Aggregator

DoI offers up to $885M if they abandon offshore wind projects

As the Iran war pushes up energy prices, the Trump administration is paying offshore wind developers to walk away from projects and invest instead in fossil fuel infrastructure.…

Google has reportedly signed a classified agreement allowing the Pentagon to use its AI models for "any lawful government purpose." While the deal is said to discourage domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons without human oversight, it apparently does not give Google the power to block how the government actually uses its models. The Verge reports: The agreement was reported less than a day after Google employees demanded CEO Sundar Pichai block the Pentagon from using its AI amid concerns that it would be used in "inhumane or extremely harmful ways." If the agreement is confirmed, it would place Google alongside OpenAI and xAI, which have also made classified AI deals with the US government. Anthropic was also among that list until it was blacklisted by the Pentagon for refusing the Department of Defense's demands to remove weapon and surveillance-related guardrails from its AI models. Citing a single anonymous source "with knowledge of the situation," The Information reports that the deal states that both parties have agreed that the search giant's AI systems shouldn't be used for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons "without appropriate human oversight and control." But the contract also says it doesn't give Google "any right to control or veto lawful government operational decision-making," which would suggest the agreed restrictions are more of a pinky promise than legally binding obligations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The First Lady stepped out alongside her husband, President Donald Trump, on Tuesday to welcome the British royals to the White House.

Talkie's training data stops at the end of 1930, and its creators hope it'll help us better understand how AI thinks

If you're tired of interacting with a bot that spews Nazi propaganda or refers to itself as MechaHitler, you could sign off of Elon Musk's xAI. Or, just to be sure, use an LLM whose training data ends in 1930, three years before the Nazis took power in Germany and nine years before World War II started.…

Heather Smedley, 53, was killed when her Peugeot 108 was struck by an unmarked police car driven by PC Mark Burrows, 46.

Chery Tweedy has shared rare photos with her son Bear as they enjoyed a trip to Disneyworld, 18 months after the death of his father, Liam Payne.

On Friday, the Government's Renters' Rights Act will come into force, giving tenants the biggest increase to their rights in a generation.

A lane is closed on the A12 causing severe delays for drivers between Colchester and Braintree.

Riyad Mahrez splashed a chunk of his astronomical £875,000-a-week wages on custom Rolex watches for his Al-Ahli team-mates after they won the Asian Champions League. 

I've been married for 20 years and over the past five, I've had several affairs and numerous flings. And - be as disapproving as you like - I don't regret it.

80,000 internal guinea pigs, Bobcoins, mainframe dreams and a name that really should have raised more flags

IBM has announced global availability of Bob, the AI coding assistant - sorry partner - which it claims has delivered a productivity boost to the 80,000 big bluers pressed into guinea pig status last year.…

Retailer touts 'teammates' and always-on context as it muscles into an already crowded enterprise market

Amazon has announced two AI services pitched with typical techbro hyperbole, aimed at changing the way you work.…

Terry has again responded to an Instagram post by Rupert Lowe, the former Reform UK MP who recently launched another political party called Restore Britain.

fjo3 writes: The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that it would exit the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (source paywalled; alternative source), or OPEC, along with the wider group of partners known as OPEC+, effective May 1, in what could be a blow to control over prices by the group, long led in practice by Saudi Arabia. The move "reflects the UAE's long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile" read an official statement carried by a UAE state news agency, as disruptions "in the Strait of Hormuz continues to affect supply dynamics." [...] The UAE is the second Persian Gulf country to leave the group after Qatar terminated its membership in 2019. The UAE has been a member of OPEC since 1971. The latest departure leaves in place 11 core members: Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, who worked for Queen Elizabeth II and stole thousands of hearts at Charles' coronation, sported a kilt as he walked among guests in Washington.

A serious crash in the centre of Colchester is said to be causing severe delays for drivers across the city.

A serious crash in the centre of Colchester is said to be causing severe delays for drivers across the city.

Her Majesty was typically elegant in a mint green coat dress with a matching hat as she walked up to the White House alongside the monarch, 77, in Washington DC this morning.

Passwords have provided a safe way of securing our digital accounts for decades. But a secret string of letters and numbers is no longer enough to keep your personal information safe.