#AI race

[code-of-conflict]

Technological Competition: The New Cold War in AI Development

Introduction: The Global AI Race

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just a technological advancement—it is a tool for geopolitical dominance. The race to lead in AI development has quickly become the new "Cold War" for technological superiority, with countries vying for global influence through innovation. India and China, two rising powers in the global AI race, are engaged in this competition, not just for technological advancement, but for broader geopolitical positioning. The winner of this race will hold significant leverage in global markets, cybersecurity, and military might, reshaping the international order.

India and China’s AI Race: Strategic Motivations and Differing Paths

China’s approach to AI development is aggressive and expansive, driven by its ambition to become the global leader in AI by 2030, as outlined in its "New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" (2017). China sees AI as a key to enhancing its global competitiveness, strengthening its military, and asserting its dominance in sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and national security. Its significant investments in AI infrastructure, research, and development underscore its commitment to becoming an AI superpower.

India, on the other hand, has taken a more measured approach, focusing on AI for social inclusion, economic growth, and democratic governance. India's AI strategy, outlined by NITI Aayog in 2018, emphasizes "AI for All," aiming to harness AI's potential to address societal challenges in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and education​. While India’s strategy focuses on leveraging AI for inclusive growth, its efforts to scale AI innovations to compete globally are still in their nascent stages.

The contrasting motivations behind India and China’s AI policies—China’s for global dominance and India’s for societal benefit—reflect their broader geopolitical aspirations. However, the divergence in their AI strategies also highlights the technological gap between the two nations, which has significant implications for global power dynamics.

AI and Economic Competitiveness

AI is poised to reshape the global economy by enhancing productivity, automating processes, and fostering innovation. China’s early adoption and massive investments have given it a significant edge in AI-driven economic competitiveness. Chinese companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu have integrated AI into various industries, creating a robust AI ecosystem that fuels their global expansion​. China’s AI investments in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare have not only boosted its domestic economy but also positioned it as a critical player in global supply chains.

India, while progressing in AI research and development, faces challenges in scaling AI applications across industries. Although India has a growing start-up ecosystem and a strong IT sector, it lacks the infrastructural investments and comprehensive AI strategies seen in China​. Nevertheless, India's potential to become an AI hub for the developing world cannot be overlooked. The Indian government’s focus on creating AI solutions for its vast and diverse population provides a unique model of AI deployment, one that prioritizes inclusivity and social welfare over sheer economic dominance.

Global Influence and Geopolitical Consequences

The AI race between India and China extends beyond economic competition; it is also about gaining geopolitical influence. China's AI strategy is intrinsically linked to its geopolitical ambitions. Through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its growing investments in AI research, China is exporting its AI technologies to developing countries, influencing the global AI standards and creating dependencies on Chinese technology. This raises concerns about digital sovereignty and the spread of authoritarian AI governance models, particularly in surveillance and data control, which China uses to maintain its own domestic security.

India, on the other hand, is positioning itself as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence. By advocating for responsible AI development, India promotes a more ethical and democratic approach to AI governance. India’s participation in international forums, such as the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), signals its intent to influence global AI standards while safeguarding democratic values​.

However, to truly challenge China’s dominance, India must increase its investment in AI infrastructure, foster international collaborations, and scale up its AI research efforts. The challenge for India is to compete with China while adhering to its principles of transparency, data privacy, and ethical AI development.

The New Cold War: AI and Future Power Dynamics

As AI becomes the backbone of economic and military power, the competition between India and China will shape the future balance of power in Asia and beyond. China’s rapid progress in autonomous systems, AI-driven cybersecurity, and military applications presents a formidable challenge to India’s national security and sovereignty. India’s response must involve not only bolstering its AI capabilities but also forming strategic alliances with like-minded countries to resist China’s growing influence in AI governance and technology standards.

Conclusion

The AI race between India and China is more than just a competition for technological superiority—it is a battle for global influence and economic power. China’s aggressive push for AI dominance threatens to reshape the global order, while India’s democratic and inclusive AI model offers an alternative path. However, the technological gap between the two nations poses a significant challenge for India. As the new Cold War of AI intensifies, India must accelerate its AI investments and forge international collaborations to protect its interests and promote a more responsible and ethical AI-driven future.

[utilitymonstermash]

I heard some interesting takes on the e/acc twitter spaces last night that not asking for subsidies to win “AI Race” against China, the accelerationists were positioning themselves to be in an adverserial relationship with regulators in Washington and Para Governmental Orgs.

