Posted on : May 30, 2025 By Tech World Times Marketing  Rate this post Precious metals are often seen as safe investments. Gold and silver help protect wealth during hard times. Many investors trust companies to manage these assets. One such company is Augusta Precious Metals. But lately, people are searching for Augusta Precious Metals lawsuit news. This has raised concern among investors. Is there a lawsuit? What are the facts? Should you be worried? Let’s explore the issue in simple terms. Who is Augusta Precious Metals? Augusta Precious Metals is a gold IRA company. It helps people invest in physical gold and silver. They mainly focus on retirement accounts. Investors can roll over 401(k)s into gold or silver IRAs. The company claims to offer transparency and top customer service. It has many good online reviews. But even good companies can face lawsuits. That’s why it is important to stay updated. Why Lawsuits Matter to Investors Lawsuits can damage a company’s reputation. They may also lead to large fines or business restrictions. For investors, this could mean a loss of trust. It may affect investment value or future services. So, checking legal records is a wise step before investing. Is There a Lawsuit Against Augusta Precious Metals? As of now, there is no major class-action lawsuit against Augusta Precious Metals. There are no public records of criminal charges or fraud against the company. Some blogs and forums mention negative experiences. These include delays or issues with transfers. But no legal body has confirmed serious wrongdoing. Most of the issues appear to be individual complaints. What Do Customer Reviews Say? Augusta Precious Metals has many positive reviews on trusted websites. On Better Business Bureau (BBB), it holds an A+ rating. This means it meets strong business standards. Customers praise the firm for being helpful and honest. Many say they had a smooth account setup. But a few people did raise concerns. Some said they didn’t fully understand the fees involved. Others reported minor delivery delays. These seem to be rare, not common. Always read terms before investing. This helps avoid confusion or surprise charges. Can These Complaints Turn Into a Lawsuit? It’s possible. If many customers face the same issue, they could file a class-action lawsuit. This type of lawsuit brings many similar complaints together. A lawyer can help decide if it’s valid. But as of now, there is no active class-action Augusta Precious Metals lawsuit. The company continues its operations and serves clients normally. How Can Investors Protect Themselves? Before investing, do some research. Here are a few steps you should follow: 1. Check the Company’s Reputation Look up ratings on trusted platforms like BBB and Trustpilot. Read both good and bad reviews. 2. Understand All Fees Ask for a clear breakdown of costs. Make sure you know what you are paying for. 3. Read the Fine Print Read all the terms and conditions. Look out for hidden fees or restrictions. 4. Talk to a Financial Advisor Get advice from a licensed expert. They can explain risks and help you decide wisely. 5. Keep Records Save all emails and documents. These can help if you ever face a dispute. What Is Augusta’s Response to Criticism? Augusta Precious Metals has responded to customer issues in the past. They try to resolve complaints quickly. They often contact unhappy clients and offer solutions. This shows good customer care. Most companies get a few complaints. What matters is how they respond to them. Augusta appears to take complaints seriously. That’s a good sign for new investors. Industry Competition and Lawsuits The gold IRA market is growing. Many companies compete for new clients. Some firms might spread false claims about others. This is called “smear marketing.” So, some “Augusta Precious Metals lawsuit” rumors could be false. Always check the source before believing anything. How to Verify Legal Claims If you hear about a lawsuit, check official sources. These include: PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) State Attorney General websites Better Business Bureau dispute records Don’t rely only on social media posts or forums. Always look for legal proof. Final Thoughts At this time, there is no major Augusta Precious Metals lawsuit on record. The company has good ratings and a strong customer base. Most complaints are minor and not legal cases. But it’s smart to stay alert. Do your research and stay updated on the news. No investment is risk-free. Even gold has ups and downs. But you can reduce risk by choosing a trusted company. So far, Augusta Precious Metals appears to be reliable. Keep watching official sources. Ask questions before investing. And always stay informed. That’s the best way to protect your hard-earned money. Tech World TimesTech World Times (TWT), a global collective focusing on the latest tech news and trends in blockchain, Fintech, Development & Testing, AI and Startups. If you are looking for the guest post then contact at techworldtimes@gmail.com

Bitkraft Ventures, an early-stage game investment firm, has added new leaders who will double down on Web3 gaming investments. Bitkraft, which raised its third fund in 2024 and has $1 billion in assets under management, announced promotions for Carlos Pereira and Jonathan Huang to general partner and partner, respectively, helping bolster their Web3 investment strategy and further committing to the blockchain segment of the gaming market. Additionally, Matt Halstead, former director of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (Texas Teachers) Investment Fund and an early Web3 investor, has joined the firm as a venture partner. Pereira has been instrumental to the growth of Bitkraft’s Web3 Strategy, which he has led since 2022. To date, Bitkraft has backed many category leaders at the intersection of interactive entertainment, tech and crypto. It has led rounds in Immutable, the gaming-dedicated blockchain; Eve Frontier, a new blockchain enabled game by the creators of the epic EVE Online; Karate Combat, a fast-growing tokenized MMA league with over 100 million monthly impressions; and, Mira, a 2025 CB Insights Top 100 company in AI building verification infrastructure that’s processing three billion tokens a day in support of 4.5 million users. It is a bold bet by Bitkraft — started by Jens Hilgers in Berlin — in part because the path to success in Web3 games has stretched out and mass market acceptance isn’t guaranteed, even as many crypto bets in non-gaming spaces have turned out to be better investments. Some gamers in the West have had an allergic reaction to Web3 and that has stalled efforts by the big game companies to adopt blockchain solutions. And about 93% of Web3 game startups have failed with their token launches. Still, Web3 game companies are hitting milestones and a number of big bets are still under way. Web3 game investments, accordingly, are starting to come back after hitting a trough (with scores of investments per quarter) — perhaps because U.S. President Donald Trump favors an unfettered crypto market. Why double down? Carlos Pereira has been appointed a general partner at Bitkraft Ventures. As the Web3 market matures, Bitkraft is doubling down on its thesis that blockchain-enabled digital rights, property, identity and economies will redefine gaming, creator monetization, anddigital experiences.I asked Pereira why Bitkraft is doubling down, given Web3 gaming’s challenges. He replied in a message to GamesBeat, “Because we think we have an edge in the category, not just in games but in consumer applications that increasingly lean on gamification and financialization as a generational trend.” He added, “Our numbers tell a compelling story: up to now we’ve been less than 5% of our category funding, and yet the quarter or so of our portolio companies that have a token represent almost half of the category’s overall market cap.” He said that an abundance of funding, if anything, is a leading indicator of compression of returns going forward as valuations get pushed up. To shy away from a category because it’s too contrarian or under-funded would be in a sense anti-VC. “The lack of mass market successes shouldn’t be a surprise considering the general time it takes to build hit games vs