ZeroHour

Search: “University of Chicago”

2 stories in the last 7d

US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035

BloombergNEF projects US data centers will consume about 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily by 2035, exceeding Germany and Japan combined.

A new BloombergNEF report forecasts US data centers will consume roughly 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2035, nearly double the estimate from nine months ago. On-site gas plants planned by Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon would use 2.9-3.4 billion cubic feet per day, while grid-connected data centers drive an additional 15 billion cubic feet per day of power-sector gas demand. The added demand would generate about 1 million metric tons of extra greenhouse gas pollution daily, roughly 12% of current US emissions.

TechCrunch · AI · 1d agoAI industry

Meta Sued Over Training Data for Its AI and Face-Recognition Systems

Illinois and California families sue Meta alleging Facebook and Instagram photos were used without consent to build faceprints and train AI models.

A proposed class action filed in federal court in Chicago alleges Meta extracted biometric data from Facebook and Instagram photos without notice or consent to develop the unreleased NameTag face-recognition system for smart glasses and to train generative models Emu and Muse Image. Plaintiffs invoke Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, seeking $5,000 per intentional or $1,000 per negligent violation, with a class that could number in the millions dating back to September 2021. Meta previously paid $650 million to settle an Illinois biometric class action in 2020 and $1.4 billion to Texas in 2024. Meta calls the suit without merit and says it is not building a universal face database.

WIRED · Security · 5d agoAI policy 2 sources