💡 Warp News #250
❌ UK closes last coal power plant. 📉 Global extreme poverty has returned to pre-pandemic levels. 📊 The use of generative AI is growing faster than computers and the internet.
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Mathias Sundin
The Angry Optimist
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⚡ Complaining about new technologies' energy use is starting at the wrong end
Instead of complaining about the energy consumption of new technologies, like AI, we should start at the other end and make old technologies more efficient.
💡 Fact-based optimistic news of the week
📊 The use of generative AI is growing faster than computers and the internet
Generative AI is used by 39 percent of Americans aged 18-64, just two years after its introduction. This is a significantly faster growth compared to personal computers and the internet in their early years.
📱 Facebook and Instagram algorithms affect user behavior but not their political views
The study found no noticeable effect on political polarization among users. Users' knowledge about the election was not affected by the change in feed algorithm. Self-reported voter turnout remained unchanged despite significant differences in user experience.
🧫 DARTS takes up the fight against antibiotic resistance
A major research project called DARTS has been launched to combat antibiotic resistance. Researchers are using new methods such as AI and microfluidics to find new antibiotics faster. Improved diagnostics can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and slow down resistance development.
👩💻 Google paves the way for practically usable quantum computers
Google has built a quantum computer that makes fewer errors as it scales up. The company has passed an important threshold for error correction in quantum units. This paves the way for practically usable quantum computers in the future.
❌ UK closes last coal power plant - end of a 142-year era
The UK will close its last coal power plant in October 2024, marking the end of a 142-year era. Coal's share of electricity production has decreased from 40% in 2012 to zero in 2024, one of the fastest energy transitions in the world.
📉 Global extreme poverty has returned to pre-pandemic levels
During the pandemic, the number of extremely poor people in the world increased for the first time in a long while. Now the numbers have turned downward again and are reaching the same level as before the pandemic, below 9 percent.
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