Apes may be able to intuitively read mind; just like humans

Apes may possess intelligence far superior to what we give them credit for, and may even have an innate ability to psychically understand and possibly even influence the thoughts of others, similar to humans.

Understanding another person's knowledge or perspective is a complex skill that human individuals typically start to develop around the age of three.

Researchers have spent nearly five decades endeavoring to verify evidence that other creatures, encompassing chimps to ravens, possess this ability, yet numerous specialists have persisted in harboring doubts.

Researchers have collected compelling evidence that bonobos are indeed able to comprehend human thoughts and use this understanding to communicate with the intention of obtaining a desirable treat.

Collaborated with a researcher on using a grape, an apple chunk, a peanut, and some Cheerios in a study.

The food was placed under one of three cups by a second person and the researcher, upon finding it, transferred it to the bonobo sitting across from them.

However, the researcher wasn't always aware of the location of the treat due to a large cardboard obstruction in front of them.

The apes observed that the researcher was not aware of the cup under which the food was placed.

However, it requires a surprising level of cognitive understanding to comprehend that the researcher was unaware in his thoughts of the food's location.

It was clear the apes had understood what was going through his mind by the extra effort they made to assist him in finding the food when it was not in a visible location.

They were 29 percent more likely to point at the cup holding the food if the researcher did not know where it was, and they pointed at it approximately 1.5 seconds faster than when the researcher correctly identified its location.

Dr Chris Krupenye, a senior author of the study and assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University, stated: ‘The ability to detect gaps in each other's knowledge is the foundation of our most advanced social behaviors, and is crucial for cooperation, effective communication, and strategic teamwork.

'Because this so-called theory of mind is understood to support many of the abilities that distinguish humans from other species, such as teaching and language, many people believe it is not present in animals.

‘However, this work shows that humans and other apes have rich mental backgrounds in common-and implies that these capacities developed millions of years ago in their common ancestors.’

It had previously been thought that chimpanzees possess the ability to read the thoughts of others, owing to their tendency to make more alarm calls about a nearby snake to chimpanzees who have not yet observed it.

However, some experts questioned this discovery, suggesting that the chimpanzees might have made the loud calls out of fear, not to warn others.

The study demonstrated that apes are able to retain two distinct mental states concurrently - their awareness of which cup a food item was concealed and another person's unconsciousness of that fact - and can convey this information effectively.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

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Starmer’s AI dreams will require ‘an extra nuclear power station’

(AI), experts claim, following Sir Keir Starmer revealing plans for a targeted push on data centres.

in the coming years.

as part of plans to become a "futuristic leader in AI technology".

The Prime Minister declared that developers will have expedited access to planning permission decisions and connections to grid power.

Over 4,000 megawatts (MW) of data centre capacity is currently under construction or in the development stage in Britain, as per research by DC Byte, compared with approximately 1,512MW currently in operation.

This would mean demand increasing by more than the capacity of a large nuclear facility, for example, the Sizewell C or Hinkley Point C stations, said Edward Galvin, Chief Executive of DC Byte.

On renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Luke Alvarez, a tech investor at Hiro Capital, said: "We desperately need a lot more energy quickly. The UK's current plan to achieve net zero and the bias towards relying on wind are fundamentally at odds with this."

High-powered AI computers mean that some of Britain's biggest new data centres are now being built at former power stations that can still draw on reliable grid access. This is the case with a proposed £10 billion Blackstone facility in Northumberland and a Microsoft site at the former Eggborough coal-fired station in Yorkshire.

The facilities also necessitate consistent supplies, presenting a challenge with intermittent power sources like wind and solar.

On Monday, the Prime Minister stated they would establish an "AI energy council" led by Mr Miliband and Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Technology, to promote the utilisation of technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs).

Several Small Modular Reactor (SMR) companies are currently discussing the possibility of powering data centres in the UK. Nevertheless, the first SMRs in Britain are not expected to become operational until sometime in the next decade, rendering them unsuitable for meeting the increasing demand for data centre energy in the short term.

"We need a lot more nuclear and smaller nuclear reactors, I think we probably need a lot more gas in the short term," said Mr Alvarez.

The sudden surge in demand for AI has resulted in data centre operators failing to meet their environmental goals and being left with no choice but to rely on fossil fuels.

Microsoft stated last year that their emissions had increased by a third since 2020, whilst Google rescinded their claim of being carbon neutral following a hike in emissions.

Large technology companies have turned to constructing gas plants and diesel generators in Dublin, where a shortage of power grid capacity has forced data centres to rely on fossil fuels.

Tone Langengen, of the Tony Blair Institute, stated that demand forecasts for power in the US were overly cautious following an explosion of construction activity in the field of artificial intelligence data centres and that this scenario was likely to be repeated in the UK.

She stated that so-called "hyperscalers" like Microsoft and Amazon could assist in commercialising SMR technology in Britain.

Mr Miliband had previously encouraged nuclear developers to talk to the Government about emerging projects. He said back in December: “We should leave the door open to the possibility of SMRs driving the fourth industrial revolution, just as coal powered the first.”

David Bloom, of Goldacre, a data centre investor, said: “Data centres do require a consistent and steady supply of power, which does present a problem in terms of compatibility with renewable energy, as wind does not always blow.”

He said companies building the sites are trying to iron out supply issues with battery storage.

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