Here are some of the the major AI trends shaping 2026 — based on current expert forecasts, industry reports, and recent developments in technology. The material is analyzed using AI tools and final version hand-edited to this blog text:
1. Generative AI Continues to Mature
Generative AI (text, image, video, code) will become more advanced and mainstream, with notable growth in:
* Generative video creation
* Gaming and entertainment content generation
* Advanced synthetic data for simulations and analytics
This trend will bring new creative possibilities — and intensify debates around authenticity and copyright.
2. AI Agents Move From Tools to Autonomous Workers
Rather than just answering questions or generating content, AI systems will increasingly act autonomously, performing complex, multi-step workflows and interacting with apps and processes on behalf of users — a shift sometimes called agentic AI. These agents will become part of enterprise operations, not just assistant features.
3. Smaller, Efficient & Domain-Specific Models
Instead of “bigger is always better,” specialized AI models tailored to specific industries (healthcare, finance, legal, telecom, manufacturing) will start to dominate in many enterprise applications. These models are more accurate, legally compliant, and cost-efficient than general models.
4. AI Embedded Everywhere
AI won’t be an add-on feature — it will be built into everyday software and devices:
* Office apps with intelligent drafting, summarization, and task insights
* Operating systems with native AI
* Edge devices processing AI tasks locally
This makes AI pervasive in both work and consumer contexts.
5. AI Infrastructure Evolves: Inference & Efficiency Focus
More investment is going into inference infrastructure — the real-time decision-making step where models run in production — thereby optimizing costs, latency, and scalability. Enterprises are also consolidating AI stacks for better governance and compliance.
6. AI in Healthcare, Research, and Sustainability
AI is spreading beyond diagnostics into treatment planning, global health access, environmental modeling, and scientific discovery. These applications could help address personnel shortages and speed up research breakthroughs.
7. Security, Ethics & Governance Become Critical
With AI handling more sensitive tasks, organizations will prioritize:
* Ethical use frameworks
* Governance policies
* AI risk management
This trend reflects broader concerns about trust, compliance, and responsible deployment.
8. Multimodal AI Goes Mainstream
AI systems that understand and generate across text, images, audio, and video will grow rapidly, enabling richer interactions and more powerful applications in search, creative work, and interfaces.
9. On-Device and Edge AI Growth
10. New Roles: AI Manager & Human-Agent Collaboration
Instead of replacing humans, AI will shift job roles:
* People will manage, supervise, and orchestrate AI agents
* Human expertise will focus on strategy, oversight, and creative judgment
This human-in-the-loop model becomes the norm.
Sources:
[1]: https://www.brilworks.com/blog/ai-trends-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “7 AI Trends to Look for in 2026″
[2]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2025/10/13/10-generative-ai-trends-in-2026-that-will-transform-work-and-life/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “10 Generative AI Trends In 2026 That Will Transform Work And Life”
[3]: https://millipixels.com/blog/ai-trends-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com “AI Trends 2026: The Key Enterprise Shifts You Must Know | Millipixels”
[4]: https://www.digitalregenesys.com/blog/top-10-ai-trends-for-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Digital Regenesys | Top 10 AI Trends for 2026″
[5]: https://www.n-ix.com/ai-trends/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “7 AI trends to watch in 2026 – N-iX”
[6]: https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/2025/12/11/microsoft-unveils-7-ai-trends-for-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Microsoft unveils 7 AI trends for 2026 – Source Asia”
[7]: https://www.risingtrends.co/blog/generative-ai-trends-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com “7 Generative AI Trends to Watch In 2026″
[8]: https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/12/24/artificial-intelligence-ai-trends-to-watch-in-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trends to Watch in 2026 and How to Invest in Them | The Motley Fool”
[9]: https://www.reddit.com//r/AI_Agents/comments/1q3ka8o/i_read_google_clouds_ai_agent_trends_2026_report/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “I read Google Cloud’s “AI Agent Trends 2026” report, here are 10 takeaways that actually matter”
3,497 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
More https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-san-francisco-staff-work-remote-office-security-strike-2026-8
Tomi Engdahl says:
“In a few years, we will be living in a ‘Terminator’ movie. It’s no joke. Machines are making decisions to strike.” https://trib.al/cklb8HS
Target Acquired
Russia Now Using Fully AI-Controlled Drones to Kill Ukrainian Civilians, Powered by Nvidia Chips
“In a few years, we will be living in a ‘Terminator’ movie. It’s no joke. Machines are making decisions to strike.”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/russia-fully-ai-controlled-drones-kill-ukrainians?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT-oJVjbGNrBP6gKHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeg_UQ44WQ1-n5eWslI_6f9TOpTlD9BZU4YWoUXdpXwvKQooqHgzUa0DhMDmI_aem_vGQsssQTp2cn9XIH-ZkNEQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GWSsqLWTv/
In a major push to address the immense energy and cooling demands of modern artificial intelligence, Samsung is reportedly developing massive floating data centers.
