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If only AI could show some basic intelligence | Brief letters

Re your article (Tech firms call for zonal electricity pricing in UK to fuel AI datacentres, 10 February), if artificial intelligence was showing even basic intelligence, it would tell its bosses not to set up in remote areas. AI should be in cities, where the waste heat generated by high electricity usage can be put to good use heating homes. And why should tech firms think they have a right to cheaper power than anyone else?David LucasBath Aditya Chakrabortty says the right-to-buy policy “remains in force today” (Call it Thatcher’s timebomb: the great council housing selloff of 2024, a crisis hidden in plain sight, 13 February). Only in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland ended it in 2016 and Wales in 2019

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State department removes word ‘Tesla’ from $400m US armoured vehicles list

The US Department of State has removed the name “Tesla” from a list of planned purchases, after an earlier version of the list said it would spend $400m buying new electric armoured vehicles, even as the carmaker’s boss, Elon Musk, leads efforts to slash government spending under Donald Trump.A procurement forecast produced by the department showed the $400m (£320m) proposed spending on “armoured Tesla (production units)” in December. The most likely Tesla model was the Cybertruck, the company’s electric pickup, given Musk’s claims that the vehicle is bulletproof.However, a spokesperson for the department said the document was incorrect, and should have been a generic entry reading “electric vehicle manufacturer”. The department said the order was on hold

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Rogue states could use AI to do ‘real harm’, warns ex-Google CEO

Google’s former chief executive has warned that artificial intelligence could be used by rogue states such as North Korea, Iran and Russia to “harm innocent people”.Eric Schmidt, who held senior posts at Google from 2001 to 2017, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that those countries and terrorists could adopt and misuse the technology to develop weapons to create “a bad biological attack from some evil person”.The tech billionaire said: “The real fears that I have are not the ones that most people talk about AI – I talk about extreme risk.“Think about North Korea, or Iran, or even Russia, who have some evil goal. This technology is fast enough for them to adopt that they could misuse it and do real harm

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Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review: Apple’s best workout buds are back with a bang

After five years, Apple is back with a full revamp of the earbuds that put its Beats headphones brand on the map for athletes and sports people: the Powerbeats Pro 2.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Designed to hook on to the ear and stay put without wires, the original Powerbeats Pro were the best earbuds for working out and were worn by sports superstars including LeBron James and Anthony Joshua

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US and UK refuse to sign Paris summit declaration on ‘inclusive’ AI

The US and the UK have refused to sign a declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” artificial intelligence at a landmark Paris summit, in a blow to hopes for a concerted approach to developing and regulating the technology.The communique states that priorities include “ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet”.The document was backed by 60 other signatories on Tuesday, including France, China, India, Japan, Australia and Canada.A UK government spokesperson said the statement had not gone far enough in addressing global governance of AI and the technology’s impact on national security.“We agreed with much of the leaders’ declaration and continue to work closely with our international partners

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How Musk and Trump are flooding the zone

Hello, and welcome back to TechScape. This week in tech: Elon Musk and Donald Trump flood the zone and deploy brinkmanship as a negotiating tactic; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement learns search engine optimization amid arrests and deportations; and Spotify tries to soften its algorithmic image with human-centric public relations. Thank you for reading.Donald Trump has issued a record number of executive orders since his presidency began: ending birthright citizenship, banning gender transitions for anyone under 19, pardoning the rioters of the January 6 attack, and more. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man in charge of the “department of government efficiency”, has raided an equally dizzying swath of federal agencies with the stated goal of “slashing waste, fraud, and abuse”