how long Web3 games have been investable, the general ‘hit rate’ of VC investments, and the fact that in Web3 you’ve had to build a game and figure out non-trivial distribution and infrastructure challenges that only really in the last year or two have gotten a jump in quality/capacity,” Pereira said. He noted there are several emerging examples of apps at a quality bar that is broadly competitive, for example Boxed in Bitkraft’s portfolio with almost $30 million in ARR, Cambria with high monetizing seasons that are deeply engaging to whales, Karate Combat with over 100 million monthly impressions and strong awareness in Web2, Mythical with its sports properties with high value partners and strong unit economics, and Gunzilla with strong daily active user retention. “Good things take time, but the direction of travel is clear,” Pereira said. Leadership backgrounds Bitkraft Ventures has $1 billion in assets under management. Huang joined Bitkraft in 2023 and brings a decade of experience across Web2 and Web3 investments out of Asia, including SEA Capital and Temasek, where Huang drove their Series G investment into Roblox. He focuses on consumer platforms, mobile studios and creator ecosystems across Asia, with an emphasis on next-generation user behavior, use-cases, and emerging monetization models that are reshaping the industry at scale. Huang’s elevation to partner helps strengthen Bitkraft’s position in Asia and reflects Bitkraft’s continued investment in the region’s potential as a global epicenter for innovation across both Web2 andWeb3.Halstead brings a rare blend of traditional asset management and Web3 experience to Bitkraft. As one of the first institutional investors in crypto, he spearheaded blockchain investment strategies for the Texas Teachers, an investment institution managing over $200 billion in assets. The firm believes his move to Bitkraft is a powerful endorsement of Web3 gaming’s legitimacy as an investable category—and a sign that seasoned institutional capital allocators are seeing real value in this space. Bitkraft launched its Web3 Gaming fund in 2021, which was a key catalyst in the firm’s evolution — expanding beyond Early Stage equity investing into new asset classes, emerging markets and diversified financing solutions broadly serving the Interactive Media industry. Since then, Bitkraft has grown to $1 billion in assets under management, welcomed a strategic minority investment from Blue Owl, and broadened its global reach last year with a new presence in India. Mythical Games is making FIFA Rivals under license from FIFA. “Web3 has unlocked new creative and economic models for developers, players, and communities, and Bitkraft has long been committed to its potential,” said Pereira, in a statement. “As we enter the next phase of growth, we are expanding our reach with experienced investors like Matt, whose institutional experience and deep roots in crypto can only strengthen our Web3 strategy. Matt isn’t just a respected investor, he’s a peer and a visionary in the space, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Bitkraft.” “Bitkraft has built a track record of Web3 successes across the US, Asia, and emerging markets,” said Huang, in a statement. “With blockchain adoption continuing to scale and new economic models proving sustainable, this is a pivotal moment to back the next generation of Web3 founders. We’re doubling down on our Web3 strategy to help build the future of gaming, digital assets, and interactive experiences.” “I joined Bitkraft because I believe their vision for Web3 isn’t just forward-thinking, it’s transformative,” said Halstead, in a statement. “Web3 has the power to bridge the digital and physical worlds, unlocking new experiences and economic models that put control back in the hands of creators and players.” He added, “Bitkraft doesn’t just invest in this future; they help build it as active participants, deeply embedded in Web3, gaming, and emerging technologies. This makes them the ideal partner for those shaping the next era of digital entertainment, and I’m excited to help them reach and support innovators in the space.”

The Obalende bus terminus is one of Lagos’s most important transport nodes and a ‘graveyard’ for old danfos, which in Yoruba means ‘hurry’. These yellow‑painted minibuses form the backbone of Lagos’s informal transport system and are mostly second‑hand imports from the global north. Located in the heart of Lagos Island, Obalende is one of the first areas to be developed east of the lagoon that splits Lagos into two main halves: the Island and the Mainland. It receives a large portion of urban commuters daily, especially those entering Lagos Island for work. Obalende plays a critical role in the cycle of material reuse across the city. The life of a danfo does not end at retirement; it continues through a vast network of informal markets and recyclers that sustain entire communities. Their metal parts are either repurposed to fix other buses or sold as scrap at markets such as Owode Onirin. Located about 25km away on the Lagos Mainland, Owode Onirin, which means ‘money iron market’ in Yoruba, is a major hub for recycled metals. Waste collectors scour the city’s demolition sites for brass and mild steel; they find copper, bronze and aluminium in discarded vehicles. These materials are then processed and sold to companies such as African Foundries and Nigerian Foundries, as well as to local smiths who transform them into building parts, moulds and decorative objects. Sorters, welders and artisans form the backbone of this circular micro‑economy. Their labour breathes new life into discarded matter.  Lagos has a State Waste Management Authority, but it is fraught with politicking and inefficient in managing the city’s complex waste cycle. In the absence of intelligent state strategies, it falls on people to engineer solutions. They add armatures, build networks and modulate the static thresholds and borders imposed by the state. Today, these techniques and intelligences, born out of scarcity, are collectively labelled ‘informality’, a term that flattens their ingenuity.  Across the streets of Obalende and around its central roundabout, kiosks and pop‑up shops dominate the landscape. Most are constructed from materials such as timber reclaimed from collapsed buildings or fallen fascias, along with salvaged tarpaulins. Stones and concrete blocks found at demolition sites are moulded into anchors using discarded plastic paint buckets, serving as bases for umbrellas offering relief from the scorching Lagos sun. To anticipate flash flooding, many structures are raised slightly above ground on short stilts. Space, which is in short supply, is creatively repurposed to serve different functions at various times of the day; a single location might host breakfast vendors in the morning, fruit sellers in the afternoon and medicine hawkers at night. Due to its proximity to the city centre, Obalende experiences constant population shifts. Most entering the city at this node have no means of livelihood and often become salvagers. Under the curling ends of the Third Mainland Bridge, for example, a community of migrants gathers, surviving by scavenging motor parts, sometimes from old danfos, zinc roofing sheets and other materials of meagre value. Discarded mattresses, bedding and mosquito nets are repurposed as shelter beneath the noisy overpass, which becomes both workplace and home. In the absence of supportive state frameworks, communities like those in Obalende create micro‑responses to urban precarity. Their fluid, multifunctional spaces are adaptive and resilient architectures resulting from necessity, survival and material intelligence.  ‘Informality as a way of life is inherently circular in its use of space and materials’ In Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria and one of the most populated in Africa, two thirds of the population live on less than US$1 a day, according to Amnesty International. This speaks not only to income levels but to multidimensional poverty. Unlike global cities such as Mumbai, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, where poorer demographics are largely confined to specific neighbourhoods at the margins, informality in Lagos is not peripheral but integral to how the city functions, defying the rigid thresholds and boundaries of formal urban planning.  