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This is today's variation of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a regular dose of what's going connected successful the satellite of technology.
Bryan Johnson wants to commencement a caller religion successful which “the assemblage is God”
Bryan Johnson is connected a ngo to not die. The 47-year-old multimillionaire has already applied his slogan “Don’t Die” to events, merchandise, and a Netflix documentary. Now he’s founding a Don’t Die religion.
Johnson, who famously spends millions of dollars connected scans, tests, supplements, and a manner regular designed to dilatory oregon reverse the aging process, has enjoyed extended media coverage, and a immense societal media following. For galore people, helium has go the look of the longevity field.
I sat down with Johnson astatine an lawsuit for radical funny successful longevity successful Berkeley, California, successful precocious April to perceive much astir the cardinal interest underpinning his Don’t Die mission: ensuring AI is aligned with preserving quality existence. Read the afloat story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
Why the humanoid workforce is moving late
Last week I watched Daniela Rus, 1 of the world’s apical experts connected AI-powered robots, code a packed country astatine a Boston robotics expo. Rus spent a information of her speech busting the conception that elephantine fleets of humanoids are already making themselves utile successful manufacturing and warehouses astir the world.
That mightiness travel arsenic a surprise. For years AI has made it faster to bid robots, and investors person responded feverishly. Figure AI, a startup that aims to physique general-purpose humanoid robots for some homes and industry, is looking astatine a $1.5 cardinal backing round, and determination are commercialized experiments with humanoids astatine Amazon and car manufacturers. Bank of America predicts wider adoption of these robots astir the corner, with a cardinal humanoids astatine enactment by 2050.
But Rus and galore others I spoke with astatine the expo suggest that this hype conscionable doesn’t adhd up. Read the afloat story.
—James O'Donnell
This communicative primitively appeared successful The Algorithm, our play newsletter connected AI. To get stories similar this successful your inbox first, sign up here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 OpenAI is abandoning its plans to go a for-profit company
Following a ineligible conflict with Elon Musk and meetings with lawmakers. (WP $)
+ But large stakeholder Microsoft is inactive negotiating the details. (Bloomberg $)
+ Musk is proceeding with the lawsuit, too. (Reuters)
2 Donald Trump’s greenish vigor crackdown whitethorn wounded America’s AI ambitions
Reliable vigor is getting harder for the country’s information halfway manufacture to travel by. (FT $)+ Meanwhile, China is inactive accessing banned Nvidia chips. (Economist $)
+ Should we beryllium moving information centers to space? (MIT Technology Review)
3 US borderline extortion wants to photograph everyone entering successful a vehicle
And it’s asking tech companies to transportation facial designation tools to bash conscionable that. (Wired $)
+ The US wants to usage facial designation to place migrant children arsenic they age. (MIT Technology Review)
4 ChatGPT is fueling susceptible users’ spiritual delusions
Leaving household and friends unsure of however champion to assistance them. (Rolling Stone $)
+ Chatbots’ hallucinations look to beryllium worsening. (NYT $)
+ An AI chatbot told a idiosyncratic however to termination himself—but the institution doesn’t privation to “censor” it. (MIT Technology Review)
5 US companies mightiness find it harder to rise wealth from overseas investors
Trump’s tariffs are biting, adjacent for Big Tech. (The Information $)
+ The dollar is successful freefall. (Economist $)
+ Sweeping tariffs could endanger the US manufacturing rebound. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Waymo is ramping up its robotaxi production
Its caller mill successful Arizona volition physique much than 2,000 caller vehicles. (TechCrunch)
+ Tesla plans to rotation retired its robotaxi work successful Austin adjacent month. (Insider $)
7 Elon Musk’s neighbors aren’t happy
Residents of the Texan cul-de-sac are fed up with his entourage’s predominant comings and goings. (NYT $)
+ People surviving adjacent to crypto mining facilities are besides suffering. (The Guardian)
8 Food-scanning apps are changing however consumers shop
But critics accidental their nutrition and additives results are often wrong. (WSJ $)
9 We’re surviving successful the Community Notes epoch of the internet
For amended oregon worse. (The Atlantic $)
+ How to hole the internet. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Social media is fixated connected “recession indicators” 📉
Even though we’re not really successful one. At least, not yet. (CNN)
Quote of the day
“This changes nothing. The founding ngo remains betrayed.”
—Marc Toberoff, Elon Musk’s pb counsel successful his ineligible lawsuit against OpenAI, is not convinced by the changes the startup is making to its structure, the Wall Street Journal reports.
One much thing
How did beingness begin?
How beingness begins is 1 of the biggest and hardest questions successful science. All we cognize is that thing happened connected Earth much than 3.5 cardinal years ago, and it whitethorn good person occurred connected galore different worlds successful the beingness arsenic well.
We cognize however analyzable the situation was connected primordial Earth, with chemicals, metals, minerals, gases and waters each blasted astir by winds and volcanic eruptions. But we don’t cognize precisely what did the trick.
Now, a fewer researchers are harnessing artificial quality to zero successful connected the winning conditions. The anticipation is that instrumentality learning tools volition assistance devise a cosmopolitan mentation of the origins of life—one that applies not conscionable connected Earth but connected immoderate different world. Read the afloat story.
—Michael Marshall
We tin inactive person bully things
A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line oregon skeet 'em astatine me.)
+ If you’re the benignant of idiosyncratic who ever gets stuck connected video crippled puzzles, these hints and tips mightiness help.
+ This artichoke is truthful good, fraudsters turn counterfeit versions.
+ Meet the men bringing TikTok’s favourite romantasy novels to life.
+ Did you cognize that the ancient Egyptians were astute astronomers? 🌌
English (US) ·