As AI systems move from experimentation to real-world deployment, one truth is becoming...

Ukraine's battlefield tech has proven real-world performance that partners are paying attention to. Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images Relatively new Ukrainian arms makers say combat use gives them a strong selling point. They say battlefield proof beats test flights and simulations. Western firms and militaries have been partnering with Ukraine's defense industry to learn from the war. Ukrainian weapons makers say they have a selling point many defense firms farther from the battlefield can't match: Their weapons are being tested, adapted, and used in modern combat every day. Serhiy Goncharov, the CEO of the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries, or NAUDI, which represents roughly 100 companies, told Business Insider that the defense industry is receiving interest "because of the battle experience" and because "for us it's simple to explain to the military customer how it works compared to, for example, some European countries," where companies might be limited to selling test flights, trials, or computer simulations. Ukraine's defense industry has boomed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, creating countless new wartime weapons makers that are trying to turn battlefield experience into a competitive edge. Because Ukrainian-made weapons are used in combat, Goncharov said, Ukrainian makers can also offer expertise in training and maintenance, insight into "the actual battle experience," and advice on "how it actually should work against your enemy." "This experience is priceless," he said. It is a pitch increasingly echoed by Ukrainian firms seeking closer ties with Western militaries and industry. Ukraine's defense companies have their products used and tested on the battlefields. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka Many US and European companies offer combat-tested systems, have decades more experience and deeper industrial capacity than Ukrainian firms, and make the kind of high-end weapons that Ukraine still needs. And some Western systems are also being used in Ukraine, giving them their own battlefield record. But in some fast-changing areas of modern war, especially drones, counter-drone systems, and other weapons that can be rapidly adapted, Ukrainian firms say proximity to the battlefield gives them an advantage, especially over companies that are trying to sell capabilities solely based on tests and simulations. Mykyta Rozhkov, the chief business development officer at Frontline Robotics, a Ukrainian drone and weapons maker, told Business Insider Ukrainian companies have an "unfair advantage." "We have a war, unfortunately," he said, but the proximity to the fighting gives the local defense industry chances to adapt and test far more effectively than any companies not working there. "It means that we have direct contact with the military that is using our systems 10 times per day, and we don't even have to ask them for the feedback. It goes directly 24/7 into our inbox." Companies that have their gear tested in Ukraine get constant feedback to keep up with modern warfare. Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images He said that partner nations should "integrate these ready-made Ukrainian solutions" into their defenses. He described Ukraine right now as "the most experienced, sophisticated, technologically prepared army in Europe" and encouraged allies to integrate its tech, through approved means like joint ventures, "in order to train and prepare your defense industry to be as capable as possible." Stanislav Hryshyn, the cofounder of Ukrainian drone maker General Cherry, said Western partners are "very interested in Ukrainian defense tech, as our experience and expertise are pretty valuable for them." Western officials have said Ukrainian expertise and battlefield innovations are key to future defense aims. The demand is seen particularly in drone warfare, where Ukraine has more combat experience than its Western partners. Interest in Ukrainian interceptor drones, for instance, grew as Iranian-designed Shaheds became a major threat in the Middle East. Ukrainian counter-drone technology and drone experts have been active in the region, giving Ukrainian firms another combat example to cite. Other companies are developing similar systems, but Ukrainian arms makers can point to their unusually heavy battlefield use as a prime selling point. The weapons aren't theoretical but proven in practice. Ihor Fedirko, the CEO of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, another industrial body representing over 100 companies, told Business Insider that the success of Ukrainian counter-drone systems in the Middle East was a testament to the readiness and capabilities of Ukrainian systems and defense companies. Given its advantages, Ukraine is moving to export drones, which its industry says would help fund expanded production for its own military. NATO allies and Western firms, meanwhile, are pursuing partnerships with Ukrainian companies to tap their battlefield-tested tech and pair that experience with Western industrial processes, scale, and safer production farther from the war. Croatian drone and equipment maker ORQA, for example, is teaming up to make components with General Cherry. ORQA cofounder and CEO Srdjan Kovacevic told Business Insider that "the operational excellence that Ukrainian defense forces have developed is unparalleled in the Western world," and its industry has more experience producing huge volumes of drones to meet demand. That, combined with Western technological expertise, is a key combination, he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last month that Ukraine's security experience and its military expertise "are now the most sought-after products for dozens of countries worldwide." And industry sees the potential. Rozhkov, the Frontline Robotics exec, said: "We see ourselves not in the future, not in isolation, but as a part of the European defense sector." Read the original article on Business Insider