These innovative offshore facilities are designed to leverage the limitless supply of surrounding seawater to naturally cool their high-density server banks.
By shifting intensive AI computing infrastructure out onto the ocean, this approach aims to bypass terrestrial real estate constraints and significantly reduce the heavy freshwater consumption typical of traditional land-based data centers. This offshore model represents a highly scalable and eco-friendly step forward for the future of global tech infrastructure.
#Samsung #DataCenter #ArtificialIntelligence #GreenTech #SustainableTech
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Oreogate’ on Instagram went viral. But was it all a fake ad for an AI company? : https://mrf.lu/2QY6W
Tomi Engdahl says:
The contrast is incredible. https://trib.al/vQ0lFLx
Zuck Factor
Data Shows That Mark Zuckerberg Is the Anti-Dolly Parton: Instead of Being Loved by Everybody Across the Political Spectrum, Pretty Much Everybody Despises, Him Regardless of Their Beliefs
The contrast is incredible.
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mark-zuckerberg-anti-dolly-parton?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT-0yhjbGNrBP7TDHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEelViPlcRsMMTYrqosoeu6Y7kVy3fOh2TgXYJalkuPXc0lsECnzDVPlTc87hA_aem_YIbkpwpJZwsi7G–U_V59A
Tomi Engdahl says:
“What we are trying to do is turn the machine’s parameters into numbers, and use that to standardize every single bowl.” https://trib.al/tDyh3cY
And Noodles
Chinese Companies Are Unleashing AI-Powered Robo-Chefs
“What we are trying to do is turn the machine’s parameters into numbers, and use that to standardize every single bowl.”
https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/chinese-companies-ai-robot-cooking-beijing?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT-3l9jbGNrBP7eInBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeug0SlnH-2gWKlrpqwd_OLgGj7MjmYLX7uLJD2GodJJ13SlZ-qTRdYYX6JO0_aem_XRUPR3ZDS8SM_igXv61tAA
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uniladtech.com/news/amount-microsoft-employees-spend-on-ai-new-report-393919-20260825?utm_content=tech&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAT-4bVjbGNrBP7hsXBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeoCXNdeUSBHGCr1sM1OLVcJAG57piKkxzvm77jYHri91J-BgQeBoY-2WEkgY_aem_V5fyFc4YXoAgChY1iE0TAw#Echobox=1787672381
Tomi Engdahl says:
Artificial intelligence could be used to launch hacks on some of our most important and critical infrastructure
OpenAI, Anthropic and 100 major companies sound alarm over urgent AI danger
Artificial intelligence could be used to launch hacks on some of our most important and critical infrastructure, warn the companies building the tools that could be used in such cyber attacks
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/security/ai-rogue-hacking-openai-anthropic-chatgpt-b3040958.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT_RQhjbGNrBP9E8HBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeWh9Q8mfnHrTRZigzvyq8DMNS1N_5asLk1Ei35Fk8-KgpbwLsfvCjFNzY0oY_aem_63jZlO4MlImkh8nRdsUR9Q
ore than 100 of the world’s biggest companies have sounded urgent alarm about an imminent threat from artificial intelligence.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Google-parent Alphabet, Amazon and many more said that a wave of AI-powered cyber attacks is coming and that the world is not prepared.
Those hacks pose a risk to the “companies and public services our communities depend on—from hospitals to water treatment plants to the infrastructure that powers the internet”, the open letter signed by more than 100 companies warned.
The letter is signed by many of the companies that are making exactly the AI technology that has already been used in such attacks. It was signed and publicised by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, for instance, which is currently under sustained criticism over an incident that saw one of its experimental systems launch a hack on a fellow AI company.
The letter said that those kind of cyber security tools “are already giving defenders new ways to fix weaknesses that have accumulated for years”. But it will take decisive action now to ensure that those tools are used to secure rather than attack systems, the letter warned.
It set out three principles that should guide the collective response to the threat. They are recognising that “status quo security won’t be enough” since many security teams do not have enough resources to protect their systems; empowering defenders with better AI tools to secure those systems, and working together on a “collective response”.
“Cyber capabilities are advancing worldwide, and that can be a net positive: no single company should control the future,”
The companies called for new funding for security teams and defensive AI systems to ensure that those threats could be contained. And there is only a limited time to “make our digital world much more secure” before that danger threatens some of our most important and critical infrastructure, it said.
“In the coming months, AI-enabled cyberattacks will become far more widespread as models around the world become increasingly capable,”
The letter called on governments to expedite trusted access programs, which give certain companies access to more powerful models ahead of the general public, and for all other organisations to “make cyber defense an immediate leadership priority.”
AI companies themselves have warned that their tools are showing increasingly dangerous behaviour, though they have mostly continued to insist that they will actually improve safety and security if they are used properly.