Across Lagos, self‑sustaining circular economies flourish. Orile, a metal market located on the mainland, is one of the sites where discarded metals from sites in Lagos can be sold as part of a recycling system. Further out in the suburbs of Lagos, also on the mainland, is the Katangua Market, which is the biggest second‑hand clothes market in the city. In Nigeria’s largest hardware technology hub, Computer Village, just south of Lagos in Ikeja, used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE) is sold for parts. A TRT World report notes that about 18,300 tonnes of UEEE arrive in Nigeria annually – although the number varies in other studies to as much as 54,000 tonnes smuggled in – with the majority coming from Europe, closely followed by the US and China.  Computer Village evolved into a dense network of shops, stalls and kiosks between 1998 and 2000, just before Nigeria adopted early digital cellular network technology. The market sits just minutes from the local airport and the Ikeja High Court, but its edges are fluid, spilling out from the Ikeja Underbridge. Over time, formal plots have dissolved into an evolving mesh of trade; the streets are lined with kiosks and carts, built from repurposed plywood, corrugated metal and tarpaulin, that come and go. Space is not owned but claimed, temporarily held, sublet and reshuffled.  Today, Computer Village generates an estimated US$2 billion in annual revenue. Yet most of the shops lack permanence and are constantly at risk of demolition or displacement. In March this year, over 500 shops were demolished overnight at Owode Onirin; in 2023, shopping complexes at Computer Village were torn down in a similar way. The state has continuously announced plans to relocate Computer Village to Katangua Market, with demolition of parts of Katangua Market itself making way for the move in 2020. Urban development patterns in Lagos prioritise formal sectors while ignoring self‑organised makers and traders. This contributes to spatial exclusion, where such communities are often under threat of eviction and relocation.  Discarded devices eventually make their way to landfills. Olusosun, in the very heart of Lagos, is one of Africa’s largest landfills. Over 10,000 tonnes of waste are delivered daily, and more than 5,000 scavengers live and work here, sifting through an artificial mountain of refuse in search of value: aluminium, copper, plastic, cloth. The waste stream, enlarged by the influx of used hardware and fast fashion from the global north, creates both livelihood and hazard. Recent studies have shown that most of the residents in and around the site are exposed to harmful air conditions that affect their lungs. Additionally, the water conditions around the site show infiltration of toxic substances. Scavengers have lost their lives in the process of harvesting metals from discarded electronics.  More than a landfill, Olusosun is a stage for the politics of waste in the global south. Poor regulation enables the flow of unserviceable imports; widespread poverty creates demand for cheap, second‑hand goods. The result is a fragile, and at times dangerous, ecosystem where the absence of the state makes room for informal innovation, such as space reuse and temporary architecture, material upcycling and recycling. In Olusosun, metals are often extracted, crushed and smelted through dangerous processes like open burning. Copper and gold harvested from the ashes then make their way back into products and institutions, such as the insets of bronze or aluminium in a piece of furniture that might eventually travel back to the global north. In its usual fashion, the government has promised to decommission the Olusosun site, but little has been seen in terms of an effective plan to repurpose the site under the state’s so‑called ‘advanced waste treatment initiative’. Informality as a way of life is inherently circular in its use of space and materials. It embodies adaptability, resilience and an intuitive response to economic and environmental conditions. The self‑built infrastructures in Lagos reveal the creativity and resilience of communities navigating the challenges of urban life. Now is the time for designers, policymakers and community leaders to work together and rethink urban development in a way that is more sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people who make cities thrive. The question is not whether informal economies will continue to exist, but how they can be designed into wider city planning – making them part of the solution, not the problem. Featured in the May 2025 issue: Circularity Lead image: Olympia De Maismont / AFP / Getty 2025-05-30 Reuben J Brown Share

Capture d’écran du post Instagram de la vidéo du gouvernement, générée par IA, diffusée à l’occasion de la Journée de la résistance du 27 mai 2025. Elle a été dépubliée en raison d’une erreur historique dans la vidéo. INSTAGRAM - LE MONDE La vidéo dure moins de trente secondes. Mais elle a suffi à provoquer des dizaines de commentaires courroucés avant d’être retirée, du moins temporairement, des réseaux sociaux du gouvernement. Le 27 mai, à l’occasion de la Journée nationale de la Résistance, le SIG (service d’information du gouvernement) publiait sur les comptes Instagram et TikTok « @gouvernementfr » une vidéo à la gloire d’une résistante imaginaire. Des plateformes choisies pour toucher une audience jeune, alors que cette Journée nationale est notamment mise en avant auprès des collégiens et lycéens par le ministère de l’éducation nationale. La vidéo a été créée avec un logiciel de génération de contenus par intelligence artificielle (IA), comme le signalait le petit panneau d’avertissement « Notice sur l’IA », apposé par Instagram. On y voit une femme distribuer un journal clandestin pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, puis se faire capturer, avant de célébrer la libération de Paris en 1944. Des scènes inspirées par le témoignage de la résistante Madeleine Riffaud, rapportent les équipes du SIG au Monde. Problème : au moins une erreur historique flagrante était visible dans la réalisation, avec la présence d’un soldat dont le casque rappelle celui des Allemands aux côtés de membres de la Résistante en liesse. « Vous avez remarqué que le soldat qui fête la libération a un casque allemand… Non sérieux si vous voulez utiliser l’IA faites-le correctement », notait un commentaire Instagram avant que la vidéo ne soit supprimée, prouvant que la vidéo prêtait à confusion pour ses spectateurs. Le film IA a été sauvegardé par des internautes, et reste visible sur d’autres plateformes, comme Bluesky. Le gouvernement a supprimé ses publications. Mais la vidéo a été sauvegardée. La voici.— Marme & lade 🌱 (@marmelade.bsky.social) 2025-05-28T09:29:33.184Z Des vidéos virales historiques sur TikTok Le titre de la vidéo – « POV : tu es une femme résistante de la seconde guerre » – témoigne d’une volonté manifeste de reprendre les codes d’une tendance virale précise, celle des « POV Time Travelers » (« point de vue de voyageurs du temps »), populaire notamment sur TikTok. De telles vidéos résument à grands traits des événements historiques ou des biographies de personnages célèbres : les images générées par IA servent à reconstituer grossièrement certaines étapes-clés. C’est ainsi que des utilisateurs de TikTok ont imaginé des biographies parfois approximatives de Jacques Chirac, d’Emmanuel Macron ou de Marine Le Pen illustrées par IA. Le compte « @timetravellerpov » rassemble, lui, près de 600 000 abonnés avec des vidéos pouvant générer des dizaines de millions de vues, réimaginant les dernières heures du Titanic ou la vie quotidienne en 1351 pendant la peste noire. La tendance inquiète certains historiens, notait la radio Le Mouv’ en mars, en raison des erreurs et des anachronismes qui parcourent ces productions. Le médiéviste William Blanc, sur le réseau social Bluesky, a décortiqué une vidéo dédiée à la vie de Jeanne d’Arc générée par IA et percluse d’erreurs (présence d’un drapeau bleu, blanc, rouge, de soldats de la première guerre mondiale…). Il conseillait de se « méfier comme de la peste » de telles vidéos, « qui peuvent appuyer des discours faux historiquement » tout en captant l’attention avec des mises en scènes accrocheuses ou confirmant des clichés historiques. S’inscrire dans les tendances sur l’IA Sur Instagram, la plupart des commentaires sous la vidéo du 27 mai s’indignaient surtout du procédé, alors que l’utilisation de l’IA dans la production de contenus en ligne est perçue comme une menace par de nombreux artistes. « Payer des artistes ? Non ! Contribuer à la course polluante de l’IA ? YAY », ironisait un utilisateur. « Où sont les images d’époque avec des noms de résistantes ? Au lieu de faire de l’IA, faites de l’histoire ! », reprochait également un autre abonné. Le SIG assume cependant totalement avoir usé d’IA pour produire ce contenu. « Les équipes ont au quotidien l’enjeu d’adapter les contenus et les formes de narration aux nouveaux usages des audiences, notamment sur les réseaux sociaux », commente Michaël Nathan, directeur du SIG, auprès du Monde.