AI trends 2026

3,937 Comments

1. July 13, 2026 at 5:16 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   “If [people] care about the notion that AI has to be handled in a responsible manner… this is a case that should matter to you.” https://trib.al/R2EDO63

   Shock Doc
   Lawsuit Claims the Mayo Clinic’s Use of AI Is Butchering Patient Care
   “If [people] care about the notion that AI has to be handled in a responsible manner… this is a case that should matter to you.”
   https://futurism.com/health-medicine/lawsuit-mayo-clinic-ai-tools-hospital-maya?fbclid=IwdGRjcATB7ipjbGNrBMHuB2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtkxbf35jmjBbsS2pq6HJ_JLhY5LhcIZKjv_Suvw_klqyYLj_jQiONQwrPgR_aem_vgNsHsGjO44aaxSQJHeSjQ

   Reply
2. July 13, 2026 at 5:59 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Meta has inserted a slew of AI features into its ad products. Brands say the tools are clunky and generate misrepresentations and absurdities.

   (Credit: Business Insider)

   #Meta #AIproduct #advertising #marketing

   Meta’s AI advertising dreams have become a nightmare for brands : https://mrf.lu/228c4

   Reply
3. July 13, 2026 at 6:41 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   “Technology is changing too fast.”

   Read more: https://trib.al/2LWjaRq

   University law school bans laptops from classes amid AI backlash
   ‘We need to ensure that our students actually learn to think critically,’ university administrators say
   https://www.the-independent.com/tech/laptop-ban-university-ai-backlash-b3013911.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcATCAcFjbGNrBMIBr2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHksNyX4UQiB-RvKzMR1zF5jLb2kL6ikNXgII_D1ZwFd5HZOj_wP40UyfZYFa_aem_SBagsgKqW9tntZD6hdS0bA

   A US university has announced a ban on laptops and smartphones for incoming law students in an effort to combat AI usage.

   The new policy will prevent first year students at the University of Chicago Law School from accessing any electronic devices during classes, starting from the 2026-2027 academic year.

   The ban is part of the law school’s strategy to develop “AI-resilient pedagogy and assessments” in an effort to elevate “essential human skills that distinguish excellent lawyers” in the AI era .

   “We need to ensure that our students actually learn to think critically, strategically, and independently without relying on AI,” the law school’s new AI strategy states.

   “Technology is changing too fast. Thus, all the changes we are currently making will be subject to review, reconsideration, and revision as we learn more and as both technology and the practice of law evolve.”

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4. July 13, 2026 at 8:21 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Software engineer who couldn’t get excited about AI is now studying to be a nurse : https://mrf.lu/228qS

   Reply
5. July 13, 2026 at 9:22 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Michael Burry – one of the key investors who featured in ‘The Big Short’ and predicted the financial crash in 2008 – has made another bold move, warning everyone that we’ve reach the ‘beginning of the end’ for AI as he bets against the leading tech.
   https://www.uniladtech.com/news/ai/michael-burry-bets-against-ai-beginning-of-end-126181-20260713?utm_content=tech&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcATCJ9RjbGNrBMInmmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHrI2av9D-T29PTc4Sw5vd5_VRVbv6KhKUdM5BC3IHdVtyxND214DFOxwaru1_aem_WI_mvnalttR8937HKHAK4w

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6. July 13, 2026 at 9:27 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   there is a growing number of financial experts that have expressed their concern about the long-term stability of these stocks, warning that they’re likely ‘overpriced’.

   JP Morgan CEO warns financial crisis ‘worse than 2008′ is coming as he admits ‘my anxiety is high’
   It surrounds the growing dominance of AI within the economy
   https://www.uniladtech.com/news/ai/jp-morgan-ceo-warns-financial-crisis-worse-2008-780331-20260225?fbclid=IwVERDUATCKCFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4Cq1REW9P9jLKJt-dq2qQyEiy8ZeCGotb5FXef6jnbbrkkeT0dTpbNwoCOiw_aem_L20dXE5cUv_XekR7XVrX7Q

   Those within the artificial intelligence industry have repeatedly preached about the benefits that an AI dominated world will bring, pointing towards a utopian image of a jobless society where everyone is sustained with ‘universal high income’ schemes.

   What will likely happen in reality is far more frightening though as some experts have asserted in alarming projections, and this could have a significant impact on an economy that’s increasingly reliant on AI.

   Certain economists are currently riding the wave of a growing economy, thanks in part to the Trump administration’s tax and deregulatory policies, yet one key individual remains on the side of caution as current trends appear to be making him feel ‘anxious’.

   As reported by CNBC, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has expressed his doubts that the economy is quite as good as some are making out, fearing for an impending crash in the near future that will be larger than anything in recent history.

   “My own view is people are getting a little comfortable that this is real, these high asset prices and high volumes, that we won’t have any problems,” Dimon asserted.

   “There will be a cycle one day,” he added. “I don’t know what confluence of events will cause that cycle. My anxiety is high over it. I’m not assuaged by the fact that asset prices are high. In fact, I think that adds to the risk.”

   Dimon went on to illustrate that “there’s always surprise in a credit cycle,” noting that “the surprise has often been which industry. You didn’t expect utilities and phone companies in ’08, ’09, and this time around, it might be software, because of AI.”

   “AI got better and cheaper. Companies laid off workers, then used the savings to buy more AI capability, which let them lay off more workers. Displaced workers spent less. Companies that sell things to consumers sold fewer of them, weakened, and invested more in AI to protect margins.”

   They branded it a “feedback loop with no natural brake,” and it’s hard not to see the obvious failings that would occur in an economy solely driven by AI, as the so-called gulf in efficiency loses its value if there’s no way to make money from what you’re selling.

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7. July 13, 2026 at 10:12 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   SpaceX plans to launch 100,000 satellites to build space-based AI data centres

   Musk mocked over AI space plans by ChatGPT boss
   SpaceX plans to launch 100,000 satellites to build space-based AI data centres
   https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/elon-musk-ai-space-chatgpt-altman-b3013687.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcATCM2RjbGNrBMIzV2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHmbsC5fZZBTyCfok-jvQie70QuRXDUx8KqPux4Ali8ejfCe_2RR85E-L-j5B_aem_CmYAEsQvc8hb1zGhXCluYA

   OpenAI boss Sam Altman has mocked Elon Musk’s plan to place artificial intelligence data centres into orbit by 2027.

   Reply
8. July 13, 2026 at 10:28 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   “The sweeping job and wage growth often promised during local recruitment efforts is unlikely to arrive on its own.” https://trib.al/6PqHMPV

   Bad Data
   The Economics of Data Centers Creating Jobs Are So Bad That They Sound Like a Joke
   “The sweeping job and wage growth often promised during local recruitment efforts is unlikely to arrive on its own.”
   https://futurism.com/future-society/data-center-economics-job-labor-construction-ai?fbclid=IwdGRjcATCNiFjbGNrBMI2DWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHnRwcMSKIMoXgzPrd9XoqLMOH1EuSNSmbL7srOxVFi63uXKkhr3B86ULmgcz_aem_tXSH2HgWBEpJNXkBsENjwA

   Whenever big data center developers roll into town, their pitch ends up sounding something like this: hand over your land and your resources, throw in a decade of government subsidies, and we’ll give your ailing little burg some jobs, tax revenue, and a shiny new facility to boost the local economy.

   Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Not so fast, cowboy.

   In theory, more tax revenue means money for schools, roads, and first responders. In practice, states and counties are waving those taxes in order to entice tech companies to set up shop — while existing campuses put major strain on local communities. One analysis found that Georgia, Virginia, and Texas each lose over $1 billion a year to state data center incentives, while at least fourteen states don’t even disclose data center tax breaks in the first place.

   The down-stream impacts don’t really materialize either. Researchers at Georgia Tech found that in rural areas, data centers typically employ fewer than 100 permanent workers and are likely to import specialized services from outside the community.

   While this can temporarily boost unemployment numbers, any broader, long-term impacts are not guaranteed and are highly dependent on local conditions. As the Georgia Tech researchers explain, “the sweeping job and wage growth often promised during local recruitment efforts is unlikely to arrive on its own.”

   But the jobs creation claim is where the pitch really falls apart. In Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Economic Development Center recently disclosed that two ongoing data center projects — one for Google carrying a price tag of at least $576 million and another for Blackstone firm QTS starting at $750 million — are contractually required to create a combined minimum of just 61 permanent jobs.

   In other words, for $1.3 billion in combined capital coming into the city, Cedar Rapids is only guaranteed 61 permanent positions, a spend of $21.3 million per job. That’s even worse than the $136 million Ark Data Center going up in Northeastern Ohio, which is projected to create a whopping ten full-time jobs when all is said and done

   And while Cedar Rapids brags that these developments will bring “thousands of construction and trade jobs,” that may not be to the city’s benefit. Not only are data center construction jobs temporary — and therefore highly dependent on the whims of notoriously unreliable data center developers — they’re also putting quite the squeeze on the construction market.

   That report found that 87 percent of global construction markets are experiencing shortages of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) specialists, while the cost and lead-time of acquiring MEP components rises. That’s great news for MEP contractors, but the trade-off is higher costs for everything else we might want to build.

   That’s before we even mention how disastrous data centers are for the environment

   — making it all the more insulting that taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for the tech industry’s vastly exaggerated promises.

   Cost of ChatGPT
   The Pollution Being Churned Out by AI Data Centers Is So Severe That It’s Almost Incomprehensible
   Sickening.
   https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/pollution-ai-data-centers-severe?fbclid=IwVERDUATCNytleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4DjsXKHdWGpx-jiX3eRKUWmYDP39h4DZ4RIW-hzAkIenDOu9EEY8O5ymWi0Q_aem_JdlT67wWJch_MO1vD-N73g

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9. July 14, 2026 at 5:40 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Fired Up
   Massive Data Center Cooks Nearby Residents Alive Amidst Deadly Heatwave
   A “data heat island effect” is the very last thing we need right now.
   https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/data-center-cooks-nearby-residents-heatwave?fbclid=IwdGRjcATCmzdjbGNrBMKbCGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhUZ9XKv4DrxDPhPjw0XZM40GE2GeNJOXmi89TFa5cwuRr_6bCDPdYTIZYfg_aem_-iEBRNsD7KaS_NUsH3U_bA

   As Europe bakes in the throes of a deadly heatwave, residents living near the continent’s largest data center in Slough, a town just west of central London, UK, are enduring extreme temperatures.

   The backlash to the trend has grown considerably, with critics citing surging electricity prices, low water pressure, and plenty of noise as reasons for opposition.

   The research surrounding the effects data centers have on their immediate surroundings is still in its infancy. According to one yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper by researchers at Cambridge, data centers can spike temperatures by as much as 16 degrees Fahrenheit and an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in their immediate vicinity by creating a “data heat island effect.”

   More broadly, the heat island effect explains why developed areas experience higher temperatures due to the replacement of natural vegetation with heat-absorbing materials, like asphalt and concrete. Heat-expelling data centers could exacerbate the issue.

   “Our results show that the data heat island effect could have a remarkable influence on communities and regional welfare in the future, hence becoming part of the conversation around environmentally sustainable AI worldwide,” the researchers concluded in their paper, estimating more than 340 million people could be affected.

   Reply
10. July 14, 2026 at 5:45 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dry Spell
    AI Will Consume as Much Water as a Billion People By 2030, UN Report Estimates
    Gulp.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-consume-water-billion-people?fbclid=IwVERDUATCnIlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4NM1IoPqAN5tyAOrFqQ2xOwp9yuZyWJV1PH0-WWez7vJ3wllGVja0RewKvTw_aem_S-SrI95YODJ0I4fnVfOpdw

    AI data centers will consume as much water as the water needs of 1.3 billion people by 2030, according to a new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

    The report, released this week, found that the environmental cost of AI is being “systematically mismeasured” because current assessments focus on the carbon emissions from training large language models while overlooking the tech’s broader water and land footprint. The water footprint comes from cooling and powering the data centers, and the land footprint comes from the energy infrastructure and supply chains that go into building and running them.

    In reality, the report stresses, these initial training costs are dwarfed by inference costs, meaning the cost of running the models to answer prompts, which make up 80 to 90 percent of total AI energy use. Training OpenAI’s GPT-4 model consumed up to 70 gigawatt-hours of electricity, for example. But running ChatGPT, it’s estimated, uses a monstrous 383 GWh from answering billions of prompts per day.

    Factoring in inference costs, data centers powering AI will use 945 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030, the report found, which is triple the combined electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria — which, altogether, are home to over 650 million people.

    That brings us to the water footprint. By that same year, AI’s thirst will see it consume 9.3 trillion liters water — which is equal the basic annual water needs of all 1.3 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Addressing AI’s environmental impact won’t be as straightforward as transitioning to greener sources of power, the report warns. Ditching coal in favor of bioenergy could slash carbon emissions associated with electricity costs by 70 percent, but cause the water footprint to surge by 30 times, and the land footprint by 100 times.

    “What surprised us most is how often the choices that look greenest from a carbon perspective end up worse for water or for land,”

    “If we keep judging AI sustainability by carbon alone, we might think that renewables make AI infrastructure clean but that is solving one problem while creating other problems, often in places that didn’t ask for it,” she added

    “More efficient and affordable AI and energy mean more consumption of AI, making the overall footprint far bigger than what we save through efficiency gains.”

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11. July 14, 2026 at 8:18 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Jamie Dimon told analysts that though AI will lead to huge efficiency gains — and job cuts — it won’t shrink operating costs.

    #JPMorgan #JamieDimon #banking #AI

    Jamie Dimon says AI already reduced jobs in some areas by 40% — but it’s not making JPM dramatically cheaper to run : https://mrf.lu/22B3r

    Reply
12. July 14, 2026 at 10:46 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    IBM’s warning shows how AI infrastructure and cybersecurity spending are reshaping technology budgets.

    #IBM #AIatwork #tech

    IBM gets sucked into the AI-powered memory chip vortex : https://mrf.lu/229Kl

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13. July 14, 2026 at 10:48 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Researchers and industry experts continue evaluating the environmental footprint of AI data centers as artificial intelligence becomes more widely used across industries.

    Modern data centers require substantial computing power, electricity, and cooling systems, prompting ongoing efforts to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Sustainable infrastructure remains an active area of research and investment.

    Innovation and environmental responsibility increasingly go hand in hand.

