SCIENCE HEADLINES

Greece bets on space technology to contain wildfires

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — As Greece braces for another blistering wildfire season, a new line of defense is taking shape in Earth’s orbit. A group of suitcase-sized satellites will alert the first signs of fire, a pioneering system that could save lives, protect communities and advance Europe’s drive for technological independence. Planners across Europe envision applying an emerging satellite architecture far beyond fire detection. Future systems are likely to support border surveillance, heat-wave planning and defense on a continent rattled by Russia’s war in Ukraine and strained trans-Atlantic ties.

ATF cancels phone tracking contract after lawmakers raise concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has canceled its contract for a surveillance tool that allows warrantless tracking of mobile devices. Concerns about the tool’s legality were raised by lawmakers, a prosecutor, and a judge. The tool, called Webloc, sources data from consumer apps and advertising networks. It has been controversial because it lets agencies bypass warrant requirements. The ATF said it ended the pilot program after determining it didn’t meet their needs. Other agencies, like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, continue to buy commercial geolocation data without a warrant.

Former executive sues Meta over attempts to ‘silence’ her memoir, ‘Careless People’

A former Meta executive whose memoir, “Careless People,” provides an explosive insider account of her time at the social media giant, has sued the company for attempting to “silence” her. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Northern California on Thursday. It claims the tech giant’s private arbitration order preventing her from speaking out about the company or promoting her bestselling book is invalid. It also argues that the severance agreement she signed when she left Meta was done under duress.

Apple increases prices for Macs and iPads, blaming a shortage of memory chips

Apple on Thursday announced an increase in prices for Macs and iPads, citing a memory chip shortage brought on by the artificial intelligence boom. The Cupertino, California-based company called the demand spike an “unprecedented challenge” for the consumer electronics industry. The new, entry-level MacBook Neo will now cost $699, up from $599. The 512 gigabyte MacBook Air now costs $1,299, up from $1,099. The one terabyte MacBook Pro is $1,999, up from $1,699. The 128 gigabyte iPad Air is now $749, up from $599, while the 256 gigabyte iPad Pro Wifi is now $1,199, up from $999. Analysts expect iPhone prices to rise later this year.

Australia plans to strengthen laws banning children from social media

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government is giving priority to strengthening the world’s first laws that ban children younger than 16 from social media platforms. Observers said on Friday the government is responding to evidence that the ban on young children holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube had failed since it came into force in December year. Albanese told Parliament on Thursday this government is considering options to strengthen the ban. He said: “We’re working on that as a priority because this is something that other generations didn’t have to deal with.”

AI is plowing through the workplace. This new group wants to help people adapt and have jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new bipartisan nonprofit wants to help Americans who find they’re out of work because of AI. It’s called RAISE US and it’s starting with more than $500 million for education and training programs at the state level. An analysis by the Boston Consulting Group estimated that more than half of U.S. jobs will be reshaped by AI over the next few years. Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb are the co-founders. They’re planning to start with programs in Arkansas, Maryland, Utah and Connecticut. Raimondo says the states will test ideas that Congress can later embrace as policies.

Americans are inundated with suspected scams. New polling shows why few victims report them

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll shows that most Americans are inundated with scam attempts on a daily basis — and about 3 in 10 have personally lost money or personal information to scams. A separate survey conducted by Gallup and the Stop Scams Alliance in January and February found that last year alone, about 1 in 10 U.S. adults said they or someone else from their household was deceived by a scammer into losing money or providing access to a financial account, with nearly half saying they lost more than $500. In both surveys, few victims said they reported the scam to the federal government or local law enforcement.

AI is an energy and water hog, here’s what you can do to counter that

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the world tries to curb human-caused climate change and not run dry of water, every online query is increasing our environmental footprint and exacerbating the problem. Artificial intelligence is an energy and water hog. It can seem as though there’s little a person can do, but there are a few things. You can get around it. Experts say be concise when you query AI. It has its uses, but we don’t need it for cookie recipes, directions or office hours, but sustainability experts say the tech industry is force-feeding us to use it that way and they are opaque about real energy and water use.

Agility Robotics heads to Wall Street in a $2.5B bet on staffing warehouses with humanoids

Agility Robotics, a maker of humanlike robots, is planning to go public on Wall Street. The Oregon-based company announced a planned merger with an investment firm, valuing it at $2.5 billion. The move would make Agility the first publicly traded company specifically focused on humanoid robots. Its product line, Digit, is designed to move heavy bins and totes in warehouses. Unlike other humanoids, Digit’s leg design is more birdlike than human. Agility’s CEO says the robots handle repetitive and injury-prone tasks. The company has backing from Amazon, Nvidia and others, with early customers including Toyota and Mercado Libre. A fifth generation of Digit is expected later this year.

Top developers are pivoting from chatbots to physical AI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — AI “world models” are the next frontier for computer scientists who see too many limitations in the AI language models behind popular chatbots. The field is attracting top scientists like “Godmother of AI” Fei-Fei Li and Yann LeCun. They believe AI should learn the statistical structure of space and time, not just text. There’s still plenty of money to be made from AI chatbots — investors are counting on it as they commit trillions of dollars to leading developers like Anthropic and OpenAI. But a growing number of AI entrepreneurs are dedicating themselves to models that teach AI systems how to react in a physical environment.