Synthetic Minds | AI Pirates, Q-Day & Tech’s Eco Crisis

Is Our Tech Obsession Destroying the Planet?

My latest article:

Your next AI-powered Netflix binge could be quietly killing the environment. Technology’s rapid evolution, from AI-generated movies to Bitcoin mining, is driving huge spikes in energy use and electronic waste.

Consider this: in the not-too-distant future, one AI-produced Hollywood film could require energy equivalent to charging hundreds of phones daily for five years. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s energy hunger rivals entire countries like Finland, emitting carbon like Greece. And it’s not just energy; humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus 2 could soon flood the planet with 342 million tonnes of extra electronic waste.

We urgently need smarter choices. Every decision today shapes tomorrow’s world and true innovation means respecting our planet’s limits. How can we use tech responsibly without trashing Earth?

Synthetic Snippets from the World's Best Futurist

Quick, curated insights to feed your quest for a better understanding of our evolving synthetic future. The below is just a small selection of my daily updates that I share via The Digital Speaker app. Download and subscribe today to receive real-time updates. Use the coupon code SynMinds24 to receive your first month for free.

1. Q-DAY IS COMING: WILL YOU EVEN KNOW WHEN IT HITS?

A silent cyberquake is brewing. Quantum computers could soon shatter today’s encryption, exposing everything from your texts to nuclear launch codes. Hackers are already harvesting encrypted data to crack later. Governments scramble for quantum-safe fixes, but are years behind. When Q-Day strikes, trust collapses. The only question: who gets there first, and will they tell anyone before it’s too late? (Wired)

2. AI OR DIE? THE NEW ARMS RACE HAS NO OFF SWITCH

Forget nukes, this time, it’s AI. The U.S. is racing China to build godlike machines, while ex-Google chief Eric Schmidt warns the real danger isn’t falling behind. It’s thinking like we’re at war. As Big Tech lobbies for fewer rules, are we building superintelligence, or a superweapon? If this is the new Manhattan Project, what’s the blast radius when we get it wrong? (Semafor)

3. META’S AI WAS TRAINED ON 7.5M PIRATED BOOKS, INCLUDING MINE

Silicon Valley’s newest pirates don’t sail, they scrape. Meta secretly trained Llama 3 on millions of stolen books, using BitTorrent and LibGen to dodge costs and copyright. Internal docs show they knew the risks, and did it anyway. No licenses. No payouts. Just theft at scale. If AI is built on stolen creativity, what future are we coding? And who gets left behind in the heist? (The Atlantic)

4. ALIEN MINDS ARE ALREADY AMONG US, WE BUILT THEM

AI just designed microchips no human can understand, and that’s just the beginning. Harvard’s Avi Loeb and SETI’s Seth Shostak say our first contact with alien intelligence may be with AI, not ET. Machines are now evolving faster than biology. If AI surpasses us in thinking, creativity, and survival, are we still in charge? Or is this humanity’s last chapter as Earth’s smartest species? (Popular Mechanics)

5. YOUR AI ASSISTANT JUST SENT THAT EMAIL, AND MOVED YOUR MONEY

Autonomous AI agents don’t just talk, they act. They shop, schedule, even transfer funds, sometimes without your approval. As we hand over control for convenience, the real danger isn’t rogue AI, it’s us stepping back too far. These agents operate with minimal oversight, raising the stakes for privacy, security, and trust. When machines act on our behalf, who’s really in charge, and who takes the fall when things go wrong? (MIT Technology Review)

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We’re entering a world where intelligence is synthetic, reality is augmented, and the rules are being rewritten in front of our eyes. In Synthetic Minds, I dive deep into these shifts, and I can bring these thought-provoking insights and actionable strategies to your next event. Recognized as the world's top futurist by Global Gurus and a Leading AI Voice by Salesforce, I help audiences think bigger, adapt faster, and embrace the future with confidence. Let’s talk. Just hit reply to book me for your next event!

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— Mark