The Download: generative AI’s carbon footprint, and a CRISPR patent battle
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 This is why we’re all sick right now
We’re contending with a lot more illnesses than we did in the pre-covid world. (The Atlantic $)
+ And covid hasn’t gone away either. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Climate disinformation is a big obstacle to action
And much of it is generated by influential nations, including China and Russia. (NYT $)
+ The US government has stopped warning social networks about foreign disinformation campaigns. (WP $)
3 Is the Turing Test dead?
It was arguably never that reliable a measure of intelligence to begin with. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Mustafa Suleyman: My new Turing test would see if AI can make $1 million. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Hiring is still hot for prompt engineers, a year since ChatGPT launched. (Bloomberg $)
4 The long-delayed Tesla Cybertruck is finally on sale
And the price tag starts at $60,990. (The Guardian)
+ It has its detractors. But it has plenty of fans, too. (The Atlantic $)
5 College students are subject to alarming levels of surveillance
Which is adding to their stress levels at an already stressful time in their lives. (The Markup)
+ Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University can’t agree on what privacy means. (MIT Technology Review)
6 How Huawei stunned the US with a new Chinese-made chip
Getting around sanctions will have been difficult, and very expensive. (FT $)
+ Huawei’s 5G chip breakthrough needs a reality check. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Anduril has launched a wild new jet-powered AI drone
The company says it could be used in Ukraine to intercept Russian drones. (Wired $)
8 Startups have had a bad year
Bankruptcies, layoffs, lower valuations and trouble fundraising have all featured heavily. (Bloomberg $)
9 AI is making LinkedIn even more boring
Its new AI features are convenient, but they have a flattening, homogenizing effect. (WP $)
10 What it takes to be in the 1%—of Taylor Swift fans 🎧
More than 6,000 hours of listening to her music, for one. (WSJ $)
+ It seems Spotify Wrapped was subject to some form of hacking this year. (Vice)
Quote of the day
