The North Pole’s Ice-Free Past and the Humanoid Data Gold Rush

Digging for Clues About the North Pole’s Past

Last year, a research vessel found open water and thin ice at the North Pole. That’s not supposed to happen. Getting there used to mean fighting through ice many meters thick, but the Arctic is changing faster than anyone expected.

Now scientists are drilling deep below the seabed to figure out if the Arctic Ocean has ever been completely ice-free. The answer matters a lot for predicting what happens next. If the Arctic has been open water before, it tells us something about how the climate system works and what we can expect as the ice continues to retreat.

This is from the latest issue of MIT Technology Review’s print magazine, which is all about nature. Worth checking out if you want the full story.

Humanoid Data: Your Everyday Movements Are Now Training Data

I got invited to join an app that would pay me to film myself doing mundane tasks. Putting food in a bowl. Microwaving it. Another site asked if I wanted to remotely control a robotic arm to help improve its dexterity.

What the hell is going on?

This is the growing push by robotics companies to collect data on human movements for training humanoids. As the race for real-world data heats up, our everyday motions are being turned into training data. James O’Donnell has the full story on how companies are scraping human behavior to teach robots how to do basic tasks.

This is one of those things that sounds weird until you think about it. Robots need to learn how to pick up a cup, open a door, or fold laundry. The most efficient way to teach them is to watch humans do it. So companies are building apps and platforms that turn you into a data generator for the robot revolution.

The Must-Reads

I’ve been digging through the internet to find today’s most interesting tech stories. Here’s what caught my eye.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta all set AI spending records last quarter. Collectively, they’re up 71% compared to the same quarter last year. That’s a lot of money. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon reported big payoffs from the splurge, but Meta’s shares slid after its plans spooked investors. Everyone’s asking: what even is the AI bubble?

The White House opposes Anthropic’s plan to expand Mythos access, citing concerns about cyber risks and worries that the government will lose compute access. Meanwhile, Anthropic is seeking funding at a valuation over $900 billion. That valuation feels high, but in this market, nothing surprises me anymore.

Elon Musk testified that OpenAI’s leaders “looted the nonprofit” and said he “was a fool” for trusting them. But he had raised his own concerns about OpenAI earlier. The drama between Musk and OpenAI just keeps going.

These stories and more are worth your time if you want to understand where tech is heading.