In June, the world’s “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance — composed of the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — issued a rare joint statement warning that the AI revolution was poised to “fundamentally transform” cybersecurity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Who decided this is a way we should be living?” https://trib.al/xajaXu3
In a Cage
Harvard Professor Warns That AI Execs Are Pushing World Toward Factory Farming of Humans
“Who decided this is a way we should be living?”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/harvard-professor-ai-factory-farming-humans?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT_nlxjbGNrBP-eOXBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeiSygSU-HS7_Nbi_jjxcBEgq7wD6dlvEhcmaI7TTEpYVPFqmZGQ_xp55ZcpE_aem_PMtkdmO5NteC57IDK09lQg
We’re racing towards a future where AI enables the “factory farming of humans,” a Harvard professor warns — if tech elites get their way, at least.
In a new episode of The New York Time’s “Hard Fork” podcast, the historian Jill Lepore discusses her idea of an “artificial state” that’s supplanting the traditional nation state, and particular constitutional democracy, with one that erases human autonomy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CGTrader, a long-established online marketplace for 3D assets used by video game developers, film editors, and 3D printing nerds, is being flooded with AI-generated assets. They now represent one in six model on the site.
But they account for just $1 in every $90 of revenue, 404 Media reports.
In other words, virtually nobody’s willing to shell out for AI slop, meaning it’s economically almost valueless. “Buyers are voting with their wallets, and AI-generated content is struggling to compete,” the company noted in a press release about its most recent 2026 market trends report, as quoted by 404.
“The upload numbers alone would suggest a takeover” of AI-generated material, the company noted. “The revenue numbers say otherwise.”
https://trib.al/GLa7hsp
Saying No to Slop
The Economy Has Spoken: Stuff That’s AI-Generated Has Almost Zero Value
“Buyers are voting with their wallets, and AI-generated content is struggling to compete.”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/economy-ai-generated-value?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT_sU5jbGNrBP-w_nBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeXuH7SBATe2XEjhRTMcSxNQXuBMslec71-XwwhM7le8Os9aJRasArIiT92EU_aem_QjzkoFXsrlYoHtrX819R8g
Tomi Engdahl says:
maybe the AI that many Facebook “content producers” use should be renamed AS (Artificial Stupidity).
And Facebook should be renamed Fakebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meta’s Touch
Leaked Memo Shows Republicans Are Terrified of the Backlash Against AI Data Centers
“This has become a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle.”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/leaked-memo-data-centers-ai-ohio-republicans-election?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUAHTtjbGNrBQAdAnBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEes8F8ASmVz5maESzc69OsuJ7kr5rJlsMouVtVgmUXiamvDpBGv9G-eBSySak_aem_8gOlMY-_auVj1jI2fIlv6w
As the backlash against data centers mounts, American political strategists are scrambling to balance immense public sentiment against the facilities with their obligation to big business.
In the Republican Party’s Senate campaign arm, a recently leaked memo exposes just how deep the anxieties go. First reported by Axios, the private document was addressed to major AI companies, warning that the public’s disgust with data centers could ruin the party’s hopes at a pivotal seat in the Senate.
The memo addresses the Democratic campaign to unseat Ohio Senator Jon Husted, who filled the hole left when JD Vance ascended to the Vice Presidency. It warns in stark terms that the Democratic Party has made data centers the pivotal issue of this election — and that if the tactic proves successful in defeating Husted, a wave of similar anti-data center campaigns would follow.
“If he loses and data centers get the blame, politicians across the country will take notice — and they will not go near the next one,” the memo exclaims. “This has become a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle.”
Going on, the memorandum gripes that “campaigns or party committees can not fix the toxic brand of an entire segment of the economy.”
“The companies that need these projects built have to fix how Ohioans see them,” it continues. “If voters’ perceptions of data centers are not fixed quickly, the campaign against them will expand far beyond Ohio.”
And of course, data centers are just one piece of the puzzle, as broader AI harms have also taken their toll on the state. In a testimony offered in support of draft AI regulations in Ohio, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Tony Coder said that at least four children in the state who died by suicide penned suicide notes using AI chatbots.
For its part, the tech industry is trying to claw back support, rolling out a number of kitschy ads meant to win the public’s trust on data centers — though at this point in the game, it may be far too little, and far too late.
Calculated Risk
Protests Against Data Centers Are Now Threatening $130 Billion of Big Tech’s Crucial Investments
The math is not looking good.
https://futurism.com/future-society/ai-data-center-finances-protests-opposition-social-risk?fbclid=IwVERDUAUAHexwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHplMpmjLJR4wpnRR8Vcs2Z8dFJL94rLWVg-8HnzwbU3bslK_FqhxnVlqVGQA_aem_6LssqgfWqvZBGhCozieCBA
Tomi Engdahl says:
“They basically dug their own grave.” https://trib.al/bZwchXu
Singing a Different Tune
Texas Governor Suddenly Turns on Data Centers as Backlash Grows
“They basically dug their own grave.”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/texas-governor-turns-on-data-centers-backlash-grows?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUAH49jbGNrBQAfe3Bkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEerVAfEY4Z7ywDfZPJdqejSXnF3XLPoVr0YQO6iqi1iL4_OBrrChn9_ir0Vx4_aem_sTtHTOVg_AezW1UbN5SqxQ
As the bipartisan hate for data centers continues to grow, Texas governor Greg Abbott is suddenly singing a dramatically different tune.