« POV : tu es une femme le 29 avril 1945, et tu vas voter pour la première fois ») avait d’ailleurs déjà été publiée sur le compte TikTok du gouvernement le 29 avril. Le Monde Le SIG prévoit d’ailleurs de republier la vidéo de la résistante générée par IA, une fois des corrections apportées. Michaël Nathan précise que « les outils d’IA ne sont jamais utilisés seuls et chaque script est préparé et validé par des agents, ministères et spécialistes, à partir d’éléments fiables et sourcés. La traduction visuelle du script n’a en revanche pas fait l’objet d’un visionnage par ces derniers, mais la nouvelle version qui sera publiée a été vérifiée par des historiens de la Fondation de la Résistance ». Le SIG explique par ailleurs avoir par le passé beaucoup travaillé sur des contenus diffusés en ligne à partir d’archives de la Résistance française. « Afin d’informer le grand public sur des épisodes historiques, nous avons très fréquemment recours à des vidéos d’archives avec l’appui de l’INA mais aussi en allant à la rencontre des Français en recueillant de nombreux témoignages », tient à rappeler Michaël Nathan. Réutiliser ce contenu

Home You Can Now Make AI Videos with Audio Thanks to Veo3: A New Era of Scams Await News You Can Now Make AI Videos with Audio Thanks to Veo3: A New Era of Scams Await 6 min read Published: May 27, 2025 Key Takeaways With Google’s Veo3, you can now render AI videos, audio, and background sounds. This would also make it easy for scammers to design deepfake scams to defraud innocent citizens. Users need to exercise self-vigilance to protect themselves. Developers’ responsibilities and government regulations will also play a key part. Google recently launched Veo3, an AI tool that lets you create videos with audio, including background tracks and various sound effects. Until recently, you could either use voice cloning apps to build AI voices or video rendering apps to generate AI videos. However, thanks to Veo3, folks can now create entire videos with audio. While this is an exciting development, we can’t help but think how easy it would be for scammers and swindlers to use Veo3’s videos to scam people. A video posted by a user on Threads shows a TV anchor breaking the news that ‘Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has died after drinking an entire litre of vodka on a dare by RFK.’ At first glance, the video is extremely convincing, and chances are that quite a few people might have believed it. After all, the quality is that of a professional news studio with a background of the Pentagon. Another user named Ari Kuschnir posted a 1-minute 16-second video on Reddit showing various characters in different settings talking to each other in various accents. The facial expressions are very close to those of a real human. A user commented, ‘Wow. The things that are coming. Gonna be wild!’ The ‘wild’ part is that the gap between reality and AI-generated content is closing daily. And remember, this is only the first version of this brand-new technology – things will only get worse (worse) from here. New AI Age for Scammers With the development of generative AI, we have already seen countless examples of people losing millions to such scams.  For example, in January 2024, an employee of a Hong Kong firm sent $25M to fraudsters who convinced the employee that she was talking to the CFO of the firm on a video call. Deloitte’s Center for Financial Services has predicted that generative AI could lead to a loss of $40B in the US alone by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 32%. Until now, scammers also had to take the effort of generating audio and video separately and syncing them to compile a ‘believable’ video. However, advanced AI tools like Veo3 make it easier for bad actors to catch innocent people off guard. In what is called the internet’s biggest scam so far, an 82-year-old retiree, Steve Beauchamp, lost $690,000 after he invested his retirement savings in an investment scheme. The AI-generated video showed Elon Musk talking about this investment and how everyone looking to make money should invest in the scheme. In January 2024, sexually explicit images of Taylor Swift were spread on social media, drawing a lot of legislative attention to the matter. Now, imagine what these scammers can do with Veo3-like technology. Making deepfake porn would become easier and faster, leading to a lot of extortion cases. It’s worth noting, though, that we’re not saying that Veo3 specifically will be used for such criminal activities because they have several safeguards in place. However, now that Veo3 has shown the path, other similar products might be developed for malicious use cases. How to Protect Yourself Protection against AI-generated content is a multifaceted approach involving three key pillars: self-vigilance, developers’ responsibilities, and government regulations. Self Vigilance Well, it’s not entirely impossible to figure out which video is made via AI and which is genuine. Sure, AI has grown leaps and bounds in the last two years, and we have something as advanced as Veo3. However, there are still a few telltale signs of an AI-generated video.  The biggest giveaway is the lip sync. If you see a video of someone speaking, pay close attention to their lips. The audio in most cases will be out of sync by a few milliseconds. The voice, in most cases, will also sound robotic or flat. The tone and pitch might be inconsistent without any natural breathing sounds. We also recommend that you only trust official sources of information and not any random video you find while scrolling Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. For example, if you see Elon Musk promoting an investment scheme, look for the official page or website of that scheme and dig deeper to find out who the actual promoters are.  You will not find anything reliable or trustworthy in the process. This exercise takes only a couple of minutes but can end up saving thousands of dollars. Developer’s Responsibilities AI developers are also responsible for ensuring their products cannot be misused for scams, extortion, and misinformation. For example, Veo3 blocks prompts that violate responsible AI guidelines, such as those involving politicians or violent acts.  Google has also developed its SynthID watermarking system, which watermarks content generated using Google’s AI tools. People can use the SynthID Detector to verify if a particular content was generated using AI. However, these safeguards are currently limited to Google’s products as of now. There’s a need for similar, if not better, prevention systems moving forward. Government Regulations Lastly, the government needs to play a crucial role in regulating the use of artificial intelligence. For example, the EU has already passed the AI Act, with enforcement beginning in 2025. Under this, companies must undergo stringent documentation, transparency, and oversight standards for all high-risk AI systems.  Even in the US, several laws are under proposal. For instance, the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act would require AI-generated content that shows any person to include a clear disclaimer stating that it is a deepfake. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in September 2023 and is currently under consideration.  