Hard Numbers: Amazon’s AI ambitions, what to use ChatGPT for, energy crisis, Enter Stargate

Anthropic releases the Claude 3 series model, Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, March 5, 2024
Anthropic releases the Claude 3 series model, Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, March 5, 2024
Photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA via Reuters

2.75 billion: Amazon invested an additional $2.75 billion in the AI startup Anthropic, which makes the popular chatbot Claude, brings their total investment to around $4 billion, while Google also has a $2 billion stake in the company. The big tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, with its $13 billion deal with OpenAI, have chosen investments and strategic partnerships instead of buying startups outright. Amazon also announced it’ll spend $150 billion on data centers over the next 15 years to support its AI ambitions.

2: 20% of US adults say they’ve used ChatGPT for work, up from 12% just six months ago, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. But only 2% of Americans surveyed said they’ve used the chatbot to gather information about the country’s upcoming elections—a good sign for people worrying about the immediate impact of AI tools that have a tendency to make stuff up.

4: The electricity used by data centers, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence represented nearly 2% of global energy use in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. That number could double to 4% by 2026 if current trends continue.

100 billion: Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly teaming up to build data centers along with a supercomputer, nicknamed “Stargate,” to power their artificial intelligence systems. The project, which still has yet to be greenlit, could cost a staggering $100 billion

.

More from GZERO Media

Graphic of exit poll data
Luisa Vieira

The votes are still being tallied following Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election, but looking at preliminary voter data gives clues to what happened in the American electorate last week.

Palestinians carry an aid box distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024.
REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as US ambassador to Israel.

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) react during a campaign event at Dorton Arena, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. November 4, 2024.
REUTERS/Jonathan Drake

Based on his picks so far, immigration will be at the top of Trump’s agenda as he appears poised to follow through with his campaign promises on this issue.

- YouTube

In a GZERO Global Stage discussion at the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum, Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, reflected on the anticipated impact of generative AI and deepfakes on global elections. Despite widespread concerns, she noted that deepfakes did not significantly alter electoral outcomes. Instead, Hutson highlighted a more subtle effect: the erosion of public trust in online information, a phenomenon she referred to as the "liar's dividend."

Photogrammetry, AI, and digital preservation combine to create a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica with over 400,000 images, allowing visitors to explore it in detail from anywhere in the world. La Basilica di San Pietro — a collaboration between the Vatican, Iconem, and Microsoft — gives everyone full access to Vatican City’s most iconic church via AI-enabled immersive exhibits and an interactive website. Learn more about the project and explore the digital twin here.

Proud Source Water became a Walmart supplier in 2021. Today, their team has grown 50%, and they're the largest employer in Mackay, ID. When local suppliers work with Walmart, their business can grow. In fact, two-thirds of Walmart's product spend is on products made, grown, or assembled in America. By working with Walmart, local businesses like Proud Source Water can reach more customers, hire more people, and help their communities thrive. Explore the positive impact of Walmart's $350 billion investment in US manufacturing.

A general view of the German lower house of parliament, in Berlin, Germany.
REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Under a plan agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the opposition, Europe’s largest economy is now headed toward early elections in February.