On the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico lies the nation’s solely coal-fired energy station, flanked by a mountain of poisonous ash. The plant, owned by the utility big AES, has lengthy plagued this a part of Puerto Rico with air and water air pollution.
Earlier than the coal plant opened Guayama had on common simply over 103 most cancers instances per 12 months. In 2003, the 12 months after the plant opened, the variety of most cancers instances within the municipality surged by 50%, to 167. In 2022, the newest 12 months with obtainable information, instances hit a brand new excessive of 209. The query is: How did it get this dangerous? Learn the total story.
—Alexander C. Kaufman
This story is from the subsequent print version of MIT Expertise Overview, which explores energy—who has it, and who needs it. It’s set to go reside on Wednesday June 25, so subscribe & save 25% to learn it and get a replica of the difficulty when it lands!
When AIs discount, a much less superior agent might price you
The race to construct ever bigger AI fashions is slowing down. The business’s focus is shifting towards brokers—methods that may act autonomously, make selections, and negotiate on customers’ behalf.
However what would occur if each a buyer and a vendor had been utilizing an AI agent? A current research put agent-to-agent negotiations to the check and located that stronger brokers can exploit weaker ones to get a greater deal. It’s a bit like getting into courtroom with a seasoned legal professional versus a rookie: You’re technically taking part in the identical recreation, however the odds are skewed from the beginning. Learn the total story.
—Caiwei Chen