Free Republic

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is doing what he does best: warning of AI-related doom that he doesn’t sound all that pressed about. Last week, while touring one of OpenAI’s mammoth data centers being built in Abilene, Texas, Altman had a pretty casual outlook when he was asked about a bubble that could financially decimate the entire industry. “Between the ten years we’ve already been operating and the many decades ahead of us, there will be booms and busts,” Altman ruminated, as quoted by The Associated Press. “People will overinvest and lose money, and underinvest and lose a lot of revenue.”...

Monday's off to a busy start! As investors and traders await any developments from Washington DC, Tom White points out the fact that in the previous 5 government shutdowns equity markets actually rose higher. He joins Diane King Hall to set up the trading week before turning to a pair of big premarket movers. AMD (AMD) is jumping on news that it reached a deal to sell a potential 10% stake to OpenAI in tranches. And, Micron (MU) begins Monday's action with an upgrade at Morgan Stanley and a new price target to $220. Market Rally: AMD/OpenAI Deal, MU Upgrade...

The Hidden Costs Behind Franchise Dining and the Shifting Landscape of American MealsFor decades, mid-tier casual dining chains have occupied a comfortable place in American life: a step above fast food, offering consistent menus, a sit-down experience, and a sense of convenience. Yet a closer look at the economics of these franchises reveals a system that inflates prices for consumers while funneling the bulk of profits to the parent corporation. Combined with changing consumer habits, mounting economic pressures, and reliance on consumer credit, this model may be approaching a breaking point.At first glance, the price of a breakfast plate—eggs, bacon,...

Defending AI-Assisted Writing: A Modern Tool for Creativity and ResearchIn today’s fast-paced world, the process of writing for publication—whether essays, articles, or books—has evolved. One of the most common questions I receive is whether I “used AI” to write a particular piece. The simple answer is yes, but that requires context. AI is not a replacement for human thought or creativity; it is a tool, much like a research library or an editorial team.When I write, the ideas and structure are mine. I may compose a first draft, then use AI to edit, clean up language, and refine flow. I...

What on earth???? Here is an excerpt from an MSN story on the Georgia Senate race, referring to "former President Donald Trump". Is this the result of AI? Adding to the race’s complexity, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, halting a series of attack ads by a pro-Ossoff super PAC, citing misleading claims about Collins’ voting record, further escalating tensions in this high-stakes contest. Ossoff has leveraged robust fundraising to bolster his campaign, while Collins has emphasized his alignment with former President Donald Trump to galvanize GOP voters. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) lags behind Ossoff in the poll, with...

Lockheed Martin is using AI to evolve the F-35 jet, integrating drones into its system to boost capability and relevance. But after missing out on big contracts due to increased competition and tariffs, can Lockheed pivot to stay relevant? WSJ visited Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, to get a closer look at the jets and their new capabilities.

LOS ANGELES -- A new actress is taking the spotlight in Hollywood, and it is sparking a debate among actors. That's because this actress isn't real. They're an AI called Tilly Norwood. Actors are speaking out, responding to reports that multiple talent agencies are interested in signing the AI actress. Tilly Norwood might seem like any other aspiring actress. She has an Instagram page showing off her screen tests, alongside candid moments. She even posted a video on Facebook which she says features her first on-camera role. But Tilly Norwood is not a real actress -- she's a character generated...

A recent study from Tyton Partners reveals that what students believe about AI use is quite at odds with their actual AI use. The study, which surveyed over 1,500 students, more than 1,500 instructors, and over 300 administrators, reveals that student and faculty attitudes toward AI in academia have both taken a downturn since 2024. Turning to artificial intelligence for academic assistance is not widely believed, by either students or educators, to be conducive to greater educational quality. Student preference for AI as a primary source of academic help has dropped 13 percentage points since 2024. Faculty attitudes about the...

FeatureTilly Norwood and the Illusion of RealityHollywood fears job losses from AI actors. But the greater threat may be to truth itself.By The HermitNot long ago, a new name appeared in Hollywood chatter: Tilly Norwood. She looks the part of a rising young actress, the kind casting directors might call “a natural.” But Tilly is no actress at all. She is an AI-generated creation — a digital performer assembled from algorithms, capable of smiling, speaking, and captivating an audience without ever setting foot on a soundstage.Tilly is part of a new wave of “synthetic talent.” AI agencies now maintain rosters...

President Trump used an AI-generated video to mock Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday, hours after he met with the Democratic congressional leaders at the White House to discuss the looming government shutdown. The faux footage, posted by Trump on Truth Social, shows Jeffries – depicted with a mustache and sombrero – standing silently next to Schumer, who, in a fake voice, argues in favor of giving “illegal aliens free healthcare” as part of an effort to court “new voters” for the Democratic Party. A traditional Mexican folk song plays over the 35-second video, for...

