Welcome to Daily Zaps, your regularly-scheduled dose of AI news ⚡️ 

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 👶 AI replacing junior developers

• 🦘 Meta admits to using Aussie user data for AI training

• 🦾 Figure Humanoid update

• ⚡️ AI executives visit White House

Let’s get right into it!

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CAREERS

AI replacing junior developers

As AI coding assistants improve, software development teams are likely to shrink, with junior developer and QA roles most at risk. CIOs and development leaders expect future teams to focus on senior developers and AI specialists who oversee AI-generated code, shifting developers' roles to more of an editorial function. AI will handle tasks like security, compliance, and code generation, while senior developers focus on high-level system design.

Though AI may streamline teams in the long term, there are concerns about training future senior developers due to fewer entry-level opportunities. Some experts also question whether AI's productivity gains are overhyped, with fears that heavy reliance on these tools could lead to costly long-term dependencies.

BIG TECH

Meta admits to using Aussie user data for AI training

Meta has confirmed that all public posts and photos from Facebook and Instagram users since 2007 have been used to train its AI models, unless users specifically set their posts to private. This was revealed during an Australian government inquiry after initial denials from Meta's global privacy director, Melinda Claybaugh.

Although Meta claims it doesn't scrape data from users under 18, public photos of minors posted on adult accounts may still be collected. While European users can opt out due to privacy regulations, users in most other regions, including Australia, cannot, unless similar privacy laws are enacted.

STARTUPS

Figure Humanoid update

Figure recently unveiled its second-generation robot, Figure 02, with a more refined design and integrated components.The company has been conducting pilots in automotive assembly, including a recent test at BMW’s South Carolina plant, where the robots worked nearly nonstop. Figure plans to deploy a fleet of robots at the plant in January.

While automotive is an early adopter, the company is also exploring home applications, aiming to reduce the cost of its robots to under $20,000 in the future.

GOVERNMENT

AI executives visit White House

Top US tech leaders, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, Ruth Porat from Google, and Dario Amodei from Anthropic, will meet with senior White House officials to address the rising energy demands of AI. As AI systems, like ChatGPT, consume significantly more electricity than typical tech operations, this rapid growth has raised concerns about straining the US power grid.

The meeting, led by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and other officials, aims to explore public-private sector collaboration to sustain AI development while minimizing environmental impact. AI’s energy consumption is projected to surge by 160% by 2030, making energy-efficient infrastructure crucial for continued US leadership in AI.