AI is a hot topic and the organizers back east have to do something. If they aren’t marshaling resources to boost local efforts against China, then they are going to regulate the operations at home, and mediate arguments between them and decels.

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Little detail I loved in Dune Part Two was Irulan recoding her notes on a futuristic phonograph cylinder because the AIs fucked things up so badly the entire human race is now fanatically opposed to anything as advanced as a calculator.

[world-store]

Google is falling behind in AI arms race, senior engineer warns

A senior software engineer at Google wrote a critique asserting that the internet search leader is losing its edge in artificial intelligence to the open-source community, where many independent researchers use AI technology to make rapid and unexpected advances. The engineer, Luke Sernau, published the document on an internal system at Google in early April. Over the past few weeks, the document…

[nox-in-a-box]

I was gonna do some serious sketches but got silly with them as usual...

[local-dragon-haunt]

hey! i’m an artist and i was wondering what about the httyd crossover art made it obviously AI. i’m trying to get better at recognizing AI versus real art and i totally would have just not clocked that.

Hey! This is TOTALLY okay to not have recognized it, because I DIDN'T AT FIRST, EITHER. Unfortunately there’s no real foolproof way to distinguish real art from the fake stuff. However I have noticed a general rule of thumb while browsing these last few months.

So this is the AI generated image I used as inspiration. I will not be tagging the account that posted it because I do not condone bullying of any type, but it’s important to mention that this was part of a set of images:

This is important because one of the BIGGEST things you can use to your advantage is context clues. This is the thing that clued me in: right off the bat we can see that there is NO consistency between these three images. The art style and outfits change with every generated image. They're vaguely related (I.E. characters that resemble the Big Four are on some sort of adventure?) and that's about it. Going to the account in question proved that all they posted were AI generated images. All of which have many red flags, but for clarity's sake we'll stick with the one that I used.

The first thing that caught my eye was this???? Amorphous Blob in the background. Which is obviously supposed to be knights or a dragon or something.

Again, context clues come into play here. Artists will draw everything With A Purpose. And if what they're drawing is fanart, you are going to recognize most of what you see in the image. Even if there are mistakes.

In the context of this image, it looks like the Four are supposed to be running from these people. The thing that drew my attention to it was the fact that I Didn't Recognize The Villains, and this is because there is nothing to recognize. These shapes aren't Drago, or Grimmel, or Pitch, or any other villain we usually associate with ROTBTD. They're just Amorphous Blobs that are vaguely villain shaped.

Which brings me to my second point:

Do you see the way they're standing? There is no purpose to this. It throws the entire image off. Your eye is drawn to the Amorphous Villain Blobs in the background, and these characters are not reacting to them one bit.

Now I'm not saying that all images have to have a story behind them, but if this were created by a person, it clearly would have had one. Our group here is not telling a story, they are posing.

This is because the AI does not see the image as a whole, but as two separate components: the setting, and the description of the characters that the prompter dictates. I.E. "Merida from Brave, Jack Frost from ROTG, Rapunzel from Tangled, and Hiccup from HTTYD standing next to each other"

Now obviously the most pressing part of this prompt are the characters themselves. So the AI prioritizes that and tries to spit out something that WE recognize as "Merida from Brave, Jack Frost from ROTG, Rapunzel from Tangled, and Hiccup from HTTYD standing next to each other".

This, more times than not, is going to end up with this stagnant posing. Because AI cannot create, it can only emulate. And even then, it still can't do it right. Case in point:

This is not Hiccup. The AI totally thinks this is Eugene Fitzherbert. Look at the pose. The facial structure. The goatee. The smirk. The outfits. He's always next to Raps. Why does he have a quiver? Where's Toothless? His braids? His scar??

HE HAS BOTH OF HIS LEGS.

The AI. Cannot even get the most important part of it's prompt correct.

And that's just the beginning. Here:

More amorphous shapes.

So these are obviously supposed to be utility belts, but I mean. Look at them. The perspective is all off. There are useless straps. I don't even know what that cluster behind Jack's left arm is supposed to be.

This is a prime example of AI emulating without understanding structure.

You can see this particularly in Jack, between his hands, the "tassels" of his tunic, and the odd wrinkles of his boots. There's just not any structure here whatsoever.

Lastly, AI CANNOT CREATE PATTERNS.

Here are the side-by-sides of the shit I had to deal with when redesigning their outfits. Please someone acknowledge this. This killed me inside. THIS is most recognizable to me, and usually what I look for first if I'm wary about an art piece. These clusterfuck bunches of color. I hate them. I hate them so. much.