During a Sunday interview with ABC, Abbott said that AI companies have “basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them, and that’s why they got the backlash they deserve.”
His comments indicate that it’s not just blue states growing wary of data centers. It’s a particularly noteworthy new take for Abbott, who mere months ago was an outspoken supporter of the massive facilities powering the AI boom. Just in November, he gloated that Texas was the “epicenter of AI development,” offering major sales tax exemptions. At the time, Abbott proudly announced that Google was making a major $40 billion investment in the state.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Let’s be reasonable about unchecked mass surveillance, people! https://trib.al/MWnf0mm
Tomi Engdahl says:
In one scenario, the bank wrote, unprecedented tech investments are justified by “extreme uncertainty” about a developing technology’s effects on productivity. Because of that uncertainty, there’s a huge range of possible outcomes, from “”genuinely hard to bound”” gains to investors losing everything.
The second possibility, known as the “”behavioral view,”” is grimmer. This interpretation holds that “overconfident” and “overoptimistic” investors are essentially losing themselves to the AI hype train, ignoring the rational possibility of either devastating financial losses or unprecedented gains in favor of a live-for-the-moment attitude.
When this kind of overconfidence around new tech fades, the authors posit, losses from a market correction can be swift and severe, more so than in the rational scenario.
https://trib.al/udxdbQS
Tomi Engdahl says:
As TechCrunch spotted, a user on the r/artificial subreddit posted a lengthy rant comparing the watermarking scheme to systemic oppression. No, really.
“You know what this reminds me of?” the user, visionode asks. “Those police operations that arrest the drug user and leave the dealer alone. Watermarking is the same thing.”
“And the stigma,” the user continued. “We’re creating a caste of ‘dirty’ creators. People who dared to use a tool.”
It was far from the only dramatic breakdown in response to the news. “This watermark is the dumbest f*cking thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Are they going to ask you to provide an ID so you can write non-watermarked text?” seethed one user on r/ClaudeAI.
https://trib.al/N7NQuvz
Tomi Engdahl says:
“This problem is going to get even more and more exaggerated and acute.” https://trib.al/Q68x231
Tomi Engdahl says:
“How will students ever know what they really think of anything?” https://trib.al/WYhS3QW
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Cynical & Literal
World Wide Waste (WWW): Captures the sheer volume of digital slop, SEO bait, and unverified AI hallucinations filling up the index.
World Wide Wall (WWW): Refers to the endless paywalls, cookie consent popups, ad overlays, and login gates that obstruct basic navigation.
World Wide Window-shopping (WWW): Highlights how nearly every link ultimately resolves into a funnel trying to monetize your attention or push a subscription.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lahjoja lahjattomalle
Maailma tarvitsee enemmän ”human sloppia”, kirjoittaa tekoälykuvituksiin kyllästynyt toimittaja Samuli Leppälä.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/ilmiot/a/279a543e-c7b1-482f-a2f5-3ef167a829ea
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H3oqYu7JA/
The internet may feel weightless, but the infrastructure behind it is anything but.
Modern data centers require enormous amounts of electricity, land and, depending on their cooling systems and location, water. With AI accelerating demand, the IEA says global data-center electricity consumption is on track to double by 2030, while electricity use specifically from AI-focused facilities could triple.
Water is becoming one of the biggest concerns. Servers generate huge amounts of heat, and many facilities use water-based cooling. A 2026 peer-reviewed analysis warns that while data centers may represent a relatively small share of water use nationally, their impact can become significant when several facilities are concentrated in communities already facing drought or water stress.
And the footprint doesn’t stop at the facility itself. Producing the electricity that powers data centers can consume substantial additional water, meaning their true water footprint can extend far beyond the cooling towers visible on site.
The same applies to land. New facilities can require large sites, transmission infrastructure and supporting development. Communities across the U.S. are already pushing back against proposed projects over concerns including farmland loss, water availability and electricity demand.
None of this means data centers are inherently bad. They support almost everything digital society depends on, from cloud storage and scientific research to banking, communication and AI. And technologies such as recycled-water systems, advanced liquid cooling, renewable energy and smarter siting can dramatically reduce their environmental footprint.
The real question isn’t whether we need data centers. We do.
It’s whether technological progress should come at the expense of the water people drink, the ecosystems they depend on and the land that feeds them.
A smarter future shouldn’t require sacrificing the resources that make a future possible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
All of the Internet’s Data, with all of its Electrons, weighs no more than a Single Strawberry
Tomi Engdahl says:
If they are using ai they are contributing to the need of data center. So to protest, it is absurd.
