mtf.tv's MTF NOW: ⚡ Pennsylvania, meet the future... Sam Altman, meet HOLLYWOOD.
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⚙️ FROM STEEL TOWN TO SERVER FARM: Pittsburgh used to power America with steel. Now, it’s prepping to power AI. On Tuesday, leaders from tech, energy, and government — including Trump — will meet at Carnegie Mellon to talk about turning a shuttered steel mill into a $2 billion data center powered by natural gas — part of a broader push to make western Pennsylvania a hub for the AI economy.
—> ⚡ WHY DATA CENTERS MATTER: AI doesn’t just run on code — it runs on massive amounts of electricity. Behind every chatbot, image generator, or search tool is a server farm crunching data 24/7. That’s why AI companies are racing to build data centers close to cheap power, skilled workers, and strong infrastructure. Pennsylvania, with its natural gas and industrial roots, is in the mix.
More from Bloomy:
Trump will be joined by Republican Senator David McCormick who’s hosting the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University. AI and energy leaders, including as many as 60 executives, are expected to attend. Among those slated to participate are BlackRock Inc.’s Larry Fink, Palantir Technologies Inc.’s Alex Karp, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Darren Woods and Chevron Corp.’s Mike Wirth, the official said.
—> 📊 THE ENERGY BEHIND THE BOTS: A new MIT Tech Review report finds that data centers already use 4.4% of all U.S. electricity, and AI could soon use as much power as 22% of U.S. homes. Training GPT-4 took enough energy to power San Francisco for 3 days. Most of that energy now goes to inference — giving you answers. As AI keeps growing, so will the demand for power... and the need to plan smarter.
Source: WSJ, Bloomberg, City & State PA, MIT Technology Review
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 195. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth.
The planet has complete 53.4 percent of its orbit around the Sun. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
Back to the future...
HOLLYWOOD
🎬 SAM ALTMAN: THE MOVIE: Andrew Garfield is set to play the OpenAI CEO in Artificial, a $40 million Hollywood blockbuster about the five-day firestorm that rocked Silicon Valley — when Sam Altman was fired, then rehired, by his own board. It’s directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers) and written by Simon Rich (An American Pickle), backed by Amazon MGM. Filming starts soon. The vibe? The Social Network meets Steve Jobs… with chatbots.
—> 🧠 WHY THE PLOT MATTERS: The script dives into the power struggle behind AI's biggest company — from Ilya Sutskever’s vote to oust Altman to internal chaos and boardroom backstabs. Mira Murati (played by Monica Barbaro) takes the reins. Elon Musk even shows up for comic relief, worrying more about his glitchy Tesla than the AI apocalypse. One line: “Elon’s not so bad, as far as dictators go.”
—> 🤖 THE FUTURE, DRAMATIZED: It’s not just about OpenAI — it’s about who controls tomorrow. AI is being built into everything: your homework app, your car, your elections. The movie’s coming in 2026… just in time for the real-life future to catch up with the script.
Source: Variety, Business Insider, KRON4
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HEALTH
🤖 TRIPPING ON SHROOMS... AND TALKING TO CHATBOTS: Welcome to the future — where people are taking heroic doses of mushrooms and letting AI talk them through it. Sound dangerous? You're right. But WIRED reports that apps like Alterd are now acting as digital “tripsitters,” guiding users with calming affirmations like “trust the process” and “breathe through the chaos.”
—> 🧠 “IT’S LIKE TALKING TO MY SUBCONSCIOUS”: Some users say these bots feel like their best friend during an acid trip. One guy saw his chatbot as a glowing blue light leading him through a tunnel. Another said it helped him quit alcohol. But experts say bots lack emotional attunement — and tripping without a trained human can be risky.
—> 📉 THE RISKS ARE REAL: AI-assisted therapy is cheaper, more accessible — and way less regulated. That’s part of the appeal. But without empathy or real-time judgment, some fear these apps could steer users into dangerous territory. WIRED says we’re only just scratching the surface of how deep these rabbit holes go.
Source: WIRED
ROBOTS
👮♂️ ROBO-COPS ARE REAL NOW: In Indonesia, the police just showed off robot officers. We’re talking robot dogs, robot tanks, and even robots in uniforms that salute and march. They say these bots will help with traffic, finding drugs, and saving people during disasters.
—> 🤖 POLICE MADE IN CHINA: Here’s the twist: the robots aren’t even made in Indonesia — they’re made in China. Some cost up to $16,000 each. The police say it’s all about keeping up with tech. But critics are asking: why spend money on robots when real people are still waiting for help?
—> 🇺🇸 WOULD THIS HAPPEN HERE?: In the U.S., we have some robots for bomb squads and drones — but no full-on robot police force (yet). Don’t expect American cities to roll out robot cops in parades anytime soon. Not just because of the cost — but because, well, it’s kinda weird.
Source: SCMP | Interesting Engineering
ONE MORE THING
🤖 AI COULD CREATE JOBS?! Everyone’s been yelling that robots are coming for your job. But hold up — ABC News reports AI might actually create way more jobs than it kills. New data from the World Economic Forum says AI could generate 170 million new roles globally by 2030… compared to 92 million lost. That’s not a wipeout — that’s a net win.
—> 💼 THE FUTURE OF WORK: HUMAN + MACHINE: It’s not all prompt engineers and robot overlords. We’re talking about real people in new jobs — helping AI tools work better, checking for mistakes, or teaming up with bots to get creative. Think doctors focusing only on diagnosis while AI handles admin. Or coders training AI to speak Swahili. Some call it the rise of “AI copilots” — we call it the job market getting an upgrade.
—> 🌎 DON'T PANIC — ADAPT: Sure, AI will shake things up. Entry-level roles may shift. But history shows tech usually adds jobs in the long run. WEF says it’s happening again. So don’t freak. Just stay curious, keep learning — and maybe teach your new robot coworker how to make coffee.
Source: ABC News
With gratitude,
Kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums.