Anyways here's some other miscellaneous things I've noticed:

Danny Phantom Eyes

???? Thumb? (and random sword sheath)

Collarbone Necklace (corset from hell)

No Staff :( No Bow :(

What is that.

So yeah. Truly the best thing to do is to just. study it. A lot of times you aren't gonna notice anything just looking at the big picture, you need to zoom in and focus on the little details. Obviously I'm not like an expert in AI or anything, but I do have a degree in animation practices and I'm. You know. A human being. So.

In conclusion:

(Y'all should totally reblog my redesign of this btw)

[jcmarchi]

Lumai Raises $10M+ to Revolutionize AI Compute with Optical Processing

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/lumai-raises-10m-to-revolutionize-ai-compute-with-optical-processing/

Lumai Raises $10M+ to Revolutionize AI Compute with Optical Processing

In a major leap forward for the future of artificial intelligence infrastructure, Lumai, the Oxford-born startup pioneering 3D optical computing, has raised more than $10 million in a fresh funding round. The investment — led by deep tech-focused Constructor Capital and backed by notable names such as IP Group, PhotonVentures, Journey Ventures, LIFTT, Qubits Ventures, State Farm Ventures, and TIS Inc.  — signals growing confidence in a technology that could reshape the AI compute landscape as we know it.

At the heart of Lumai’s innovation lies a bold ambition: to deliver 50x the performance of today’s silicon-based accelerators at just 10% of the energy cost. And they’re doing it using light.

Why AI Needs a Radical Overhaul

With AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini becoming increasingly sophisticated, the underlying hardware is being pushed to its breaking point. Training and running large language models (LLMs) requires vast computational power — and equally vast amounts of energy. In fact, data center power consumption in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2028, potentially consuming 12% of the national power supply.

But it’s not just about power. It’s about economics and scalability. Traditional silicon GPUs and even integrated photonics are now facing diminishing returns, rising costs, and scalability roadblocks.

Enter Lumai.

What is Optical Computing — and Why Is It a Big Deal?

Unlike conventional chips that move electrons through silicon, optical computing uses photons (particles of light) to perform calculations. This offers three major advantages:

Speed – Photons travel faster than electrons and don’t generate heat in the same way, enabling ultra-fast processing.

Energy Efficiency – Optical signals reduce power consumption dramatically.

Parallelism – Light can handle many operations simultaneously using different paths and wavelengths.

What makes Lumai’s approach truly novel is its use of 3D optical matrix-vector multiplication (MVM) — a key operation in deep learning — carried out in free space. This means that calculations happen as beams of light pass through 3D geometries, rather than on a flat chip.

This technique has the potential to reach 10¹⁷ operations per second — 1000x faster than today’s electronics, and 100x faster than the human brain.

Lumai’s Secret Sauce: 3D Optical Acceleration

Spun out of the University of Oxford, Lumai has tackled a challenge that has stumped researchers for decades: how to scale optical computing reliably and cost-effectively.

Their processor, designed in a PCIe form factor (making it easy to integrate into existing data center infrastructure), performs matrix multiplication — the foundation of neural networks — using light beams that travel in 3D space. This allows for:

Extremely wide vector operations

High optical clock speeds

Near-zero latency inference

Massively parallel processing

As a result, Lumai’s solution not only accelerates performance but also drastically cuts down energy use and total cost of ownership (TCO).

“The future of AI demands radical breakthroughs in computing,” said Tim Weil, CEO and co-founder of Lumai. “Current LLMs are unsustainable in cost and power. Our optical computing design overcomes these barriers and enables next-generation AI to flourish.”

Backing From Industry Visionaries

The funding round attracted some of the brightest minds and institutions in tech and venture capital:

Constructor Capital’s Dr. Serg Bell called Lumai’s technology “a significant step forward in improving matrix multiplication,” drawing parallels to how quantum computing transforms other computation types.

IP Group’s Dr. Lee Thornton emphasized the company’s success in solving optical compute scalability, making it a viable commercial path.

PhotonVentures’ Ewit Roos stated that Lumai is “reshaping the future of AI compute,” placing it at the forefront of data center innovation.

And the recognition doesn’t stop there — Lumai has already racked up a slew of accolades:

Best Overall Technology at the Global OCP Future Technologies Symposium

Selected for Intel Ignite’s prestigious London program

Research co-founder Dr. Xianxin Guo joined the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Shott Accelerator

Co-founder Dr. James Spall named to the Photonics 100 list for 2025

What’s Next for Lumai?

