Odds & Ends

By Peter A. McKay | About | Follow: Email: peter[at]pmckay[dot]com

The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI just put out its 2026 AI Index report, always an invaluable trove of detailed, no-hype research about the technology.

In Decoder's coverage of the report, this amazing factoid leapt out to me:

The performance gap between the US and China has practically closed. The US leads in investment ($285.9 billion), but has lost around 89 percent of its incoming AI researchers since 2017.

Gee, I wonder why all that AI talent might be leaving? 🍊

Some other personal updates and tech stories I've been reading lately:

  • I greatly enjoyed chatting recently with Charlie Meaden, co-founder of the New Zealand fintech firm Eccuity, for their Ways to Wealth podcast. Final edit of the episode is still underway, so please keep an eye out. But in the meantime, Charlie's team graciously gave me access to the full recording of our interview. As you'll see, we had a wide-ranging conversation about AI, crypto markets, the global oil shock, and more.
  • The International Journalism Festival is getting underway today in Perugia, Italy. Not exactly sure what their plans are for livestreams, but if it follows the pattern of last year's fest, at least part of the program should be available online. Check the event's official YouTube channel or X feed for updates.
  • Facebook parent Meta is likely to surpass Google soon as an ad platform, measured by net revenue. (Wall Street Journal)
  • AI is threatening Big Tech platforms' core revenue streams, says the Harvard Business Review
  • France's government is phasing in Linux as a full-on replacement for Windows in all official government offices. Wow. (ZDNET)
  • Crypto exchange Kraken says it won't pay ransoms to hackers who have accessed customer data on two separate occasions, affecting approximately 2,000 individuals. Yikes. (Decrypt)
  • Colombia is planning to kill dozens of so-called "cocaine hippos." The term is colloquially appled to hippos roaming the Colombian countryside these days because they are believed to be descendants of animals imported by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. But hippos are not a species native to Colombia, thus an environmental threat, according to government officials.

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