start up skyward wildfire says it can prevent devastating fires by preventing fires caused by lightning strikes. So far, it hasn’t publicly explained how it does so, but online documents suggest the company is relying on an approach that the U.S. government began evaluating in the early 1960s: seeding clouds with metallic husks, or narrow fiberglass strands coated with aluminum.
It has raised millions of dollars to accelerate its product development and expand its operations. But researchers and environmental observers say uncertainties remain, including how well seeding might work under different conditions, how much material would need to be released, how often it would have to be done, and what kind of secondary environmental impacts might occur. Read the full story.
-James Temple
OpenAI’s “agreement” with the Pentagon is exactly what Anthropic feared
OpenAI has reached an agreement that will allow the US military to use its technologies in classified settings. CEO Sam Altman talks about what the company has just begun to pursue after Pentagon’s public rebuke to Anthropic, “definitely rushed“
OpenAI is at pains to say that it has not refused to allow the Pentagon to do whatever it wants with its technology. The company published a blog post Explaining that its settlement is protected by the use of autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance and Altman Said The company did not accept the only terms that Anthropic had rejected.
But it’s not yet clear whether OpenAI can follow through on the security precautions it promised as the military pursues political AI tactics during attacks on Iran, or whether the deal will be considered good enough by employees who wanted the company to take a tougher stance. It will be difficult to walk on that rope. Read the full story.
-James O’Donnell
