan in the face of the continuous closure of bank branches

Cover letters were a treasure for recruiters, until AI turned them into wet paper

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AI promised to speed up the processes of staff recruitmentbut after a period of intensive use of AI by both companies and candidates, it has been shown that It’s more broken than ever. Further proof of this degradation are cover letters which, although before the arrival of AI models were a clear differentiating factor, are currently worthless, as a study by Princeton University and Dartmouth College has shown. Cover letters made a difference. The study ‘Making Talk Cheap: generative AI and Labor Market Signaling‘ carried out by Princeton researchers analyzed more than 2.7 million proposals on the Freelancer.com platform before and after the implementation of the LLM text generation models to create these cover letters. Their conclusion is that, before using AI, attach a well-written and to show interest and knowledge of the position and the company to which one was applying, considerably increased the hiring options because the recruiters perceived that this was a very capable candidate. Now they are wet paper. However, as the use of AI tools to generate these cover letters has spread, the appreciation of quality has improved so that candidates in the top 20% of writing skills were 19% less likely to be hired, while those in the lowest 20% increased their chances by 14%. In other words, employers stopped associating a well-written letter with a competent candidate. This has meant that the differentiating factor that a well-written cover letter previously provided has disappeared, reducing the curve of possibilities between the best-trained candidates and those who are not so well-trained. Letters submitted before the LLM models had a better chance of being hired than those post-LLM AI makes hiring more difficult. The effect observed in cover letters has been extended to other areas of personnel selection, since AI distorts real capabilities of the candidates. It is true that its use increases the perception of quality of the candidates, but as the average quality of the group increased, companies began to trust less in the information provided by the applications. He study ‘Does AI devalue communication? Theory and evidence of entrepreneurship and contracting at a global level’ carried out by researchers at Columbia University and Yeshiva, found a similar pattern in selection and entrepreneurship processes: access to AI reduced the accuracy with which recruiters identified the best profiles to fill a given vacancy by between 4% and 9%. If everything is good, nothing is good. For decades, a letter well tailored to the offer served as proof of interest and commitment on the part of candidates. In labor economics, this is known as “signalling”: the candidate conveys their effort through the quality of the text. Generative models have thrown that signal to the ground. The meta-analysis ‘The role of artificial intelligence in personnel selection’ concluded that the automation of selection processes with AI is eroding the traditional signals of merit that were transmitted through cover letters, emails or applications received by the hiring and human resources departments. In that sense, while it is true that AI has democratized competition in the job search, it has also made genuine talent less visible. Who is behind the algorithm? The current degradation of those “clues” that allowed recruiters to locate the best talent, forces us to look for new ways to evaluate candidates. As and as they pointed From the technological employment platform Manfred, the use of AI has multiplied the number of applications, but the perceived quality has not improved at the same pace. For this reason, many companies are choosing to implement more practical tests and face-to-face interviews in their selection processes. That is, eliminate from the equation the presence of AI for the last stage of the selection process. The unknown of this practice is knowing how much talent has succumbed to AI resume filtering prior to that first face-to-face interview. In Xataka | Jeff Bezos assures that there is a type of employee who can never be replaced by an AI: inventors Image | Unsplash (Vitaly Gariev)

Cover letters were a treasure for recruiters, until AI turned them into wet paper

