That is in the present day’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a each day dose of what’s occurring on the earth of expertise.
It’s surprisingly straightforward to stumble right into a relationship with an AI chatbot
The information: The primary large-scale computational evaluation of the Reddit neighborhood r/MyBoyfriendIsAI, which is devoted to discussing AI relationships, discovered that many individuals shaped these relationships unintentionally whereas utilizing AI for different functions. In truth, solely 6.5% of them stated they’d intentionally sought out an AI companion.
Why it issues: The research discovered that AI companionship gives very important assist for some however exacerbates underlying issues for others. This implies it’s arduous to take a one-size-fits-all method to consumer security. Learn the complete story.
—Rhiannon Williams
Be part of us at 1.30pm ET in the present day to study the way forward for contraception
Conversations round contraception normally concentrate on girls, however Kevin Eisenfrats, one of many MIT Expertise Assessment 2025 Innovators Below 35, is working to vary that. His firm, Contraline, is working towards testing new contraception choices for males. Be part of us for an unique subscribers-only Roundtable interview to listen to Kevin in dialog with our govt editor Amy Nordrum at 1.30 ET in the present day.
MIT Expertise Assessment Narrated: What’s subsequent for AI and math
The final 12 months has seen fast progress within the potential of enormous language fashions to sort out math at highschool degree and past. Is AI closing in on human mathematicians?
This story is the most recent to be become a MIT Expertise Assessment Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Simply navigate to MIT Expertise Assessment Narrated on both platform, and observe us to take heed to all our new episodes as they’re launched.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you in the present day’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Secret Service brokers dismantled a large operation to cripple cell networks
They are saying it’s seemingly it was meant for use for scams. (Wired $)
2 Welcome to the brand new period of fragmented US vaccine insurance policies
The federal authorities is abdicating duty for public well being. Who will fill the void? (New Yorker $)
+ Why US federal well being companies are abandoning mRNA vaccines. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
3 European protection leaders are discussing constructing a ‘drone wall’
They’re scrambling to catch up as Russian incursions into their territory enhance. (ABC)
4 How will we all know if we’ve reached synthetic normal intelligence?
That’s the multi-billion greenback query—however there’s no clear reply. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Specialists don’t even agree on what AI is to start with, by no means thoughts AGI. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
5 Robotic umpires are coming to baseball’s main leagues subsequent 12 months 
People will nonetheless be answerable for calling balls and strikes, however tech will assist to evaluate appealed selections. (AP)
6 AI’s power wants are being overstated
And that would lock us into pointless, expensive fossil gasoline tasks. (The Verge)
+ 4 causes to be optimistic about AI’s power utilization. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
7 Excessive drought is about to grow to be much more commonplace
Governments must do much more to arrange. (Gizmodo)
8 AI is coming for subtitle writers’ jobs
However their work is tougher to interchange than you would possibly assume. (The Guardian)
+ ‘Workslop’ is slowing the whole lot down. (Harvard Enterprise Assessment)
+ And, so as to add to the issue, AI methods might by no means be safe. (The Economist $)
9 How epigenetics may assist save wildlife from extinction
It may enable scientists to detect accelerated growing older earlier than an animal inhabitants begins to visibly collapse. (Knowable)
+ Ageing clocks intention to foretell how lengthy you’ll stay. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
10 TikTok is getting launched to the idea of the rapture
Which is due in the present day, in keeping with some. In that case, it’s been nice understanding you. Good luck! (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“Everyone has a backup.”
—Stella Li, govt vice chairman at BYD, tells CNBC the corporate has contingency plans in case Beijing orders it to cease utilizing Nvidia chips.
Yet another factor
This app helps staff reclaim thousands and thousands in misplaced wages
Reclamo, a brand new internet app, helps immigrant staff who’ve skilled wage theft. It guides them by assembling case particulars, and finally produces completed authorized claims that may be filed immediately. A course of that may in any other case take a number of conferences with an lawyer can now be finished inside an hour.
A big quantity of wage theft targets immigrants, each authorized and undocumented, partly due to communication limitations and their perceived lack of energy or authorized recourse. However the app is already making a distinction—serving to staff to reclaim $1 million in misplaced wages because it began beta testing in October 2022. Learn the complete story.
—Patrick Sisson
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ It’s Fats Bear Week! Who will get your vote this 12 months?
+ Find out about Lord Woodbine, the forgotten sixth Beatle.
+ There are some really wild and wacky recipes on this Medieval Cookery assortment. Venison porridge, anybody?
+ Pessimism about expertise is as outdated as expertise itself, as this archive reveals.
