Matthias Bastian

Jan 4, 2026

Tech companies building AI data centers are facing growing opposition from US communities, the Los Angeles Times reports. Between April and June, 20 projects worth $98 billion were blocked or delayed across eleven states: two-thirds of all projects it is tracking, according to Data Center Watch. Residents cite rising electricity costs, water consumption, noise, and loss of farmland.

Real estate firms are now considering selling land over approval concerns. Matthews, North Carolina Mayor John Higdon told the LA Times that politicians backing these projects risk getting voted out. In Indiana alone, more than a dozen projects failed to get permits, says activist Bryce Gustafson. Industry representatives like Dan Diorio from the Data Center Coalition are pushing for better community outreach.

Meanwhile, AI companies have massive expansion plans. Google wants to increase computing capacity 1,000-fold within five years, and OpenAI is pursuing its Stargate project. Beyond local resistance, there's another problem: the US power grid can't keep up.

Comment Source: LA Times

Matthias Bastian

Jan 4, 2026

Update

AI in practice

Google engineer says Claude Code built in one hour what her team spent a year on

A senior Google engineer publicly praises Anthropic’s Claude Code: the tool built in one hour what her team spent a year developing. The quality and efficiency gains exceed anything anyone could have imagined, she says. Plus: Claude Code’s creator shares his best workflow tips.

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Matthias Bastian

Jan 3, 2026

AI in practice

"You certainly don't tell a researcher like me what to do" says LeCun as he exits Meta for his own startup

Matthias Bastian

Jan 3, 2026

Short News

OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman has donated $25 million to MAGA Inc., Donald Trump's super PAC, according to a Bloomberg report citing FEC filings. The donation is part of $102 million MAGA Inc. raised in the second half of 2025, bringing its war chest to $294 million by year's end. Three donors accounted for over half: Brockman, crypto exchange Crypto.com ($20 million), and private equity investor Konstantin Sokolov ($11 million).

Brockman hasn't commented on his support for Trump. But OpenAI and the AI industry stand to benefit from the relaxed regulations the Trump administration has promised, including plans to regulate AI at the federal level rather than leaving it to individual states. Large donors like Brockman may also be hoping to gain access to the administration or influence policy decisions. Brockman is also a member of "Leading the Future," a political network pushing back against stricter AI legislation.

Comment Source: Bloomberg

Matthias Bastian

Jan 2, 2026

Short News

For days, users have been flooding Grok with pictures of half-naked people, from young women to soccer stars. The problem stems from Grok's image editing feature, which lets users modify people in photos—including swapping their clothes for bikinis or lingerie. All it takes is a simple text command. Now, one user has discovered that Grok even generated such images of children.

X user "Xyless" discovered Grok would generate sexualized images of children. | via X

The discovery forced xAI to respond. The company acknowledged "lapses in safeguards" and said it was "urgently fixing them." Child sexual abuse material is "illegal and prohibited," xAI wrote.

The case highlights how quickly society has grown numb to this kind of content. Not long ago, degrading deepfakes—especially those targeting women—sparked outrage and political action. Back then, creating them required specialized apps. Now on X, a simple text prompt is all it takes.

Comment Source: via X

Matthias Bastian

Jan 2, 2026

Short News

The US Army is establishing a new career track for officers specializing in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Called "49B AI/ML Officer," the new specialization aims to transform the army into a data-driven, AI-capable fighting force.

The first selection round kicks off in January 2026, with retraining scheduled to wrap up by the end of fiscal year 2026. Applicants with advanced academic and technical backgrounds in AI-related fields will have the best shot at getting in. "Ultimately, it's about building a force that can outthink, outpace, and outmaneuver any adversary," says Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard, US Army spokesperson, calling it a "deliberate and crucial step in keeping pace with present and future operational requirements."

Once trained, these officers will focus on speeding up battlefield decision-making, improving logistics, and supporting robotics and autonomous systems. The army is also considering opening the program to warrant officers down the line.

Comment Source: US Army

Matthias Bastian

Jan 2, 2026

Short News

Baidu's AI chip division, Kunlunxin, has confidentially filed for an IPO in Hong Kong. The company submitted its application on January 1, setting the stage for a spin-off while keeping Kunlunxin under Baidu's umbrella. According to Reuters, a recent financing round valued the company at around $3 billion. The final size of the offering hasn't been determined yet.

Kunlunxin started as an internal unit back in 2012 and has primarily supplied chips to Baidu. Over the past two years, though, the company has been expanding its customer base beyond its parent company.

The IPO comes as China accelerates efforts to develop homegrown semiconductor alternatives in response to US export restrictions. Kunlunxin isn't alone in eyeing Hong Kong—other Chinese AI and chip companies, including MiniMax, Biren Technology, and OmniVision, are also pursuing listings on the exchange.

Comment Source: Reuters

Matthias Bastian

Jan 2, 2026

AI research

Science Context Protocol aims to let AI agents collaborate across labs and institutions worldwide

Matthias Bastian

Jan 2, 2026

Short News

OpenAI has reportedly shifted production of its first AI hardware device from Luxshare to Foxconn. The company wants to avoid manufacturing in China, according to Taiwanese business newspaper Economic Daily News, citing supply chain sources. Instead, production will happen in Vietnam or the US.

The device is still in the design phase and could turn out to be a smart pen or portable audio gadget. It's expected to have a microphone and camera, letting users transfer handwritten notes directly to ChatGPT. The company is aiming for a launch in 2026 or 2027, and according to the newspaper, Foxconn would handle all OpenAI orders, from cloud infrastructure to consumer devices. OpenAI is calling the project "Gumdrop" internally.

The Financial Times reported on technical problems with the project back in October, including software bugs, privacy issues, and missing cloud infrastructure.

Comment Source: Economic Daily News

Matthias Bastian

Jan 1, 2026

Short News

OpenAI is building its planned ChatGPT hardware around conversation. To make that work, the company is pouring resources into improving its audio AI models, according to The Information. Over the past two months, OpenAI has combined several internal teams to focus on audio.

Right now, OpenAI's audio models can't match the accuracy and response speed of their text-based counterparts, according to current and former employees. A new audio model architecture in development aims to sound more natural and emotional, deliver more accurate answers, and handle real-time back-and-forth conversation. OpenAI is targeting a release in the first quarter of 2026. Kundan Kumar, a researcher the company recruited from Character.AI, is leading the effort.

The actual devices are likely a long way off. OpenAI is reportedly working on several products, including glasses and a smart speaker without a screen. Last year, the company acquired io, the startup cofounded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for nearly $6.5 billion to help with development. The goal behind all this hardware is to build a "super AI assistant" that becomes as central to daily life as the smartphone.

Comment Source: The Information