The dark side of progress: Meta, AI, and space solutions

DW (English)

Meta buried evidence of social media’s harm, free AI tools aren’t really free, artists like Paul McCartney fight back against AI music, and tech giants eye data centers in space. Here’s what’s really at stake.

Transcript

00:00By now, you've probably heard about Australia's social media ban for children under 16.

00:05But did you know that META actually ran a study on the negative effects of social media

00:10on teens and hid the evidence?

00:12It's not just social media that comes with a hidden price tag, Generative AI does as

00:17well.

00:18That's true for you when you use image generators and also for musicians when their music is

00:22fed into an AI.

00:23But artists like Paul McCartney are now taking a stand.

00:27And speaking of a hidden toll of technology, what would it mean to build data centers in

00:32space to power all that AI?

00:34That and more coming up now.

00:39When was the last time you felt drained after scrolling for too long?

00:43Yeah, same.

00:44Social media can take a serious toll on our mental health.

00:48That's why this news hit hard.

00:50META allegedly buried internal research showing Insta and Facebook can harm teens' mental health.

00:56What did the META files reveal?

00:58How harmful is social media for us?

01:00And could banning it for kids be the answer?

01:03Let's break it down.

01:04Did META bury evidence?

01:07Project Mercury was the name of a research project run by META.

01:11It tested what happens when users deactivate Facebook and Insta for a month.

01:16After just one week without the apps, participants reported less depression, less anxiety, less loneliness

01:23and less comparing themselves to others.

01:25META never published these results.

01:27Instead, it canceled the project, according to US court filings.

01:31META says the study was flawed, but schools and parents are suing.

01:35They claim META has known for a long time that its platforms harm children and young adults.

01:40And META's own research isn't the only evidence out there.

01:43Kids in social media.

01:45What does science say?

01:46The WHO looked at data from 44 countries.

01:50It found this.

01:5111% of kids aged 11 to 15 show signs of problematic social media use, basically addiction-like symptoms.

01:59Those kids also reported lower mental and social well-being.

02:02The WHO warns that this trend could have long-term effects on development and mental health.

02:08An analysis of multiple studies links heavy social media use to lower self-esteem, more anxiety and increased depressive symptoms.

02:17But here's the catch.

02:18Most research shows correlation, not causation.

02:21That's why META's hidden study matters.

02:23It allegedly found a direct effect.

02:26Lawmakers are taking notice.

02:28Australia is rolling out the world's first social media ban for children and teens under

02:32the age of 16.

02:34Could this be the solution?

02:36Social media companies in Australia must now take reasonable steps to keep under-16s

02:41off their apps.

02:42If they fail, they face hefty fines.

02:45Kids and parents won't be punished.

02:47Malaysia and New Zealand are planning similar bans.

02:50Enforcing bans won't be easy.

02:52Age checks using facial recognition or ID can be bypassed with VPNs, fake IDs or even cheap

02:58disguises.

02:59Critics warn that a ban could isolate kids socially, especially minorities or those struggling

03:05with mental health.

03:06Even the WHO notes that social media can help kids connect with peers and express themselves.

03:12Plus, a ban could also limit access to news and slow digital skill development.

03:18And some fear it could push kids to even more unregulated corners of the internet.

03:22What's your experience?

03:23Does social media help you connect or leave you feeling worse?

03:27Let us know in the comments.

03:31Many think generating images and videos with AI apps like Sora 2 or Nano Banana is super fun

03:37and, best of all, it's free.

03:39Well, not really.

03:40Let's dive in.

03:41If you're not paying for the product, then you are the product.

03:45Ever heard that phrase?

03:46It certainly applies to so-called free generative AI.

03:49When Sora launched in early 2024, it could exclusively be used by ChatGPT subscribers.

03:56Sora 2, now a standalone app, is free.

03:59And it's a hit.

04:00It got over one million downloads in just five days.

04:03It reached that milestone faster than ChatGPT.

04:06Does OpenAI prioritize getting more users over revenue?

04:10Each video you create helps Sora get smarter.

04:13Like the video?

04:14Sora remembers what worked.

04:15Didn't like it?

04:16The feedback helps Sora learn even more.

04:19Millions are training AI for free.

04:21This is the case for almost all user AI applications.

04:24But image and video generators have a unique edge.

04:27In a way, they tap into our imagination.

04:30Let me explain.

04:31AI tapping into our dreams?

04:33The latest tools let you create images and videos of yourself.

04:37Google's Nano Banana lets you turn your selfies into retro portraits or fantasy scenes.

04:43Sora offers a cameo feature.

04:45You record yourself and then change the video however you like.

04:48Want to see yourself surfing?

04:50You can.

04:51But be aware.

04:52That info could be valuable to surf gear brands or travel agencies.

04:56And the platform you used might sell that data, so it can be used for targeted ads.

05:01Sounds far-fetched?

05:02Well, Meta said it will use AI chat conversations to personalize ads across Facebook, Instagram

05:08and WhatsApp starting in December.

05:10OpenAI is not placing ads in ChatGPT that might destroy users' trust.

05:15But in an app for AI videos, it's much more likely.

05:18Fact is, your data is gold to AI companies.

05:23You are very valuable to AI companies.

05:26And they don't want you to leave.

05:28That's why so many companies are building similar tools.

05:31ChatGPT includes image generation.

05:34Google's Gemini's Nano Banana is booming.

05:37Meta has a full suite of AI creation tools.

05:40And Microsoft is building MAI Image One, its first in-house image generator.

05:44Just like social media, the more time you spend with these tools, the more they learn about

05:49you.

05:50And the more they know, the more developers can charge if they want to sell info about

05:54you.

05:55So what do we get out of it?

05:57AI companies use very flashy slogans to promote their services.