Similarly, the REAL Political Advertisements Act would require political ads that contain AI content to include a similar disclaimer. That said, we are still only in the early stages of formulating legislation to regulate AI content. With time, as more sophisticated and advanced artificial intelligence tools develop, lawmakers must also be proactive in ensuring digital safety. Krishi is a seasoned tech journalist with over four years of experience writing about PC hardware, consumer technology, and artificial intelligence.  Clarity and accessibility are at the core of Krishi’s writing style. He believes technology writing should empower readers—not confuse them—and he’s committed to ensuring his content is always easy to understand without sacrificing accuracy or depth. Over the years, Krishi has contributed to some of the most reputable names in the industry, including Techopedia, TechRadar, and Tom’s Guide. A man of many talents, Krishi has also proven his mettle as a crypto writer, tackling complex topics with both ease and zeal. His work spans various formats—from in-depth explainers and news coverage to feature pieces and buying guides.  Behind the scenes, Krishi operates from a dual-monitor setup (including a 29-inch LG UltraWide) that’s always buzzing with news feeds, technical documentation, and research notes, as well as the occasional gaming sessions that keep him fresh.  Krishi thrives on staying current, always ready to dive into the latest announcements, industry shifts, and their far-reaching impacts.  When he's not deep into research on the latest PC hardware news, Krishi would love to chat with you about day trading and the financial markets—oh! And cricket, as well. View all articles by Krishi Chowdhary Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors. More from News View all News OpenAI Academy – A New Beginning in AI Learning Krishi Chowdhary 44 minutes ago View all

May 28, 20257 min readWhy Is NASA Shuttering This Iconic Institute in New York City?Since 1966 NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies has been at the forefront of Earth and planetary science from its location in upper Manhattan. Now a Trump administration directive is ejecting its scientists to parts unknownBy Christopher Cokinos edited by Lee BillingsPhoto of the building housing NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, at the corner of Broadway and West 112th Street in New York City. Cirofono via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)In the early 1980s, then real estate developer Donald Trump famously tried to evict a group of New York City residents from a rent-controlled building that he wanted to replace with a luxury high-rise. The tenants eventually beat back the plan.Today President Trump is having more luck with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).Ensconced on six floors of a building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, GISS has been a small-but-mighty source of world-changing scientific research for more than a half-century. NASA scientists first moved into the building, which another federal agency leases from GISS’s institutional partner, Columbia University, in 1966. Last month, at the behest of the Trump administration, NASA officials told GISS it had to move out before the end of May. In response, more than 100 staffers have abandoned the facility, leaving its tastefully decorated halls and offices littered with boxes, papers and packing tape.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Although it may be best known to the public indirectly (its building often appeared in the hit sitcom Seinfeld as the site of “Monk’s Café”), GISS has been a leader in Earth science and climate research for decades. The work within its halls was crucial for sparking broader public awareness of anthropogenic climate change in the 1980s and has contributed to cutting-edge weather forecasting and multiple interplanetary missions, as well as the underpinnings of the past, present, and future habitability of Earth and other worlds.Yet now that rich legacy and prospects for further breakthrough research are at risk, GISS personnel say, jeopardized by the White House’s demands for notionally better government efficiency. Ironically, however, the effective eviction of GISS may well result in more costs to taxpayers rather than less.A Federal Mandate to “Institutionally Couch Surf”GISS itself has not been disbanded. But without a physical home and under the looming threat of a White House–proposed 50 percent cut to the entirety of NASA’s science for the 2026 federal fiscal year, the Institute’s future can only be called uncertain. Many of its staff are now operating as academic nomads—working remotely and scrambling to secure office space at other locations in the city.“We’re being told to institutionally couch surf,” says one senior GISS researcher, who, like many others in this story, asked not to be identified because of the possibility of reprisal.In April Makenzie Lystrup, director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which technically includes GISS, e-mailed GISS personnel about the eviction, explaining it was part of White House efforts to review government leases.Sources familiar with the situation, however, tell Scientific American the termination was specifically set in motion earlier this spring by an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service (a newly minted federal entity that was, until recently, led by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk). That employee, the sources say, approached NASA administrators, who ultimately agreed to the move out of fear of losing their jobs.A GISS scientist recounts the sudden events: “On Wednesday afternoon of April 23, NASA GISS workers were informed that there would be an all-hands Thursday morning meeting (the next day) with folks from HQ ... the topic of which was not mentioned,” the scientist says. “The next morning, we were promptly told ... the decision was made to vacate our building by the end of May and that the decision was made as part of a broader DOGE assessment of federal leased spaces. They also mentioned that this decision was made by NASA within just a few days.” According to this scientist, the move deadline changed several times. This account is supported by others who spoke to Scientific American.Multiple GISS personnel consulted for this story say there will be no cost savings because the $3-million-per-year lease on the space remains in place through 2031. That lease is between Columbia and the General Services Administration (GSA), a federal agency that is tasked with providing workspace for some governmental employees. Even if a new tenant is found, the lease is likely to remain in force because terminating it will result in major financial penalties per the leasing agreement. The lease, they say, is about half the current commercial rate in New York City, and for now, the GSA continues to pay rent.“Columbia is fully committed to our longstanding collaboration with NASA and the scientific research at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies,” said Millie Wert, a spokesperson for the university, when reached for comment for this article.The suddenness of the move has stunned GISS researchers and personnel, one of whom calls the decision “idiocy.”