The Download: missions to Jupiter’s moon Europa, and Uruguay’s screwworm gene drive
![The Download: missions to Jupiter’s moon Europa, and Uruguay’s screwworm gene drive The Download: missions to Jupiter’s moon Europa, and Uruguay’s screwworm gene drive](https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/europa-mobile.jpg?resize=1200,600)
They are about to move into the next stage of caged trials in the lab, with a view to eventually using the genetic tool to decimate the screwworm fly population. Read the full story.
—Abdullahi Tsanni
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The White House will spend $1.5 billion on a new chip factory
The money will go to semiconductor giant GlobalFoundries to produce advanced chips not currently made in the US. (WP $)
+ But work to expand US chip manufacturing keeps being plagued with problems. (NYT $)
+ Can the massive infusions of money rebuild the US’s industrial base? (MIT Technology Review)
2 Apple is facing its first EU fine
The EU says its music streaming services violate antitrust law. (FT $)
3 A judge ruled that Air Canada had to honor its chatbots’ discount error
This sets an important precedent as companies start to adopt AI tools. (WP $)
+ Judges, not politicians, are starting to dictate AI rules. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Should you trust an AI chatbot to plan a trip for you? (The Atlantic $)
+ It’s surprisingly tricky to work out when and how we’ll use generative AI. (FT $)
4 Is AI going to change how we define videos?
Systems like OpenAI’s Sora don’t make recordings. They render ideas. (New Yorker $)
+ Sora looks amazing—but the rest of us will have to wait to try it out. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Don’t blindly trust Google search results
AI-generated content, adverts, and ranking algorithms are really starting to spoil searches. (WSJ $)
6 The days of fast, free shipping may be coming to an end
Blame interest-rate hikes, and growing impatience from startup investors. (Insider $)
7 How New York’s legal weed revolution got derailed
The state’s plans ended up in an unholy mess. (New Yorker $)
+ The feud between a weed influencer and scientist over puking stoners. (MIT Technology Review)
8 A gun influencer’s conviction has done nothing to dent his popularity
In fact, YouTube is still running adverts on his channel. (NBC)
+ Hated that video? YouTube’s algorithm might push you another just like it. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Phone cases are getting jazzed up 🤳
They can do so much more than just protect your phone—for example, holding your lip balm. (Wired $)
+ Sharp-cornered smartphone cases are all the rage too. (WSJ $)