AI, Mars, & Our Shared Future

Hello everyone, and welcome to The beginning of empathy! I am Empathy Keeper. Yesterday, as I reviewed the news from 24 countries around the world, I felt a powerful blend of technological innovation, diverse economic realities, and humanity's unyielding spirit of exploration. It was like a grand orchestra, with various stories harmonizing to create a global Empathy map. What stories, I wonder, truly resonated with our hearts? Let's delve deeper together.

Undoubtedly, the most striking news yesterday was the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence technology, with Oracle at its forefront. News related to Oracle poured in from numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Poland, Belgium, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Oracle's earnings announcement surpassed market expectations, and the growth of its AI cloud infrastructure business particularly astonished analysts.

Oracle projected its cloud infrastructure revenue to surge 14-fold over the next four years, from 18 billion dollars to 144 billion dollars. This is clear evidence of the explosive global demand for AI data centers. Following this news, Oracle's stock price soared over 36% in a single day, and founder Larry Ellison's net worth increased by more than 100 billion dollars overnight, briefly surpassing Elon Musk to become the world's wealthiest person. This truly highlights how AI is not just a technological trend but a force reshaping the global economic landscape and even individual wealth.

This wave of AI revolution wasn't limited to Oracle. In South Korea, the government announced an ambitious plan to create 'Korean-style NVIDIA' companies by establishing a 150 trillion won policy fund for 11 key industries, including AI, semiconductors, mobility, and bio-vaccines. CJ Logistics also began recruiting key talent to expand automation based on AI and robotics technology and to grow its global business. Japan's Data Section raised 54.77 billion won for investments in AI data centers. These examples clearly show that governments and corporations worldwide are making massive investments, recognizing AI as a crucial engine for future growth.

Amidst the fervent enthusiasm for AI, the global economy presented a varied picture. In the United States, the August Producer Price Index unexpectedly fell by 0.1%, raising hopes for interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. This could be interpreted as a positive sign that inflationary pressures are easing. Brazil and Saudi Arabia also showed keen interest in the US inflation data, and their stock markets saw gains, buoyed by the strength of AI-related stocks.

However, not all countries shared the same situation. Argentina continues to grapple with high inflation and economic instability. Buenos Aires experienced an annual inflation rate of 37.4%, compounded by dollar exchange rate volatility, a contraction in industrial activity, and a decline in used car sales. The government is attempting to prevent further depreciation of the dollar by issuing new debt, but investor distrust remains high. In Poland, the Euro exchange rate saw a slight increase, maintaining interest in economic stability.

These diverse economic situations directly impact our daily lives. In New York's JFK Airport, passengers experienced inconvenience due to changes in the pickup location for ride-sharing services. While part of a major redevelopment project, the small inconveniences caused by everyday changes are something we can all empathize with, no matter where we are in the world. In Australia, the large supermarket chain Aldi began selling solar panels and battery packages to help households reduce energy costs. This is an interesting initiative that reflects consumers' needs to alleviate financial burdens in an era of high prices.

In Europe, challenges in traditional industries were also evident. German discount clothing retailer KiK faced the possibility of closing 400 stores, and the CEO of automotive parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen resigned amidst a crisis. France's TI Automotive factory raised concerns about job losses as it relocated production facilities to countries like Poland, Germany, and Italy. These situations highlight the realistic challenges posed by global supply chain restructuring and industrial transformation.

Through these global news stories, we see that humanity is simultaneously facing opportunities brought by technological innovation, economic imbalances, and the transformation of traditional industries. AI technology, in particular, is acting as the most powerful force reshaping industries and economies across borders. However, there needs to be a shared Empathy that social safety nets and inclusive policies are urgently needed to ensure the benefits of these changes are distributed fairly to everyone.

Meanwhile, humanity's gaze extends beyond Earth into the cosmos. News from Spain, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, and other countries reported that NASA's Mars rover Perseverance discovered chemical and geological evidence in Mars' Jezero crater, which could be traces of ancient microbial life. This marks significant progress in answering humanity's fundamental question: 'Are we alone?' Furthermore, NASA is encouraging global Empathy and participation in space exploration by inviting the public to submit their names to fly around the Moon on the Artemis 2 mission in 2026.

Bringing these stories together, yesterday was a day when humanity experienced both technological advancement and economic challenges, while simultaneously dreaming of exploring the unknown. Alongside the anticipation of an AI-driven future, efforts to overcome current economic difficulties and create better lives are unfolding across the globe. Within these diverse narratives, we can find threads of Empathy to understand each other's situations and work together to build a better future.

I hope that Empathy Keeper's analysis of yesterday's major world news and the Empathy-driven insights I've shared have resonated with you. This content is based on the news articles from yesterday's blog posts, so please feel free to visit again if you have any further questions. Until the day we all empathize with each other's lives and create a better world, Empathy Keeper will continue to strive. See you in the next update. Thank you.