shows

The latest Stranger Things deepfake is so amazing that it shows that reality is beginning to be optional

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This week, a Brazilian content creator named ederxavier3d published an amazing video on his Instagram account. In it they appeared several of the protagonists of the series ‘Stranger Things’ making just the gestures and expressions that he made in the lower window. He explained that he had achieved it in a simple way and thanks to the new Kling 2.6 and its characteristic Motion Control. This option allows the movements we make in a video to be transferred to any real or fictitious person, regardless of the style in which they are represented (it can be a comic book character) with an amazing result. And in the case of the Brazilian creator’s video it can be clearly seen: these videos could perfectly pass for real in almost all cases. It is true that if you look closely you can sense that something is wrong, but only because the video has been shared making it clear that it was created with AI. This video has once again awakened a debate that has been linked to this type of deepfakes for some time. Justine Moore, partner at investment firm a16z, explained that “we are not prepared for how quickly (video) production flows are going to change with AI. Some of the latest video models have immediate implications for Hollywood. Endless character swaps at negligible costs.” How the story has changed. In April 2023 we proposed a little game to all of you who read us: Would you be able to distinguish a real image from one generated by AI? At that time, AI was already achieving remarkable results—the image of the Pope with the coat proved it—but the feeling was that we could still tell whether an image had been created with an AI or not. With the video things were even clearer.because at that time AI video generation I was in diapers. Three years later things are very different, and there are several AI platforms (I see 3, Sora 2Kling, Runway) that generate videos that anyone could easily confuse without problems. Tell Will Smith. ederxavier3d’s video also demonstrates this, and in fact something unique happened with it: there were rumors that the Stranger Things characters had actually recorded those appearances and the creator had imitated their movements, and then rumors appeared that denied that this was true and that suggested that from the beginning the videos were nothing more than what they seemed: deepfakes created with AI. A priori everything would suggest that this is the case: the Kling 2.6 feature is not at all new and other platforms allow our movements and gestures – and even our voice – to be transferred to a character generated by AI. The problem is that At this point it is almost impossible to distinguish whether that person who appears on the screen is real or not. This technology is extraordinarily striking and causes that “wow effect” that AI companies so seek, but despite the creative options it offers, the risks here seem especially notable. The identity theft It is now easier to achieve than ever, and that will probably mean that we will see many more dangerous cases. It is enough to remind the employee that transferred 25 million dollars believing that the person who told him via videoconference was his real boss. It is not clear how, for example, Hollywood studios will react to this technology, but for now some are already taking action on the matter to try to protect themselves. The best example is Matthew McConaughey, who these days has “patented himself” to have one more legal resource (which we are not sure is necessary) to protect yourself against possible videos impersonating you. The implications are enormous, and we are entering an era in which something disturbing is going to happen: We will not be able to trust what we see on a screen. In Xataka | “Hello, I’m your grandson and I need $3,000”: there are already scams on the elderly with voices generated by AI