German aviation group Lufthansa is cutting 4,000 administrative jobs over the next five years as it seeks to raise profitability targets. By 2030, Lufthansa, which operates the core Lufthansa German Airlines brand, along with other airlines like Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, plans to reduce 4,000 administration jobs through digitalization, automation and process consolidation, the company announced to analysts and investors during its Capital Markets Day in Munich. The majority of affected roles will be based in Germany and will focus on administrative roles and not operational positions. The company stated in a note that it reaffirmed its goal...

I'm still not sure exactly what to do with AI, but I am learning that it is a good source of compiling lots of data quickly. It seems to be good to compare products, especially when you're looking at a particular feature, and to look up information without having to go to many individual sources. I like Grok's conversational style and how it remembers the question before and will actually guide you to narrow your information request and results. Anyway, I was talking to it about the new information about Jan 6th, and its first response mentioned " conspiracy theories",...

Will the new AI character be the death of human performers in movies? Hollywood may soon be filled with falling human stars and rising AI starlets. Film director Alfred Hitchcock, the ‘master of suspense’, once said ‘all actors must be treated like cattle’ – but if you think that’s bad, brace yourselves for the brave new world we’re living in, where actors won’t even exist as such, anymore. The creation of AI ‘actress’ Tilly Norwood has generated a massive wave of backlash over the unsurprising news that ‘talent agents’ were already lining up to sign the ‘digital character’. Tilly Norwood...

Almost every week the world takes another step in the direction of artificial general intelligence. The most powerful ai models can do an astonishing array of tasks from writing detailed reports to creating video on demand. Hallucinations are becoming less of a problem. Small wonder, then, that so many people worry they will soon be surplus to requirements. Earlier this year global Google searches for “ai unemployment” hit an all-time high. In cities such as London and San Francisco, “How long do you reckon you have left in your job?” is a common topic of conversation. But is Chatgpt actually...

His post, which has since been removed, was picked up by the San Francisco Standard, and had reportedly said that Thiel argued that because we are increasingly concerned about existential threats, the time is ripe for the Antichrist to rise to power, promising peace and safety by strangling technological progress with regulation.

Researchers have found that the carbon footprint of generative AI-based tools that can turn text prompts into images and videos is far worse than we previously thought. As detailed in a new paper, researchers from the open-source AI platform Hugging Face found that the energy demands of text-to-video generators quadruple when the length of a generated video doubles — indicating that the power required for increasingly sophisticated generations doesn’t scale linearly. For instance, a six-second AI video clip consumes four times as much energy as a three-second clip.

GROK’ED AND LOADED: President Trump and Elon Musk are teaming up again — this time to bring Grok 4 and Grok 4 Fast to his administration, aiming to revolutionize and supercharge AI innovation across all government agencies.

Elon Musk's AI appears to be more ideological than competitorsDespite protest letters, concerns that it's biased and untrustworthy, model tweaks to appease its billionaire boss, and even a past incident where it called itself "MechaHitler," xAI's Grok is still being made available to government agencies for mere pennies. The GSA announced that it has awarded yet another OneGov discount contract on Thursday, this time to Elon Musk's xAI outfit. The agreement will see xAI offer Grok to federal agencies for just $0.42 per agency for a period of 18 months - six months longer than companies like OpenAI, Google,...

Despite $30 to 40 billion in enterprise GenAI investment, a stunning 95% of organizations are achieving zero measurable return, according to a new report from MIT. The report argues that never before has a technology category attracted such massive investment while delivering such disappointing returns. This stark separation between a few AI winners and everyone else isn’t driven by model quality or regulation — it’s determined by approach. While tools like ChatGPT achieve 80% organizational adoption, enterprise-grade custom solutions face a brutal reality: only 5% successfully reach production deployment. The core barrier isn’t infrastructure or talent; it’s learning capability. Most...

In Abilene, Texas—in the heart of what locals call the Big Country, long defined by ranching, farming, shale oil exploration, and now dotted with wind turbines—OpenAI and Oracle staged a carefully crafted media showcase on Tuesday to talk about the latest boom underway... In Abilene alone, a crew of 6,400 workers have already moved massive amounts of soil to flatten the hills, and laid down enough fiber optic cable to wrap the Earth 16 times.... The five new Stargate projects—in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and in an undisclosed Midwest location—will bring Stargate’s current pipeline to nearly 7 gigawatts and more...