Breaking AI & Tech News Analyzed

Aarti Holla-Maini, a British lawyer with a background in the satellite business, is the director of the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa). She is responsible for alerting the UN secretary general if a large asteroid is on a possible collision course with Earth.On 27 December 2024, a robotic telescope in Chile spotted a distant rock, asteroid 2024 YR4, which was initially estimated to be the size of a small building. As the asteroid's impact probability increased, Holla-Maini's team drafted a letter to the UN secretary general, triggering the first global notification since the UN established a planetary defence collaboration in 2013.The asteroid's size and speed meant an impact could release energy comparable to hundreds of times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, potentially wiping out a city or region. The asteroid reached level three on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, indicating a threat to human civilization.Holla-Maini's team worked with the International Asteroid Warning Network and other experts to track the asteroid. Although its impact probability peaked at more than 3% in February 2025, it has since dropped to a negligible level. The asteroid scare served as a useful test for Unoosa's role in planetary defence.Unoosa plays a critical role in registering satellites launched into Earth's orbit and acts as an informal 'hotline' for potential satellite collisions. Holla-Maini's small team of 35 employees punches well above its weight, managing a massive remit as governments and businesses increasingly operate in space.

NASA has unveiled a significant shift in its moon and Mars strategy, allocating $20bn over the next seven years to construct a base on the moon's surface. This move comes as part of a broader overhaul of NASA's long-term Moon-to-Mars strategy, aimed at supporting long-term human presence on the lunar surface.NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined the changes, which include increasing robotic missions to the moon and laying the groundwork for nuclear power on the lunar surface. The agency plans to repurpose some components of the Lunar Gateway station for use on the moon's surface instead of building the station in lunar orbit.The planned moon base will be supported by robotic missions that will help prepare the site, test technologies, and begin building infrastructure before astronauts return later this decade. Additionally, NASA disclosed plans to launch a spacecraft called Space Reactor 1 Freedom before the end of 2028, a mission designed to demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space on the way to Mars.The spacecraft will deliver helicopters on Mars, similar to the Ingenuity robotic test helicopter that flew with NASA's Perseverance rover. This step aims to move nuclear propulsion technology from laboratory testing to operational space missions. The changes to NASA's flagship Artemis programme are reshaping billions of dollars' worth of contracts and come as the United States faces growing competition from China, which is aiming to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The V&A; Museum's lavish spring show, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, is a surrealist's dream come true. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the life and work of Elsa Schiaparelli, a fashion designer who defied conventions and pushed the boundaries of art and fashion.Schiaparelli's designs are a whimsical and witty blend of art, culture, and fashion. From a shoe that becomes a hat to a telephone dial that transforms into a compact mirror, each piece is a testament to her innovative spirit and creative genius.The exhibition features collaborations with famous artists like Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau, showcasing iconic pieces such as the lobster telephone and the skeleton dress. These works demonstrate Schiaparelli's ability to merge fashion and art, creating something truly unique and groundbreaking.Elsa Schiaparelli was a trailblazer in her own right, launching her fashion career in Paris in the 1930s and quickly gaining recognition for her trompe l'oeil sweaters and shocking pink designs. Her legacy continues to inspire designers today, including Daniel Roseberry, who has been spearheading the brand's revival since 2019.The exhibition also features modern pieces that showcase the brand's continued commitment to innovative design and artistic collaboration. From a golden breastplate worn by Bella Hadid at Cannes to a robot baby made from old flip phones and circuit board shards, these works demonstrate the brand's ongoing dialogue with art and culture.Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is a must-see exhibition for anyone interested in fashion, art, and culture. It challenges visitors to think differently about the relationship between fashion and art, and showcases the enduring legacy of Elsa Schiaparelli's surrealist designs.

Richie Garcia, a former major league umpire, has voiced his concerns about the impact of robot officials on human umpires in Major League Baseball. The Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System, set to debut in 2026, allows teams to challenge strike zone decisions using a system based on 12 Hawk-Eye cameras.Garcia believes that this technology will lead to the humiliation of umpires, stating, "Nobody likes to be humiliated in front of 30,000, 40,000 people." He argues that Major League Baseball is essentially saying it doesn't trust the umpire's strike zone and will instead rely on a system operated by "some computer geek" with a PhD in physics.Despite criticism, umpires have shown increased accuracy in recent years, with an accuracy rate of 92.83% last season, down from an average of 10.88 missed calls per game. The introduction of ABS aims to further reduce errors, with each team getting two challenges per game.Umpires have mixed views on the technology, with some seeing it as a way to correct egregious pitches and others concerned about the mental impact of constant evaluation. Spring training test results showed varying success rates among teams, with Philadelphia and Chicago Cubs performing well in challenge success rates.

Progressive lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have unveiled a bill to place a moratorium on the construction of AI datacenters in the US. The proposed pause aims to ensure the AI boom benefits workers, protects the environment, and does not harm communities.The bill's introduction comes amid growing concerns about the rapid buildout of AI infrastructure and its impact on energy consumption, electricity bills, and the climate crisis. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez argue that a temporary ban would give the US government time to create strong federal safeguards for AI.“AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity,” Sanders said. “The scale, scope, and speed of that change is unprecedented. Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts.”The proposal has gained traction, with at least 11 states considering similar policies. Advocacy groups, including Food and Water Watch, have also called for a federal datacenter moratorium, citing concerns about the sector's impacts on electricity bills and the climate crisis.The bill's supporters argue that datacenters' massive energy consumption and water usage have sparked controversy, especially in drought-ridden areas. If current trends continue, datacenters may account for nearly half of all US emissions from the power sector.“We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity,” Sanders said. “We need serious public debate and democratic oversight over this enormously consequential issue. The time for action is now.”

Researchers at Cortical Labs in Melbourne have created a 'biological computer' using living human tissue, which can play the 1993 shooter game Doom. The team used 10ml of blood from CEO Hon Weng Chong to harvest 100 white blood cells, which were then reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells were used to create a dish of 200,000 neurons that can interface with a computer system.The brain cells were taught to play Doom by encoding game state information, passing it through a neural network, and converting it into signals the neurons can understand. The neurons then fire an output, which the system decodes and converts back into actions in the game. This process is similar to how humans operate, with information going into the retina, being converted into electrical signals, processed in the brain, and resulting in an output.While the achievement has sparked concerns about sentience and consciousness, Chong believes the brain cells are not conscious, stating, 'At first it didn’t know how to move, aim or shoot. Then it would shoot two enemies and stop. So it’s definitely learning.' The next step could be integrating this technology with Neuralink, a brain-machine interface developed by Elon Musk.The application of biological computing lies not in gaming, but in medicine, such as disease modeling for conditions like epilepsy. This technology could allow for personalized drug testing and tailored treatments. Meanwhile, Eon Systems in San Francisco has created a virtual insect brain that can behave like a real fly, challenging the assumption that intelligence must be acquired.Biological systems like these could eventually power robots, drones, and other machines that need to navigate complex environments. As Chong notes, 'Abstract reasoning, mathematics and language are relatively recent in evolutionary terms... but motor control and probabilistic decision-making are things we’ve inherited through millions of years of evolution.' While we're far from uploading human consciousness into the internet, this technology marks a significant step in the development of biological computing.