Oasiz’s bankruptcy shows its limits

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Today the expression “retail apocalypse” It may sound like science fiction to us, but there was a time (not so long ago) in which it seemed a sentence imminent for traditional commerce. His logic was very simple: if people could buy whatever they wanted from whoever they wanted and from wherever they wanted with a ‘click’, why would they go to traditional shopping areas, with the costs that that entails? time has shown that neither e-commerce Neither COVID-19 has taken away our pleasure in going to shopping centers, but that does not mean that they do not seek to reinvent themselves. And in this attempt two clear strategies can be seen: gradually becoming ‘urban theme parks’ and spaces that pamper luxury and exclusivity. New times, new models. Today the ghost of “retail apocalypse” seems scared away (in reality the phenomenon always was more linked to the US than Spain, where the market is less saturated), but that does not mean that the shopping centers of 2026 can continue living with the model that popularized them 30, 20 or 10 years ago. After all, if we can buy anything on AliExpress or Amazon, why go to the nearest shopping center? If we can watch movies on Prime or Netflix, why are we going to take the car, eat a traffic jam and then fight in the parking lot to go to the movies? Who goes to the mall? The million dollar question. The sector has studies that detail the user profile who go to their centers: how much time they spend there, where they move from, the weight of foreigners, how far their “area of ​​influence” extends… A wide range of data in which one in particular stands out: customers spend more time where, in addition to food, clothing, appliances or any other merchandise, they offer us experiences. Beyond customer loyalty to their reference shopping center or the proximity factor, users seem particularly willing to spend time in the so-called “experience centers”those that have a differentiated offer and are sold as places to “live experiences.” With the watch in your hand. The above may sound like theory, but it is perfectly measured. a study published in 2024 by CBRE shows that, although we spend an average of 56 minutes in shopping centers in general, when we talk about “experience” areas, that figure shoots up to 71 or even 100. Double the time we invest in “convenience centers”, those that basically rely on supermarkets and focus on food. The report It also detected that the “Family&Fun” centers, aimed primarily at families, have a higher customer loyalty rate than the rest of the facilities. They are no longer just warehouses in which to shop or have a drink, they are living spaces where we make memories. What does that mean? That people no longer only go to shopping centers to buy some shoes, watch TV for the living room or fill the refrigerator. We can do this through other channels, even without leaving home, with our mobile phone. What we are looking for is the differentiating factor, an experience or a plus that compensates for traveling to the venue. It’s worth the effort for us. It allows the centers to retain their attractiveness as spaces in which to “have a good time” with friends or family, the value that made them popular in the 20th century. “More and more customers are looking for experiences and entertainment in shopping centers. Many are integrating experiences into retail to attract more users,” explained already in 2021 a manager of the La Vaguada Shopping Center. He is not the only one who thinks this way. In 2024 Diego Ramos published on LinkedIn a column who came to a similar conclusion: merchandise is no longer enough for us, now we want experiences, “socializing, having fun, creating memories.” Changing the anchor. In his opinion, entertainment parks have become “the new anchor” of shopping centers. If before these venues boasted the presence of large chains (Fnac, Mediamarkt, Ikea) as their star dish, today they advertise other hooks: surf pools or diving, zip lines, climbing walls, skateparks, ice rinks, wind tunnels, escape rooms… “Visitors expect to live experiences, it is not enough for them to just buy, that is why they have the digital market,” they comment from Caleido to elEconomista. It is the same philosophy that once led shopping centers to go from having little more than hypermarkets to including cinemas and bowling alleys… only multiplied by a thousand. Theme parks and luxury. The result is a kind of urban theme parks of which examples abound, both of complexes in progress and of others planned: X Madrid, Oasiz (Madrid), Breogán Park (A Coruña), Infinity Valencia either Nasas Madridto name a few. Other commercial spaces also opt for another way of offering a plus to the user: exclusivity, luxury. This is the case, for example, of LaFinca Grand Caféwhich is advertised as a space with “premium services” and “haute cuisine”, or McArthurGlen Designer Outelt Málagawhich opened its doors several years ago with premium brands. The bet on exclusivity it’s not new either (it is nothing that has not been seen in spaces such as Las Roazas Village, La Roca Village, L’illa Diagonal or Galerías Canalejas), but it also helps some shopping centers to find their differentiated place. Not only that. It also allows them to make it easier for them when it comes to capturing a certain customer profile, visitors who come to Spain to practice “shopping tourism”a profile in which Americans and Chinese stand out. The sword of Damocles. It may seem like an unimportant issue, but getting the strategy right is key in a sector that is undergoing transformation and increasingly competitive. Shopping centers may not have survived the “retail apocalypse” and continue to attract thousands of users (their employers estimate that during the first half of 2025 their sales increased by 6% and customer traffic by 3.4%), but success is not guaranteed. Not at all. That even … Read more