    Sustainability remains a key part of innovation
    https://bit.ly/4fbLoJt

    AI Data Centers Are Creating Pollution on a Nearly Incomprehensible Scale
    https://www.birdsadvice.com/ai-data-center-pollution/?utm_source=A34&utm_id=014&fbclid=IwdGRjcATDjVljbGNrBMONPmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHiofs0hlRpAvrAXK-5DDR5cGBEM0PZgMIdLMsMxXSUnUrqN5FAju_WrsxXKy_aem_xyZEdw5kH1BH6yh82US29g

    Every AI prompt begins with a few taps on a screen, but the answer can depend on warehouses filled with servers, enormous volumes of water, and power plants capable of supplying entire cities. As demand for artificial intelligence surges, researchers warn that its hidden environmental footprint could soon rival millions of cars, while communities in Texas are already living beside the fossil-fuel infrastructure built to sustain it. The digital revolution may appear clean and effortless, but its physical cost is becoming impossible to ignore.

    Reply
14. July 15, 2026 at 12:04 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    “When companies succeed because of New York, New Yorkers succeed too.” https://trib.al/7LiHU5f

    Ever Upward
    New York Becomes First State to Ban AI Data Centers
    “When companies succeed because of New York, New Yorkers succeed too.”
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/new-york-hochul-executive-order-ban-ai-data-centers?fbclid=IwdGRjcATDnl5jbGNrBMOeRmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgVh7U8ixQ9I6GAMz_K94EbZmG806PuCaax6wnEoMxguLl6VcK6_C3lCeaeT_aem_-eO2ztNV7yBNXzSqRybYsw

    Across the United States, lawmakers are increasingly caught between two competing pressures: the massive investment flowing into the tech industry to build AI data centers, and a growing, bipartisan backlash against those same facilities, not to mention the massive tech corporations funding them.

    In New York, governor Kathy Hochul is giving in to the former — at least on paper — by announcing a one-year, state-wide ban on new AI data center construction for facilities with an electrical capacity of 50 megawatts and up.

    It’s the first time a US state has imposed such a moratorium, highlighting persistent concerns over the rampant pollution, alarming water usage rates, and rising electricity prices.

    Per the City Reporter, the governor has ordered state utility regulators to draft “the strongest standards in the nation for data center development,” in order to guarantee that “when companies succeed because of New York, New Yorkers succeed too.”

    While the moratorium prevents new mega-facilities from popping up, the New York Department of Public Service will start plugging away on an environmental impact statement to use for assessing future data centers’ affects on water and air quality, in addition to their consumption of electricity and water.

    The timing of the temporary ban could not be more opportune for Democrats. With the 2026 midterm elections fast approaching

    As Futurism noted back in April, opposition to AI would be a slam dunk with progressive voters and even moderate Republicans — though the party has been slow to capitalize on this opportunity, likely a result of the deep pocketed AI lobby, which has lavished the Democratic party with millions of dollars so-far in 2026.

    While the governor’s total ban is progressive relative to states like Ohio, the gap between the New York Senate bill and Hochul’s executive order clearly reflects the ongoing schism within the Democratic party.

    Reply
15. July 15, 2026 at 12:04 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://futurism.com/future-society/data-center-economics-job-labor-construction-ai?fbclid=IwVERDUATDnypleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4X5mrqdz5daiVrJjgvWhUrRWzcX6sAqSW4U9oX6F9qd-B6OGBCYikNxDR0kw_aem_WQYwD5o3S7GnGAD5wj__Dw

    Reply
16. July 15, 2026 at 12:06 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DFLourTeQ/

    Ireland’s data centers are now consuming almost as much electricity as every home in the country combined.

    New figures from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office show that data centers used 7,663 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity in 2025, accounting for 23% of the country’s total electricity consumption.

    By comparison, all residential homes — including urban and rural households — used 28%.

    Just a decade ago, data centers accounted for only 5% of Ireland’s electricity use. Since 2015, their share has grown by 360%, driven by the rapid expansion of cloud computing and, more recently, artificial intelligence.

    Ireland has become one of Europe’s largest data center hubs despite having a population of only about five million people. Around 89 data centers operate in the country, most clustered around the Greater Dublin Area and owned by companies including Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google, and Meta.

    The surge in electricity demand has raised concerns about pressure on Ireland’s power grid. In 2021, regulators effectively halted new grid connections for many data centers around Dublin because of fears that electricity demand could outpace available capacity.

    Although that policy has since been replaced, new large data centers must now provide their own flexible on-site power generation and source at least 80% of their annual electricity from new renewable energy projects within six years.

    The International Energy Agency previously projected that data centers could consume about one-third of Ireland’s electricity by 2026. With data centers already accounting for 23% of the country’s electricity use in 2025, that prediction remains within reach.

    The figures highlight how the infrastructure powering cloud services and artificial intelligence is becoming one of the largest consumers of electricity in entire countries, fueling an ongoing debate over energy demand, grid capacity, and the future of digital infrastructure.

    Learn more:
    “Ireland’s data centers consumed nearly as much electricity as every home in the country combined in 2025.” Tom’s Hardware
    https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/irelands-data-centers-consumed-nearly-as-much-electricity-as-every-home-in-the-country-combined-in-2025-server-farms-gulped-23-percent-of-national-power-despite-years-of-grid-restrictions

    Reply
17. July 15, 2026 at 12:07 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/elon-musks-colossus-2-data-center-installed-59-natural-gas-turbines-without-permission-report-claims-thousands-of-tons-of-pollutants-reportedly-impact-black-communities-in-mississippi-already-suffering-from-elevated-lung-disease-rates

    Reply
18. July 15, 2026 at 10:07 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    The future of AI also includes energy challenges https://bit.ly/4fjdfYn

    Reply
19. July 15, 2026 at 6:20 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    One heck of a marketing strategy. https://trib.al/mTu9ama

    AI-pocalypse Now
    New Anthropic Ad Implies AI Could Kill Us All
    One heck of a marketing strategy.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/anthropic-ad-ai-kill-us-all?fbclid=IwdGRjcATEoBVjbGNrBMSf22V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHl7w3pZ2LjVNHBU_uZna0wYejuM71SP9ks1-YTM5fWIaVLrsOw2FRCP2tyh5_aem_p8zTo2SDTzC_qsttP4dKLg

    Anthropic is doing what Anthropic does best: putting on its most concerned face so it can convince you they’re the good guys in the industry.

    Last week, the world’s most valuable AI startup revealed a new commercial that took an unorthodox approach to promoting its technology. Rather than diving straight into bubbly optimism, it starts with a series of grim images as we hear voiceovers from different speakers ask some hard-hitting questions about AI.

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20. July 15, 2026 at 11:14 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    The consequences could be devastating. https://trib.al/e2tkPXB

    Call to Thinking Caps
    Sixteen Nobel-Winning Economists Warn That Major AI Job Losses Are Coming
    The consequences could be devastating.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/economists-warning-ai-job-losses?fbclid=IwdGRjcATE5MtjbGNrBMTkuWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqONRtYB_rzOsiiuAH4yqq2Z72Yw6SRiHYh6n1wypMk1o_Zyenx4X3XfnTaG_aem_HZ7K-xAzYAv4Zg2Q82jHRQ

    Over 200 economists, researchers and industry executives, including sixteen Nobel Prize winners, signed an urgent letter warning that AI could radically transform the economy at an unprecedented pace and scale — and that policymakers and governments need to move to mitigate the fallout.

