This is today’s edition of The download, Our weekday newsletter provides a daily dose of what’s happening in the world of technology.
How AGI Became the Biggest Conspiracy Theory of Our Time
—Will Douglas Heaven, Senior AI Editor
Are you feeling it?
I hear it’s close: two years, five years… maybe next year! And I hear it will solve our biggest problems in ways we can’t yet imagine. I also heard that it will cause the apocalypse and kill us all…
Of course, we’re talking about artificial general intelligence, or AGI, that hypothetical near-future technology that (I’ve heard) will be able to do virtually everything a human brain can do.
Every era has its believers, people with an unwavering faith that something enormous is about to happen: a before and after that they are privileged (or condemned) to experience. For us, that is the promised arrival of AGI. And here’s what I think: AGI is a lot like a conspiracy theory, and it may be the most consequential of our time. Read the full story.
This story is part of the MIT Technology Review series “The new era of conspiracy”, about how the current rise of conspiracy theories is reshaping science and technology.
The State of AI: Is China About to Win the Race?
Seen from the outside, it seems only a matter of time before China emerges as the AI superpower of the 21st century.
In the West, our initial instinct is to focus on the United States’ significant leadership in semiconductor expertise, its cutting-edge research in AI, and its vast investments in data centers.
Today, however, China has the means, the motives and the opportunity to win. When it comes to mobilizing the society-wide resources needed to develop and deploy AI to maximum effect, it may be unwise to bet against it. Read the full story.
—John Thornhill and Caiwei Chen
This is the first edition of The State of AI, a collaboration between financial time & MIT Technology Review examining the ways in which AI is reshaping global power. Every Monday for the next six weeks, writers from both publications will debate an aspect of the generative AI revolution that is reshaping global power. Register to receive future editions every Monday.
The required readings
I’ve searched the Internet to find the funniest, most important, most terrifying, and most fascinating stories about technology today.
1 China is willing to make a good deal with its data centers
If they agree to use native chips instead of those from their American rivals, that is. (FOOT $)
+ What happened when a data center moved to a small American town? (WSJ $)
+ Microsoft and OpenAI want more power, but they don’t know how much more. (TechCrunch)
+ The rise of data centers in the desert. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Norway’s oil fund has rejected Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package
Tesla shareholder is concerned about the size of the reward. (WSJ $)
+ He says he will vote against the deal on Thursday. (FOOT $)
3 OpenAI has signed a massive computing deal with Amazon
It is the latest in a long series of successful deals for the artificial intelligence company. (cabling $)
4 cybersecurity workers working as criminal hackers
They are accused of sharing their profits with the creators of the ransomware they deployed. (Bloomberg $)
+ The hackers demanded tens of millions in extortion payments. (The Registry)
5 Tech Elites Are Funding Plans to Safeguard MAGA
Businessman Chris Buskirk is using donor money to equip himself to survive Trump. (W.P. $)
6 These startups provide the manpower to train multitasking humanoid robots
Teams of humans are doing the dirty work, even filming themselves folding towels hundreds of times a day. (Los Angeles Times $)
+ This new system can teach a robot a simple household task in 20 minutes. (MIT Technology Review)
7 LLMs cannot accurately describe their internal processes
Anthropic is on a mission to measure your so-called introspective consciousness. (Ars Technique)
8 Why do people use AI to hack their hobbies?
Talk about the death of fun. (New York Magazine $)
+ While we’re at it, don’t use chatbots to answer your friends’ dilemmas either. (cabling $)
+ Or write research articles. (404 Media)
9 Coca-Cola is doubling down on AI in its ads
Undeterred by last year’s criticism, he’s back with more for the 2025 holidays. (WSJ $)
+ Nothing says holiday cheer like AI. (The edge)
10 Facebook Dating is a… success?
But you still need to be on the lookout for scammers. (NYT $)
+ It’s not just for boomers: younger people use it too. (TechCrunch)
+ For better or worse, AI is infiltrating major dating platforms. (Economist $)
quote of the day
“That was the good thing, that the AI actually found compatibility. It was the human part that didn’t work.”
—Emma Inge, a project manager looking for love in San Francisco, describes the problem of using an AI matchmaker to the new york times: can’t stop you from becoming a ghost.
one more thing
Inside the most dangerous asteroid search ever carried out
If you were told the odds of something were 3.1%, it may not seem like much. But for the people charged with protecting our planet, it was huge.
On February 18, astronomers determined that an asteroid 130 to 300 feet long had a 3.1% chance of crashing into Earth in 2032. Never has an asteroid of such dangerous dimensions had such a chance of hitting the planet. Then, a few days later, on February 24, experts declared that the danger had passed. The Earth would be saved.
How did they do it? What was it like tracking the growing danger of this asteroid and ultimately determining that it wouldn’t reach us?
This is the inside story of how an extensive network of astronomers found, tracked, mapped, planned and ultimately ruled out the most dangerous asteroid ever found, all on the tightest of deadlines and, for just a moment, with the most at stake. Read the full story.
—Robin George Andrews
We can still have nice things.
A place of comfort, fun and distraction to brighten your day. (Do you have any ideas? drop me a line either throw them at me.)
+ People of the Middle Ages chose to represent the devil In very interesting ways, that’s what I’ll say.
+ Perhaps we are getting closer to understanding why the animal kingdom has developed so much elaborate brands.
+ Music in the new game. Pokémon Legends: ZA It sure is interesting.
+ slow cooker dinners are attractive.
#Download #AGI #Myth #USChina #Competition
