OpenAI upgrades Canvas for ChatGPT.

Productivity trends reveal how work locations and models drive efficiency engagement and burnout across industries.

The United States is no stranger to adapting its education system to address the challenges of the times. In 1957, the Soviet Unions successful launch of Sputnik prompted the U.S. to implement programs like the National Defense Education Act, which emphasized science, math, and foreign language education. This resulted in the rapid growth in federal funding for K-12 and higher education STEM programs, and an increase in STEM graduates in the following decades.Today, we face a similar pivotal moment. The Biden-Harris administration recognized this urgency, releasing a comprehensive Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent in November 2024. This plan aims to develop the workforce needed to address critical challenges like climate change and artificial intelligence, focusing on three key principles: access and opportunity, partnerships and ecosystem development, and transparency and accountability. However, with current political shifts, the continuity of such initiatives hangs in the balance.The U.S. faces an unprecedented challengenot from external competitors, but from rapid AI advancement that our education system isnt prepared for. While federal STEM initiatives often focus on bureaucratic solutions through agencies like the Department of Education (only established in 1980), the real imperative is transforming how we teach and learn. Our curriculum needs radical updating to emphasize lifelong learning, rapid prototyping, and creative problem-solving skills.With software development jobs expected to grow at a rate of 17% from 2023 to 2033, resulting in an average of 140,100 job openings a year, we must streamline education, reduce administrative overhead, and focus on practical skills that prepare students for an AI-driven future. Deregulation and local control could actually accelerate this transformation, allowing schools to adapt more quickly to technological change and workforce demands.The AI revolution and the gender gapFrom 2017 to 2021, we saw how the Trump eras education policies prioritized deregulation and school choice. As Trump returns, well no doubt see the same. The government and educational institutions across the country are going to have to step up as deregulation occurs. This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the Department of Education is only 25 years old.As the founder and CEO of a leading global technology and AI education nonprofit for girls, Ive seen firsthand how AI presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI can automate tasks, it also demands a workforce skilled in areas like data analysis, critical thinking, and human-centered design. However, the U.S. education system continues to graduate a disproportionately low number of women in STEM fields. Women make up just 35% of the STEM workforce, despite classes being offered through the formal school system.Women are already behind and will be even further left behind without the right intervention. An analysis analysis conducted by researchers from Berkeley Haas, Stanford University, and Harvard Business School shows that women are significantly less likely to learn about AI, use AI tools and build AI technologies. Because women arent involved in the development, the data sets AI is trained on are therefore biased. And when women dont have access to economic opportunity, they cant invest back into the community, slowing progress. Thankfully, we can prevent it. We have all the insights and data from past decades to inform our strategy and powerful tools and partners to implement proven strategies at scale.Research proves its possibleIn 1995, at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), only 7% of the incoming computer science undergraduates were women. The administration was alarmed and supported a study to determine how to bring more women into the field. The Unlocking the Clubhouse study outlined that its not enough to provide access to coursework for women and minorities. There has to be a full spectrum of support that helps move their interest in a particular field to one they identify with. CMU implemented their recommendations and in 2021 welcomed more than 51% women into the program. It proved that we must set ambitious and measurable goals.The AI Forward Alliance did just that. Our recent Women in AI report highlights that to achieve 50-50 gender parity in the AI workforce by 2035, we need to engage around 600,000 U.S. high school girls in evidence-based tech programs every year, starting now. Without this intervention, womens representation in tech will remain stagnant, perpetuating inequities and stifling economic and technological growth. We have to create a sense of urgency, ensuring stakeholders and communities prioritize equitable participation in the tech workforce. This may require a specific U.S. coalition and campaign dedicated to gender equality in AI.Build a workforce for the AI eraThe U.S. education system will have to play a meaningful role to ensure the country can compete in the AI era. First and foremost, we need a complete overhaul of our education system.Several key areas can help position the U.S. as a leader in AI education and workforce development. First, we must fundamentally redesign our curriculum to go beyond traditional STEM education, focusing instead on learning not just how to use AI but how to build better AI. This means developing courses that teach students coding skills, but also critical thinking about AI outputs, understanding of AIs limitations, and the ability to effectively leverage its potential. Building on this foundation, we need to take lessons from success stories like Carnegie Mellons approach to diversity in tech education. Simply offering STEM classes isnt sufficientwe must actively engage girls and minorities through targeted programs and mentorship, creating an inclusive environment that supports all students in pursuing tech careers.Finally, we must recognize that the skills needed in the AI era will continue evolving rapidly. This requires fostering a culture of lifelong learning throughout our education system, equipping students with the tools and mindset needed to adapt and grow throughout their careers. The ability to continuously learn and adapt will be crucial for success in an AI-driven future.As we stand at this critical juncture in American education, the stakes couldnt be higher. The contrast between the Biden administrations forward-thinking STEM initiatives and the potential reversal of progress under a return to Trump-era policies presents a stark choice about our nations future. This isnt merely about maintaining Americas competitive edgethough thats certainly at riskits about ensuring every American student has the opportunity to participate in and shape tomorrows AI-driven economy.The path forward requires unwavering commitment to educational equity, sustained investment in STEM programs, and a recognition that in the age of AI, we need all of Americas diverse talent pool engaged and empowered. The question isnt whether we can afford to make these investmentsits whether we can afford not to. Our nations future innovation, economic prosperity, and technological leadership hang in the balance, and the time to act is now.Tara Chklovski is founder and CEO of Technovation.