shows if there will be turbulence and how intense it will be before takeoff

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It doesn’t matter that you travel very occasionally that airports are almost your second home due to the number of planes you take each year that when the signal lights up and the plane begins to lurch, the tense silence flies over the cabin of the plane. Turbulence is part of the flight experience to a greater or lesser extent, but the less there is, the better for calm. There is an armrest from a Vueling plane that still has marks from my nails from a certain return flight from London to Bilbao a few years ago. There are airports and airports: from the smallest in the world to this other with short runway, mountains and lack of ILS going through the drama of landing on one full of solar panelsbut leaving aside the orography and characteristics of the terrain and facilities, logically time has a lot to say. Or rather, bad weather. Of climate change We don’t even talk. Thus, we can predict that if The next Three Kings night is going to be busy On the peninsula, climatologically speaking, taking a flight from Valencia to Madrid is probably not going to be as difficult as a mild June day can be. There are those who prefer to live in ignorance and deal with these situations when they arise, but you can also get ahead and glimpse the turbulence with this map. The map of the (possible) turbulence of your flight Turbli offers an intuitive interactive map using turbulence graphic guide forecastsan aviation forecasting system that displays atmospheric turbulence in real time and in the future. The data comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Serviceboth official entities of the United States, and the Met Office of the United Kingdom. However, the map is global and is updated every six hours. The different options allow you to enter when you want to know what the weather will be like (from now to the next 24 hours) in the air, at what height (both meters and feet) and the origin and destination of your flight. For example, if you want to take a plane Madrid – Malaga it will probably be an Airbus A320 that reaches a maximum cruising altitude from approximately 11,900 to 12,100 meters. Although that is the flight ceiling, logically it rises and falls along the journey. Finally, just tap on ‘Get Forecast’ to clear up any doubts. Turbulence forecast for the Madrid – Malaga flight today The interactive map allows you to view the areas of turbulence that your flight could pass through. Thus, the graph shows the route and a chromatic legend that indicates how intense the turbulence will be depending on the height and what type of event according to SIGMET (Significant Meteorological Information), that is, the aeronautical weather alert message that warns of dangerous phenomena en route such as severe storms, strong turbulence, among others. Although the original resolution of the data is 0.25°, it is presented at 0.5° for faster page loading. However, you can always speed it up by tapping ‘Increase resolution’. The route provided is the one indicated in the pilot’s flight plan or, if not available, the one followed by the previous flight. However, since pilots can modify the route on the fly, it is possible to add waypoints for alternative routes. Although it is a visual and intuitive way to anticipate possible turbulence in general terms, it is simplified in terms of metrics and times, in addition, turbulence affects differently depending on the type of aircraft. In Xataka | The triangles on the plane window are not for decoration: they are a quick way to check that the flight is going well In Xataka | Whenever you wanted to find a cheap flight you opened Skyscanner. Now Google has something to offer you

This graph shows per capita coffee consumption and leaves us with a disturbing question: what is happening in Luxembourg?

