Latest news with #ArtificialIntelligenceAI
The Star
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Anduril to acquire Ireland's Klas to bolster AI warfare systems
FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration created February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) -AI-powered defense startup Anduril Industries on Monday said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ireland-based tactical communications systems maker Klas. Anduril, along with software maker Palantir and Elon Musk's SpaceX, has emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, Reuters reported last month citing people familiar with the matter. The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed and is subject to regulatory approvals, aims to strengthen the defense technology firm's autonomous warfare systems with Klas's hardware. Klas manufactures compact computers and internet equipment that enable soldiers to communicate and control drones, even in environments lacking electricity and cellphone signals. Anduril, which is backed by venture capital heavyweights, will integrate Klas' hardware into its AI-powered software platform Lattice, the "central brain" of its AI-powered autonomous systems. Lattice synthesizes data from sensors of various unmanned systems to provide a real-time battlefield overview, facilitating collaboration between machines and humans. Klas, which has 150 employees, is expected to continue operating from its facilities in Ireland and the U.S., as part of the deal, with plans to expand manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand. This marks the ninth deal by Anduril since it was established in 2017. Reuters previously reported that the company was in talks for a new funding round that could increase its valuation to $28 billion, according to sources. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington and Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
The Star
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Emerging economies lead the way in AI trust, survey shows
FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration created February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -People in emerging economies are more willing to trust AI than those in advanced economies and are more optimistic and excited about its benefits, a major survey by the University of Melbourne and professional services firm KPMG has found. The global study showed two-thirds of those surveyed were now using artificial intelligence regularly and even more - 83% - believed it would result in a wide range of benefits. But 58% of respondents viewed the technology as untrustworthy, an increase in the level found in a previous study before the release of ChatGPT, a groundbreaking generative AI chatbot, in 2022. "The public's trust of AI technologies and their safe and secure use is central to sustained acceptance and adoption," said study leader Nicole Gillespie, chair of trust at Melbourne Business School, on Tuesday. The survey found a clear split between emerging economies, where three in five people trust AI, and advanced countries, where only two in five do. Gillespie attributed the higher adoption and trust of AI in emerging economies to the greater relative benefits and opportunities the technology affords people in these countries and the increasingly important role it plays in economic development. As AI gains broader use, businesses and governments have been grappling with how to balance innovation with ethical considerations such as job displacement and data privacy. The study surveyed more than 48,000 people across 47 countries between November 2024 and January 2025. (Reporting by Paul Sandle in LondonEditing by Matthew Lewis)
The Star
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
AI economic gains likely to outweigh emissions cost, says IMF
FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) -Economic gains from artificial intelligence will boost global output by around 0.5% a year between 2025 and 2030, outweighing the costs of rising carbon emissions by the data centres needed to run AI models, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. An IMF report released at its annual spring meeting in Washington nonetheless noted that those output gains would not be shared equally across the world, and called on policymakers and businesses to minimise costs to broader society. "Despite challenges related to higher electricity prices and greenhouse gas emissions, the gains to global GDP from AI are likely to outweigh the cost of the additional emissions," it said. "The social cost of these extra emissions is minor compared with the expected economic gains from AI, yet it still adds to the worrisome buildup of emissions," it said in the report titled "Power Hungry: How AI Will Drive Energy Demand". Takeup of AI is seen driving a surge in demand for energy-intensive data processing power in coming years, even as the world struggles to keep promises on reducing carbon emissions. The IMF report noted that the space dedicated to server-filled warehouses in northern Virginia, which has the world's largest concentration of data centres, was already roughly equivalent to the floor space of eight Empire State Buildings. It estimated that AI-driven global electricity needs could more than triple to around 1,500 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030 - about the same as India's current electricity consumption and 1.5 times higher than expected demand from electric vehicles over the same period. The carbon footprint of that rise will in part depend on whether tech firms can keep promises to slash emissions from data centres by increased use of renewables and other means. COULD AI LEAD TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY GAINS? The IMF estimated that strong takeup of AI would, under current energy policies, mean a global cumulative increase of greenhouse gas emissions of 1.2%, between 2025 and 2030. Greener energy policies would limit that increase to 1.3 Gt, it estimated. Using a figure of $39 per ton to quantify the social cost of those emissions, it put that extra cost at $50.7 to $66.3 billion - smaller than the income gains associated with the 0.5% point annual boost to global GDP it said AI could yield. Independent analysts say the economic and environmental impact of AI will depend to a large extent on how it is put to use - and notably whether it can lead to efficiency gains in energy use or more sustainable overall consumption patterns. The GranthamResearch Institute on Climate Change and the Environment said it could even lead to an overall reduction in carbon emissions if it accelerated advances in low-carbon technologies in the power, food and transport sectors. "But market forces alone are unlikely to successfully drive AI's application toward climate action," said Grantham policy fellow Roberta Pierfederici. "Governments, tech companies and energy companies must play an active role in ensuring AI is used intentionally, equitably and sustainably," she said, citing the need for R&D funding and policies to address inequalities exacerbated by AI advances. (Writing and reporting by Mark John in LondonEditing by Ros Russell)