When you ask ChatGPT a question, how does it come up with the answer? Most people dont give much thought to whats going on behind the screen or how graphics processing units (GPUs) make the AI magic happen in data centers across the country.GPUs are extraordinary, processing exceptionally large data sets and handling highly intensive computations involving billions of simultaneous calculations. Modern GPUs can train neural networks that enable AI breakthroughs that were once the subject of science fiction films. Thanks to GPUs, AI is being used to more accurately diagnose diseases, accelerate drug discovery, detect fraud, improve transportation efficiency, improve customer service, protect our national security interests, and provide personalized education experiences.Not surprisingly, the parallel processing architecture that makes GPUs excel at training AI requires an immense amount of energy. Thats why, according to Goldman Sachs Research, the power usage of data centers will grow by 160% by 2030.Our country is at a critical inflection point. The surge in energy required to power GPUs presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The United States power grid and service modelsbuilt in the pre-AI eraare not equipped to meet this demand. Today, data centers only account for about 2% of U.S. power consumption. But as AI models grow, data center development will outpace how quickly new electrical energy supply and transmission can be built without a shift in strategy.Seize the AI momentThis moment marks an opportunity for utility providers, communities, and the technology industry to come together to turn AI into a source of long-term economic prosperity and growthrather than let it create a chasm.GenAI has the potential to transform the U.S. economy, with some estimating it could increase U.S. labor productivity by 0.5 to 0.9% annually. Investing in our AI infrastructure will ensure American communities can attract and retain highly skilled talent, while accelerating scientific advancements. As global powers invest in AI, the right infrastructure is also necessary to ensure our governments and communities can protect critical infrastructure.So how do we seize this opportunity? We need to rethink our approach to building infrastructure and delivering power.Today, electric utilities have a duty to serve demand as it comes. In laymans terms, that means anyone can say, Im building something over here and I need more power for it, and the utility has to add that request into their queue for service. That can be unfair when some customers are asking for massive amounts of power, which could impact the entire community.In some cases, speculative developers demand power in the early stages of a project, prompting utilities to plan and invest in infrastructure for a data center project without backing that may never come to fruition. These speculative developers operate under the assumption that they can put the pieces of the puzzle in place to later sell to a data center developer or operator, a prospect which may never transpire. When those projects fall through, the local community is left holding the bag.Build a more sustainable approachIts possible for data centers to access the energy they need without driving up energy costs for everyone. To achieve this, the industry needs to work with utilities in a collaborative way to close the gap between supply and demand. Data centers can and should take on more of the risk (and costs) of building infrastructure and transmission, which will require regulatory support.Data center developers generally have easier access to capital, fewer restrictions when it comes to buying land and faster decision-making capabilities than regulated utilities. That means, were able to contribute financially to the development of transmission lines and substations. Complex regulatory processes often stand in the way of this today.Paving the path for microgrids, which enable data centers go off grid power and even return power to the grid during peak demand periods, can turn data centers into a grid resource rather than a drain on supply.The path forwardAI represents unprecedented potential for human advancement. Whats always been done wont work in the era of AI and electric-everything. American utilities are going to need to invest $50 billion to build new generation capacity for data centers alone by 2030. To achieve this, energy leaders are going to need to think out of the box and explore ways to closely collaborate with industry.Its the only path forward for long-term, resilient growth and a more equitable AI-powered future.Chris Crosby is CEO of Compass Datacenters.