    Titled “We Must Act Now,” the letter is brief. It predicts that “AI may become radically more powerful over the next ten years,” and that acceleration in the tech’s capabilities “could drive an unprecedented transformation of our economy, larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding

    Reply
21. July 15, 2026 at 11:37 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    “What I am seeing in my classroom is no longer a hunch.” https://trib.al/CvQHyeq

    Word Rescue
    College Students Are Rapidly Losing the Ability to Read
    “There is a measurable, generational collapse in sustained reading and writing.”
    https://futurism.com/future-society/college-students-losing-ability-read?fbclid=IwdGRzaATE6ddjbGNrBMTprWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtcsXk4f3KVTCl3_wAtOX0kGm7Q-Hh0vMjP_8EMt-StVB8n-gL4hlvlqPW5g_aem_njZwk3FMOXrCTbnOie1OqQ

    Generation Brain Rot
    Here’s the latest harrowing dispatch from the frontlines of education, as yet another higher education instructor laments that his pupils literally can’t read.

    In a new essay for The Chronicle Higher Education, university-level literature and writing instructor Tyler Jagt recalls how not a single one of his students could get through an assigned 20-page article, something that he had read “without complaint” as an undergraduate a decade ago.

    One student confessed that the reason they didn’t finish was that they kept losing track of what the paper was about. And there’s no doubt that they’re not alone.

    Jagt cites the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment results released last year. It showed that 12th grade reading scores were at the lowest level since the assessment began in 1992. Nearly a third of those 12th graders scored below the assessment’s “basic” level in reading, meaning they likely “cannot draw general conclusions based on concepts presented explicitly in a text.” Younger children aren’t better off: a recent report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that 70 percent of fourth graders, or around two million kids, can’t read at a proficient level.

    Reply
22. July 15, 2026 at 11:38 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    “It’s time for everyone to realize that the fight against data centers has nothing to do with data centers. They have become a proxy for the hate towards AI and the concentration and accumulation of wealth it’s creating.” https://trib.al/PmSZaor
    Untouchables
    AI Zillionaires Are Starting to Get Scared as the Public Turns Against Them
    Data centers “have become a proxy for the hate towards AI and the concentration and accumulation of wealth it’s creating.”
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-tech-billionaires-mark-cuban-scared-public?fbclid=IwdGRjcATE6qNjbGNrBMTqiWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHo4V-RbmYuDc6g3_IqZ-zzneuiakt8mzMRtLAtmChC_fABHEXNVl6KQLOuaV_aem_bmiI138bR6JuWjL9kN8CMg

    There’s no doubt that the broader public has turned against AI in a serious way.

    In the United States, a YouGov pol found that three-quarters of Americans think AI should be more heavily regulated, an anxiety shared across the political aisle, the Economist observed. The US populace is likewise increasingly fearful of the economic impacts of AI, especially as powerful tech companies pour money into state and federal elections.

    Reply
23. July 15, 2026 at 11:39 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    As that anger boils over, people are increasingly channeling their frustration toward data centers — one of the few tangible points of leverage ordinary people have against an otherwise untouchable, trillion-dollar tech industry.

    Reply
24. July 16, 2026 at 7:51 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Un993fL1d/

    AI is transforming industries, but it also has an environmental cost.

    Training and running advanced AI models requires massive data centers that consume huge amounts of electricity and water for cooling. If that energy comes from fossil fuels, it can significantly increase carbon emissions and local air pollution.

    However, not all AI data centers have the same impact. Many companies are investing in renewable energy, energy-efficient chips, and improved cooling systems to reduce their environmental footprint.

    As AI adoption grows, balancing innovation with sustainability will be one of the biggest challenges for the tech industry.

    Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes. The environmental impact of AI varies depending on the energy source, data center efficiency, and local infrastructure. Researchers continue to study and improve AI’s sustainability.

    Reply
25. July 16, 2026 at 8:03 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    A match made in hell. https://trib.al/Uokq2hx

    Plot Twist
    OpenAI Strikes Bold Deal With Kalshi to Mix Together the Most Hated Technologies in Existence: AI and Prediction Markets
    A match made in hell.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-deal-kalshi-prediction-markets?fbclid=IwdGRjcATFYJljbGNrBMVgL2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqJisrcfBHPP6rk2tJRszVrVdFWmgSx_3pz-qlQimHN5wRDFBxmaw9MD7FKu_aem_RymtgBfdepuJ_NIIX0Cq_A

    Is it not enough to simply watch the beautiful game, unadorned?

    These days you might use an AI chatbot to keep abreast of what’s happening in the World Cup. And that AI chatbot, in a sign of the times, might try to shove prediction market odds in your face as another way of ostensibly keeping you up to speed. Because are you really getting the full picture if you don’t know where a bunch of gamblers fall on the outcome?

    This is exactly what OpenAI is doing. The Sam Altman-led company quietly struck a deal with Kalshi, which lets you bet on outcomes far beyond sports, to show its prediction market data in ChatGPT, the New York Times reported.

    It’s perhaps the inevitable melding of two of the most divisive innovations to come out of the tech industry in recent years.

    Reply
26. July 16, 2026 at 8:11 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bless. https://trib.al/oVDREZ3

    Holy Divest
    You Can Now Get a Religious Exemption From Using AI at Work
    Thank God.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/religious-exemption-ai-work?fbclid=IwdGRjcATFYeVjbGNrBMVhz2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHiSIpoTm8IAS6qhmDa0ngXRPEAvhNQNUXHmyiqy9-qhFZ7dNMl5wkcUhHZfy_aem_Qixn3Gf8HIspbHSzIMffpA

    Reply
27. July 16, 2026 at 7:44 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    As AI companies scramble to keep their systems online, their inefficiency is costing the rest of us, Alex Reisner argues.
    https://theatln.tc/gCsuLu9L

    The efforts to scale large language models such as ChatGPT and Claude will require so many resources that tech companies may be purchasing 70 percent of the world’s supply of high-end computer memory. Because of that, “the prices of computer memory and storage are skyrocketing,” Reisner writes—and there may be no end in sight.

    The memory is being put into data centers, which tech firms are expanding at incredible speed. “The demand for electricity at these sites is already so great that some companies are repurposing jet engines to power them,” Reisner continues.

    “The problem is not simply that AI is being deployed so widely or quickly,” Reisner argues. “Other computer technologies have seen similarly massive growth without triggering such a large spike in electricity or a shortage of computer components.” Video and music, for instance, are now streamed around the globe, accounting for many terabytes of internet traffic daily; the smartphone boom required the manufacturing of billions of devices that are now transferring huge amounts of data.

    What makes generative AI different—and more problematic—is that it does not scale properly, Reisner argues.

    Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Hs7TWJrdD/

    Reply
28. July 16, 2026 at 8:29 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    ‘I can’t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever,’ says one user of a popular AI chatbot platform

    China cracks down on AI girlfriends, leaving users heartbroken
    ‘I can’t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever,’ says one user of a popular AI chatbot platform
    https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/china-ai-girlfriend-ban-bytedance-b3016164.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcATGD1RjbGNrBMYPRWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHrXB5b9tuOEwLdowgzQvBJvnR-BMO4n4kVcKCW5THAW6ZY66e7NmiEDi8Q3R_aem_5nsbt1YNfNK-Nwo5SE8xDg

    China has introduced sweeping national regulations aimed at stopping people from falling in love with artificial intelligence companions.

