Dr Seldon, I presume
Data from social networks are making social science more scientific
“FOUNDATION”, a novel by Isaac Asimov from the golden age of science fiction, imagines a science called psychohistory which enables its practitioners to predict precisely the behaviour of large groups of people. The inventor of psychohistory, Hari Seldon, uses his discovery to save humanity from an historical dark age.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Dr Seldon, I presume”
From the February 23rd 2013 edition
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Electric vehicles also cause air pollution
Though fume-free, their brake pads and tyres disintegrate over time
AI models are helping dirty industries go green
Mining companies and steelmakers are feeling the benefits
Could data centres ever be built in orbit?
A startup called Starcloud has plans to do just that
The tricky task of calculating AI’s energy use
Making models less thirsty may not lessen their environmental impact
AI models can help generate cleaner power
Energy companies are using them to increase efficiency and spot problems
Researchers lift the lid on how reasoning models actually “think”
They plan sentences far in advance. They also bullshit themselves when reasoning out loud