The Download: offshore rocket launches, and how DOGE plans to use AI
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Elon Musk is leading an unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion
This is an escalation in his long-running feud with CEO Sam Altman, but it may well come to nothing. (WSJ $)
+ The timing is annoying for Altman, as he’s in the middle of complex restructuring negotiations. (FT $)
+ Still, he says he’s confident OpenAI’s board is going to reject Musk’s offer. (The Information $)
2 What we’re learning from the AI Action Summit in Paris
As tech companies ship AI products relentlessly, policymakers still haven’t got a clue how to respond. (NYT $)
3 A federal judge blocked NIH cuts to research grants
A hearing has been set for February 21. (STAT $)
+ Why the cuts would be so devastating, according to the scientists who’d be affected. (Scientific American $)
4 AI chatbots cannot accurately summarize news
A study of leading models found 51% of their answers to questions about the news had ‘significant issues’. (BBC)
+ The tendency to make things up is holding chatbots back. But that’s just what they do. (MIT Technology Review)
5 BYD is bringing advanced self-driving to its cars
Including even the cheapest models. (FT $)
+ Analysts expect this to solidify the company’s position as China’s top EV maker. (South China Morning Post)
+ Why the world’s biggest EV maker is getting into shipping. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Meanwhile in the US, the next big robotaxi push is underway. (Quartz)
6 Trump is imposing 25% tariffs on foreign steel
You may recall he did this during his last term, and ended up having to roll it back. (NYT $)
7 A Silicon Valley job isn’t as desirable as it used to be
Multiple rounds of layoffs have really broken employees’ trust in their superiors. (WP $)
8 Google Maps now shows the ‘Gulf of America’
Unless you live in Mexico! (The Verge)
9 Can the human body endure a voyage to Mars? 🧑🚀
Space travel exacts an extremely high physical toll on even the fittest astronauts. (New Yorker $)
+ Space travel is dangerous. Could genetic testing and gene editing make it safer? (MIT Technology Review)
10 Thinking of re-playing the Sims? Maybe don’t.
25 years on, it feels a bit like a psyop to prepare millennials for the capitalist grind. (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