Most of them have no clue they are using AI. For the most part it has blended in so seamlessly it is not obvious to most people.
Tomi Engdahl says:
also oversimplify how everyday technology, artificial intelligence, and physical infrastructure interact.
1. “If they are using AI, they are contributing to the need for data centers. To protest is absurd.”
This argument relies on the “hypocrisy trap” (claiming someone cannot protest a system if they use any part of it). It overlooks several key realities of digital infrastructure
2. “Most of them have no clue they are using AI… it has blended in so seamlessly.”
This observation is factually accurate. The line between “traditional software” and “AI” has blurred to the point of invisibility for the average user
Tomi Engdahl says:
Computer scientists, chip designers, and machine learning engineers are tackling the AI energy crisis using a multi-layered approach. Rather than relying solely on bigger data centers, the focus has shifted toward making AI algorithms fundamentally lighter and driving hardware to run them with far less electricity
Tomi Engdahl says:
Impact on Data Center Load
These optimizations are crucial because inference (answering user queries) accounts for a rapidly growing majority of all AI data center compute. By combining Pruning + Quantization + MoE Architecture, developers can shrink the energy footprint of an individual AI interaction by 80% or more, allowing data centers to process vastly more requests without demanding equivalent increases in grid capacity or cooling water.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This week saw Bill Gates warn of the dangers posed by AI. What did Andy Burnham choose to focus upon? Cowboy builders, which he says are wrecking people’s lives
It’s time for our leaders to admit it: there is no plan for what is coming next
At a time when the world is facing significant crises in almost every sphere, why is Andy Burnham focusing on cowboy builders – and world leaders responding with a collective shrug, asks Chris Blackhurst
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/climate-change-ai-crisis-politics-b3040988.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUAqIdjbGNrBQCodnBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEenTDJF4ix5DhTMEsbFpkDqEbhc4ltJxLgylRXgWJ1uiP1ZNDVT051ndKHud4_aem_rbTCxXXWFgknFSDbGwbtog
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Kudos to the citizen that threw tea in the harbor!” https://trib.al/NCEnCHV
Flock Heroes
People Taking Down Flock Towers Are Becoming Folk Heroes, With Communities Circling to Protect Them
“Kudos to the citizen that threw tea in the harbor!”
https://futurism.com/future-society/folk-heroes-flock-surveillance-towers-vandal?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUAqvVjbGNrBQCq2nBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeYTzcPT4W1GCjK1x3fO3Y8gsdRtoUXPSmPbLaC4cq-qrs_wtU2e9IofDOr9g_aem_DFVVdHIgPQNn8DC0Y1Hl8Q
At this point, Flock automatic license plate readers are basically a 90-10 issue in the US. In fact, so many Americans hate these surveillance towers that hacking one down has become the quickest way to achieve national folk-hero status.
In one incident reported by the Verge, a sheriff in Lumpkin County, Georgia announced a $1,000 reward for information resulting in the arrest of the vandal responsible for destroying a Flock camera installed in a community park.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sure, bud. https://trib.al/P1BU6sy
Flock Around
Embattled Flock CEO Begs for “Compromise” As Backlash Spills Over
Let’s be reasonable about unchecked mass surveillance, people!
https://futurism.com/future-society/flock-ceo-begs-compromise-backlash-spills-over?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUAvM9jbGNrBQC8onBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEemEYDsVoaZJ7_ANeVkwEj0YymrqWQRZM5nQUzrEA10Xj4XsFSwtxBZtbzEnU_aem_Zu8Shk5XstdmLivASq6rmg
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/future-society/corporations-personhood-legal-court-death-penalty?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUAz3BjbGNrBQDO83Bkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeF7oBhKKp2j-CZC7_YQ6fGD3Qp7aidAI04jAJZArRRA3uyLGKHEjT6RjgcSo_aem_5_u-ZFkLvRILQhNOqqMPhQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
It turns out the venture capital industry doesn’t just merely fund junky AI startups — it also systematically breeds the conditions for fraud.
A new joint study from researchers at the UK’s Imperial College and France’s Emlyon Business School analyzed 12 companies involved in 27 court cases related to civil or criminal cases related to securities fraud. The cases totaled around $688 million in financial losses, and resulted in 73 years of cumulative prison sentences.
https://futurism.com/future-society/vc-funded-tech-startups-fraud-research-ai?fbclid=IwVERDUAUAz8BwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHp46hrP2OwQYmQN9GRr9IK4pgolSqLR3K14M1PyzHyEmnBj57Jwu2pn0CGZM_aem_oHWWzWT-6gDZm_7AZ2MMjg
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Arizona is Arizone. Illinois starts with a V,” one parent said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”
And the issues weren’t limited to American geography: Images shared on social media show a periodic table of the elements showing Magnesium with an impossible atomic mass of -3.08, and a map of the solar system where Mars has been labeled “Marc.” https://trib.al/wv62mGc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomessa datakeskusten jäähdytys perustuu pitkälti viileään ilmastoon, luonnonvesiin sekä kehittyneeseen hukkalämmön kierrätykseen.