06:02And yes, these AI models are very impressive.

06:04They evolve fast.

06:06The stuff that makes it into our feeds is more like this, though.

06:09Is this the kind of creativity we need to unlock?

06:11What do you think?

06:14Paul McCartney just dropped a new track.

06:17But it's not a Beatles-style sing-along.

06:19It's almost silent.

06:20Just tape his and faint studio sounds.

06:22Why?

06:23It's part of a protest album called Is This What We Want, created by over 1,000 artists.

06:29The message to tech companies stopped training AI on musicians' work without permission.

06:34So why are artists pushing back against AI?

06:37And would it really matter to us if music was made by AI instead of humans?

06:43First, AI music is everywhere and it's competing with human musicians, especially on streaming

06:51platforms.

06:52Here's the scale.

06:53Tens of thousands of AI tracks are uploaded to streaming platforms every day.

06:58On streaming platform Deezer it's around 50,000.

07:01That's about one third of the platform's daily total volume.

07:05And there are even AI stars.

07:07AI country singer Breaking Rust has just landed a number one hit on Billboard with Walk My Walk.

07:13His two biggest hits alone reach 10 million streams on Spotify together so far.

07:18And it's not the first time AI-generated music is charting.

07:21The human producers behind AI-R&B singer Xenia Monet even scored a record deal for the project,

07:27after Monet had appeared on US charts twice.

07:30The AI-generated voices sound impressive, but that's exactly what Paul McCartney and other

07:35artists are protesting against.

07:37They say AI music platforms steal their creative work.

07:41Xenia Monet doesn't just copy one particular singer, her voice is built from patterns learned

07:47on thousands of real female voices.

07:49And it's tuned to sound appealing to most listeners.

07:52Here's how.

07:53AI music platforms like Suno or Odio work like ChatGPT for music.

07:58You type a prompt and they generate entire songs.

08:01They use AI models trained on huge audio datasets, often scraped online without artists' consent.

08:07They also learn from user feedback to make tracks that fit popular tastes.

08:12But does it really make a difference to us as listeners?

08:15A recent study has shown that 97% of all participants can't tell AI music from human-made tracks.

08:22Nevertheless, 51% said they believe the use of AI in music production could lead to generic-sounding

08:28music.

08:29And they might be right.

08:30In many cases, AI-made tracks lack the emotional depth of human artistry.

08:35That's not saying that good producers with a vision and prompting skills can't generate

08:39AI music that's touching.

08:41But the sheer volume of AI songs can overwhelm platforms and bury quality music in generic

08:47content.

08:48Algorithms may favor formulaic AI tracks optimized for engagement and reduce diversity and creativity.

08:55Worst case scenario, AI music platforms force human artists to give up and get stuck in

09:01a feedback loop of more of the same.

09:04So does music need the human touch?

09:08Some artists are hopeful that the human element in music will prevail.

09:11On her recent album Lux, Spanish pop star Rosalía sings in 13 languages.

09:16She could have easily used AI to make it sound authentic.

09:20Actor Adrian Brody did exactly that for enhancing his Hungarian accent in the movie The Brutalist,

09:25and even won an Oscar.

09:26Rosalía considered doing it, but then decided against it.

09:29That's one of the reasons why many news outlets, the Rolling Stone magazine for example, have

09:34described Rosalía's new album as a counterpoint to the AI trend in an era of algorithmic music.

09:42Data centers could raise your energy bill.

09:45Yeah, really.

09:46The boom in AI is driving a surge in data centers and with it electricity and water use.

09:54That's why over 200 environmental groups want a pause on new builds in the US until stricter

09:59rules kick in.

10:00Meanwhile, tech giants are planning to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure.

10:07Some are even looking beyond Earth.

10:09Open AI's Sam Altman reportedly talked about sending computers into space with a rocket company.

10:14Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, they've all explored the idea.

10:18But how would that work?

10:20Data centers in space?

10:22One big advantage.

10:23There's a lot of space.

10:26Literally.

10:27Data centers take up huge areas of land.

10:29So do power plants.

10:30Space also means constant solar energy.

10:33No clouds, no night, no seasons.

10:36Cooling is another factor.

10:37On Earth, cooling servers use massive amounts of water.

10:41In space, the cold environment does that naturally.

10:44And then there's emissions.

10:45Running on solar energy means the data centers would be producing close to zero emissions

10:50in space.

10:51Researchers in Singapore propose swarms of satellites in low Earth orbit acting like a cloud system.

10:57They would share computing, storage and traffic.

11:00Europe's Ascent project, UAE's Madari Space and China are already testing prototypes.

11:06So problem solved?

11:07Not quite.

11:08The downsides.

11:10While data centers in space may not produce carbon emissions on Earth, the rockets that

11:15get them there do.

11:17Europe's Ascent project says space data centers are only greener if rocket emissions drop tenfold.

11:23And it's not clear if or when that will be possible.

11:27Maintenance is another issue.

11:29Repairs in orbit are tough.

11:30And space weather, like solar flares, could disrupt operations.

11:34And then there's space debris.

11:36Millions of objects already orbit Earth.

11:38Experts warn that collisions could knock out critical systems like GPS.

11:43And so far there's no real solution to clean up that junk.

11:46Still, believers argue that leaving Earth might be necessary because environmental impacts

11:52are already visible.

11:54The pressure is real.

11:55Data center power demand will jump 165% by 2030 according to Goldman Sachs.

12:03In Chile, Google had to redesign a 200 million dollar data center after backlash over plans

12:08to use over 7 million liters of water a day during a drought.

12:13So what do you think?

12:14Could space data centers be the future or is this just another tech fantasy?

12:19Share your thoughts below.

12:20And that's all from me, bye and see you next time.

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