Weekly Quiz: Algorithmic Warfare, Data Centre Demands, and Gender Scrutiny in Sport

1

2

const title = "Weekly Quiz: Algorithmic Warfare, Data Centre Demands, and Gender Scrutiny in Sport"; const date = "April 4, 2026"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_ShyGirl_MAR26-1536x1024.jpg", title: "I Broke the Year’s Biggest Literary Story. The New York Times Took the Credit", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/new-york-times-ai-generated-shy-girl-mia-ballard/", question: " On March 19, the New York Times reported that author Mia Ballard’s much-anticipated novel Shy Girl was alleged to have been written with the assistance of AI, prompting Ballad’s publisher, Hachette Book Group, to cancel its release. When publishing technology analyst Thad McIlroy ran Shy Girl through the AI-detection software Pangram, what percentage of the book did it flag as being AI generated?", options: [ "45.1 percent", "66.9 percent", "78.4 percent", "83.2 percent", ], answer: "78.4 percent", correct: "In order to determine the validity of the allegations, McIlroy first had to find a copy of Shy Girl. He asked a friend in Austria to find a DRM-free copy of the book and email it to him. “I converted the book to .docx, stripped out the extraneous material (there’s a bonus section and a bonus short story in the UK edition), and sent it to Pangram. They responded overnight with their analysis of the book: ‘78.4 percent of the document is AI Generated’ was their conclusion. I soon confirmed this with two other services.”", incorrect: "In order to determine the validity of the allegations, McIlroy first had to find a copy of Shy Girl. He asked a friend in Austria to find a DRM-free copy of the book and email it to him. “I converted the book to .docx, stripped out the extraneous material (there’s a bonus section and a bonus short story in the UK edition), and sent it to Pangram. They responded overnight with their analysis of the book: ‘78.4 percent of the document is AI Generated’ was their conclusion. I soon confirmed this with two other services.”", }, { title: "The Man Who Put AI at the Centre of America’s War Machine", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/the-man-who-put-ai-at-the-centre-of-americas-war-machine/", question: "As the Pentagon’s Maven Smart System has evolved into a globally deployed AI platform used in multiple domains, it relies on a vast number of integrated data sources. Approximately how many data feeds does it incorporate?", options: [ "More than 90 data feeds", "Around 150 data feeds", "Around 180 data feeds", "Just under 220 data feeds", ], answer: "Around 150 data feeds", correct: "Maven Smart System, a software platform that develops targets with the help of AI, is now deployed in every branch of the US military and all over the world, incorporating more than 150 data feeds and the work of more than fifty companies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization started using a version of the system in the spring of 2025, and Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson would learn in October 2025 that ten NATO members were lining up to use it for their own militaries.", incorrect: "Maven Smart System, a software platform that develops targets with the help of AI, is now deployed in every branch of the US military and all over the world, incorporating more than 150 data feeds and the work of more than fifty companies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization started using a version of the system in the spring of 2025, and Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson would learn in October 2025 that ten NATO members were lining up to use it for their own militaries.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/CP215233581-1536x1024.jpg", title: "The Olympics Anti-Trans Policy Is Really about Policing Women", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/the-olympics-anti-trans-policy-is-really-about-policing-women/ ", question: "On March 26, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a new policy banning trans women from IOC events and requiring all female athletes to undergo a one-time SRY gene screening in order to be cleared for competition. What does this test aim to detect?", options: [ "Mutations in the X chromosome’s androgen receptor gene", "Presence of the Y chromosome’s sex-determining region", "Variations in genes associated with muscle mass", "Variations in genes associated with bone density", ], answer: "Presence of the Y chromosome’s sex-determining region", correct: "The SRY gene screening—usually administered via saliva, blood, or cheek swab and currently used by international track and field, boxing, and swimming federations to regulate participation—tests for the presence of the sex-determining region Y gene, which is usually found on the Y chromosome. Andrew Sinclair, the researcher who discovered the SRY gene in 1990, has criticized the test’s use for policing sports eligibility. “World Athletics asserts the SRY gene is a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. But biological sex is much more complex, with chromosomal, gonadal (testis/ovary), hormonal, and secondary sex characteristics all playing a role,” Sinclair wrote in The Conversation this past summer.", incorrect: "The SRY gene screening—usually administered via saliva, blood, or cheek swab and currently used by international track and field, boxing, and swimming federations to regulate participation—tests for the presence of the sex-determining region Y gene, which is usually found on the Y chromosome. Andrew Sinclair, the researcher who discovered the SRY gene in 1990, has criticized the test’s use for policing sports eligibility. “World Athletics asserts the SRY gene is a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. But biological sex is much more complex, with chromosomal, gonadal (testis/ovary), hormonal, and secondary sex characteristics all playing a role,” Sinclair wrote in The Conversation this past summer.", }, { title: "Data Centres Are on Track to Wreck the Planet. Can We Stop Them?", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/data-centres-are-on-track-to-wreck-the-planet/", question: "As data centres expand and strain already overwhelmed power grids, hyperscaled data centres stand out for how much more energy they consume compared to standard facilities. Approximately how much energy does one hyperscaled data centre use?", options: [ "10 megawatts, enough to power a few office buildings", "50 megawatts, enough to power a mid-size manufacturing plant", "100 megawatts, enough to power a small city", "500 megawatts, enough to power a large international airport", ], answer: "100 megawatts, enough to power a small city", correct: "Standard data centres generally require five to ten megawatts of power. By contrast, hyperscaled ones can draw upward of 100 megawatts—enough to power a small city. If a data centre used 100 megawatt hours (MWh) over the course of a year at 100 percent capacity round the clock, it would consume 876,000 MWh of electricity, though actual use ranges closer to the 80 percent mark. Then there’s water. Hyperscaled data centres can consume around 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people.", incorrect: "Standard data centres generally require five to ten megawatts of power. By contrast, hyperscaled ones can draw upward of 100 megawatts—enough to power a small city. If a data centre used 100 megawatt hours (MWh) over the course of a year at 100 percent capacity round the clock, it would consume 876,000 MWh of electricity, though actual use ranges closer to the 80 percent mark. Then there’s water. Hyperscaled data centres can consume around 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people.", }, ];