Separating AI world from hyped-up fabrication isn’t ever easy. That’s wherefore we’ve created the AI Hype Index—a simple, at-a-glance summary of everything you request to cognize astir the authorities of the industry. Take a look astatine this month’s variation of the scale here.
Is AI “normal”?
Despite its ubiquity, AI is seen arsenic thing but a mean technology. There is speech of AI systems that volition soon merit the word “superintelligence,” and the erstwhile CEO of Google precocious suggested we power AI models the mode we power uranium and different atomic weapons materials.
A caller effort by 2 AI researchers astatine Princeton argues that AI is simply a general-purpose exertion whose exertion mightiness beryllium amended compared to the drawn-out adoption of energy oregon the net than to atomic weapons. Read connected to larn much astir the policies the authors propose.
—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 US Congress has passed the Take It Down Act
The authorities is designed to ace down connected revenge porn and deepfake nudes. (WP $)
+ But critics fearfulness it’ll beryllium weaponized to suppress online code and encryption. (The Verge)
+ Donald Trump has said helium wants to usage the measure to support himself. (The Hill)
2 The Trump medication is embracing shady crypto firms
Including Tether, whose stablecoin is often utilized by criminals. (NYT $)
+ Crypto lender Nexo, which ran into regulatory trouble, is present returning to the US. (CoinDesk)
+ The UAE is readying a stablecoin regulated by the country’s cardinal bank. (Bloomberg $)
3 Elon Musk’s DOGE conflicts of involvement are worthy $2.37 billion
Although experts estimation the existent worthy could beryllium higher. (The Guardian)
+ DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the information and stableness of our captious data. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Researchers secretly deployed bots into a statement subreddit
In a highly unethical bid to effort and alteration users’ minds. (404 Media)
+ AI is nary replacement for quality mediators. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Amazon’s archetypal net satellites person been launched successfully
27 down, 3,209 to go. (Reuters)
+ It’s Bezos’s reply to Musk’s Starlink. (FT $)
6 Amazon is pressuring its suppliers to slash their prices
It’s trying to support its margins arsenic Trump’s tariffs commencement to bite. (FT $)
+ Temu’s approach? Pass connected the caller taxes to its customers. (Bloomberg $)
+ Here’s however the tariffs are going to worsen the integer divide. (Wired $)
+ Sweeping tariffs could endanger the US manufacturing rebound. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Sam Altman and Satya Nadella are drifting apart
The brace disagree connected OpenAI’s attack to AGI, among different things. (WSJ $)
8 Duolingo is replacing quality workers with AI
It’s each portion of the program to marque the connection learning app “AI-first.” (The Verge)
9 Earthquakes whitethorn beryllium a affluent root of hydrogen
Which is bully quality for the scientists trying to way down the gas. (New Scientist $)
+ Why the adjacent vigor contention is for underground hydrogen. (MIT Technology Review)
10 The Hubble Space Telescope is turning 35-years aged 🔭
And it’s inactive capturing jaw dropping images. (The Atlantic $)
+ Scientists person made immoderate absorbing discoveries astir Jupiter’s volcanic moon. (Quanta Magazine)
Quote of the day
“When the idiosyncratic championing your anti-abuse authorities is promising to usage it for abuse, you mightiness person a problem.”
—Entrepreneur Mike Masnick says Donald Trump’s endorsement of the Take It Down Bill is self-serving successful a station connected Techdirt.
One much thing

The unspeakable complexity of technological problemsThe philosopher Karl Popper erstwhile argued that determination are 2 kinds of problems successful the world: timepiece problems and unreality problems. As the metaphor suggests, timepiece problems obey a definite logic. The hole whitethorn not beryllium easy, but it’s achievable.
Cloud problems connection nary specified assurances. They are inherently analyzable and unpredictable, and they usually person social, psychological, oregon governmental dimensions. Because of their dynamic, shape-shifting nature, trying to “fix” a unreality occupation often ends up creating respective caller problems.
But determination are ways to reckon with this benignant of technological complexity—and the wicked problems it creates. Read the afloat story.
—Bryan Gardiner
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 yearly Corgi Derby is simply a show to behold—congratulations to the victor Juno!
+ Caroline Polachek is the dependable of spring.
+ Why women are overtaking men successful the astir extreme sporting events 🏃♀️
+ Maybe there’s thing to these obscenely-priced celebrity smoothies.