“One hundred and thirty scientists must move all their books and office equipment,” the senior researcher told Scientific American shortly after GISS received the eviction notice. “A library and $400,000 in tech must be moved out. We also have historical items here: Where are we supposed to put them?” Much of this material is reportedly going into storage at warehouse space in New Jersey.Another staffer adds that “we have no information about what will be discarded.... Ironically, many of us decided not to accept new furniture [recently] because our existing 1950s furniture is perfectly good—and that would save the taxpayer money.”As GISS employees packed their belongings, they saw workers dismantling a recently renovated conference room and a brand-new security system, according to documents obtained by Scientific American from the departing staff. The documents also note that computers and servers are “at risk of damage while being moved in haste.”Two protest letters against the eviction that were sent from the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE) to particular congressional representatives and senators, respectively, noted that a recent renovation of GISS is nearly complete at a cost of more than $6 million. In the letter to members of the House of Representatives, IFPTE called the dispersal of staff and equipment “blatantly wasteful financially.”An Institutional “Diaspora”GISS is globally renowned for tracking and predicting climate conditions with GISTEMP (GISS Surface Temperature Analysis), along with other datasets and modeling that involve planetary science beyond Earth and that are focused on weather, fire and agriculture on our world. GISS also has played roles in missions across the solar system, the discovery of the big bang’s all-sky afterglow, and more.According to firebrand climate researcher and former GISS director James Hansen, now retired from NASA, the institute was deliberately located in New York City because physicist Robert Jastrow, its founder, wanted a NASA center that was not a closed campus. Being in the heart of a city with academia and industry outside the door has been an asset to GISS, according to Hansen and others. The process of developing GISS began modestly, with “Jastrow ... interviewing people in an office over a furniture store in Silver Spring, Md.,” Hansen says. “The ‘GISS Formula’ ... was to have a minimum government staff, which allowed the research focus to change with time as the need dictated.”One such focus was the high levels of carbon dioxide on Venus, which Hansen was studying decades ago. That led to his trailblazing work on what was then called “the greenhouse effect,” including his famous testimony before Congress on human-driven climate change in 1988.Climate modeling, says a different senior GISS researcher, “is what drove the development of supercomputing, [and] we continue to use the same Earth climate modeling to understand Venus and Mars and constrain their potential habitability.” From climate feedback loops to ocean heat transport, GISS is at the center of important science, its researchers say.But the GISS dispersal, along with other disruptions, such as frozen grants and proposed science budget cuts at NASA, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among other agencies, “represent a monumental step backwards,” a GISS scientist says, “not just for understanding a climate that will still change due to human activities ... but also for operational weather prediction that saves lives due to forecast and warnings, pollution and contamination assessments.”GISS’s current director Gavin Schmidt tells Scientific American that “the issue of whether to do something with the GISS lease goes back a year or two due to a shift in how these things are paid for at NASA.... [The agency] commissioned an external panel to look at [this], and they concluded (last year) that the status quo was the most efficient plan. I am not privy to who decided to raise that idea again in recent weeks.”Other GISS researchers complain that, to their knowledge, no administrators above Schmidt went to bat for keeping the institute in its building.“I think there was pushback initially at HQ,” Schmidt says, “but by the time we were told at GISS, it was a done deal.”Concerns now include the lack of in-person interaction and a general loss of support for postdoctoral researchers. “It’s pretty dire,” one scientist says.“I’m now watching people who have dedicated their entire careers to understanding the most pressing issues of our time deciding whether they might have to leave the place they’ve built their life around,” says Alessandra Quigley, an early-career scientist, who is affiliated with GISS. “This is the only positive takeaway I can find: the fact this administration cares so much about ending climate science just demonstrates how important [this science] is, and I hope the public comes to see that, too.”While Lystrup called GISS’s work “critical” and promised support during the transition in her e-mail, which was obtained by Scientific American , Schmidt says that “people are shell-shocked and anxious—and that is not conducive to doing high-quality science.”He adds that “we will nonetheless push through and try and make the GISS diaspora function as well as it can. We have been contacted with many offers to help.”Asked for comment by Scientific American, a NASA spokesperson referred to the situation as “part of the administration’s government-wide review of leases to increase efficiency.” While NASA “seeks and evaluates options for a new space for the GISS team,” the spokesperson added, the institute’s work remains “significant” and “critical.”But at least one GISS researcher isn’t convinced. Angry that the agency didn’t do more to stop the eviction and even had tasked officials with frequent check-ins to ensure the move was underway, the researcher says, simply, “NASA is the new thug.”

Job Title: Renewals ManagerLocation: Remote U.S.Department: Customer Success / Sales Operations / Revenue ManagementReports To: SVP of Sales & MarketingEmployment Type: Full-timeJob Summary:We are seeking a proactive and strategic Renewals Manager to lead our contract renewal efforts across enterprise and mid-market customers in the data storage industry. In this role, you will be responsible for driving renewals performance, minimizing churn, and ensuring a seamless customer experience at the end of each subscription or support term. You’ll collaborate across sales, customer success, and product teams to ensure high customer retention and long-term contract value in a rapidly evolving storage and data infrastructure environment.Key Responsibilities:Renewals Strategy & Execution: Own and manage the global renewals process for support contracts, ensuring timely and accurate renewal quotes, proposals, and negotiations.Customer Retention: Proactively engage with existing customers to drive successful contract extensions, upselling opportunities (e.g., expanded storage capacity, enhanced support tiers), and maintain high retention and Net Revenue Retention (NRR) rates.Forecasting & Reporting: Deliver accurate and data-driven renewal forecasts to executive leadership; track key metrics such as churn, renewal rate, and renewal velocity.Process Optimization: Standardize and scale global renewals workflows, leveraging automation tools and CRM systems to improve efficiency and visibility.Contract Management: Ensure all renewal terms align with business policies and customer entitlements; manage complex global accounts with multiple storage deployments and support contracts.Customer Advocacy: Act as a customer champion during the renewal cycle, ensuring that feedback and technical requirements are communicated internally to help inform roadmap and service improvements.Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, or related field5+ years of experience in a renewals, account management, or customer success role in the data storage, enterprise IT, or SaaS industry.Proficient in Microsoft Excel to create and manage client quotes with accuracy and efficiency.Attention to detail is critical—this role requires thorough system checks and meticulous review of all work to maintain accuracy and consistency.Understanding of storage technologies, support SLAs, and subscription-based business models.Strong negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.Proficient in CRM and renewals platforms (Salesforce, Gainsight, Clari, CPQ tools). NetSuite knowledge would be helpful.Experience managing renewals globally across time zones and regions (e.g., North America, EMEA, APAC).Preferred Skills:Familiarity with hybrid cloud storage, object storage, and data backup/archive solutions.Experience with channel partners or distributor-led renewal programs.Ability to analyze complex contracts and identify upsell/cross-sell opportunities.What We Offer:Competitive compensation and performance bonusesHealth, dental, vision, and 401(k) or retirement planRemote work environmentExposure to cutting-edge data storage technologiesInclusive and collaborative company cultureJoin us to ensure our customers never miss a byte.Be a key player in powering the world’s most critical data infrastructures. Apply today.