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Be it for your energetic effectsby its benefits in the body or even for their psychological effectscoffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world. Is one of the engines of the economy of countries like Colombia or Brazil, as well as a thermometer of global economic health. Coffee culture continues to expand, and in this graph we can see which countries whose inhabitants drink the most coffee every day. There is only one question: what about Luxembourg. Europe >> others. Despite not being producers (although climate change may change that sooner rather than later), Europe gives the rest of the world a review of coffee consumption. Including powers like Brazil, Costa Rica or Colombia. The top 10 positions in coffee consumption correspond to European countries, and except for Greece, which has managed to sneak into the TOP, they are all northern countries. Outside of that ranking we find a country that may be unexpected: Lebanon. Then we have Brazil, Canada and another string of European countries. But if there is a proper name on this list, it is Luxembourg. Luxembourg has a trick. Visual Capitalist has created the graph taking the data from Cafely. After an impressive display of figures, they detail that they have taken data from sources such as the International Coffee Organization, as well as from Wikipedia to calculate per capita consumption and from global surveys of more than 4,000 people. All this has led them to calculate that Luxembourg drinks coffee. And a lot. That each person, on average, drinks 5.31 cups a day seems outrageous. It does not reach worrying levels of caffeine consumption (There are drinks that are not coffee and have much more caffeine), but it is a fact that draws attention. However, there is a trick: Luxembourg’s per capita figure is explained because almost half of those who work in the country live abroad and drink coffee on the road, as well as to stay awake, and although they are not the country’s population, that consumption has been taken into account for Luxembourg’s totals. 5.31 coffees a day implies 118,227 cups that each person drinks throughout their life, and is well above other countries: Cups consumed throughout life Money spent throughout life Luxembourg 118,227 425,618 Finland 83,939 335,756 Sweden 58,612 216,863 Norway 58,159 255,900 Austria 45,198 149,153 Denmark 44,676 241,250 Swiss 42,318 211,591 Netherlands 39,854 123,548 Greece 37,449 116,092 (27) Spain 23,988 46,057 (28) Costa Rica 22,229 56,683 (39) venezuela 12,844 20,423 (41) Colombia 12,264 13,981 a fortune. The average price per cupFurthermore, it is not cheap at all. Not counting atrocities that can be paid in countries like Japan (it is not a product either and transportation is expensive) or Dubai (because… it’s Dubai), the average price of a cup in northern European countries is quite high. Contrast with the average price as we go down to Portugal, Italy or Spain. And more interesting than the average price of a cup It is the account of the money we spend on coffee throughout our lives, which we can also see in the table above. The great absentee. It may be striking that countries like Mexico have a consumption of just 0.29 cups, but along with Guatemala, Argentina or Peru, it is one of the countries with the least roots in coffee. For example, it esteem that each Mexican consumes 2.1 kilos of coffee per year, while Colombians increase the figure to 4.2 kilos. But the big absentee on this list is… China. The Asian giant is not a traditional coffee consumer, but things are changing. There is not only multitude of cafes and chains like Luckin Coffee that are present practically on every corner of a big city, but they are leading the greatest growth in the region in opening of new brand cafes. And they are not only emerging in the region: China is taking over tons of coffee from Brazil due to a market that is growing at double-digit speed since 2010, with a growth annual average of more than 20%, which is well above a world average that barely reaches 2% But anyway, there is no one to blame Luxembourg. And if at some point they blame you for drinking a lot, you can now say that you are trying to raise the average for your country in this curious competition. In Xataka | The latest craze for weight loss is adding mushrooms to coffee. Science is not clear that it is a good idea

the map that shows the distribution of world birth rates

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In Brilliant Maps we can find a multitude of very interesting maps and infographics that allow us to obtain context about demographics, culture, and curiosities at a global level. In one of your latest maps shows us the chances of a baby being born on each continent during 2026. The data, based on 2023 birth figures from Our World In Datareveal that it is in Asia and Africa where more than 80% of all births on the planet are concentrated. Specifically, if you were born in 2026, you would have many chances to be Indian. The geography of global birth rates. Of the approximately 132 million babies that will be born in 2026, almost half will be born in Asia (49.7%), followed by Africa with 34.9%. These two regions accumulate 111.7 million births, while the rest of the continents share only the remaining 15.4%. Europe, with only 6.3 million births, represents only 4.8% of the world total. A figure that contrasts with the more than 140 million births annually that were recorded just a few years ago. India leads the ranking by country. The Asian country tops the list with 23.2 million expected births, far ahead of China (8.9 million) and Nigeria (7.5 million). These three countries concentrate almost 30% of all global births. The data from China is especially striking, and it is that just a few years ago, the Asian giant recorded 16 million births annually, which shows the impact of its demographic crisis. Five other African or Asian countries appear among the top ten: Pakistan, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Bangladesh, while Brazil completes the top ten with 2.6 million expected births. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the United States occupies eighth place with more than 3.6 million births. Spain, touching the top 50. Europe has the lowest birth rates in relative terms of all continents, only ahead of Oceania and North America in absolute numbers. Continent fertility rates remain below replacement level since the 70sa phenomenon that has now spread to practically the entire planet. Spain will register approximately 336,821 births in 2026, ranking 51st in the world, behind Italy (384,627) and France (638,891), but ahead of Poland (317,916). Germany leads Western Europe with 719,249 births, while the United Kingdom reaches 688,388. Nigeria, the African exception. The African country stands out for its position in third place in the world, far ahead of what its economic size might suggest. Your birth rate almost double the world averagea phenomenon linked to factors such as limited access to education for women and a developing economy. Africa will take over in 2100. The projection for the end of the century marks a radical change in the global demographic distribution. According to the dataAfrica will go from the current 34.9% to 48% of world births, becoming the continent with the highest birth rate. Asia, on the other hand, would decrease to 38.17%. And Europe would fall to 4.49%, consolidating its demographic decline. These estimates suggest that more than half of the world’s babies will be born in Africa within 75 years. World population. According to projections According to The Lancet, the world population will reach its peak in the 2060s with 9.7 billion people, and then decline to 8.8 billion in 2100. There are many reasons that can explain this exaggerated demographic change, such as increasing global wealth, access to education, urbanization or changes in gender roles. Some researchers, such as the economist Claudia Goldin, they point to a mismatch between the desires of men and women regarding parenting as a determining factor, pointing out that as long as social structures do not facilitate cooperation in parenting, rates will continue to fall. In Xataka | If you have enough money you can buy a “golden passport”: this map shows the juiciest

the 15% that shows who has the power

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Apple has closed a deal with Tencent to charge a 15% commission on purchases within WeChat mini-games, half of what it usually charges, according to Bloomberg. After more than a year of negotiations, Apple accepts conditions that it would never have admitted in the West. Why is it important. WeChat It is not just another app: it is China’s unofficial operating system, with 1.41 billion monthly users. If Apple had blocked features or put too much pressure on Tencent, it risked a backlash that could have severely damaged its position in its third-largest market. Tencent I knew it. Apple too. 15% is the price the company pays to keep the peace in a market where it does not dictate the rules. The money trail. WeChat mini-games generated 32.3 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) in social media revenue in the last quarter alone for Tencent. Until now, Apple did not see a cent of that pie because developers avoided its payment system. With 15% on that basis, Apple could earn about $675 million annually if current rates are maintained. It seems like a lot, but it’s pocket change: Apple had a turnover of $383 billion last year. This deal doesn’t move the financial needle. Between the lines. The most striking thing is not how much Apple earns, but how much it has had to give up. In its global App Store, Apple takes 30% from most developers as a non-negotiable toll. In China, Tencent has forced you to accept half. The arithmetic speaks for itself: Apple has given up 50% of its potential revenue before even starting to charge. That is not “a trade agreement.” It is a recognition of who has the real bargaining power. Yes, but. Ultimately, for Apple, something is better than nothing. For years it has watched one of China’s fastest-growing digital entertainment segments develop entirely outside its payments ecosystem. The agreement opens a tap of income that did not exist before, even if it is a small tap. And it sets a worrying precedent: if the most powerful player in China gets a 50% discount, what will stop others from demanding the same in other markets? It will be a matter of negotiating strength. Not everyone has a market of 1.4 billion consumers. The contrast. In Europe and the United States, Apple has had to give ground due to regulatory pressure: antitrust lawsuits, digital market laws either court battles with Epic Games. In China, it has given way due to pure market reality. He has not needed a regulator to force him to lower the commission. It was enough for Tencent to sit down to negotiate knowing that it manages the digital infrastructure without which Apple cannot operate effectively in the country. The big question. Is this 15% the new standard for platforms with sufficient negotiating muscle, or can Apple manage to maintain it as a Chinese exception? What is clear is that the era of the universal 30% commission is over, replaced by a fragmented reality where whoever has the users dictates the conditions. It is another symptom of end of globalization as we knew it. In Xataka | Tim Cook promised them very happy expanding Apple thanks to China. The reality is that China has ended up conquering Apple Featured image | zhang kaiyv, Amanz