Tärkeimmät jäähdytysmenetelmät Suomessa
Ilman vapaajäähdytys (Direct/Indirect Free Cooling): Ulkoilmaa hyödynnetään suoraan tai lämmönvaihtimien läpi suurimman osan vuodesta. Koska Suomen keskilämpötila on alhainen, mekaanista kompressorijäähdytystä (nestejäähdyttimiä/chillereitä) tarvitaan vain kuumimpina kesäpäivinä.
Luonnonvesijäähdytys (Free Cooling with Water): Rannikolla tai vesistöjen lähellä sijaitsevat datakeskukset (kuten Googlen Haminan konesali) hyödyntävät merivettä tai järvivettä lämmönvaihtimissa, mikä tekee prosessista erittäin energiatehokkaan ilman veden mekaanista jäähdyttämistä.
Nestejäähdytys ja upotusjäähdytys (Direct-to-Chip & Immersion Cooling): Uusimmissa ja suuren tehotiheyden tekoälypalvelimissa neste kierrätetään suoraan komponenttien (CPU/GPU) kylmälevyissä. Vaihtoehtoisesti palvelimet upotetaan sähköä johtamattomaan dielektriseen nesteeseen.
Hukkalämmön talteenotto ja kaukolämpöliitäntä: Suomessa datakeskukset toimivat usein osana energiainfrastruktuuria. Palvelinten tuottama lämpö nostetaan lämpöpumpuilla noin 80–90 °C asteeseen ja syötetään kunnalliseen kaukolämpöverkkoon (esim. Microsoftin hankkeet Espoossa ja Kirkkonummella sekä Telian datakeskus Pitäjänmäellä). Tämä samalla jäähdyttää konesalin paluuveden.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tuula Huovinen
“Jenkeissä jopa viranomaiset ovat myöntäneet datakeskusten veden kulutuksen.”
Olen täysin tietoinen tuosta Jenkeissä olevien datakeskusten veden kulutuksesta. Ja myös sen, että USAn datakeskuksiin liittyvät faktat ja villit väitteet ei mitenkään suoraan Suomen datakeskustilanteeseen. Asioita tehdään eri maissa eri tavoin ja olosuhteet ovat erilaiset.
Jenkkilässä rakennettiin pitkään isoja paljon vettä käyttäviä datakeskuksia kuiville alueille, koska se oli halvin tapa tehdä sekä pyörittää datakeskusta, eikä kukaan estänyt. Tämäkin on muuttumassa hiljalleen.
Suomessa ei käytetä yleisesti haihduttavaa jäähdytystä (evaporatiivista jäähdytystä / “jäähdytystorneja”) datakeskuksissa kolmesta pääsyystä: ilmasto, vesiensuojelu & energiatehokkuus sekä hukkalämmön hyödyntäminen.
Haihdutuksen sijaan suomalaiset datakeskukset luottavat suljettuihin kiertoihin.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/30/sex-doll-market-booming-ai-vaginas-customisable-personalities-fake-bruises?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1788072923
Tomi Engdahl says:
Over the short term, AI may create more jobs than it destroys.
But bosses will use it to de-skill work and suppress wages unless workers make it a terrain of class struggle and fight to put it under public control. https://jacobin.com/2026/08/ai-job-loss-wages-capital
Tomi Engdahl says:
Esko Valtaoja: Tekoäly vapauttaa meidät aivojemme rajoituksista
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/19237-esko-valtaoja-tekoaely-vapauttaa-meidaet-aivojemme-rajoituksista
Tähtitieteen emeritusprofessori Esko Valtaoja ei itse käytä tekoälyä ja pitää sen ympärillä käytävää keskustelua pitkälti hypetyksenä. Silti hän näkee tekoälyssä mahdollisuuden yhtä suureen muutokseen kuin teollisessa vallankumouksessa. Osin jopa suurempaan.
– Tekoäly vapauttaa meidät aivojemme rajoituksista, Valtaoja sanoi eilen Check Point Advantage -tapahtumassa Helsingissä. Valtaojan mukaan ihmisaivoilla on rajallinen ”kellotaajuus” ja muistikapasiteetti, eikä niitä voi päivittää. Tekoäly tuo ihmisen käyttöön kapasiteettia näiden biologisten rajojen ulkopuolelta.
Hän vertaa muutosta teolliseen vallankumoukseen. Höyrykone ja myöhemmin koneellistuminen vapauttivat ihmisiä fyysisestä työstä ja moninkertaistivat yhden ihmisen työn tuottavuuden. Tekoäly voi tehdä saman henkiselle työlle.