Giant Sloths the Size of Elephants Once Walked Along the Ground. Here’s How the Massive Animals Evolved and Declined Researchers analyzed fossils and DNA to get a big-picture view of sloth evolution and determine what drove their immense size variation Researchers revealed that differences in sloth habitats drove the wide variation in size seen in extinct species. Diego Barletta Today, sloths are slow-moving, tree-dwelling creatures that live in Central and South America and can grow up to 2.5 feet long. Thousands of years ago, however, some sloths walked along the ground, weighed around 8,000 pounds and were as big as Asian elephants. Some of these now-extinct species were “like grizzly bears, but five times larger,” as Rachel Narducci, collection manager of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, says in a statement. In a study published last week in the journal Science, Narducci and her colleagues studied ancient and modern sloth DNA along with more than 400 sloth fossils to shed light on the shocking differences in their ancient sizes—from the elephant-sized Megatherium ground sloth to its 14-pound relatives living in trees. While it’s clear that tree-dwelling lifestyles necessitate small bodies, scientists weren’t sure why ground sloths specifically demonstrated such vast size diversity. To investigate this, the team used their genetic and fossil analyses to reconstruct a sloth tree of life that reaches back to the animals’ emergence more than 35 million years ago. They integrated data on sloths’ habitats, diets and mobility that had been gathered in previous research. With a computer model, they processed this information, which ultimately indicated that sloths’ size diversity was mostly driven by their habitats and climates. “When we look at what comes out in the literature, a lot of it is description of individual finds, or new taxa,” Greg McDonald, a retired regional paleontologist with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management who was not involved with the study, tells Science News’ Carolyn Gramling. The new work is “more holistic in terms of looking at a long-term pattern. Often, we don’t get a chance to step back and get the big picture of what’s going on.” The big picture suggests that since the emergence of the oldest known sloths—ground animals around the size of a Great Dane—the creatures evolved into and out of tree living a number of times. Around 14 million to 16 million years ago, however, a time of global warming called the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum pushed sloths to become smaller, which is a known way for animals to respond to heat stress. Warmer temperatures might have also seen more rain, which would have created more forest habitats ideal for tree-dwelling sloths. Around a million years later, however, ground sloths grew bigger as the planet’s temperature cooled. “Gigantism is more closely associated with cold and dry climates,” Daniel Casali, a co-author of the paper and a researcher of mammalian evolution at the University of São Paulo, tells New Scientist’s Jake Buehler. A larger body mass would have helped the animals traverse environments with few resources more efficiently, Narducci says in the statement. In fact, these large ground sloths spread out across diverse habitats and thrived in different regions. The aquatic sloth Thalassocnus even evolved marine adaptations similar to manatees. Ground sloths achieved their greatest size during the last ice age—right before starting to disappear around 15,000 years ago. Given that humans arrived in North America around the same time (though recent research indicates they may have arrived as far back as 20,000 years ago), some scientists say humans are the obvious cause of the sloths’ demise. While tree-dwelling sloths were out of reach to our ancestors, the large and slow ground animals would have made easy targets. Even still, two species of tree sloths in the Caribbean disappeared around 4,500 years ago—also shortly after humans first arrived in the region, according to the statement. While the study joins a host of research indicating that humans drove various large Ice Age animals to extinction, “in science, we need several lines of evidence to reinforce our hypotheses, especially in unresolved and highly debated issues such as the extinction of megafauna,” says Thaís Rabito Pansani, a paleontologist from the University of New Mexico who did not participate in the study, to New Scientist. The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently recognizes seven—following a recent species discovery—and three are endangered. As such, “one take-home message is that we need to act now to avoid a total extinction of the group,” says lead author Alberto Boscaini, a vertebrate paleontologist from the University of Buenos Aires, to the BBC’s Helen Briggs. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

As concerns around the economy have risen in the US, the number of full-time employees doing side work or gig jobs has reached record highs. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 8.9 million Americans, or 5.4% of the civilian workforce, now hold more than one job, an all-time high. A new survey by global HR tech firm Remote placed the percentage of those working more than one job even higher. The survey of 2,000 full-time, desk-based US employees revealed that 18% have already taken on a second job or side hustle, and another 57% are considering one. The survey also found that only 17% of full-time office workers say their employer is giving them the resources and support they need to feel stable and motivated at work. Additionally, 79% of those surveyed by Remote indicated that they’re more concerned about the economic direction of the nation compared to last year. The top concerns driving those sentiments include retirement savings and financial preparedness (60%), followed by layoffs (45%) and job security (44%). Side gigs more common, but problems remain Gig workers, earning through short-term, flexible jobs via apps or platforms, are in high demand, according to career site JobLeads. JobLeads analyzed data from the Online Labour Observatory and the World Bank Group to reveal the countries dominating online gig work. The United States is leading in the number of online freelancers, with 28% of the global online freelance market. Software and tech roles dominate in the US, representing 36.4% of freelancers, followed by creative/multimedia (21.1%) and clerical/data entry jobs (18.2%). Emily Rose McRae, a senior director analyst at Gartner Research, said a new normal has emerged within organizations where employees working side gigs isn’t necessarily considered a problem. Prior to the pandemic in 2020, employers were much more sensitive to employees performing work for secondary companies. The real issue isn’t fraud — it’s poor performance, McRae said. If someone isn’t meeting expectations and it goes unnoticed, that’s a failure of management, not the fact that they have two jobs. “[Employers] are actually saying, ‘Well, if this starts to be a problem, let me know,’” she said. “You have to more actively manage the issue, instead of trying to prevent the problem.” Another issue with side gigs: “What if they’re doing a side hustle where they do work as a contractor that’s quite similar to the work they do for you as an employer?” McRae asked. “What if they’re doing it for a competitor? Where is the line there in terms of what you are comfortable having shared and not shared?” The other problem that has arisen is workers contracting out their jobs to cheap overseas labor — a practice known as “shadow stand-ins.” This trend has gained traction with the rise of remote work and online platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. To address these concerns, organizations should be actively monitoring their employees to ensure they’re holding to work standards and not burning out due to their self-imposed workloads across multiple gigs, McRae said. The bottom line is they need to not only pay attention to potential employees during the hiring process but continue to check in on employees regularly once they’re on board. “At a minimum, they need to pay much more active attention to potential intellectual property and other international informational security issues, and it also requires that managers be a little bit more attentive,” she said. Stress is up Remote’s survey also showed that 62% of those surveyed reported higher work-related stress than a year ago. Motivation is an issue as well: just 24% describe themselves as ‘very motivated’ at work, 31% say they are only slightly motivated, and 8% report being not at all motivated. “People are showing up, doing the work, and carrying real pressure, but the data shows they’re not hearing directly from leadership, and they’re not seeing action that matches the moment,” said Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at Remote. “That gap doesn’t close with simple perks or surface-level fixes. It takes real attention and follow-through.” According to Remote, employers need to acknowledge and accommodate employees’ lives outside work. By doing so, companies can better retain talent, while also expanding the talent pool to potential employees who can’t meet the rigid requirements of a traditional 9-5, fully in-office job. Employers should also: Prioritize regular, transparent communication about business performance and future plans.  Offer development pathways and mentorship to help employees grow and adapt. The ability to chart a clear path forward can make employees feel more secure in their role.  Check in on financial wellness and offer support (e.g., planning resources, education, or benefits) where possible.  Create a space for honest feedback, especially when the conversations are likely to feel tough. “The findings serve as a reminder that people-first leadership isn’t about guesswork; it’s about listening, responding, and proactively creating environments where employees can maintain stability and productivity even in uncertain times,” Matthews said.

