Innovation: This Week's Review

Welcome back to The Chris Worsey Newsletter!

Today, we will be diving into five of the most interesting stories that I came across over the last week. 

From SpaceX, to politics, social media, AI, and more, the intersection between technology and people’s livelihoods has never been so pronounced. 

But before we get into it, be sure to check out my newest Youtube video on Mario Draghi’s quest to save Europe… 

1) SpaceX: Changing the Game

It seems that every week, we have something new to say regarding Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Continually pushing the boundaries of what is expected from them, the firm has upheld a level of consistency unseen-before in the industry.

Yet, this weekend, they pulled off something extraordinary… 

• Making history, SpaceX engineers achieved an unprecedented feat – catching a rocket in midair… 

  • Although that may seem like hyperbole, the company managed to slow the rocket – the Super Heavy Booster – from its speed of 27,350 km/h and guide it into its mechanical launchpad. 

• Marking a significant step in the development of space travel, by catching the booster – in essence – we become far closer to achieving rapid reusability.

  • Having the potential to reduce the cost of space travel, while – again – this may sound fairly crazy, we would actually be staring down the barrel of progress in the process of making space exploration commercially available… 

2) That’s Not All…

Speaking of Elon Musk — changing the face of space travel isn’t the only thing the entrepreneur has been occupied with recently…

Last week, Tesla held its ‘We, Robot’ event. Showcasing some of the firm’s newest innovations, the event would cover a variety of new ideas and inventions. 

Today, though, we are particularly interested in one of those: Tesla Optimus. 

• Making headlines last week, the Tesla Optimus was one of the star’s of the company’s showcase event.

  • Displaying its abilities to walk freely, dance, talk, and even mix drinks, the robot captured the attention of all those at the event and watching online.  

• This week, however, reports are making the rounds that the Optimus models used at the event were actually being remotely controlled by humans.

  • Highlighting that the system is not yet fully autonomous, for many, the allure of last week’s presentation somewhat diminished. 

• But, is that a bad thing? See, last week’s event still offered an incredibly compelling vision for what the future of robotics could look like.

  • Marking the rapid progression of technology, last week’s showcase – despite not showing the Optimus in its final form – demonstrated just how far AI integration can go.

3) Google: Times are Changing

A few weeks ago, we spoke about Microsoft’s newest partnership with Constellation Energy. Essentially allowing the company to leverage the capabilities of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant, Microsoft – despite the plant’s negative reputation – had a very clear goal: use nuclear energy to charge their increased power needs.

This week, it seems that they’re about to be joined in that quest…  

• Signing a deal with Kairos Power, Google has agreed a partnership that will see them granted access to using small nuclear reactors to generate power. 

  • While little is known about the specifics of the partnership, it is said that Google will be using the new-found energy to power its AI data centres. 

• Similarly to Microsoft’s announcement a few weeks ago, this deal could actually paint a vision for the future of energy usage.

4) Another Huge Leap

When Adobe released Photoshop nearly 4 decades ago, the world of Graphic Design was changed forever…

For the first time ever, designers had unprecedented control over image manipulation and were able to create stunning visuals that pushed the boundaries of creativity in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Today, they’re trying to replicate the same feat — here’s how: 

• This week, Adobe finally made their long-awaited entrance into the world of Generative-AI video. 

  • Named Firefly Video Model, the beta – which only launched a few days ago – can currently be used to extend footage by up to two seconds. 

• While this means that the software is currently only suitable for small tweaks, its capabilities mean that users will be able to generate clips at high quality definitions (720p or 1080p) and extend sound effects.

  • Perhaps the only limitation currently facing the software is its inability to leverage spoken dialogue or music. 

5) The World Cup…

The integration of technology into the biggest areas of sport is becoming increasingly prominent by the day. 

Impacting nearly every facet of the games that we love, people often forget that its impacts extend far deeper than purely performance-based developments. 

Let me explain:

• Striking a massive partnership with computing company, Lenovo, FIFA has a new top-tier sponsor. 

  • With the deal set to run through both the 2026 Men’s and 2027 Women’s World Cup, Lenovo’s devices will take a front-seat in dictating operations at the tournaments. 

• Specifically, it has been said that Lenovo will offer numerous softwares to athletes, teams, and FIFA staff members involved in the tournaments, and its AI and data infrastructure will be used to power global broadcasts. 

That’s all we have for this week… Enjoy the weekend! If you want to stay up-to-date with even more interesting bits of news, make sure to follow me on my socials!

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