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AI promised to speed up the processes of staff recruitmentbut after a period of intensive use of AI by both companies and candidates, it has been shown that It’s more broken than ever. Further proof of this degradation are cover letters which, although before the arrival of AI models were a clear differentiating factor, are currently worthless, as a study by Princeton University and Dartmouth College has shown. Cover letters made a difference. The study ‘Making Talk Cheap: generative AI and Labor Market Signaling‘ carried out by Princeton researchers analyzed more than 2.7 million proposals on the Freelancer.com platform before and after the implementation of the LLM text generation models to create these cover letters. Their conclusion is that, before using AI, attach a well-written and to show interest and knowledge of the position and the company to which one was applying, considerably increased the hiring options because the recruiters perceived that this was a very capable candidate. Now they are wet paper. However, as the use of AI tools to generate these cover letters has spread, the appreciation of quality has improved so that candidates in the top 20% of writing skills were 19% less likely to be hired, while those in the lowest 20% increased their chances by 14%. In other words, employers stopped associating a well-written letter with a competent candidate. This has meant that the differentiating factor that a well-written cover letter previously provided has disappeared, reducing the curve of possibilities between the best-trained candidates and those who are not so well-trained. Letters submitted before the LLM models had a better chance of being hired than those post-LLM AI makes hiring more difficult. The effect observed in cover letters has been extended to other areas of personnel selection, since AI distorts real capabilities of the candidates. It is true that its use increases the perception of quality of the candidates, but as the average quality of the group increased, companies began to trust less in the information provided by the applications. He study ‘Does AI devalue communication? Theory and evidence of entrepreneurship and contracting at a global level’ carried out by researchers at Columbia University and Yeshiva, found a similar pattern in selection and entrepreneurship processes: access to AI reduced the accuracy with which recruiters identified the best profiles to fill a given vacancy by between 4% and 9%. If everything is good, nothing is good. For decades, a letter well tailored to the offer served as proof of interest and commitment on the part of candidates. In labor economics, this is known as “signalling”: the candidate conveys their effort through the quality of the text. Generative models have thrown that signal to the ground. The meta-analysis ‘The role of artificial intelligence in personnel selection’ concluded that the automation of selection processes with AI is eroding the traditional signals of merit that were transmitted through cover letters, emails or applications received by the hiring and human resources departments. In that sense, while it is true that AI has democratized competition in the job search, it has also made genuine talent less visible. Who is behind the algorithm? The current degradation of those “clues” that allowed recruiters to locate the best talent, forces us to look for new ways to evaluate candidates. As and as they pointed From the technological employment platform Manfred, the use of AI has multiplied the number of applications, but the perceived quality has not improved at the same pace. For this reason, many companies are choosing to implement more practical tests and face-to-face interviews in their selection processes. That is, eliminate from the equation the presence of AI for the last stage of the selection process. The unknown of this practice is knowing how much talent has succumbed to AI resume filtering prior to that first face-to-face interview. In Xataka | Jeff Bezos assures that there is a type of employee who can never be replaced by an AI: inventors Image | Unsplash (Vitaly Gariev)

go back to pencil and paper

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We take for granted the conveniences of the digital age: instant messaging, online shopping, the databases that power millions of businesses. Everything flows until something breaks and the routine stops. In companies, this failure can have devastating effects. Jaguar Land Rover verified itwhich suffered a cyber attack that paralyzed its production lines. Now the scenario is repeated in Japan, where Asahi, the giant that controls about 40% of the beer market, has had to stop its activity and resort to the most basic: handwritten orders, paper documents and faxes that ring again. The incident broke out at the end of September, when an attack by ransomware left inoperative Asahi’s ordering and shipping systems in Japan. In a few hours, the company had to suspend activity in most of its factories and completely reorganize its logistics. The country’s supermarkets and convenience chains, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, warned of possible stock shortages. Although production began to resume on a limited basis, the brewer admitted that it could not guarantee timelines for returning to normality. When a cyberattack turns off screens and forces you to return to paper The systems that allow Asahi to process orders, coordinate deliveries and communicate with distributors were out of service following the attack. Although factories could continue producingthe company was forced to stop activity because it could not manage a single shipping order. The measure was part of the containment protocol, which included blocking servers and suspending incoming mail from abroad. In a few hours, the largest brewer in the country went from total automation to an almost complete stoppage. Faced with the digital blockade, Asahi activated an emergency plan based on manual procedures. Orders were written down by hand, delivery notes were printed and shipping confirmations were communicated by fax, as they were decades ago. The goal was simple: keep the product flowing, even if it was limited. The brewery thus managed to partially reactivate its distribution network, while preparing the reopening of its call center. It was a slow and laborious response, but it allowed the first batches of beer to leave the factories again. Little by little, Asahi began to commission its factories. The six brewing centers in the country returned to limited production, starting with the Asahi Super Dry line. Some soft drink and food plants were also reactivated, although at a slower pace. The company specified that its production was still far from normal and that containment measures were still in force. The attack affected only Asahi’s domestic operations. The company clarified that its subsidiaries in Europe and the United Kingdom continued to operate without incidents. The Japanese side, which contributes around 50% of its global incomewas the only one hit. Although the geographical scope was limited, the economic and logistical effect within the country was notable. A group called Qilin sand claimed responsibility for the cyberattack. We are talking about an organization that operates under a “ransomware as a service” model and that has already been involved in attacks on large companies. Asahi did not confirm that version or detail the type of intrusion. In any case, The Japanese Government maintains an investigation open to clarify what happened. Asahi is keeping its recovery plan underway, focused on gradually restoring ordering and shipping systems. As we say, the immediate priority is normalize production and fully reopen its customer service center. Starting in mid-October, the company hopes to increase the pace of distribution and recover part of the catalog affected by delays. It has not yet set a date for full restoration, but it assures that security measures will be reinforced before returning to one hundred percent operation. Images | Asahi (1, 2) | freepik In Xataka | How often should we change ALL our passwords according to three cybersecurity experts

More than 200,000 books for 11 euros a year. It is ‘The Free Books Club’ of Valencia, a paradise for printed paper devotees

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In a city like Valencia, not precisely lacking second -hand librariesa project has been born that goes beyond the mere business with volumes that have already lived one or more readings. It’s about ‘The Free Books Club ‘, a mixture of bookstore, paper trace, social club and NGOs Bibliophile that, in exchange for a minimum fee, allows its partners to take all the books they want. Its responsible is Rafael Soriano, who transmits an enthusiasm for reading perfectly In line with the philosophy of the premises: “All books are jewelry, some need a little mime and that is the goal of the club: save the books, pass them from good hands to others and in that way, among all, to have an immense library of people who want to continue keeping the books.” All books They deserve be read (As Rafael says, “a book can be a brick, but if you find a page, a paragraph, a text that tells you something, is already a good book”) and therefore preserved. That is why the Free Books Club ‘has an affordable partner share, 11 euros a year, which allows you to take all the books that are desired (To donate it is not even necessary to be a partner), return them or keep them if desired. The intention of the club is that no book is discarded, and of course, that leads to problems. The main one is that Rafael stopped counting the specimens in the premises when he reached 200,000, and the lack of space has forced him to stop classifying, archiving, listing and even restore those volumes they need. In the original place there are no more volumes, which has led them to resort to “partners who have some space at home, a garage, a small warehouse. When someone requests a large rescue, let’s say ten, twelve, fourteen boxes of books, in the premises of Valencia they do not fit.” The project has thus became a completely collaborative idea: the website centralizes the calls for help in search of space, and They estimate that right now they will be around 300,000 “saved” booksas Rafael likes to say. There are future and expansion plans although at the moment the relief comes from projects as another open club in Padrón (A Coruña) with similar operation. An agreement with emails has also been reached so that the partners can exchange books directly without going through the Valencia premises, again with the website as a meeting point. Although Rafael’s ambition goes further, and would like to see premises like his in other provinces, and “that the partners can take a book in Valencia, leave it in Cáceres, take one in Cáceres and leave it in Barcelona.” Computer to Guardian de Books Rafael Soriano started his career as a computer programmer: “I started computer studies before there were computer faculties. In the year 85 I started from 88 I dedicated myself to programming for different clients. In the end the fort of my programming was the management of bars and restaurants. “Later he made the leap to the other side of the screen:” For having met the sector, I was as manager of a bar-restaurant for a year, with thirty-so many employees on the beach. “ After dedicating almost ten years he transferred him and stayed “a little in limbo: I am not yet retired, but I don’t want to be at home, even if I have some resources to endure.” And in this way the club was born: “A little like Hobby, a little as a refuge.” And near the sea, “because I like to swim, see dawn swimming.” A completely born project of devotion to the printed page and has set in something more than a bookstore: A home for old books that serves as a transit in search of new houses. Or as Rafael says, “it is an alchemy workshop, that is, everything that is there is paper, it is an piled paper, but in the right hands it becomes gold.” In Xataka | Before he died, this man left a list of everything he had read in his life: 3,599 books of all kinds that you can now consult

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