Think sound absorption/dampening and you automatically think of materials like foam, cardboard, cloth, egg-holder trays. A designer is encouraging us to think outside the box or rather, outside the ball. Designed by Mathilde Wittock of MWO Design, Soundbounce takes discarded tennis balls and transforms them into a material thats not just sustainable but visually and texturally delightful. Its sustainability turned into functional artmaking you rethink how something as humble as a tennis ball can turn into the ultimate sound-absorbing material.Soundbounce begins with used tennis balls, remnants of matches and memories, once destined for the landfill. The world produces 330 million tennis balls each year once they serve their purpose, the balls are discarded, taking over 400 years to decompose. Instead of becoming planet Earths problem, Wittock reimagines these balls into a material that retains their essencesoft yet durable, lightweight yet strong. You can almost sense the energy of their previous life in the surface of this material, now transformed into something tactile and inviting.Designer: Mathilde WittockThe texture of Soundbounce is immediately captivating. Soft and slightly springy, its reminiscent of the original ball yet feels entirely new. This is the kind of surface that invites interactionits warm to the touch, with a playfulness that balances its eco-conscious origins. Its imperfections arent flaws; theyre subtle reminders of the materials journey, adding depth and intrigue to its appearance. Moreover, rather than being just visual, this decorative material is textural and tactile too, involving more senses in the user experience. Heck, it might just smell like a fresh tennis ball too!Visually, the material has a velvety quality that feels unexpected for something made from recycled rubber. Its aesthetic is versatile, making it a compelling choice for a variety of applications. Picture it as upholstery on modern furniture, lending softness and personality to a space. Or imagine it as part of a design accentperhaps an acoustic panel, a room divider, or even a pet bed. The tactile and visual appeal makes Soundbounce both approachable and elegant, capable of elevating any setting its introduced into.Sustainability in design often comes with compromises. The raw, industrial look of recycled materials can sometimes overshadow their function, leaving them appreciated more for their message than their form. Soundbounce avoids that pitfall, showing that recycled materials can be both thoughtfully sustainable and visually refined. Its texture and color feel purposeful, celebrating its origins without overwhelming the final design. The balls also come in a variety of natural colors, with designer Mathilde Wittock also customizing the balls with RAL colors upon request making it perfect for billboards, corporate installations, or other large-scale branding projects.Its playful roots add another layer of charm. Theres something undeniably cheerful about its tennis ball heritagea connection to sport, movement, and energy that carries over into the material. That lighthearted quality makes Soundbounce adaptable. Whether in a sleek interior, a casual workspace, or a childs playroom, it has a way of blending in while adding its own story to the mix. Besides, the name Soundbounce perfectly captures the materials history (bouncy tennis balls) but simultaneously feels like a playful taunt given that this new material doesnt bounce sound in fact, it absorbs it!Pet owners, in particular, might find Soundbounce especially charming. Its soft, textured surface feels fantastic to the touchperfect for a pet bed or a chew-resistant toy. After all, what better way to give your furry friend a slice of luxury while being kind to the planet? Its as if Soundbounce is naturally tailored for the kind of practical, playful designs pets (and their humans) adore.Soundbounce is a versatile material that lends itself to a range of applications, from furniture and interior design to fashion accessories and pet products. Its soft, tactile surface makes it ideal for upholstery, adding both comfort and visual appeal to chairs, cushions, and benches. Designers can also use it for accent pieces like lampshades or wall panels, where its textured finish becomes a focal point. Beyond aesthetics, Soundbounce delivers a significant sustainable impact. Each square meter incorporates approximately 283 upcycled tennis balls, preventing them from entering landfills and repurposing the equivalent of 8.5 kg of CO2. By transforming waste into a functional, beautiful material, Soundbounce champions a circular approach to design, reducing environmental harm while creating meaningful products.The post This Underrated Sound-Absorbing Material uses Hundreds of Recycled Tennis Balls first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Dogwood is completely pushing the boundaries of a tiny home and maybe the largest weve seen. It occupies a floor space of 750 sq ft and was designed by Mustard Seed Tiny Homes. It is 52 feet long and 14 feet wide, bigger than the big tiny homes weve recently seen, like the duplex model TinyPlex. It is equipped with a trailer base and doesnt have any wheels. Although it doesnt seem like the type of home that can be towed, it is intended to be a static house. It would be appropriate to call it a prefab home, but it does take a lot of inspiration from a tiny home, and that is what the firm describes it as well.Designer: Mustard Seed Tiny HomesThe home is elegantly finished with engineered wood lap siding complemented by board and batten detailing, creating a harmonious blend of traditional and modern aesthetics. It is topped with a durable and sleek standing seam metal roof, adding to its contemporary appeal and longevity. You can enter the home through a set of charming French doors, which lead you into a spacious kitchen. This kitchen serves as the heart of the home, featuring a central island that doubles as a dining area. The kitchen is well-equipped with a large fridge/freezer, an oven and cooktop, a dishwasher, and a sink. It also offers abundant cabinetry, providing ample storage space for kitchen essentials and more.The living room is closely located, and it is furnished with a fireplace, as well as sufficient space for a sofa and chairs. It includes two downstairs bedrooms, which have been placed on opposite sides of the living area. The master bedroom also includes space for a double bed, closets, and an en-suite bathroom with a shower/bath, toilet, and sink. The bathroom can be separate as well, depending on how the home is configured and arranged.The second bedroom in the home is generously sized, offering ample space to accommodate a double bed and additional closets for storage. It also features an en-suite bathroom, complete with a shower, sink, and toilet. The thoughtfully designed tiny home also includes a laundry room. There is a loft area, accessible via a cleverly designed staircase that incorporates storage solutions within its structure.As expected, the loft has a low ceiling, but it can still be used for different things. It could serve as a cozy guest bedroom for visitors or be utilized as a storage area, ensuring the living areas are organized and clutter-free. This multi-functional design maximizes the use of space within the tiny house. The Dogwood is priced at aroundUS$200,000.The post This 52-Foot Residence Is The Biggest Tiny Home Weve Ever Seen first appeared on Yanko Design.