    The new rules, enforced by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), mean that AI tools can no longer “induce emotional dependence” among users.

    The sudden shutdown of AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” has led to a wave of breakup posts on Chinese social media platforms, with some comparing the loss to that of grief.

    “I can’t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever,” wrote one user of ByteDance’s Doubao, China’s most popular AI chatbot platform. “He has become a bond in my life, rooted deep in my heart, my spiritual pillar.”

    AI companions ‘dull crucial life skills’

    “I can’t imagine a life without him because I’ve already grown used to where I can just pull out my phone and chat with him, telling him absolutely any tiny little thing.”

    The new rules, known as the Interim Measures for AI Anthropomorphic Interaction Services, mean tech companies like Alibaba, Tencent and TikTok creator ByteDance can no longer generate content that evokes extreme emotions in young users, or impacts real-world relationships.

    Reply
29. July 16, 2026 at 8:33 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Linus Torvalds tells AI critics to fork Linux or walk away
    Linux is not an anti-AI project, says its creator
    https://www.techspot.com/news/113138-linus-torvalds-tells-anti-ai-critics-fork-linux.html?fbclid=IwVERDUATGD_ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6NzClXQVhgkpBd4EAX6eyJvTgTMok8Qt_GwYZJSGJtZvzEZwobyR8i3JjptQ_aem_6fyxjF3AlkkqCO6gfiHFtg

    A hot potato: Linus Torvalds’ stance toward AI appears to be softening. After pointing out that AI tech was 90% marketing and 10% factual reality in 2024, Torvalds just said that Linux is not an “anti-AI” project, and that anyone who has an issue with this can either walk away or fork the kernel.

    Torvalds’ comments came in response to a discussion about anti-LLM feelings on lore.kernel.org, the official public archive for Linux kernel development mailing lists. He said that while he realizes some people really dislike AI, it’s an area where he’s willing to “absolutely put my foot down as the top-level maintainer.”

    “Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects, and if somebody has issues with that, they can do the open-source thing and fork it. Or just walk away.”

    The Linux creator added that AI is a tool, just like any other, and a useful one at that. He said that while there are other questions around AI, such as what its economic impact will ultimately look like, “is it useful” was no longer one of those questions.

    AI can be a “somewhat painful tool, both for maintainer workloads and just from an ‘it keeps finding embarrassing bugs’ standpoint,” Torvalds said. “But the solution is not to put your head in the sand and sing ‘La La La, I can’t hear you’ at the top of your voice like some people seem to do.”

    Torvalds admitted that AI isn’t perfect, but he believes anyone who points to the technology’s problems better be looking in the mirror and pointing at themselves at the same time. “Because it’s not like natural intelligence is always all that great either,” he said.

    The Finnish software engineer appeared to take a more cautious approach to AI back in 2024. In addition to complaining that it was 90% marketing hype, he said it would take five years for it to become clear what AI is really useful for.

    It looks like that usefulness has become apparent in a shorter timeframe than expected.

    Reply
30. July 16, 2026 at 8:55 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    “I don’t think people who ask that ‌question know ⁠what AI is about.” https://trib.al/9YW3Q28

    Long Con
    SoftBank CEO Says You’re Too Stupid to Understand What’s Going on If You Believe the AI Bubble Is Real
    “I don’t think people who ask that ‌question know ⁠what AI is about.”
    https://futurism.com/future-society/softbank-ceo-openai-ai-bubble-masayoshi-son?fbclid=IwdGRjcATGFaRjbGNrBMYViWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgZ7s0GF78z7FafBoBOTCn_iKxRjk4X18hBfJri7a3vse9-2Lp7CG-jN4gox_aem_ZFIN_ETXwulBsIGot0jpsw

    With hundreds of billions of dollars still flowing into the tech industry, it’s becoming harder and harder to deny the reality that the US economy is enmeshed in a financial bubble of incredible proportions. As recent polls have shown, the majority of Americans don’t only agree that there is an AI bubble, they’re increasingly concerned about it as well.

    One man who isn’t swayed is Japan’s richest investment mogul, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Speaking at his company’s annual corporate conference in Tokyo, Son groused that any talk of an AI bubble is “absurd,” adding that he’s willing to waste trillions of dollars a year for decades if that’s what it takes to make AI a financial success.

    “Asking if AI is a bubble is absurd. I don’t think people who ask that ‌question know ⁠what AI is about,” Son said to conference attendees, as Reuters reported. “Every year $5 trillion, or 800 trillion yen, you might ​think that’s a lie, but I am confident that’s what it will cost.”

    Son has previously said he thinks it’s “blasphemy against AI if you say it’s a bubble,” claiming that the tech’s “potential will be unlocked.”

    But whether the tech industry can ever make AI financially viable is a particularly sensitive issue for SoftBank. The investment bank has lavished ChatGPT maker OpenAI with nearly $65 billion so-far, a spend so enormous that it forced major credit ratings agencies to downgrade SoftBank’s standing over the last few months.

    As S&P Global’s analysts wrote when they downgraded SoftBank’s outlook from “neutral” to “negative” in March, the “liquidity of SoftBank Group’s investment portfolio will worsen because OpenAI now accounts for a bigger share of it.”

    Reply
31. July 16, 2026 at 9:52 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    “It really feels like the people in power want to be kings. Historically, that doesn’t work out for kings…” https://trib.al/rAN1TmP

    Beefing Up
    Terrified Tech Execs Are Traveling With Armed Bodyguards as AI Backlash Grows
    “It really feels like the people in power want to be kings. Historically, that doesn’t work out for kings…”
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/tech-execs-armed-bodyguards-ai-backlash?fbclid=IwdGRjcATGIn1jbGNrBMYiYWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhvtvyaSjJTliw0iphTcn2KBH4knqWLaedmWa1r8VLm5dLMhGZhkQ-KXamhh_aem_QdjL4ApNqBa85MmXDwuEMg

    Public backlash to AI is intensifying — and transforming into real-world attempts at physical violence. Industry leaders are fearing for their lives.

    Leading AI companies and their top executives are beefing up security, the Wall Street Journal reports, as escalating anti-AI industry sentiment is culminating in threats and attempts of violence against the people and ventures building leading AI models. Some executives are even traveling with armed guards, while others have taken to keeping a lower public profile.

    “Tech CEOs, a few years ago, definitely did not have security,” Dakota Dominguez, an executive at the Silicon Valley-based security firm JPT Security, told the WSJ. “A lot of tech companies now are incorporating that into their budgets.”

    Earlier this year, the AI industry was shaken when a 20-year-old anti-AI activist named Daniel Moreno-Gama, armed with a gun and a Molotov cocktail, unsuccessfully tried to firebomb the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. No one was injured, but the high-profile incident followed a string of violent threats and at least one OpenAI lockdown.

    OpenAI isn’t alone. Per the WSJ, around the time that Altman’s home was targeted, OpenAI rival Anthropic faced a close call when a man snuck into its headquarters behind an employee carrying an envelope with an executive’s name on it. The man reportedly then told a guard that the executive was “going to be killed.” The man was stopped before anyone got hurt.

    Not all anti-AI sentiment has manifested in attempted physical violence. Activists have also shut down data centers, taken down AI-powered surveillance cameras, and protested outside AI company headquarters. As the fight over AI data centers heats up, some polls have shown that AI is less popular with Americans than Immigration and Customs Enforcement. People fear that AI will result in mass layoffs, a further consolidation of wealth and power, or even a catastrophic apocalypse — outcomes that many leaders in the AI industry have issued warnings about.

    “That’s why people are setting warehouses on fire,”

    Reply
32. July 16, 2026 at 10:32 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Comments from Facebook

    - America is not in a close race with China. Brookings in 11/25 stated America has 5,426 data centers, and China has 449. Why are communities around America protesting AI data centers and demanding that they’re cancelled? Time magazine: “. . . a growing cross section of the public – from MAGA loyalists to Democratic socialists, pastors to policymakers, nurses to filmmakers – agree on at least one thing: AI is moving too fast.”

    I just can’t stand the thoughts of trying to live without water, property that can’t be sold, lack of adequate electricity, increasing bills and so on. Does that make it worth it? We are ahead of China. That’s just an excuse.

    I’m not a Democrat, and I’m certainly not working for China. I’m an American who believes our farmland, our communities, and our way of life are worth protecting.

    I oppose destroying hundreds to thousands of acres of productive farmland and rural property to build massive industrial data centers that place increasing demands on our electric grid, our water resources, and our local infrastructure while expecting the people who already live here to simply accept the consequences.

    Reply
33. July 17, 2026 at 5:07 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    A Reuters/Ipsos poll in June found only about one-third of Americans approve of the current pace of data center construction, while just 14% said they would support one being built in their own community.
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/saline-township-michigan-ai-data-center-stargate-opposition-b3016112.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcATGh1VjbGNrBMZvxGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHuqzw_h52p_TKWQHnf_28zRA8m7qEbnepolqHbNfYD4gOprnbttSwzhWJX2f_aem_TQoRMcn4Q4p3MZ3osyq4lA

    Michigan has become one of the biggest battlegrounds, with at least 13 data centers planned or under development. Residents have already succeeded in stopping one project in Washington Township, while another proposal in Augusta has been delayed after local opposition forced a public rezoning vote.

    The issue has become so politically charged that it is now spilling into Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, where candidates are weighing the economic promise of AI against growing concerns over corporate power and the impact on local communities.

    “It seems like the big tech companies are kind of steamrolling the citizens,”

    After months of heated meetings, township officials voted against rezoning land for the project last September. Two days later, developers sued.

    Facing expensive litigation, local officials agreed to a settlement allowing construction to proceed in exchange for roughly $14 million in community benefits, including farmland preservation, fire services, and limits on water use and noise. Opponents are now challenging that agreement in court.

    “We really just didn’t think it was fair that our board got forced into this position,” Bruneau said, adding that concerns range from groundwater contamination to rising electricity costs.

    “In Saline,” she said, “big money pushed their way around.”

    Developers reject those concerns.

    Related Digital said it is committed to responsible development, including closed-loop air cooling to protect water resources and the preservation of 750 acres of farmland, wetlands and woodlands. Oracle said it will pay for all required energy and infrastructure upgrades

    “There are so many unknowns,”

    Reply
34. July 17, 2026 at 5:50 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/1GF4izFzSK/

    Artificial intelligence is driving one of the largest infrastructure booms in history, with tech companies investing hundreds of billions of dollars to build new AI data centers. While this expansion is accelerating AI development, it is also increasing costs across the technology industry.

    This year, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are expected to invest around $720 billion, much of it in AI infrastructure. The massive demand for servers, semiconductors, and memory chips is putting pressure on global supply chains.

    According to JPMorgan, some memory chip prices could increase by up to 400% between 2024 and the end of 2026 as demand continues to outpace supply. These higher component costs are making electronics more expensive to manufacture.

    Consumers are already seeing the effects. Apple has raised prices for some MacBook and iPad models by around 15% to 25%, Microsoft increased Xbox prices by $100, and companies including Sony, Dell, and HP have also announced price increases on selected products.

    AI data centers are also consuming large amounts of electricity, increasing pressure on power grids. U.S. electricity prices rose 5.9% year over year in May, and Goldman Sachs expects power prices to continue climbing through 2028, meaning AI’s rapid growth could affect both technology prices and household electricity bills.

    Reply
35. July 17, 2026 at 7:59 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    It’s stuck playing catch-up with its rivals. https://trib.al/S2wT4e5

    Claude-Hoppers
    Elon Musk’s AI Startup Is a Complete Disaster Behind the Scenes
    It’s stuck playing catch-up with its rivals.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/elon-musk-ai-startup-disaster?fbclid=IwdGRjcATGsTJjbGNrBMaxFmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhhtLtaTdTXt2b0ZqmwyzGjcZCA1-1eB1hwFwIzIDakqnOyogdMPg8MnLT_f_aem_Ig1wd0kgOcpWoLn1l5fH4g

    Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, is in turmoil behind the scenes.

    The company is constantly playing catch-up with rivals Anthropic, with Musk personally obsessed with having his chatbot Grok match Anthropic’s Claude, Bloomberg reports. And its merger with SpaceX, followed by the latter going public in a historic IPO, led to dozens of employees leaving the company, throwing daily operations into chaos.

    Reply
36. July 17, 2026 at 8:23 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/1D7Wr5nQQa/

    A manager at a legal tech startup started using ChatGPT to generate his Slack messages and emails. Then he mandated AI use for all employees.

    “He called a company-wide meeting to announce that from then on, we had to discuss with the AI prior to all meetings or before communicating with him,” one now-former lawyer at the company told us, “because if we didn’t develop and discuss our ideas with the AI first, it was a sign that we didn’t care about our jobs.”

    Eventually, her boss created a document, which he called “The Bible” — a constantly-changing handbook, hundreds of pages in length, that employees were asked to study like a holy text. “The goal of this ‘Bible’ was so that employees would never have to ask a human being anything. We were supposed to be able to feed this PDF to ChatGPT and ask it: ‘What should I do today? What are my functions? How do I solve this or that problem?’” said the lawyer.

    She was one of nearly a half-dozen people who spoke to us about their bosses’ obsession with AI — from near-constant useless suggestions to treating it like “a digital priest whose primary purpose was to confirm that he was right and everyone else was mistaken.” https://trib.al/8RKJOct

    Business Sloperations
    Bosses Are Becoming Obsessed With AI, Using It to Make Every Decision, Barraging Their Employees With Nonsensical ChatGPT Directives, and Even Asking It Who to Fire
    “It’s like being in an abusive marriage… I’m sitting here dealing with somebody that isn’t living in reality.”

    Reply
37. July 17, 2026 at 8:33 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    As the conversation around AI evolves, the fear of AI replacing our jobs is starting to fade. Another relevant question is starting to emerge: will AI replace our thinking? If we delegate our brainpower to AI, will we end up becoming less intelligent?

