YouTube to Auto-Label AI Videos; Erin Brockovitch Launches Crowdsourced AI Data Center Map; Spotify Lets you ‘Clip’ Segments from Favorite Podcasts; NASA Picks Blue Origin for Lunar Rover Delivery to Moon

Posted: May 27, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

YouTube is going to automatically detect and label videos with what they term ‘significant’ photorealistic AI content. Thenextweb.com reports that the AI labeling will no longer be voluntary. The label will go for videos made with YouTube’s own tools or when verified by C2PA metadata. The labels will also have a more prominent position. For long-form videos, labels will now appear directly below the video player rather than in the expanded description, where most viewers never look. For Shorts, the label will appear as an overlay on the video itself. This is good, since some AI videos are pretty realistic…although a lot of the times, the content gives it away as AI slop.

There has been a lot of community uproar about AI data centers…and with good reason. They consume vast amounts of electricity and suck up lots of water…and in a lot of areas, especially rural ones, water is a pretty precious resource. Also, power companies have jacked up rates on consumers and cut deals with AI data center owners…basically giving them a volume discount. I know a few people in the midwest who are quite conservative politically who are even infuriated about this. Now, along comes Erin Brockovitch. According to engadget.com, she has launched a new platform that will give people  “a platform to speak up and voice concerns about AI data centers in their communities.” The Brockovitch AI Data Center Reporting website has a map of major operational AI data centers AND facilities under construction in the US..plus projects reported by communities. Note that some show up that are rumored or proposed centers…so not every dot is an actual running center. https://brockovichdatacenter.com. Hit the link in the text to report one or see if there is one planned to hoover up your power and water!

Spotify is bowing a new feature that lets you ‘clip’ your favorite moments from a podcast an share them. The feature went live today. Techcrunch.com notes that in the app, a new scissors icon shows up in the ‘Now Playing’ view, and it lets you cut a particular segment from the podcast you are listening to…then share it with your audience on social media or with friends, coworkers, or really anyone else. You have the ability to trim the cut segment and preview it before sharing it. Then, just tap the sharing button for options to share. 

NASA has picked Blue Origin to take lunar rovers to the moon as part of the Moon Base Initiative. Geekwire.com says the initial $188 million contract will be to get the robotic Blue Moon Mark 1 lander ready to deliver lunar terrain vehicles…with an option of another $280 million for two ‘task orders.’ The option depends on Blue Origin’s performance on the initial contract. The first LTV is due to be brought to the moon in advance of the Artemis 4 mission’s crewed landing, which is currently scheduled for 2028.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Amazon Drops $2.75 Billion on AI Startup; LinkedIn Trialing TikTok Type Short Videos; Starlink Mobile Hits Speed Bump; US Sega Workers Ratify Union Contract 

Posted: March 28, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Amazon has dropped the biggest chunk of cash on an  outside investment ever as it pumps $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic. The San Francisco-based startup is widely viewed as a frontrunner in generative artificial intelligence. Its foundation model and chatbot Claude competes with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Amazon will maintain a minority stake in the company and won’t have an Anthropic board seat, the company said. So I have to ask this…will we all stop saying Alexa, and start saying Claude? If so, will Alexa sue for half the community property? Stay tuned as the AI and chatbot wars continue to heat up.

LinkedIn is testing out a new TikTok-esque short form video feed. According to TechCrunch.com, the platform will be diving into an increasingly congested pool of short form video feeds including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Netflix. The feed shows up on the navigation bar with a tab just marked ‘Video.’ Once you hit that button, you enter a vertical feed of short videos you can swipe through. You can like or comment on videos. Microsoft-owned LinkedIn says videos are becoming one of its users’ desired formats for learning from professionals and experts, which is why it’s testing a new way for users to discover relevant videos. The feature is in early testing, so most people won’t have access to it just yet.

It’s back to the drawing board for Starlink Mobile. Arstechnica.com says the FCC dismissed SpaceX’s application to use several bands of spectrum for mobile service. SpaceX is seeking approval to use up to 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites with spectrum in the 1.6 GHz, 2 GHz, and 2.4 GHz bands. SpaceX could still end up getting what it wants but will have to go through new rulemaking processes in which the FCC will evaluate whether the spectrum bands can handle the system without affecting existing users. 

Tech and gaming have been pretty union-averse for years, but things are gradually changing. Engadget.com reports that Sega of America workers have officially ratified the union contract they overwhelmingly voted for last year. The pact covers some 150 people in various departments around the country, ranging from brand marketing, games as a service, sales, and quality assurance. This is one of the first major US video game companies to be unionized. ZeniMax and Activision are already partly unionized. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Amazon Reveal About Project Kuiper Satellites; Threads Launches in Europe; Cruise Lays off 24% of Workforce; Humana Using AI Tool With 90% Error Rate to Deny Coverage

Posted: December 14, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It has been speculated about, and now Amazon has admitted that its Project Kuiper satellites will communicate with each other via laser-based links. According to geekwire.com, the system has already been successfully tested in orbit. The laser satellite- to-satellite communication moves data much more quickly than when data has to be sent to ground stations, and then back up to other satellites. Amazon is calling it something akin to a mesh network in space. Amazon is using infrared lasers to make the links, and says that the tests produced a 100% success rate. They plan to launch about half their satellites, some 1600 of them, by 2026. It is a lot more satellites in low orbit, but nice to see something competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Threads is finally available in the European Union. CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted the announcement: “Today we’re opening Threads to more countries in Europe.” The service was already available in the US and over 100 other countries worldwide, including the UK. Theverge.com reports that this will open up the service to almost half billion more people. Meta users in the EU will be able to browse Threads without needing a profile…which was an issue holding up its availability in the EU. Actually posting or interacting with content will still require an Instagram account, though. 

The fallout continues after a crash in San Francisco where a Cruise self-driving vehicle dragged a pedestrian as it tried to pull over after the collision. After getting banned from San Francisco streets and the launch of investigations, engadget.com notes that Cruise had canned 9 executives earlier this week. Now, the company is laying off 24% of its workforce…some 900 employees. An email says the layoffs primarily target non-engineering roles, including field workers, commercial operations, and corporate staffing. The layoffs weren’t a total shock as GM CEO Mary Barra had called for cuts of millions of dollars last month. 

A suit was filed this week claiming that Humana is using an AI model with a 90% error rate to override doctors’ medical judgment and wrongfully deny care to elderly people on the company’s Medicare Advantage plans. Arstechnica.com reports that it is the 2nd suit field over an insurers use of the artificial intelligence tool nH Predict from NaviHealth. A suit is also proceeding against United Health…also asserting that they are using the nH Predict AI to wrongfully deny care. Until AI gets much, much more accurate…and doesn’t ‘hallucinate,’ as the current jargon says…a nice way of saying that the AI doesn’t just make stuff up, there will be more of this. AI needs to be more like 98% right all the time, not 90% wrong!

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Techinified’ for now.