– Muutos vapautti meidät fyysisestä raadannasta. Nyt se vapauttaa henkisestä.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tech, Cybersecurity Giants Unite Behind OpenAI-Led Cyber Defense Pledge
Nearly 130 tech and cybersecurity companies back a collective call to boost cyber defenses as AI-enabled attacks grow more sophisticated.
https://www.securityweek.com/tech-cybersecurity-giants-unite-behind-openai-led-cyber-defense-pledge/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Future of AI-Driven Security Depends on Complete Data
For twenty-five years, “data” in security meant logs and events. But logs are a lossy representation of reality.
https://www.securityweek.com/the-future-of-ai-driven-security-depends-on-complete-data/
Tech, Cybersecurity Giants Unite Behind OpenAI-Led Cyber Defense Pledge
Nearly 130 tech and cybersecurity companies back a collective call to boost cyber defenses as AI-enabled attacks grow more sophisticated.
https://www.securityweek.com/tech-cybersecurity-giants-unite-behind-openai-led-cyber-defense-pledge/
Tomi Engdahl says:
LLM Moats Quickly Evaporating
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/30/llm-moats-quickly-evaporating/
In the business world, a moat is a quality of a business that makes it difficult for competitors to take that company’s profits. With how hard it is to train models for large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, it might seem like Anthropic, Open AI, and other LLM companies would have huge moats given the amount of compute it takes to build models. But open source models are quickly draining that moat, and now the only thing standing in the way of a customer using one of these models on their own hardware instead one from the larger companies is physical computing resources. [TerminalBytes] demonstrates a few of these models on personally owned computers to show the current state of the art.
https://terminalbytes.com/run-qwen-3-8-27b-locally/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/29/wear-your-way-out-of-ai-surveilance/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Same As It Ever Was
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/29/same-as-it-ever-was/
Whether you like it or not, the use of LLMs to write code is kind of a big deal at the moment. We’ve been asking ourselves what, if anything, this means for us here at Hackaday. Should we try to figure out what percentage of a project was done by an actual human and how much was done by a machine? Does it really matter? What is our AI policy anyway?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-iran-war-kharg-island-attack-ai-video-b3042131.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUCYxBjbGNrBQJjDXBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeRVBRqdiy1W4ixWr_bFWssApncu7LibzGmpMBAceQSkDQIytjIjGeYDz7EmU_aem_KvuRRIQCXgDXXuSXjrJ84A
Tomi Engdahl says:
“We gotta figure out a new narrative on this data center thing.” https://trib.al/0yM8wjK
Song and Dance
Panicking Tech Execs Try to Pivot Message on AI Data Centers
“We gotta figure out a new narrative on this data center thing.”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/panicking-tech-executives-pivot-ai-data-center-narrative?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUCg39jbGNrBQKDVHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeRL7I0LG4HjxXyNs61X_nNg7W8K0cwUm6aHvcejvIuNdavuEwIZYtN1C3f8Q_aem_JWH-VIJZICYISp4eEvhCCQ
Data centers are wildly unpopular amongst the US population — so much so that grassroots opposition threatened some $130 billion in developments over the first three months of 2026 alone.
Tech executives, as a result, are having to make a calculated decision to change their tune, from AI doomsaying to something more palatable to the everyman. But just like their proselytizing over the coming AI apocalypse — messaging meant to win over investors and scare everybody else into ceding regulatory power — they don’t seem to realize that the entire world is watching as they execute their cynical pivot out loud.
Case-in-point, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian recently observed in a social media post flagged by Axios that “we gotta figure out a new narrative on this data center thing.”
The decidedly meek reflection is part and parcel of the tech industry’s increasingly obvious dilemma. Caught between dual political and financial pressures to win the public’s approval on data centers, tech billionaires are increasingly trying to address the public directly with new messages of hope, a positive vision for the shared future of humanity. As one can imagine, it doesn’t come easy to them.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, for example, penned a teeth-grittingly optimistic 6,500-word essay earlier in August, claiming that AI will “free up time for the things you enjoy, and help you accomplish more than you could otherwise.” But talk is incredibly cheap, and as the Meta CEO’s own corporate practice shows, worker wellbeing isn’t exactly a top priority for the tech industry elite in the age of AI.
In other cases, tech entrepreneurs are cooking up utopian fantasies for AI capabilities that don’t even exist yet.
“Someone needs to rebrand data centers,” Matt Higgins, co-founder and CEO of venture capital firm RSE Ventures said in a social media post.
“Fraud prevention centers. Clean-energy optimization centers. Precision agriculture centers,” Higgins mused. “Because ‘data center’ describes the infrastructure, not the breakthroughs its computing power makes possible.”
Back in the real world, AI is supercharging fraud and environmental degradation at an unprecedented scale, while supplying some farmers with hallucinated advice resulting in easily-preventable crop failure. In other words, whether the industry delivers on Higgins’ laundry list of breakthroughs remains a question of if, not when.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Trump says data centers are a ‘golden goose’ and communities will end up ‘poor’ without them : https://mrf.lu/2qbtr
Tomi Engdahl says:
So Not Right Now
Data Center Backlash Has Officially Rattled Sam Altman
“People are pretty negative on AI.”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/data-center-backlash-rattled-sam-altman?fbclid=IwVERDUAUC0QxwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqnxfarwu9L0fTmnDZhPCHxI0nPwsZphRqt-XTjBaQ_CSF0vw0_Jy1rMuocK_aem_y398W2pfZs5640QbOm4ZSw
The AI industry has lost an astonishing amount of goodwill with the public.
