AI and greener choices

MIT in the media: Exploring how curiosity-driven science is an essential ingredient in America’s success

Bài viết trên tạp chí Scientific American giới thiệu vai trò quan trọng của nghiên cứu khoa học định hướng tò mò (curiosity-driven research) trong thành công của Mỹ, với sự đóng góp của các giảng viên, sinh viên và cựu sinh viên MIT. Các chuyên gia nhấn mạnh nhu cầu đầu tư công bền vững vào khoa học cơ bản, đồng thời lo ngại về sự bất ổn trong tài trợ liên bang, rào cản nhập cư và suy giảm niềm tin vào chuyên gia, dù vẫn lạc quan nhờ lịch sử đổi mới của Mỹ.

Lập trình viên nên đọc bài này để hiểu cách các nhà khoa học tự do khám phá (curiosity-driven) không chỉ thúc đẩy tiến bộ khoa học mà còn tạo ra những công nghệ đột phá—như AI, sinh học tổng hợp và năng lượng tái tạo—đã định hình nền tảng cho các ứng dụng tương lai của phần mềm và hệ thống thông minh.

Magic: The Gathering Arena developers have successfully unionized

Magic: The Gathering Arena developers at Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have successfully unionized under the United Wizards of the Coast-CWA (UWOTC-CWA) banner following an NLRB election on June 2, 2026. Workers sought protections around generative AI use, layoffs, and compensation transparency. After Wizards of the Coast declined voluntary recognition and reportedly discouraged unionization efforts, the majority voted in favor. The union now aims to ratify a contract and hopes to inspire other game industry workers to organize.

Microsoft raises price of Xbox consoles sunsets 2TB Xbox Series X

Microsoft is raising Xbox Series X|S prices starting August 1, 2026, with the 512GB Xbox Series S increasing by $100 to $499.99 and 1TB models rising $150, bringing the Xbox Series X to $749.99. The 2TB Xbox Series X will be discontinued. Microsoft directly attributes the hikes to a global memory hardware shortage caused by generative AI companies securing exclusive deals with DRAM manufacturers, driving component costs up more than 2.5x with further doubling expected by fall 2027. Valve's upcoming Steam Machine faces similar pricing pressure. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has warned investors the shortage may force a rethink of the next-gen Project Helix console, alongside a broader business reset that includes reported layoffs. The article notes the irony that Microsoft itself is a major driver of generative AI adoption.

Databricks’ former AI chief thinks he can cut AI’s power bill by 1,000x

Unconventional AI, led by former Databricks AI chief Naveen Rao, has released Un0, an image-generation model built on a software simulation of a novel oscillator-based computing architecture. The company claims this architecture could reduce AI inference power consumption by up to 1,000x compared to conventional chips. Un0 performs comparably to state-of-the-art diffusion models like Stable Diffusion, serving as a proof-of-concept for the new architecture. The company plans to release actual chip schematics soon and eventually build a full inference stack, positioning itself as a compute provider running at a fraction of current energy costs.

Unconventional AI releases its first model, built on an oscillator architecture that could cut AI power use by 1000x

Unconventional AI, founded by former Databricks AI chief Naveen Rao, has released Un-0, an image generation model running on a software simulation of a novel oscillator-based computing architecture. Unlike conventional digital logic using transistors, the approach uses coupled ring oscillators to encode and process information through physics, with Rao claiming it could reduce AI power consumption by 1000x. The model performs comparably to established diffusion models like Stable Diffusion, but currently runs only on a simulated version of hardware that doesn't yet exist. The company, backed by $475M in seed funding at a $4.5B valuation from Lightspeed, a16z, and Sequoia, plans to release chip schematics soon and eventually operate as a compute provider. The 1000x efficiency claim remains theoretical until physical hardware is built and validated.

Video Game Lawyer On Legal Concerns Surrounding UE6's AI Tools

Video game lawyer Haley MacLean, speaking on the MinnMax podcast, outlines key legal concerns around Unreal Engine 6's planned native generative AI integration. The core issue is that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted under current legal systems worldwide, which require human authorship. This creates risks around reusing AI-generated assets across multiple games and opens the door for bad-faith publishers to exploit developers — for example, by withdrawing from development contracts when AI-generated assets are involved and cannot be properly licensed.

Vibecoding Malware Fuels a New Wave Of Stealth Attacks

Cybersecurity researchers at University College Cork have found that AI-assisted malware creation, dubbed 'vibeware,' poses a growing threat by generating functionally identical but structurally varied malicious code that evades traditional static detection methods like hash matching and YARA rules. The UCC team demonstrated that malware targeting Linux systems could be crafted with as few as two prompts using tools like Cursor, which did not restrict the requests. Experts from McAfee, Bitdefender, and ProjectDiscovery warn that LLMs lower the barrier to entry for threat actors, enabling even non-coders to build malware. The consensus is that defenders must shift to behavioral and AI-driven detection strategies. Google's discovery of PROMPTFLUX — malware that calls the Gemini API at runtime to rewrite its own code — illustrates how adaptive AI-generated malware could become.