OpenAI founding member Andrej Karpathy has joined Anthropic in a major development in the AI talent wars. Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images The AI researcher who coined "vibe coding" has joined Anthropic. Andrej Karpathy, a founding member of OpenAI and Tesla's former AI director, is joining Anthropic's pretraining team. Karpathy's social media posts about the state of AI have become widely read among the community. Anthropic just landed one of the biggest names in AI. Andrej Karpathy, the OpenAI founding member who was formerly Tesla's director of AI, announced on Tuesday that he had joined Anthropic. The hiring marks a major get for Anthropic in the AI talent wars. Karpathy famously coined the term "vibe coding" and is prolific in the AI community, frequently publishing lengthy social media posts about the state of the industry that are widely read. Personal update: I've joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative. I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D. I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time. — Andrej Karpathy (@karpathy) May 19, 2026 "Personal update: I've joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative," Karpathy wrote on X. "I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D. I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time." Anthropic said Karpathy will work on the AI startup's pretraining team, which is responsible for large-scale testing of Claude. Karpathy started this week and sits on the team led by Nicholas Joseph, another ex-OpenAIer who was an early employee at Anthropic, OpenAI's chief rival in the AI race. "I can't think of anyone better suited to do it — looking forward to what we build together!!" Joseph wrote on X. Excited to welcome Andrej to the Pretraining team! He'll be building a team focused on using Claude to accelerate pretraining research itself. I can’t think of anyone better suited to do it — looking forward to what we build together! https://t.co/mQb33SNiSW — Nicholas Joseph (@nickevanjoseph) May 19, 2026 Karpathy's AI roots extend back to Anthropic's chief rival. He helped launch OpenAI as a founding research scientist, then left for a stint at Tesla as its AI director, leading the Tesla Autopilot computer vision team, before rejoining OpenAI in 2023. He publicly supported OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during his brief ouster, but ultimately left OpenAI again in February 2024 and later started Eureka Labs, an AI-centered education company. He became an even bigger name among the tech community in early 2025, when he coined the term "vibe coding" to refer to "where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists." Vibe coding has come to illustrate the extent to which non-technically proficient users can still create with the help of generative AI coding tools, including Claude Code. Karpathy has recently said that AI models have advanced to the point where AI agents themselves are writing the actual code, with oversight from a human user, necessitating a new term. "Many people have tried to come up with a better name for this to differentiate it from vibe coding, personally my current favorite 'agentic engineering,'" he wrote on X in February. Karpathy is joining Anthropic at a time when the AI lab has reached new heights, thanks to major advancements in the company's Claude Code and Cowork tools and a boost in broader public interest following a tussle with the Trump administration. Anthropic's valuation on secondary markets recently surpassed $1 trillion, surpassing OpenAI. At the same time, Anthropic's rivalry with OpenAI has reached a fever pitch, with their respective CEOs notably refusing to hold hands onstage during a photo op with other AI leaders. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently accused Anthropic of helping to fuel the hate toward him that led to an attack on his house. Read the original article on Business Insider

Amba Kak, executive director of the AI Now Institute at New York University, previously told CNBC that the rise in message monitoring is concerning—not just because of what employees might say, but because of how doing so infringes on their rights. The post Your boss’s AI may already be reading your Slack messages appeared first on AI Now Institute.

The project comes amid a search for alternatives to land-based data centers.

The ex-employees, who cofounded a new AI watchdog group, say investors deserve more information about xAI’s safety practices before SpaceX goes public.

