United News of Bangladesh

The US Department of Energy said it has identified 16 federal sites, including storied nuclear research laboratories such as Los Alamos, where tech companies could build data centres in a push to accelerate commercial development of artificial intelligence technology. The sites are “uniquely positioned for rapid data centre construction, including in-place energy infrastructure with the ability to fast-track permitting for new energy generation such as nuclear,” the agency said in a statement Thursday. The move follows an executive order signed in January by outgoing President Joe Biden that sought to remove hurdles for AI data centre expansion in the US while also encouraging those data centres, which require large amounts of electricity, to be powered with renewable energy. While President Donald Trump has since sought to erase most of Biden's signature AI policies, he made clear after returning to the White House that he had no interest in rescinding Biden's data centre order. “I’d like to see federal lands opened up for data centres," Trump said in January. "I think they’re going to be very important.” The lands identified as potential sites include a number of national laboratories, such as the New Mexico-cantered Los Alamos and Sandia laboratories and Oak Ridge in Tennessee. Trump admin to halt $500M federal funding to Brown University While the tech industry has long relied on data centres to run online services, from email and social media to financial transactions, new AI technology behind popular chatbots and generative AI tools requires even more powerful computation to build and operate. A report released by the Department of Energy late last year estimated that the electricity needed for data centres in the US tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple again by 2028 when it could consume up to 12 per cent of the nation’s electricity. The United States, under both presidents, has been speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of nuclear reactors to supply carbon-free electricity. While Biden's executive order focused on powering AI infrastructure with clean energy sources such as “geothermal, solar, wind, and nuclear,” Thursday's statement from Trump's energy department focused only on nuclear. But in a lengthy request for information sought from data centre and energy developers, the agency outlines a variety of electricity sources available at each site, from solar arrays to gas turbines.

New Jersey has made it a criminal offense to create and distribute deceptive media generated using artificial intelligence, under a new law signed by Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday. The legislation targets the production and circulation of “deepfake” content—AI-generated images, videos, or audio that falsely portray individuals doing or saying things they never did. Those convicted under the law could face up to five years in prison. The law also allows victims to file civil lawsuits against perpetrators. New Jersey joins at least 20 other U.S. states that have adopted similar laws, particularly focusing on AI-generated media that could affect elections. Additionally, more than a dozen states have passed legislation aimed at curbing digitally altered child sexual abuse content, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. This law gained momentum after Francesca Mani, a student at Westfield High School, became a victim of a deepfake video two years ago. She said the person responsible only received a brief school suspension because no law addressed such offenses at the time. Meta hit with fines by Turkey after refusing to restrict content “Doing nothing is no longer an option,” said Mani, who stood beside the governor at the bill signing. Recognized by Time magazine as an anti-deepfake activist, she was instrumental in advocating for the law. Under the measure, deepfakes are defined as any video, audio, or image that would appear realistic to an average person but falsely represents someone's actions or words. The law introduces both criminal and civil consequences for offenders. Source: With input from agency 

  Despite the passage of time, Gates still cherishes the groundbreaking code he printed on a teletype machine—a piece of work that, though rudimentary compared to modern artificial intelligence, played a crucial role in launching Microsoft in April 1975. The company, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, marks its 50th anniversary on Friday. In a blog post, the 69-year-old Gates reminisced about how he and his late high school friend, Paul Allen, embarked on a mission to build the world’s first “software factory.” Their journey began after reading a January 1975 Popular Electronics article about the Altair 8800, an early minicomputer powered by a small chip from Intel, which was relatively unknown at the time. Inspired by the article, Gates—then a freshman at Harvard—and Allen contacted Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), the company behind Altair. They assured its CEO, Ed Roberts, that they had developed software to operate the hardware. However, there was one major problem: the code they promised had yet to be written. To meet the challenge, the duo turned to BASIC, a programming language created at Dartmouth College in 1964. They had to make it compatible with the Altair despite not having a prototype of the machine. After two months of intense work and little sleep, Gates completed the program, which became the Altair’s first operating system. “That code remains the coolest I’ve ever written,” Gates noted in his blog post, which also includes an option to download the original program. This code laid the foundation for a company that revolutionized personal computing, introducing software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as the Windows operating system, which continues to dominate the PC market. “That was the revolution,” Gates said in an accompanying video. “That was the moment that brought personal computing to life.” Gates’ reflection on this milestone is part of a broader wave of nostalgia as he approaches his 70th birthday in October. This year, he released a memoir detailing his early life as a misunderstood child with few friends. He also marked the 25th anniversary of the philanthropic foundation he established after stepping down as Microsoft’s CEO in 2000. While Microsoft initially struggled post-Gates, it has flourished under current CEO Satya Nadella, now boasting a market value of around $2.8 trillion. In his memoir, Gates also revisited his complex relationship with Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs, whose company will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. “Fifty years is a long time,” Gates reflected. “It’s incredible that the dream became a reality.”