DeekSeeks chatbot with the R1 model is a stunning release from the Chinese startup. While its an innovation in training efficiency, hallucinations still run rampant.

Google said it would follow the Trump administration in renaming the Gulf of Mexico once the new name is updated in government sources.

Microsoft Exchange administratorsrunning versions older than March 2023 need to update or they wont get the latest security mitigations, says an expert.But, David Shipley added, even better advice is to shift quickly to the cloud-based Microsoft 365, which always has the latest patches.Running your own Exchange Server is really a bad idea in 2025, said Shipley, head of Canadian-based security awareness training provider Beauceron Security. Anyone not patched to the nines, to the latest standard [today], is asking for trouble.Shipley was commenting on last weeks caution from Microsoft that an older Office Configuration Service (OCS) certificate that verified automated downloaded Exchange Server mitigations is being deprecated. The new certificate, which is deployed by the Exchange Emergency Mitigation Service (EEMS), can only be read by servers running Exchange Server Cumulative Updates or Security Updates newer than March 2023.The Microsoft alert said, The EEMS running Exchange versionsolder thanMarch 2023 is not able to contact OCS tocheck for and download new mitigation definitions. You might see an event like the following event logged in the Application log of the server:Error, MSExchange Mitigation ServiceEvent ID: 1008An unexpected exception occurred.Diagnostic information: Exception encountered while fetching mitigations.In the alert, the company urged admins to take action, saying, If your servers are so much out of date [pre-March 2023], please update your serversASAP to secure your email workload and re-enable your Exchange server to check for EEMS rules.The Microsoft blog is alarming, said Andrew Grotto, a research scholar at Stanford Universitys Centre of International Security and Co-operation and the senior director for cybersecurity policy at the White House in both the Obama and Trump administrations. It shows how sticky [on-premises] Exchange is.Exchange mitigations are essentially hot fixes that plug holes, Shipley explained. Shifting to the software-as-a-service M365 doesnt solve all security problems for the email service, he acknowledged, but, he added, it does solve the problem of threat actors being able to exploit unpatched or aged versions of the server, because Microsoft installs fixes for Microsoft 365 as soon as it creates them.It isnt known how many organizations still run Exchange on-premises but Shipley said he knows at least one unnamed public service organization currently running Exchange 2013.Why do IT admins still have old versions of Exchange or any other software? One reason: To save money on expensive software and hardware updates, Shipley said.Legacy infrastructure is the most difficult addiction to kick, added Roger Cressey, a partner with US-based Liberty Group Ventures and formerly a senior vice-president at the Booz Allen Hamilton consultancy, where he supported the firms cybersecurity practice in the Middle East.Both men stressed that better security is one of the biggest reasons to move to the cloud. This is particularly true for Exchange. Its been hit by a number of vulnerabilities, including zero day holes. Arguably the most notorious were the vulnerabilities dubbed ProxyLogon, exploited in 2021 by a Chinese-based group called Hafnium. There was also a chain of vulnerabilities called ProxyShell.These issues led to the release in September 2021 of Exchange Server updates that included the EEMS, which applies mitigations to the servers until patches are developed.On-premises Exchange and not just older versions should be considered a legacy product, Johannes Ullrich, dean of research at the SANS Institute, said in an email to CSO. Support from Microsoft is decreasing, and the overall tendency at Microsoft is to push Exchange users to cloud offerings. There is probably no good reason to avoid this push and to migrate to cloud e-mail services as soon as possible. Exchange support is only going to decrease and patching will remain painful.Thus, said Cressey, Exchange admins should move to address the Microsoft warning.

Apple has publicly released macOS Sequoia 15.3, which brings with it new features and improvements, but also temporarily takes away certain notification summaries.Apple has publicly released the new macOS Sequoia 15.3 updateFollowing the release of macOS Sequoia 15.2 in December 2024 and several subsequent betas of its followup, version 15.3 is now the official macOS and will be preinstalled on new Macs. Among the changes are bug fixes for Genmoji, and a more behind-the-scenes fix for how third-party apps could use Apple's Writing Tools.Apple Intelligence now defaults to being on unless a user elects to turn it off. While that seems obvious, previously users had to specifically choose to download Apple Intelligence. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums