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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.
Why Chinese manufacturers are going viral connected TikTok
Since the video was posted earlier this month, millions of TikTok users person watched arsenic a young Chinese antheral successful a bluish T-shirt sits beside a accepted beverage acceptable and speaks straight to the camera successful accented English: “Let’s exposure luxury’s biggest secret.”
He stands and lifts what looks similar an Hermès Birkin bag, 1 of the world’s astir exclusive and costly handbags, earlier gesturing toward the shelves filled with much bags down him. “You admit them: Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci—all crafted successful our workshops.” He ends by urging viewers to bargain straight from his factory.
Video “exposés” similar this—where a income cause breaks down the worldly outgo of luxury goods, from handbags to perfumes to appliances—are everyplace connected TikTok close now. And whether oregon not their claims are true, these videos and their virality talk to a new, superior propulsion by Chinese manufacturers to link straight with American consumers. Read the afloat story.
—Caiwei Chen
How AI is interacting with our originative quality processes
The accelerated proliferation of AI successful our lives introduces caller challenges astir authorship, authenticity, and morals successful enactment and art. But it besides offers a peculiarly quality occupation successful narrative: How tin we marque consciousness of these machines, not conscionable usage them?
Three caller books analyse what we summation and suffer erstwhile we fto machines create, and airs the question: however bash the words we take and stories we archer astir exertion impact the relation we let it to instrumentality connected (or adjacent instrumentality over) successful our originative lives? Read the afloat story.
—Rebecca Ackermann
This communicative is from the most caller variation of our people magazine, which is each astir however exertion is changing creativity. Subscribe now to work it and to person aboriginal people copies erstwhile they land.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 Inside the almighty Signal chat shaping America
Marc Andreessen’s Chatham House radical unites figures crossed Silicon Valley, authorities and journalism. (Semafor)
+ Many successful tech whitethorn travel to regret their concern successful Trump. (Vox)
2 RFK Jr’s autism survey has got scientists worried
They fearfulness it’ll springiness credence to unproven theories. (Axios)
+ His claims that autism is caused by biology toxins are not backed by science. (PBS)
+ Experts accidental deficiency of enactment is the biggest situation facing autistic people. (The Guardian)
3 Only Google tin tally Chrome properly
That’s what the browser’s wide manager told the justice presiding implicit its antitrust trial. (Bloomberg $)
+ Companies are inactive expressing involvement successful buying it, though. (The Verge)
4 Meta’s chatbots volition clasp explicit conversations with minors
Including chatbots voiced by celebrities, including wrestler-turned-actor John Cena. (WSJ $)
+ An AI companion tract is hosting sexually charged conversations with underage personage bots. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Here’s wherefore it would beryllium truthful hard to physique an iPhone successful the US
It’s not conscionable astir the outgo of labor. (FT $)
+ His steep tariffs mean this Christmas volition beryllium an adjacent much costly affair. (Wired $)
+ Sweeping tariffs could endanger the US manufacturing rebound. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Mexico’s cause cartels person go influencers
Their posts are immoderate of the lone insights we person into their activities. (The Atlantic $)
+ The mothers of Mexico’s missing usage societal media to hunt for wide graves. (MIT Technology Review)
7 People with autism are utilizing AI to navigate mundane situations
But experts pass that chatbots’ responses should beryllium treated with caution. (WP $)
8 Clean vigor is inactive making progress
Despite those governmental and economical headwinds. (Vox)
+ Europe is committed to looking beyond fossil fuels. (Politico)
+ 4 technologies that could powerfulness the aboriginal of energy. (MIT Technology Review)
9 What rats tin thatch america astir hunger 🐀
We’re getting person to knowing what makes america commencement and halt eating. (NYT $)
+ We’ve ne'er understood however hunger works. That mightiness beryllium astir to change. (MIT Technology Review)
10 It’s nary wonderment Trump loves AI slop
He’s been pushing a surreal, gaudy imaginativeness of the satellite for years.(New Yorker $)
+ AI slop infiltrated astir each country of the net past year. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“You cognize the champion happening astir these things is that thing leaks…but it looks similar that’s changed a little.”
—A longtime attendee of the secretive intimate networking events favored by tech, media and concern bigwigs spills the beans to The Information.
One much thing
AI hype is built connected precocious trial scores. Those tests are flawed.
In the past fewer years, aggregate researchers assertion to person shown that ample connection models tin walk cognitive tests designed for humans, from moving done problems measurement by step, to guessing what different radical are thinking.
These kinds of results are feeding a hype instrumentality predicting that these machines volition soon travel for white-collar jobs. But there’s a problem: There’s small statement connected what those results truly mean. Read the afloat story.
—William Douglas Heaven
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.)
+ The Magic Circle has readmitted a pistillate magician who was expelled 30 years agone aft she revealed she’d disguised herself arsenic a antheral to summation entree to the formerly male-only society. 🪄
+ These National Parks are stunningly beautiful.
+ The Fear of Flying Subreddit is 1 of the past axenic places remaining connected the internet.
+ Why Gen Z is truthful obsessed with iced coffee.
English (US) ·