Meta said it has been hit with a hefty fine for resisting Turkish government demands to limit content on Facebook and Instagram. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has been trying to restrict opposition voices on social media after widespread protests erupted following the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, who's a key rival. “We pushed back on requests from the Turkish government to restrict content that is clearly in the public interest, and have been fined by them as a consequence,” the company said in a statement. The social media company did not disclose the size of the fine, except to say it was “substantial” and did not provide any more details about the content in question. The Associated Press has approached the Turkish government for comment. “Government requests to restrict speech online alongside threats to shut down online services are severe and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves,” Meta said. Meta's head of AI research stepping down In recent years the Turkish government has increasingly sought to bring social media companies under its control. When protests erupted following the March 19 arrest of opposition Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, many social media platforms such as X, Instagram and Facebook were blocked. More than 700 individual X accounts, including those belonging to journalists, media outlets, civil society organizations and student groups, were blocked, according to the Media and Law Studies Association. X said it would object. Dozens have been arrested for social media posts deemed to be supporting the protests.

The head of Meta's artificial intelligence research division said she plans to step down, vacating a high-profile position at a time of intense competition in the development of AI technology. Joelle Pineau, Meta's vice president for AI research, said Tuesday she is leaving at the end of May after eight years with the company. "Today, as the world undergoes significant change, as the race for AI accelerates, and as Meta prepares for its next chapter, it is time to create space for others to pursue the work," she wrote in a social media post. Judge allows newspaper copyright lawsuit against OpenAI to proceed Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — didn't immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about the move. Pineau didn't announce a replacement. Based in Montreal, where she is also a computer science professor at McGill University, Pineau has been the face of Meta's “open-source” approach to building AI systems, such as its flagship large language model called Llama, in which core components are publicly released for others to use or modify. Her announcement comes ahead of the company's debut of a new LlamaCon AI conference on April 29. Google agrees to pay $28m in racial bias lawsuit In 2023, she began directing Meta's AI research division, formerly known as Facebook AI Research, which had been founded a decade earlier by a group that included pioneering AI researcher Yann LeCun. LeCun stepped down as the group's director in 2018 but remains Meta's chief AI scientist.