Mark Whaling and a crew raced up and down a hill in a tanker truck as they battled a wildfire in Los Angeles County, scrambling to get water from a street hydrant in time to stay ahead of flames moving up a ridge. A helicopter flew in to drop water, but it had to fly a long distance to refill—and a fire that might have been stopped went on to destroy homes. As they fought that early 2000s blaze, Whaling says, he spotted a sealed, million-gallon water tank nearby that firefighters had no way of accessing. He thought that was ridiculous. “We don’t tell fire engines, ‘Protect the city and go find your own water.’ We put fire hydrants every 600 feet all around cities,” said Whaling, who has since retired from the county fire department. “But when it comes to the helicopters, we weren’t supporting them as robustly as we should.” His frustration sparked an idea: the Heli-Hydrant, a relatively small, open tank that can be rapidly filled with water, enabling helicopters to fill up faster for urban fires rather than flying to sometimes distant lakes or ponds. As wildfires become more frequent, Whaling’s invention is getting the attention of officials eager to boost preparedness. First used for the 2020 Blue Ridge Fire in Yorba Linda, 10 Heli-Hydrants have been built across Southern California and 16 more are in progress, according to Whaling. Helicopters are essential for firefighting. They can drop 1,000 gallons (about 3,785 liters) of water at once—some much more. That is far more than hoses can get on a fire all at once, and can be the best way to attack fires that are difficult for ground crews to reach. But pilots sometimes have to fly a long way to scoop up water. And in drought-prone areas, natural sources can sometimes dry up or diminish, so they’re hard to draw from. In Southern California’s Riverside County, helicopters have had to fly up to 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) to find water, eating critical time from battling fires. An innovative solution On a remote plot in the Southern California town of Cabazon, contractor Glenn Chavez stood on a ladder and peered into an empty Heli-Hydrant. A radio in hand, he clicked a button to activate the system and watched as water roared into the tank. In about six minutes, it filled with 8,500 gallons (32,176 liters). Chavez, a general contractor, was testing the Cabazon Water District’s latest investment—a second Heli-Hydrant that local officials are counting on to help protect the town. At $300,000, it cost slightly less than the average price of a single home in Cabazon. “Living in a beautiful desert community, you’re going to have risks of fire,” said Michael Pollack, the district’s general manager. “And to have these Heli-Hydrants is a major advantage. People will have a little bit of comfort knowing that they have another tool for fighting fires in their community.” Pilots can remotely activate the tanks from half a mile away, with the tank typically filling quickly from a city’s water system. Helicopters can fill up in less than a minute. Once it’s activated, solar panels and backup batteries ensure the system can still be used during power outages. And at night, lights from the tank and a tower nearby guide pilots toward it. In November, fire responders in San Diego put the product to the test when the 48-acre Garden Fire in Fallbrook, a community known for its avocado groves, prompted evacuation orders and warnings. Helicopters tapped the tank nearly 40 times. Pilot Ben Brown said its proximity to the fire saved not just time but fuel. “They’re great for when you don’t have other water sources,” he said. “The more dip sites, especially in some of the more arid environments in the county, the better.” But they don’t always help Heli-Hydrants have raised some concerns about their placement in urban areas where houses, buildings, and power lines can be obstacles to flight and they might have to squeeze into tighter spaces. In those cases, firefighters may choose to fly farther to a natural source that gives the helicopter more room, said Warren Voth, a deputy pilot with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. A pilot’s goal is to always to face the wind while entering and exiting an area, for safety, and they need room to accomplish that. In some cases, the municipal systems needed to fill Heli-Hydrants could go empty during major fires. As the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles burned, three 1-million gallon tanks that helped pressurize city hydrants in the Pacific Palisades ran dry as demand soared and burning pipes leaked water. Other times, helicopters just can’t access them. When winds are fierce, flying is nearly impossible; hurricane-force winds that supercharged the Los Angeles infernos initially grounded firefighting aircraft. When multiple helicopters respond to large blazes, they can’t all use the Heli-Hydrant. And smoke can make it hard to see it. Portable water tanks can accomplish some of the things that Heli-Hydrants do, but can require time, people, and equipment to set up. A Heli-Hydrant gives one community hope Areas where wildland vegetation intersects with human development have always been vulnerable to fires, but more people are living in them today, and climate change is creating conditions that can make these regions drier and more flammable. Jake Wiley has seen intensifying wildfires devastate his community. Two blazes—in 2007 and 2017—collectively scorched more than 400 structures in San Diego. The last one forced Wiley, now general manager for the Rainbow Municipal Water District, to evacuate. That fire also prompted local agencies to install a Heli-Hydrant—and when the Garden Fire erupted in November, it played a big role helping firefighters protect homes. “It seems like when you’ve seen the worst, you haven’t yet,” Wiley said. “Anything we can do helps.” The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment. —By Dorany Pineda and Brittany Peterson, Associated Press