Three gardens at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show have found themselves mired in controversy rather than the more usual mud. This year’s show gardens include one designed by Matt Keightley, who has used Spacelift, a design app he developed that incorporates AI. Advocates of such tools praise their potential to democratise garden design and make it more accessible. Critics, however, argue that these technologies risk reproducing or appropriating existing designs, and could ultimately threaten the livelihoods of professional garden designers. Happily, gardening is an ancient practice and has long been managed and enjoyed without the use of technology. Here are six tech-free lessons from history to help you get started designing your garden without turning to AI. 1. Get back to books Not sure where to start? A book is still one of the richest sources of guidance, and the history of gardening bestsellers offers a revealing window into changing tastes, practices and traditions. This list of the 20 most popular titles for American public libraries suggests that food growing, biodiversity and design are key interests for budding gardeners. Two Girls Reading in Sunlit Garden by Laura Knight (1910). Danum Gallery, Library and Museum And it’s not just books from today that have something to offer. I’d recommend travelling back to the 17th century with diarist and polymath John Evelyn. His Elysium Britannicum, written in the 1650s, records a deep fascination with nature and design, showing that ingenuity and gardening have long gone hand in hand. 2. Go for a walk and imagine what is possible The landscape painter and designer William Kent is said to have “leapt the fence and [seen] that all nature was a garden”. This moment is often taken to mark the shift away from the formal aristocratic gardens of the 17th century towards a more naturalistic style. This philosophical turn helped shape the development of the English landscape garden, but it can also speak to the present moment, when we are being encouraged to make our own gardens – most of which are not landscape-scale – more welcoming to nature. One of the simplest ways to begin is to look closely at your surroundings: explore your neighbourhood, observe what thrives and take note of what you like and what works well. 3. Consult the genius loci and start with the bones Old Scott, the Gardener by Robert Lillie (1867). Lillie Art Gallery Cartoonist Osbert Lancaster and his wife Anne Scott-James lightly ribbed 20th-century suburban gardens in their 1977 book The Pleasure Garden: An Illustrated History of British Gardening. Post-second world war urbanisation gave many more people the opportunity to have their own gardens, reflected in a kind of “consistent inconsistency” of patios, lawns, borders and vegetable plots. The eclecticism they observed can instead be read as an invitation to consult the genius loci – the “spirit of the place” – and to engage with the features and atmosphere that give a garden its character, rather than treating it as a blank slate. Indeed, in her 1971 book Down to Earth, Anne Scott-James recognised that most gardeners do not have perfect sites. Working with “the bones” of a garden, she argued, is therefore essential, achieved through creating harmony within the broader context. 4. Follow the rules and put things in perspective There are plenty of principles and approaches that can be applied to garden design, from formal symmetry and a carefully chosen material palette to planting styles that range from sculpted topiary to naturalistic meadow. Beginning with an aspiration can help to focus these choices, and looking at what has constituted garden design through the ages through the ages can be a useful way of anchoring your own vision. 5. Visit gardens In 2027 the National Garden Scheme will be 100 years old. It represents a wonderful continuum of curiosity and conviviality as members of the public gain access to otherwise private gardens. Lady Barber in Her Rock Garden by Nestor Cambier (1916). The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, CC BY-NC The scheme was set up by Elsie Wagg, a council member of the Queen’s Nursing Institute and has subsequently evolved into an organisation that funds a range of health charities. Being able to see what other gardeners have achieved – and the effort that has gone into making those spaces – is one of the most effective tech-free ways of learning. Taking a camera or sketchbook can be a simple way to observe more closely and carry those ideas back into your own garden. 6. Gardening is technology The Reaper by Ralph Hedley (1900). Pannett Art Gallery, CC BY When economic historian Roderick Floud turned his attention to the history of gardening in An Economic History of the English Garden (2019), he revealed the scale and long-term economic impact of the sector. Did you know that many innovations in central heating, water engineering and glasshouse construction have their roots in gardens? It’s a point many people may not be aware of, making it a useful story to share when showing visitors around your dahlias – while also quietly recognising that technology has always been embedded in gardening, even when we don’t immediately see it. What’s your favourite gardening tip from history? Let us know in the comments below. This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission. Camilla Allen is a trustee of the Yorkshire Gardens Trust.

Discussion | Link

Discussion | Link

The reported $66.8B bid by NextEra Energy for Dominion Energy is one of the largest utility mergers in U.S. history. At BigDATAwire we have covered how electricity has emerged as […] The post Why NextEra’s $66.8B Dominion Deal Could Reshape AI Infrastructure appeared first on BigDATAwire.

The job, which is associated with the Zuckerberg family office, is located in Kauai, Hawaii, where the Meta CEO owns a massive compound.

NextEra’s blockbuster deal with Dominion likely means higher bills for consumers.

Discussion | Link

The project is automaker Stellantis’ latest AI initiative.

Dark Reading editors reflect on two decades of dramatic change — from perimeter defense to assume-breach strategies — and warn that while AI, cloud, and COVID-19 have transformed the threat landscape, organizations are still failing at fundamental security hygiene that could stop sophisticated attacks in their tracks.

And how to build your own version. Plus: other examples from DoorDash, Atlassian and more. AI augmented product development process explored.

The attorney for Nikko D’Ambrosio, who tried and failed to sue women for posting about him in an “Are We Dating the Same Guy” Facebook group, has apparently been using AI to file non-existent citations, according to a judge.

Discussion | Link

Discussion | Link

"Every single successful space company is diversified in its products."