Ukrainian drones strike one of Russia's top oil refineries, sparking fire
Officials say Ukrainian drones have struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries and sparked a fire. The officials said Sunday that the overnight attack on the Kirishi refinery in Russia's Leningrad region follows weeks of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. The facility produces about 355,000 barrels of crude per day. Regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said that three drones were downed. It caused a fire that was quickly extinguished. No injuries were reported. Recent Ukrainian drone strikes and rising demand have caused gasoline shortages in Russia. Russia has paused gasoline exports in response with a full ban until Sept. 30.
Equatorial Guinea enforces yearlong internet outage for island that protested construction company
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Residents of Annobón island in Equatorial Guinea have faced severe internet outages since complaining about dynamite explosions by a Moroccan construction company. Residents and rights groups say dozens of signatories were imprisoned for nearly a year and the internet shutdown continues. Locals have fled the island, citing fear for their lives and the challenges of living without internet. The Moroccan company allegedly linked to the president has confirmed the outages beginning in July last year but deny involvement. Activists say the internet shutdown is part of a broader pattern of repression by the government to silence dissent.
The rise of AI tools forces schools to reconsider what counts as cheating
High school and college educators say that student use of artificial intelligence has become so widespread that they need to rethink how to assign and assess students. Many teachers have shifted all writing to the classroom. Some are returning to pen and paper exams to avoid cheating. As the new school year gets underway, educators say it's clear that AI is transforming how students learn and study and how teachers teach. But it is also creating new confusion over what constitutes cheating. Students say they often turn to AI with good intentions for things like brainstorming or editing help but sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the line.
OpenAI reaches new agreement with Microsoft to change its corporate structure
OpenAI has reached a new tentative agreement with Microsoft and said its nonprofit, which technically controls its business, will now be given a $100 billion equity stake in its for-profit corporation. The maker of ChatGPT said it had reached a new nonbinding agreement with Microsoft “for the next phase of our partnership.” The announcements on Thursday include few details about these new arrangements. OpenAI’s proposed changes to its corporate structure have drawn the scrutiny of regulators, competitors and advocates concerned about the impacts of artificial intelligence.
US electric grids under pressure from energy-hungry data centers are changing strategy
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As Big Tech’s data centers continue to grow threatening to overload U.S. electricity grids, policymakers are considering bumping the energy-hungry data centers off grids during power emergencies. Texas moved first to try to protect residents in the data-center hotspot from another deadly blackout like the winter storm in 2021 when dozens died. Lawmakers there passed a bill in June that orders up standards for power emergencies when utilities must disconnect big electric users. Now the concept is emerging in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid and elsewhere as massive data centers are coming online faster than power plants can be built.
Widespread availability of graphic Charlie Kirk shooting video shows content moderation challenges
Immediately after Charlie Kirk was shot during a college event in Utah, graphic video of what happened was available almost instantly online, from several angles, in slow-motion and real-time speed. Millions of people watched — sometimes whether they wanted to or not as the videos autoplayed on social media platforms. The events illustrate the content moderation challenges platforms face in handling fast-moving real-time events, complicated by the death of a polarizing conservative activist who was shot in front of a crowd armed with smartphones recording the moment.
Graphic video of Kirk shooting was everywhere online, showing how media gatekeeper role has changed
Traditional news outlets were careful in their coverage of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination to not show graphic images of the event. But if people wanted to see graphic evidence of what happened to him, it was easily available online — and millions of people quickly sought it out. It showed how media's gatekeeper role had changed so markedly in the era of social media. Gory images — from different angles, with different perspectives — were up on X, Facebook, YouTube, even Truth Social, illustrating the difficulty of policing disturbing images in an era where nearly everybody carries a camera.
Google's top AI scientist says ‘learning how to learn’ will be next generation's most needed skill
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Google's DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says the most valuable human skill for the future will be “learning how to learn” as artificial intelligence transforms education, careers and daily life. Speaking late Friday in Athens, Hassabis warned that AI is advancing so quickly that predicting even the near future is difficult. He urged students and professionals to develop “meta-skills,” such as adapting learning strategies and pursuing multidisciplinary knowledge. The neuroscientist, chess prodigy and Nobel Prize winner said artificial general intelligence could arrive within a decade. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also attended the speaking event, highlighting Greece’s growing interest in AI innovation.
Federal government sues Uber over alleged discrimination against people with disabilities
The federal government said Friday it's suing Uber for allegedly discriminating against passengers with disabilities. The Department of Justice said Uber drivers routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities, including those with service dogs. The lawsuit alleges that Uber drivers have charged illegal cleaning fees for service animal shedding and imposed cancellation fees after denying service. Uber denies the allegations. The company says it requires drivers to transport people with service dogs and assistive devices like folding wheelchairs. The Department of Justice is seeking $125 million for disabled individuals who have previously complained to Uber or to the government.
FTC launces inquiry into AI chatbots acting as companions and their effects on children
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into several social media and artificial intelligence companies about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions. The FTC said Thursday it has sent letters to Google parent Alphabet Inc., Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc., Character Technologies Inc., OpenAI and xAI. The FTC said it wants to understand what steps, if any, companies have taken to evaluate the safety of their chatbots when acting as companions and to limit the products’ use by and potential negative effects on children and teens.
