Governments

A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species' remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction. The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species' numbers over a decade.But despite that, one of the study's nearly 75 listed authors said the findings are not yet cause for alarm.Thomas Doniol-Valcroze is…

A privately funded satellite is set to push methane tracking into a new era, once it launches into space on Monday.A collaborative mission between Environmental Defense Fund, Google, the Government of New Zealand and several other partners, MethaneSAT will track methane emissions around the globe in attempts to identify and quantify sources spewing the climate-heating greenhouse gas. For 20 years after its release into the atmosphere, methane gas is 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in its ability to increase…

The recent government advisory asking companies to take permission before launching generative artificial intelligence models may not have a solid legal foundation, technology lawyers told ET.According to them, there are questions about the statutory basis and enforcement competence of such an advisory, especially concerning permission of the government for under-testing models. Terms like “bias” and “unreliability” are too vague and companies may not be able to ensure compliance even with the best intent, they…

To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. We’ll publish several pieces throughout the year as the AI boom continues, highlighting key work that often goes unrecognized. Read more profiles here. Karine Perset works for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where she runs its AI Unit and oversees the OECD.AI…

Predictive policing is an example of government use of data that researchers have found can be biased and inaccurate. Credit: Arnout de Vries/Wikimedia Governments increasingly rely on large amounts of data to provide services ranging from mobility and air quality to child welfare and policing programs. While governments have always relied on data, their increasing use of algorithms and artificial intelligence has fundamentally…

Named for the winged horse of Greek mythology and often sent by text message, Pegasus can burrow into your phone without your knowledge or even your click, hiding for days or weeks inside, surreptitiously recording everything—messages, photos, encrypted chats, and video and audio—in real-time. Exactly where your data is going often remains a mystery, lost in a tangle of servers. But the deadly impacts of Pegasus and other cyberweapons—wielded by governments from Spain to Saudi Arabia against human rights defenders,…

 Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast — the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In today’s episode, Andrii and Linnea talk about AI safety, Europe regulating Big Tech (but not quite), snowmobile emissions, and the cost of chatbot hallucinations. The guest of the show is Gerard Grech, managing director of Founders at the University of Cambridge — and the…

China's Xiaomi has told New Delhi that smartphone component suppliers are wary about setting up operations in India amid heavy scrutiny of Chinese companies by the government, according to a letter and a source with direct knowledge of the matter.Xiaomi, which has the biggest share in India's smartphone market at 18 percent, also asks in the letter dated February 6 that India consider offering manufacturing incentives and lowering import tariffs for certain smartphone components.The Chinese company assembles smartphones…

Hey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter that recaps the last few days in tech. This week, social network Bluesky opened for anyone to join — which feels appropriate here in NYC, given the sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures we’ve been enjoying. For those more inclined to while away the days indoors — and contemplating a Vision Pro purchase — Brian published his review. Give it a read; he doesn’t mince words. Lots else happened, including a Rivian SUV…

The world just experienced its hottest January on record, but that wasn't the only new record it set, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday.For the first time, the global temperature pushed past the internationally agreed upon warming threshold for an entire 12-month period, with February 2023 to January 2024, running 1.52 C, according to C3S.Last month surpassed the previous warmest January, which occurred in 2020, in C3S's records going back to 1950.Every month since June has been…