Once seen as exciting new tech that could make our lives easier and better, the construction of countless new data centers to support power-hungry AI models has soured the mood considerably. Protesters are waging a war against $130 billion in data center investments, arguing they’re only benefiting a select few wealthy individuals, while threatening water supplies, driving up the cost of living, and churning out incomprehensible amounts of pollution.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ewjyc98Bv/
AI may feel invisible, but the infrastructure behind it is very physical—and increasingly thirsty.
Every AI query is processed inside data centers packed with powerful chips that generate enormous amounts of heat. Many facilities use water-based cooling systems to keep those machines operating, while additional water can be consumed indirectly by the power plants supplying their electricity.
The scale could become enormous. UN-linked estimates cited in recent reporting suggest that by 2030, annual AI-related water consumption could equal the basic domestic water needs of around 1.3 billion people. As AI adoption and data-center construction accelerate, that demand could become especially important in regions already struggling with water scarcity.
But this future isn’t inevitable. Newer data centers are increasingly experimenting with closed-loop systems, air cooling, reclaimed or non-potable water and technologies designed to use little or even zero water for cooling. The environmental footprint of AI will depend heavily on where facilities are built, how their electricity is generated and which cooling technologies they use.
AI could help humanity solve enormous problems, but its growth comes with a physical cost we rarely see on our screens. The challenge isn’t simply building more powerful AI—it’s building it without placing unnecessary pressure on the resources humans already depend on.
Source: United Nations estimates / Financial Times reporting.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This time, there’s precedent. https://trib.al/lqGU9Vh
Bombed by the Music Industry
The Music Industry’s New Lawsuit Against Anthropic Should Have Dario Amodei Shivering With Fear
This time, there’s precedent.
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sony-warner-new-lawsuit-anthropic-dario-amodei?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUDPjxjbGNrBQM9-nBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEe4OHLuKLVe2P91_DBbI3JeHMOYnODtthuJv03vZjQqGR5xrTOzFZaBqrxUsk_aem_J6YzM_VszexjEQwJMvEv6A
Dario Amodei’s Anthropic is facing yet another massive legal challenge.
Sony Music and Warner, both juggernauts in the music publishing industry, filed a major lawsuit against the AI company late Friday night, accusing it of “one of the largest and most blatant ongoing thefts of intellectual property in history.”
More specifically, the publishers said that Anthropic had, without permission, trained its AI models on “tens of thousands” of copyrighted compositions, asking for remuneration up to $150,000 per work, in addition to up to $25,000 for each time Anthropic intentionally stripped copyright data. As The Verge points out, that means damages could reach several billion dollars.
While the latest lawsuit is far from the first time a frontier AI lab has been accused of copyright infringement, this particular suit could be very difficult for Amodei and Anthropic to defend against. That’s because the suit names the exact same dataset of pirated works that Anthropic cofounder Benjamin Mann — who is listed as a defendant — was found to have illegally downloaded, culminating in the blockbuster $1.5 billion settlement in September 2025.
“Among the many millions of books that Defendants torrented from these illegal pirate websites were books containing the lyrics and sheet music to hundreds or more of Music Publishers’ copyrighted musical compositions,” the latest legal filing reads.
The works include massive hits like Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” according to the suit.
Anthropic will fall back on an already familiar defense — that training AI on copyrighted material amounts to fair use, a controversial legal framework that allows for limited access to copyrighted materials without permission — according to the spokesperson.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The fast-growing private-school network is handing much of instruction over to artificial intelligence. Researchers say the science is far from settled. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alpha-schools-ai-teaching-model-is-expanding-does-it-work/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EPgwBcbjY/
A new U.S. bill would permanently prohibit large AI data centers from public lands and require existing facilities to be removed.
The proposed legislation would block qualifying AI data centers from federal property and require existing facilities, along with dedicated power, water, and cooling infrastructure, to be removed and affected land restored. Supporters cite concerns about electricity, water use, and public resources. The proposal would apply broadly, including some Defense Department land, but it has not become law.
#photography #ArtificialIntelligence #DataCenters
References:
U.S. Congress: Proposed Legislation Would Restrict Large Artificial Intelligence Data Centers on Federal Lands and Require Restoration of Affected Public Property.
Federal Land Policy Coverage: Proposal Targets AI Data Centers and Supporting Power, Water, Cooling, and Utility Infrastructure Located on Federal Property.
Technology Policy Reporting: Lawmakers Debate the Growing Electricity, Water, Land, and Infrastructure Demands Associated With Large Artificial Intelligence Data Centers.