A rocket by a private European aerospace company launched from Norway on Sunday and crashed into the sea 30 seconds later. Despite the short test flight, Isar Aerospace said that it successfully completed the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle by launching its Spectrum rocket from the island of Andøya in northern Norway. The 28-meter-long (92-foot-long) Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle specifically designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit. The rocket lifted off from the pad at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) Sunday and flew for about a half-minute before the flight was terminated, Isar said. “This allowed the company to gather a substantial amount of flight data and experience to apply on future missions,” Isar said in a statement. “After the flight was terminated at T+30 seconds, the launch vehicle fell into the sea in a controlled manner.” Video from the launch shows the rocket taking off from the pad, flying into the air and then coming back down to crash into the sea in a fiery explosion. The launch was subject to various factors, including weather and safety, and Sunday's liftoff followed a week of poor conditions, including a scrubbed launch on March 24 because of unfavorable winds, and on Saturday for weather restrictions. AI-enabled drone deployed in Germany to accelerate wildfire detection and response “Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,” Daniel Metzler, Isar’s chief executive and co-founder, said in the statement. “We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.” The company had largely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first complete flight, saying that it would consider a 30-second flight a success. Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all the systems on its in-house-developed launch vehicle. Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 member states. “Success to get off the pad, and lots of data already obtained. I am sure @isaraerospace will learn a lot," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher posted on X. "Rocket launch is hard. Never give up, move forward with even more energy!” European startup scrubs first test flight of Orbital Rocket ESA has been launching rockets and satellites into orbit for years, but mainly from French Guiana — an overseas department of France in South America — and from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Fans of Studio Ghibli, the renowned Japanese animation studio behind classics like Spirited Away, were thrilled this week when a new version of ChatGPT allowed them to transform popular memes and personal photos into the distinct style of Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. However, the trend has also sparked ethical concerns over artificial intelligence tools trained on copyrighted creative works, raising questions about the future of human artists. Miyazaki, 84, known for his hand-drawn animation and whimsical storytelling, has previously expressed skepticism about AI's role in animation. Janu Lingeswaran, an entrepreneur from Germany, was among the many users experimenting with the tool. He uploaded a photo of his 3-year-old ragdoll cat, Mali, and asked ChatGPT to convert it into the Ghibli style. The result, he said, was stunning. “I really fell in love with the result,” said Lingeswaran. “We're thinking of printing it out and hanging it on the wall.” Similar AI-generated Ghibli-style images have surfaced online, including an anime version of Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec at the 2024 Olympics and a reimagining of the famous Disaster Girl meme. OpenAI Encourages ‘Ghiblification’ Amid Copyright ConcernsChatGPT creator OpenAI, which is already facing multiple copyright lawsuits over its AI models, has encouraged these “Ghiblification” experiments. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even changed his social media profile picture to a Ghibli-style AI image. In a technical paper released Tuesday, OpenAI stated that its new image generation tool takes a “conservative approach” when mimicking the styles of individual artists. How DeepSeek stacks up against ChatGPT and Gemini “We added a refusal which triggers when a user attempts to generate an image in the style of a living artist,” the company said. However, it defended the broader use of studio aesthetics, calling the results “truly delightful and inspired original fan creations.” Studio Ghibli has yet to comment on the trend. The Japanese studio and its North American distributor did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Miyazaki’s Past Criticism of AI ResurfacesAs Ghibli-style AI images spread across social media, past comments from Miyazaki about AI-generated animation have resurfaced. In a 2016 documentary, Miyazaki was shown an AI demo featuring a grotesque, writhing body dragging itself forward. The presenter suggested that AI could create “movements that humans can’t imagine,” which could be useful for horror animations like zombies. Miyazaki, visibly disturbed, responded by sharing a story about a disabled friend who struggles with simple movements. “Thinking of him, I can’t watch this stuff and find it interesting,” he said. “Whoever creates this has no idea what pain is.” He strongly rejected the idea of incorporating AI into his work, saying, “This is an insult to life itself.” Legal Questions Over AI Training on Ghibli’s WorkThe viral Ghibli-style images have reignited concerns over AI’s use of copyrighted material. Josh Weigensberg, a partner at the law firm Pryor Cashman, said the key legal question is whether OpenAI trained its model on Studio Ghibli’s work without permission. “Do they have a license or permission to do that training or not?” he asked. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment on this issue. Weigensberg noted that while artistic “style” is generally not copyrightable, AI-generated images could still infringe on specific, identifiable elements of Ghibli’s work. ChatGPT faces second outage in December “You could freeze a frame from Howl’s Moving Castle or Spirited Away and compare it to an AI-generated image to see if there are identical or substantially similar elements,” he explained. Artist Karla Ortiz, who is suing AI companies for copyright infringement, called the trend “another clear example of how companies like OpenAI just do not care about artists’ work and livelihoods.” “They are using Ghibli’s branding, their name, their work, their reputation, to promote OpenAI’s products,” she said. “It’s an insult. It’s exploitation.” Political Controversy Over AI-Generated Ghibli ArtThe controversy took a political turn on Thursday when the White House posted a Ghibli-style AI image on its official X account. The image depicted a weeping woman from the Dominican Republic who was recently arrested by U.S. immigration agents. Ortiz condemned the post, calling it an example of AI being used to exploit and distort real-life struggles. “To see something as brilliant as Miyazaki’s work butchered to generate something so foul,” she wrote on social media, adding that she hoped Studio Ghibli would take legal action against OpenAI. Source: With input from agency 

