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I think its safe to say that most humans on this planet are growing, how can I put this lightly, weary of the current billionaire stewards of our social media ecosystem. X is a hateful mess. Meta is trying to become a hateful mess. TikTok is likely on its way out. Social media is just not that fun or useful anymore. However, a cadre of celebrities and notable ex-Twitter users are trying to save social media from billionaire capture by creating something called FreeOurFeeds. These folks want to build a new social media ecosystem, one that is focused on the public good instead of profit-driven incentives, as reported by User Mag. So thrilled to be working with folks like @audreyt, @doctorow, @shoshanazuboff, @Moonalice and @jimmy_wales on #FreeOurFeeds.Weve got a chance here: Blueskys open protocol is an incredible opportunity to reimagine social media and take it back from fickle billionaires. https://t.co/QSjbg6MAIV Eli Pariser | @elipariser@mastodon.social (@elipariser) January 13, 2025 Some of the big names behind this project include actor Mark Ruffalo, actor/director Alex Winter and sci-fi writer/journalist Cory Doctorow. Brian Eno is involved, as is Jimmy Wales (the founder of Wikipedia.) The plan involves building new social media apps on top of the pre-existing AT Protocol, which is a decentralized framework that Bluesky runs on. This would ostensibly give users significant control over their data, algorithms and the entire online experience. The last two decades have seen the world sleepwalk into a situation where a handful of companies dictate our entire social media experience. Now, for the first time we have an opportunity to rewrite the rules. Blueskys underlying technology, the AT protocol, could offer a new pathway for the social web. said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Executive Director of the Future of Technology Institute. There are a couple of major hurdles here. Bluesky is still backed by venture capital, so the team has to raise money to ensure the underlying technology is put on an independent pathway, so that the future of social media can be freed from the whims of any one company or group of billionaires. The foundation also requires money to start building critical infrastructure. All told, the organization hopes to raise $30 million over the next three years. Theres a GoFundMe right now, with the intent to raise an initial $4 million. Initial funds will be spent to launch a public interest foundation that will attempt to make Blueskys underlying tech fully resistant to billionaire capture. Before you dismiss this notion as a bunch of rich celebrities holding out a donation can, lets remember that even the wealthiest celebrity doesnt hold a handle to the billionaires that control the levers of power. Mark Ruffalo, likely the most notable member of the group, is worth around $30 million and Alex Winter is worth $4 million. Elon Musk is worth $416 billion and Mark Zuckerbergs worth is creeping up on $220 billion. Musk is worth, wait for it, around 14,000 times more than Ruffalo. The difference between million and billion is pretty serious.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/celebs-and-tech-luminaries-including-mark-ruffalo-want-to-create-a-fully-open-social-media-ecosystem-174641161.html?src=rss
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At a time when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have shown that the whims of one person can upend an entire social network, Mastodons CEO and creator, Eugen Rochko, is heading the opposite direction. In a blog post published today, the Mastodon team announced its intention to let a new nonprofit organization take over the company. In other words, Rochko is voluntarily handing over the reins to the service he founded almost a decade ago. The company took some actions towards forming a US-based non-profit itself a year ago, and that entity will continue to exist as a "fundraising hub." However, the company as a whole will continue to headquarter its operations overseas. "We are taking the time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe," the company wrote, "Then we will determine which other (subsidiary) legal structures are needed to support operations and sustainability." Mastodon says the restructuring will take place within the next six months. Rochko has made his stance against Musk clear. He told Musk to get off the internet two years ago. He has also called the recent Meta moderation changes deeply troubling. While Mastodon has not been as obvious a player in terms of raw user numbers as, say, Threads or Bluesky in the post-X restructuring of social media, Mastodon might still find the most moral path forward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodon-will-soon-be-owned-by-a-nonprofit-entity-170009789.html?src=rss
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Amid signs of a stagnating economy, the UK is going all-in on AI. On Monday, British Minister Keir Starmer announced a new AI Opportunities Action Plan. At the center of the initiative are AI Growth Zones, which the government plans to establish in de-industrialized areas throughout the country. In these areas, the Labour government will fast-track planning approvals for data centers and offer better access to the national energy grid. Starmer said the UKs first AI Growth Zone would be established in Culham, Oxfordshire, home to the countrys Atomic Energy Authority. More zones will be announced in the summer. At the same time, Starmers government plans to increase state-owned compute capacity by a factor of 20, starting with the immediate construction of a new supercomputer with enough AI power to play itself at chess half a million times a second. As of November 2024, the UK has 14 supercomputers on the TOP500 list, putting it behind by a significant margin the US and China. Additionally, the plan will see the government establish a National Data Library, which it says will make the country more attractive to investors by allowing private industry to safely and securely unlock the value of public data. Finally, a new AI Energy Council will work with energy companies to meet the power demands of the AI industry in a way thats in line with the governments clean energy strategy. Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people, Starmer said. But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that wont sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. Over the next 10 years, Starmers government estimates that its strategy could generate as much as 47 billion ($57 billion) in annual economic growth. The announcement comes after the UK economy failed to grow in the third quarter of last year. From that perspective, making the country more attractive to outside investment isnt the worst idea especially with companies like Microsoft planning to spend $80 billion on new data centers this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-to-fast-track-data-center-approvals-as-part-of-ai-action-plan-163753744.html?src=rss
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