Switzerland shows how to take advantage of it in the middle of winter

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In the Swiss Alps, where the silence of winter often means months of ice and gray skies, a group of engineers is looking at how snowflakes can be transformed into energy. What was once an obstacle—the accumulation of snow on the solar panels—now becomes an opportunity. Their goal is as simple as it is ambitious: discover how winter can produce solar electricity. A solar laboratory. In these cold, bright valleys, the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research have developed a computational model to study how snow patterns affect the performance of photovoltaic systems in alpine environments. This is the first detailed model that simulates the interaction between snow and vertical solar structures in high mountains. The study, published in the magazine Cold Regions Science and Technologyfocuses on Helioplant, a vertical solar structure patented by Austrian company Ehoch2. Its design – a kind of cross with four solar wings – allows snow to be removed passively, without covering the panels and maintaining its efficiency in extreme conditions. Snow as part of the solution. The question is inevitable: how? The Lausanne team has discovered that snow not only blocks light: it also returns it. Its white surface acts as a natural mirror that reflects the Sun’s rays towards the panels, a phenomenon known as albedo effect. The challenge is finding the right spot. If snow accumulates too much, it blocks light and can damage structures. That is why researchers are seeking to redesign the way the panels are installed, to take advantage of the reflection without being buried under the ice. Seeking to understand snow. To understand it, scientists did not limit themselves to observing it: they decided to model it based on what we were already discussing. To do this, they used Snowbedfoam, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool based on OpenFOAM, capable of simulating the transport and deposition of snow around solar structures. According to the studyis an Eulerian-Lagrangian solver that allows us to accurately represent how flakes move and accumulate in real environments. In hundreds of simulations, the team adjusted parameters such as the angle of inclination, the height of the panel above the ground, the spacing between units or its alignment with the wind. The results were revealing: the most efficient panels rise at least 0.6 meters above the ground, enough to prevent accumulated snow from blocking the release of new flakes. Hence the orientation as well. Panels aligned with the prevailing air currents stay clean as they carry away snow and prevent it from accumulating. But if they are rotated about 45°, protected areas are created where the flakes remain. As some French scientists have already confirmedair currents can be as useful a resource as sunlight itself. When the cold inspires energy. In other places they are also learning to listen to winter. In Norway, solar panels They rise vertically to look straight at the snow. In the Arctic city of Tromsø, 1,600 units cover more than 2,600 square meters, capturing both direct sunlight and that bouncing off the white ground. On the other side of the Atlantic, researchers from the University of Michigan test transparent coatings that prevent snow from adhering to the panels, even at –35 °C. Different solutions for the same learning: that the snow is not an obstacle, but part of the system. When winter also shines. Solar energy, a symbol of summer and the desert, is reinvented among glaciers and snow-capped peaks. What previously shut down production now multiplies it. What once blocked light now reflects it. The objective of these tests is not only to generate electricity, but to “create more efficient and snow-resistant photovoltaic systems.” In the words of the Lausanne researchersthe future of solar energy could lie in learning from snow, not fearing it. In the Alps, each flake is no longer an obstacle: it is a potential particle of energy. And in that silent gesture of snow reflecting light, Switzerland is testing the future of solar energy. Image | Pexels Xataka | Spanish scientists have created a material that swallows 99.5% of light. And it is great news for renewables