A federal judge has ruled that The New York Times and other newspapers can proceed with a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft seeking to end the practice of using their stories to train artificial intelligence chatbots. U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein of New York on Wednesday dismissed some of the claims made by media organizations but allowed the bulk of the case to continue, possibly to a jury trial. “We appreciate Judge Stein’s careful consideration of these issues," New York Times attorney Ian Crosby said in a statement. “As the order indicates, all of our copyright claims will continue against Microsoft and Open AI for their widespread theft of millions of The Times’s works, and we look forward to continuing to pursue them.” The judge's ruling also pleased Frank Pine, executive editor of MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing, owners of some of the newspapers that are part of a consolidated lawsuit in a Manhattan court. European startup scrubs first test flight of Orbital Rocket “The claims the court has dismissed do not undermine the main thrust of our case, which is that these companies have stolen our work and violated our copyright in a way that fundamentally damages our business,” Pine said a statement. Stein didn't explain the reasons for his ruling, saying that would come “expeditiously.” OpenAI said in a statement it welcomed “the court’s dismissal of many of these claims and look forward to making it clear that we build our AI models using publicly available data, in a manner grounded in fair use, and supportive of innovation.” Microsoft declined to comment. The Times has said OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft have threatened its livelihood by effectively stealing billions of dollars worth of work by its journalists, in some cases spitting out Times’ material verbatim to people who seek answers from generative artificial intelligence like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Content creator and AI enthusiast RobinRafan has successfully completed his first-ever AI Masterclass for Content Creators, drawing overwhelming participation from around the world. The online workshop attracted creators from Bangladesh, the USA, UK, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, marking a significant milestone in promoting the use of AI tools in digital storytelling and content creation. With over 500 registrations and 400+ live attendees, the masterclass highlighted the growing interest among creators in leveraging artificial intelligence to elevate their creative work. The online workshop focused on integrating AI into content creation, with a particular emphasis on tools and techniques to enhance digital storytelling. The masterclass covered a range of AI-driven topics, including generating realistic AI content through prompt engineering, transforming images into videos, converting text into video, image-to-anime techniques, and creating original music for content. RobinRafan provided insights into how AI can streamline the content creation process, making it more efficient and engaging. As soon as registration opened, over 500 content creators enrolled in the workshop, leading to early closure of admissions. The live session saw the participation of more than 400 creators, while some were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. However, those who missed the session will receive a recorded version via Zoom to ensure they do not miss out on the learning experience. Reflecting on the event, RobinRafan shared, “This was the first time I conducted an online workshop of this scale. It was a challenge, but the response from participants has been overwhelmingly positive.” Following the success of the first season, RobinRafan has announced the second season of his AI Masterclass for Content Creators. Already, more than 300 content creators have enrolled in the online workshop. Scheduled for April 14, 2025, Season 2 aims to provide an even more in-depth exploration of AI applications in content creation, helping creators enhance their skills and stay ahead in the evolving digital landscape. Over 500 content creators enrolled in the workshop, leading to early closure of admissions. The success of this AI masterclass highlights the growing interest among content creators in utilizing AI tools to enhance their creative processes.

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has directed the relevant authorities to ensure the commercial launch of Starlink’s satellite broadband internet service in Bangladesh within 90 days. According to officials, during trial broadcasts in the country, Starlink operated using its foreign satellite broadband gateway. But for commercial operations, the company must comply with the Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) policy, which mandates the use of a local broadband gateway or International Internet Gateway (IIG). Starlink, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has been in discussions with Bangladesh’s regulatory authorities regarding the licensing process. The government has emphasised the importance of adhering to national regulations, including spectrum allocation and security requirements, before granting full operational approval. Bangladeshi firms join hands with US telecom giant Starlink Dr Yunus has also formally invited Elon Musk to visit Bangladesh for the official launch of the service. The initiative aims to address the recurring instances of internet shutdowns that have disrupted freelance and business activities. Starlink’s entry into the market is seen as a significant breakthrough in ensuring uninterrupted connectivity, particularly benefiting remote communities and local entrepreneurs. Bangladeshi companies are already collaborating with Starlink to establish ground stations, facilitating the integration of satellite connectivity. Starlink's entry ensures uninterrupted internet in Bangladesh: CA’s Press Secretary Dr Yunus stressed that the new service would complement national efforts spearheaded by entities like Grameen Bank and Grameenphone.