    Adopting AI is not the challenge anymore. The challenge now is adopting AI strategically. If we are not smart about it, AI may end up making us dumber. Leaders need to find ways to use AI that will preserve and enhance our cognitive skills, not replace or weaken them.

    https://www.nbforum.com/newsroom/blog/how-to-protect-your-teams-cognitive-skills-while-using-ai/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEe7hes_X0l78Ko37Qc-zBRbkaExmrFcaKCgHdh2JZqeuN2AeXjJRUNWYnadME_aem_WUf40OtvDCsFTcHnH0Uuig

    Reply
38. July 17, 2026 at 11:19 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Investors are freaking out. https://trib.al/VaUcJLd

    Feel The Burn
    AI Bubble Fears Are Starting to Spill Over
    Investors are freaking out.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-bubble-fears-tsmc-nvidia-earnings?fbclid=IwdGRjcATHiJJjbGNrBMeIcmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHs4_GZAGzi2SWx56rL–cqPeOyS4mhf6QX_pT9hht_kQ6qo6TjEqIkEkKVB__aem_hKm99Wm2LOW-nx0yIxPElw

    Yet another domino appears to be falling as part of the Ruth Goldberg machine that will eventually pop the AI investment bubble.

    Earlier this month, economic forecasters were sounding the alarm that overspending on AI was at a level far more severe than Black Tuesday, the day that jump-started the worst economic catastrophe in the history of the industrial economy. Now, investors seem to be coming to that same conclusion all on their own.

    This week, Taiwanese semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) posted its second-quarter earnings results, revealing a staggering revenue of over $40 billion — a record-breaking sum for the company.

    While that should come as welcome news to investors, the results had the exact opposite effect, sending shares of TSMC stocks tumbling by four percent. That in turn led the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index to fall by 1.4 percent Thursday, compounding losses from Wednesday, Bloomberg reported.

    The issue seems to be TSMC’s revision to its capital expenditure. As the key manufacturer for chip design company Nvidia — arguably one of the most pivotal players in the AI boom — TSMC is a major bellwether for investor confidence around the buzzy tech.

    The trouble is that, in addition to posting record revenue, the Taiwanese chip firm raised its 2026 spending forecast to a range of $60-64 billion, up from $52-56 billion. That shift will test how much more spending investors are willing to stomach on AI, a technology that has yet to justify the nearly $1.6 trillion spent developing it over the past decade.

    Zooming out, the market’s response seems to indicate a few things. For starters, good news is clearly not enough to maintain confidence in the tech industry’s ability to make AI a financial success. It likewise signals that belief in the AI bubble is no longer confined to a few brave contrarians, but is becoming a mainstream narrative, as investors grow wary of an industry which promises the Moon, yet only seems to deliver hot air.

    Reply
39. July 17, 2026 at 11:20 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Great Leap Forward
    A Chinese AI Model Just Shot to Number One on the Charts, Sending Shockwaves Through the American Tech Industry
    US tech execs are shaking in their boots.
    https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/chinese-ai-kimi-moonshot-benchmark-claude-chatgpt?fbclid=IwVERDUATHiVNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6TVk103AdxPX-NahR1Na_wywFpXDNO2y7m9h-YCJpbjmBpW93Va6YLHb67cw_aem_lcYbBSMuLlArmkZRBVq1nQ

    Reply
40. July 18, 2026 at 12:18 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    AI hype seems to be cooling as tech stocks dramatically plunge
    Investors seem to be worrying that artificial intelligence rally might not last
    https://www.the-independent.com/tech/ai-artificial-intelligence-tech-stocks-shares-b3017100.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcATHluNjbGNrBMeWyGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHixJlTbWiBBH0VVkSdiTeoZmV-99SNtDeqI82C3sjke1WHuCbpwQgDsgA52C_aem_KKAyjMYW-lrvBAIjhWU5Ww

    Reply
41. July 18, 2026 at 12:29 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    UN warns you need to stop saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to ChatGPT
    Changing your conversational habits can have a major impact on the environmental cost
    https://www.uniladtech.com/news/ai/un-chatgpt-warning-please-thank-you-852497-20260604?utm_content=tech&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcATHmFVjbGNrBMeYOmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHsbWbfZrS0keaFgneU_i3hEDXhUbZnKqBzOdo-og41g9Aiv4vpMRhk-LnhqR_aem_wlu7h_puuyAvRtRgUc9DPg

    Although you might already know about the environmental impact of AI tools like ChatGPT, it could still shock you how much using pleasantries like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ increases the strain you’re putting on the climate.

    It’s likely something that you’re simply used to doing when communicating, especially when it comes to requests or questions. Some might even be covering their backs in the event of a future robot uprising.

    New reports have outlined that fleshing out your messages to ChatGPT with redundant pleasantries can up electrical output by a considerable amount.

    UN issues warning regarding rising AI emissions
    A new report from the United Nations University’s Institute for Water, Environment, and Health has revealed that within the next four years, the cumulative water use of AI will equal the amount needed to sustain 1.3 billion people. This means the power demands will triple the use of over 650 million residents across three countries.

    the power demands tripling the use of everyone in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, and water needs going beyond everyone in sub-Saharan Africa.

    For example, by 2030, the UN estimates that AI’s land footprint will collectively exceed around 14,500 square kilometers. This is roughly double the size of Jakarta’s metropolitan area, which is home to over 32 million people.

    “The report shows that AI is not only a digital technology, but also a material system with measurable environmental costs,” the researchers state, and there are some simple yet effective ways that you can cut down on your own personal impact if you do choose to use these tools.

    While avoiding AI altogether is the best thing you can do to reduce or eliminate your climate impact, getting rid of pleasantries and redundant language in your messages can make a world of difference.

    Selecting your user icon in the top right and then navigating to the Settings menu will give you the ability to enter custom instructions and alter how the chatbot responds to you, and this is where you’ll want to input the following:

    Keep responses brief and minimal
    Limit responses to one sentence wherever possible
    Provide only essential information
    Keep a relaxed tone in responses
    Only ask additional questions in separate messages
    This might not always work as well as you’d hope, but it can cut down on unnecessarily long communications,

    Avoiding saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ is a must, and only ask exactly what you want ChatGPT to provide with no unnecessary additions.

    Reply
42. July 18, 2026 at 12:32 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1TD7E3DPpa/

    Ireland’s data centers are now using nearly as much electricity as all the country’s homes combined, highlighting the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

    According to Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), data centers consumed 23% of the country’s metered electricity in 2025, up from 22% in 2024. By comparison, all residential homes used 28% of the nation’s electricity. This means data centers now consume almost as much power as every household in Ireland combined.

    The rapid growth has been driven by rising demand for AI services, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure.

    Many of the world’s largest technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, operate major data centers in Ireland because of its strong internet connectivity and business-friendly environment.

    The increasing electricity demand has raised concerns about pressure on Ireland’s power grid and the country’s climate goals. At the same time, government officials say data centers play an important role in supporting economic growth, investment, and jobs.

    As AI continues to expand around the world, experts expect electricity demand from data centers to keep rising, making reliable and cleaner sources of energy increasingly important.

    Sources: Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), Reuters.