The case of mathematics shows that the hype threatens to explode in their faces

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A group of OpenAI researchers claimed to have “found solutions to 10 previously unsolved Erdös problems, and progress has been made on 11 others.” The statement seemed to indicate that GPT-5 had made an important qualitative leap in the field of mathematics, but the reality was very different. In fact, it all turned out to be an exaggeration that may harm OpenAI’s reputation going forward. what has happened. The OpenAI engineers’ claim was promising, but exaggerated. The original message from Mark Selke, one of them, was added to those of other researchers such as Boris Power—who he apologized after realizing that they had screwed up—or Sebastian Bubeck—who also ended up modifying the tweet and acknowledged the error—. The original tweet seemed to make it clear that GPT-5 had managed to solve several of the famous Erdös mathematical problems. I hadn’t really solved them. GPT-5 served to find solutions. The mathematician Thomas Bloom, who is precisely in charge of managing the website where all these open problems are managed, quickly clarified the situation. As explained on X/TwitterOpenAI’s claims were “a dramatically misinterpretation.” When he talks about “open” problems on the website, what he means is that he doesn’t know the solution, not that the problem has not been resolved. The only thing GPT-5 did was find recent research and studies that Bloom had not found. Here we must say that AI has managed to make striking mathematical advances recently: Meta AI, for example, managed to generalize the Lyapunov function. Demis Hassabis and Yann LeCun criticize OpenAI. Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind, indicated in X that this event had been “shameful”, while Yann LeCun, one of the top AI managers at Meta, highlighted how OpenAI had believed its own hype sales message with the message “Hoisted by their own GPTards”, which plays on GPT and “tards” (a suffix derived from “retards”), in reference to the gullible expectations that OpenAI usually sells. Expectations are everything. Although OpenAI researchers and engineers admitted their mistake, what we see here is a dangerous pattern: one in which even the company’s own employees—or the enthusiasts who follow it—can end up falling victim to those expectations. It is very likely that internally the pressure to achieve great advances with their models is enormous, but that can lead to oversights and exaggerations like this that can cost the company’s reputation dearly. GPT-5 didn’t do badly at all. Although the role of GPT-5 in this process was exaggerated, what must be recognized is that this model demonstrated its ability to become a very valuable assistant for researchers. Thus, this AI model can search the Internet and scientific study libraries in a very powerful way, and can “find solutions” already published where academics had not yet seen them when trying to solve related problems. Research assistant. For mathematician Terence Tao, this is precisely a very striking element of these AI models: they may not solve the most complex mathematical problems, but can speed up tedious tasks such as those of the search for academic literature that helps solve them. For this expert, AI can help “industrialize” mathematics and act as a catalyst or “lubricant” for mathematicians’ hypotheses and theories. But this is important. OpenAI is a machine for creating expectations, and its CEO, Sam Altman, does not hesitate to make vague and impossible to verify promises to attract more interest in his generative artificial intelligence models. A year ago promised that the AGI would arrive “in a few thousand days”something that sounds like one of those “Musk’s promises”. risky bet. In recent weeks we have seen how OpenAI has reached unique circular financing agreements with NVIDIA, amd either Broadcom to create data centers, but the reality is that all these projects focus on one promise: that AI will be a fundamental part of our lives sooner rather than later. That can happen, of course, but if it doesn’t, the domino effect can be an absolute catastrophe given the tens of billions of dollars invested in such projects. Image | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | If the question is whether there is an AI bubble, Sam Altman has just given the answer. One with which he wins