With the new funding, Lumai plans to:

Double its headcount

Advance product development

Expand into the U.S. market

Push toward commercialization of its optical AI inference accelerator

Their roadmap charts a path from 4x performance gains to a full 50x compared to silicon-based competitors — while consuming just 10% of the power. In a world where sustainability, cost-efficiency, and AI acceleration are converging as the next great computing challenge, Lumai is positioning itself not just as a player, but as a pioneer.

Final Thoughts

The AI race is no longer just about smarter algorithms — it’s about smarter infrastructure. Lumai’s 3D optical processors offer a glimpse into a future where AI is not limited by silicon, and where photons become the fuel that powers intelligence at scale.

In an industry hungry for disruptive change, Lumai may just be the breakthrough the world has been waiting for.

[futureperfectchanges]

The Pride Pin

"Have you got a little rainbow flag? Or maybe a rainbow handkerchief?" Edward asked the man behind the counter. He was on his way to a gay wedding and had seen a large pride flag in the window of this store which had given him an idea. "Basically something that I could put into my breast pocket for a wedding i'm going to." Before quickly adding: "To show my support to the grooms that is."

"Ah, how nice, although I'm afraid I only have large flags at the moment, but I do have a few pins left over from Pride, would one of those work for you?" replied the shopkeeper as he pointed to a box a little further down the counter.

"Looks perfect" Edward said as he picked up one of the pins.

"Just to check - you did say you wanted it to show you're an ally of the gay community didn't you? It's just that some of the items in this store can be a little, well, unpredictable, so just wanted to be clear about things before you try it on."

"Of course" Edward lied.

In truth Edward hadn't wanted to go to this wedding at all. He worked with one of the guys getting married, John. They had joined a law firm at the same time so had met during their induction and had been good friends for a while - at least until John had come out as gay and started dating guys. Edward was glad that John was happy, but had since mostly avoided hanging out together unless it was a work event. He had gone to one dinner soon after John's engagement to his boyfriend, Miguel, but had spent the whole meal feeling embarrassed. Everyone else at the table had been so obviously gay and they had made no attempt to talk quietly, so he was sure all the surrounding tables had been judging him all evening.

When Edward had received the invite to the wedding he had initially planned to decline it. What had changed his mind was the fact that a lot of John's straight female friends were going to be there, and with most of the other guys at the wedding being gay, it was almost guaranteed that he would hook up with one of the girls. He hoped that the pride pin was going to be the 'icing on the cake' with regards to getting attention from the girls. How could they turn down a guy who was so supportive of his friend? With any luck he would be back at home with a lady before the happy couple had even cut the cake.

"Here, let me put it on for you" the shopkeeper offered.

Edward had intended on keeping the pin out of sight until he had entered the wedding, but he didn't want to offend the shopkeeper so let him reach over and place the pin on his lapel - he'd just take if off as soon as he left the store.

Edward looked at the mirror behind the counter and his first thought was to worry that the pin might make the girls at the wedding think he was gay too. He started to wonder if it was a bad idea, and as if to confirm that he felt the pin prick his chest. Soon after he felt another prick and he wondered if the shopkeeper had failed to cover the back of the pin properly. When he started to feel more and more pricks on his chest, and not just where the pin was, he began to worry that something was wrong.

Edward felt like he was being stabbed with needles all across his chest and he felt like he had no choice but to pull his jacket off. He didn't know what was going on, but he needed to stop whatever was causing the pain.

Edward was confused. He had taken off his jacket and the pricking sensations had stopped, but when he looked down at his chest he didn't understand what he was looking at as it. What he first saw on his chest was a mix of colors that hadn't previously been there. It was as though someone had covered his chest in paint.

"¿Cómo?" Edward said aloud whilst continuing to stare at his chest. He had never had a tattoo so didn't understand what he was looking at. As he reached up to rub off whatever was on his chest it quickly dawned on him that the colors were not going to come off easily.

"What is this? Is this a tattoo? How do I get this off?" Edward asked in increasingly frantic tones, all with a slight Spanish accent. He had been so fixed on the new tattoos that he hadn't noticed that the rest of his body had taken on a subtle tan.

The shopkeeper didn't reply, he knew that if an item from his shop was not used as intended it could cause a little confusion for the customer, so he just waited to see what would happen.

"What is going on? And what's wrong with my voice?" Edward asked as he started to get angry. "I'm a dancer at Infernos nightclub and if you want to see me shake my ass... wait... no I meant to say i'm a dancer, no a dancer..." Edward had wanted to tell the shopkeeper that he was a lawyer at a powerful law firm and would kick his ass if he didn't fix what was going on but he didn't seem able to get the right words out.

Whilst Edward's mind tried to deal with what was going on, he started to wonder what sort of options he had to get rid of the tattoo, or what he could do just to cover it up. It was then that he looked back at the mirror and realised how much else had changed across his body. His heart sank as he knew there was no way he could cover everything up.

Edward sighed as he thought again about what to do with the tattoos, but was then confused. Why was he thinking of covering them up? He loved showing them off. He had spent so much of his life hiding who he was, but now there was no one who was going to stop him from being his true self. He was Eduardo - a proud Latino twink.

Eduardo felt the jacket he was holding and then remembered that he had come in to buy a new shirt. "Hey, do you have any dress shirts?" he smiled as he asked the storekeeper. "My best friend is marrying some fancy lawyer today and I want to look good for the occasion!"

[melangeknottings]

[rowdy317]

Mirror Muscle-this scene of an older man transforming into a young Latino stud originated with @max-the-many. He has some great captions and images so go check him out.

[thebuttsmcgee]

Sage after barely being born for 1 game only to be in a death match of karts the next:

[bodyhopper-files]

Completing the look (Shapeshift - Race Change - Head Swap)

[justdavina]

Check out my AI Gurl Jen M at Pinterest.

She's HOT! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

[octuscle]

Exchange student: Berlin, Germany

October 01, 2024

Brad had come to Berlin as an exchange student because it was supposed to be the party capital of Europe. He was looking forward to a semester of spring break. But he quickly became disillusioned. There was hardly anyone walking around at the Technical University who looked anything like Spring Break. Most of them were dressed in black, with short hair and pale faces. Brad stood out like a sore thumb. And apart from that, Berlin was very different from what he had imagined. He had been told that Germany was so incredibly clean. Berlin was dirty and run-down. The people were unfriendly. The weather was terrible. By the time he moved into his room in the run-down student dormitory, which had probably last been renovated in the 1980s, he was homesick for Providence.

Tonight was a faculty welcome party. The building was an old factory hall, a ruin. The music was just one thing: deafeningly loud. The people at the party were all stoned or high on pills. It stank of sweat, cigarette smoke and sweet energy drinks. Brad wondered whether he could still change universities. Munich was supposed to be much more civilized than Berlin. Someone gave him a funny-looking pill. It was about 02:00 when Brad left the party. His sweater had disappeared. But it had been better than he had feared.

November 05, 2024

Monday was the day Brad recovered. There weren't usually any really good parties on Mondays. And if there were, he could make an exception. In fact, Brad was the go-to person for many of his fellow students when it came to where to go anyway. Brad was usually extremely well informed. Not necessarily about life at university… He had let his attendance at lectures slip a little in the first month. But hey, there was still ages until exams. Tonight was encore.une.fois at the OX! Of course Brad was on the guest list. From 21:00 he was in the gym, pumping up his muscles. And from 01:00 he was on the dance floor. Shit, he had expected something like Springbreak. How boring Springbreak was! Real life was raging here. All it took was a few pills, Red Bull and the right beats. And that was definitely the case today!

At 05:00 the music went off and the cleaning light came on. Brad checked his messages to find out where the best after-hours party was. There were no important lectures on Wednesdays anyway. And he was still far too wound up to sleep.

December 20, 2024

Uni was over until the new year. Actually, he should have been back in Connecticut by now. But Brad wanted to take at least this weekend to Berghain. Moritz had become his friend and business partner. The two were the shooting stars of Berlin's party organizers. Brad had collected 39K followers in the last four weeks alone. His party outfits defined what bouncers wanted to see in the clubs. Normally, DJs had groupies. Or musicians. Moritz and Brad always had a whole cluster of guys and girls hanging around them, basking in their presence and hoping to get shagged by one of them. Particularly lucky ones claimed to have been fucked by both at the same time. Whether this was true was debatable. But as a legend, it was certainly a cool story.

Their gas masks were elaborate custom-made masks that gave off a well-dosed mixture of poppers and laughing gas. Not that the two of them needed it. But it made the intoxication of a party night perfect. There were always two spare masks and the necessary cartridges in their rucksacks. To recharge their gas masks. Or to let very privileged fans share in their intoxication. It was 03:00. Too early to decide whether anyone would get that privilege tonight. Now it was time to dance. The way they only danced at Berghain.