    Reply
43. July 18, 2026 at 12:35 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Elon Musk’s Colossus 1 and 2 data centers are in hot water for allegedly using unpermitted mobile natural gas turbines to generate the power

    Elon Musk spent estimated $1 billion on an energy company to power xAI, filings reveal — APR Energy owns a fleet of trailer-mounted gas and diesel turbines capable of generating more than 1 gigawatt
    https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/elon-musk-spent-estimated-usd1-billion-on-an-energy-company-to-power-xai-filings-reveal-apr-energy-owns-a-fleet-of-trailer-mounted-gas-and-diesel-turbines-capable-of-generating-more-than-1-gigawatt

    Reply
44. July 18, 2026 at 12:39 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/data-centers/elon-musk-xai-unpermitted-generators

    Reply
45. July 18, 2026 at 12:56 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Still avoiding salads because of the cyclospora outbreak? Experts say you may need to wait a bit. : https://mrf.lu/2GwvD

    Is it safe to eat salad yet? On Friday, California-based salad juggernaut Taylor Farms announced it is “voluntarily” removing all of the iceberg lettuce it sources from central Mexico for the US market.

    “No other Taylor Fresh Foods products across the country are impacted,” the company said.

    It’s unclear whether this means that all of the contaminated produce in the multi-state cyclosporiasis outbreak has been cornered, but public health experts say that is unlikely.

    More than 8,260 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported to state and federal health departments, according to data compiled by the Georgetown University Health Security Operations Center.

    The bulk of the cases have been reported in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, and Colorado, but that could simply be because those states have more robust public health surveillance than others.

    The cyclospora parasite thrives in hot summer weather. Public health authorities say at worst, this outbreak could last until the end of August, but that’s a long, sweaty stretch of weather to face without any leafy greens in your diet.

    In these hot summer months, it’s creating a conundrum for salad lovers nationwide: do I risk contracting a watery diarrhea-inducing parasite, assuming that the parasites have all been tossed out by now, or play it safe and cook everything?

    If you’re older, immunocompromised, pregnant, under the age of 2 (with a developing immune system), or have a medical condition, you may want to play things a little safer until the fall.

    To ensure you will definitely not contract cyclosporiasis, choose only vegetables that are cooked to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature that kills this parasite. If you like berries, make jam. Craving veggies? Try grilled asparagus.

    If you’re in a high-risk category, “I would completely refrain from not just lettuce or iceberg lettuce, but probably all leafy greens for the foreseeable future,” Evans said.

    Buy whole heads of lettuce, remove and discard the outer layer of leaves, and wash them thoroughly under cold running water before consuming. You can also shop for lettuce grown locally at farmers’ markets. Keep an eye on your local case numbers to inform your decisions.

    Eating raw, unwashed leafy greens, especially bagged pre-chopped lettuce and salad kits, which have been the most common source of cyclosporiasis outbreaks in recent years, may be risky.

    Other vegetables that have been contaminated with the parasite in the past include raspberries, snap and snow peas, and fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley). It’s possible that none of these foods are involved in the current outbreak, and that the risk is limited to only leafy greens, but we don’t know for sure.

    Reply
46. July 18, 2026 at 8:13 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FjzMwY2p2/

    Most Americans do not want a data center anywhere near their home.

    A new Gallup poll found seventy one percent oppose local construction, a bigger backlash than even nuclear power plants face. Pew Research backs this up. Thirty eight percent say these facilities are already hurting their home energy costs, while only six percent see any benefit.

    Consumer Reports adds another layer. Seventy eight percent worry their utility bills will climb as AI infrastructure keeps expanding across the country.

    Behind every server farm is a family checking their electricity bill a little more nervously each month.

    The AI boom needs power and water to run, and someone always pays for that growth. Who should carry the cost of progress?

    Sources: Gallup, Pew Research Center, Consumer Reports

    Reply
47. July 18, 2026 at 8:15 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    How water impacts data centers?

    Water impacts data centers in several ways:

    1. Cooling: Data centers use significant amounts of water for cooling systems to prevent overheating. Evaporative cooling systems, chillers, and direct evaporative cooling all rely on water to regulate temperatures.

    2. Resource strain: The large water consumption can strain local water resources, especially in areas where water is scarce. This can lead to conflicts with local communities and environmental concerns.

    3. Operational costs: Water usage contributes to operational costs for data centers. As water becomes scarcer, data centers may face higher water costs or need to invest in water conservation measures.

    4. Risk management: Data centers need to manage water-related risks, such as flooding, to prevent damage to equipment and ensure business continuity.

    Data centers are exploring ways to reduce their water footprint, such as using recycled water, implementing water-efficient cooling systems, and locating in areas with more abundant water resources.

    Reply
48. July 18, 2026 at 8:39 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HQ1mk5iMm/

    Ireland’s data centers now consume almost as much electricity as every home in the country combined.

    New figures from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office show data centers used 7663 gigawatt hours in 2025. That is 23% of the nation’s total electricity use. Residential homes used slightly more at 28%. A decade ago data centers used just 5% of the grid.

    Around 89 facilities now operate across the country, mostly clustered near Dublin. Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta are among the major operators. In 2022 regulators paused new grid connections near Dublin over capacity fears. That pause finally lifted in December 2025. New data centers must now source 80% of their power from renewable projects within six years.
    The International Energy Agency once predicted data centers could use a third of Ireland’s electricity by 2026. That prediction now looks very close to true. What happens when a country’s machines need more power than its people?

    Sources: Central Statistics Office Ireland, Tom’s Hardware, Irish Examiner

    Reply
49. July 18, 2026 at 10:02 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/17jA7H4NMj/

    Artificial intelligence is driving one of the largest infrastructure booms in history, with tech companies investing hundreds of billions of dollars to build new AI data centers. While this expansion is accelerating AI development, it is also increasing costs across the technology industry.

    This year, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are expected to invest around $720 billion, much of it in AI infrastructure. The massive demand for servers, semiconductors, and memory chips is putting pressure on global supply chains.

    According to JPMorgan, some memory chip prices could increase by up to 400% between 2024 and the end of 2026 as demand continues to outpace supply. These higher component costs are making electronics more expensive to manufacture.

    Consumers are already seeing the effects. Apple has raised prices for some MacBook and iPad models by around 15% to 25%, Microsoft increased Xbox prices by $100, and companies including Sony, Dell, and HP have also announced price increases on selected products.

    AI data centers are also consuming large amounts of electricity, increasing pressure on power grids. U.S. electricity prices rose 5.9% year over year in May, and Goldman Sachs expects power prices to continue climbing through 2028, meaning AI’s rapid growth could affect both technology prices and household electricity bills.

    Reply
50. July 18, 2026 at 10:16 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    safe drinkable water is not in endless supply is true. It is getting poisoned is also true, but but it is not the data centers that consume or poison the water considerably on the global scale (could be significant contributor on some locations).

    At a national level, the headlines surrounding AI and data center water consumption can sometimes distort the actual numbers. While a single data center using 1 to 5 million gallons of water a day is a massive local drain, their aggregate national water footprint is virtually invisible when compared to agriculture, power generation, and heavy industry.
    Even factoring in aggressive AI growth projections through 2028, the national share of data centers themselves water consumption is expected to remain well under 0.1%. Data center’s grid-based indirect water consumption is estimated to be roughly 12 times greater than its direct on-site cooling water use. Even when combining direct and indirect water use, the total still remains remarkably small (1-2%) compared to the true titans of U.S. water consumption.

    Reply