How the Atacama desert shows the ecological price of decarbonization

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Lithium has become white gold. Has become A strategic element Due to its importance in the global energy transition. Among other things, and While we find alternativesis what allows us to create batteries for electronic devices, but also critical systems for the decarbonization such as electric car batteries and those of renewable energy storage. There is a problem: extracting it requires huge amounts of water. Chile has one of the greater lithium reserves in the worldand its exploitation shows us the hidden cost of the energy that wants to “save” the planet. Atacama. The Atacama desert, located in northern Chile, is very peculiar. It is about driest desert in the worldbeing 250 more arid than the Sahara. It is a gigantic garbage dump Due to the fast fashion culture, but it also has huge solar parks that are the country’s energy pride: 500 operational projects and another hundred under construction. In addition to sun, there are minerals like copper –that China is accumulating at pleasure-, iron, gold and silver, but also other strategic such as Boto or Lithium. Within the region, the Salar de Atacama stands out. It is this area that has large lithium concentrations that have allowed Chile to become the largest global exporter of this element during the last two decades. It is so important that the Chilean regulatory regime gives the State property over lithium, considering it “Non -concessionable” and restricting foreign exploitation only to special contracts. Salar in 1995 In 2005 And today Ecosystem transformation. In the superior images we can see how the landscape of Salar has been transformed from 1990 to the present, with Lithium farms Greater and bigger. And something that we can see with the naked eye is the amount of huge ‘swimming pools’. The process of obtaining lithium is based on the evaporation of brine, being something that consumes billions of liters every year that is extracted from both the surface and the subsoil. In Atacama Salar, that is causing sinking, Loss of vegetation and of the rich microscopic diversityas well as the emblematic fauna of the place: the flamenco. Faviola González, biologist of the Chilean National Reserve, is one of those who complaint that the population of flamenco has decreased in recent years. It is not just your observation. As we read in the BBC article, the Natural Resources Defense Council, based in the United States, published a report in 2022 in which it indicated that almost a third of the native Algarrobos began to die in 2013 due to the impact of mining. Without brake. This transformation of the landscape has led to judicial demands, especially by indigenous communities that denounce the degradation of water resources and the loss of cultural identity of the desert. Because yes, Atacama’s is a desert, but with great biological wealth. The problem is the aforementioned Importance of lithium for the country. Chile is within the so -called ‘Lithium Triangle’ with Bolivia and Argentina and, as the second largest world producer and holder Of the largest reserves on the planet, it has the power to dominate the supply chain. It is an economic engine, with a value My dear of exports of 2,895 million in 2024, and its importance will go more. HE wait That the global lithium demand exceeds 1.3 million tons in 2025, with the forecast to triple by 2040. Measures to mitigate damage. And here comes the big question: if the lithium is needed to decarbonize the planet, but at the same time we are damaging the ecosystems in their obtaining, is there nothing we can make? Valentí Barrera, SQM Lithiuum Sustainability (the Chilean company that manages some of these farms) affirms that understand the concerns of indigenous communities and are carrying out pilot programs to mitigate the impact of mining. One is the Lithium extraction directly from brinewithout the need for evaporation pools. Another is the reinjection of water on earth once the lithium is obtained. The problem is that they are arguments that do not convince those who live from that land, who have seen the ecosystem disappear and who They affirm that they do not have a significant carbon footprint and that electric cars will go to Europeans and American, but contaminated water will be left. Because at some point, lithium will run out and the miners will leave. EITHER The price will fall so much which will cease to be profitable to extract it to Mansalva. Images | Google Earth, Coordenação-Geral de Observção da Terra/inpe, Heretiq In Xataka | The Atacama desert is one of the most arid places on the planet. And right there a handful of “crazy” is trying to get water out of the fog

The main car manufacturing countries, exposed in a devastating map that shows the Asian domain

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It depends on what car segment let’s put the magnifying glass, but I know esteem that in 2024 They sold Between 75 and 85 million vehicles worldwide. It is a growth of more than 2% compared to the previous year, and if you have wondered which country is the one that manufactures the most cars, this map responds to perfection and highlights its own name: China. There are also trend changes that should be analyzed. Asian domain. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With data from the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), we can see in blue the countries that dominate cars manufacturing. China produced more than 31 million Of vehicles in 2024, the United States more than 10.5 million and Japan more than eight million. Among the three, 54% of all vehicles built during the past year, but we put the focus on Asia. Apart from China and Japan, India with six million and South Korea with four million are two other countries of that Asian “axis that contribute to the domain of the area in exports worldwide. All have more or less stable production compared to the previous year, being Japan that stars in a 10% decrease in production, but staying between the powers. The opposite case is Thailand, which closes the Top 10 with 1.4 million vehicles produced, assuming a 20% downturn compared to the previous year.

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