Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired by the company and quickly hired by Microsoft in a dramatic turn of events. OpenAI released a statement accusing Altman of not being consistently candid in his communications with the board, but did not provide any evidence for the claim. Altman has not publicly responded to the statement but has praised the staff at OpenAI and indicated that he will have more to say about what’s next.
In other news, police in the UK are going to trial the use of drones as first responders to emergencies. The devices will be sent out to 999 calls in Norfolk during the trial to provide early information about incidents. If successful, the drones could be stationed on buildings and operated remotely.
A survey indicates that young people in the UK are turning to chatbots to help them with their school and work. More than half of the 4,000 people aged between eight and 25 who participated in the survey said they used an AI chatbot in the last year, and 54% expressed concern about the impact AI could have on jobs in the future.
A report by the National Trust has warned that climate change is the “single biggest threat” to its mission to protect the UK’s heritage and natural landscape. The Trust is calling on the government to introduce a climate resilience act to make climate change adaptation a legal requirement for public bodies.
In addition to these updates, there is also a discussion of the risks of AI with UK Government officials, details of pop band Blackpink’s first ever virtual reality concert on Meta, and news that sailors in south western Europe are using heavy metal music to ward off killer whale attacks. This content can be listened to above or found on Apple, Spotify, or other platforms where podcasts are streamed.