The Download: fetal brain surgery, and a White House AI summit
1 The White House is trying to persuade AI firms to be more ethical
Good luck with that. (NYT $)
+ Everyone seems to agree we need new regulations, but the US government doesn’t seem to know how to proceed. (WP $)
+ The UK’s competition watchdog is reviewing the AI market. (The Guardian)
2 The FDA has approved the first RSV vaccine
The cold-like virus kills thousands of Americans each year. (Vox)
3 Google is rapidly accelerating its work on AI
Just as calls for the industry to slow everything down grow louder. (WP $)
+ Its biggest rival, OpenAI, is burning through money. (The Information $)
+ Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing still isn’t delivering on its promises. (The Atlantic $)
4 Neuralink’s oversights board is riddled with potential conflicts
The majority of its 22 members are its own staff. (Reuters)
+ Elon Musk’s Neuralink is neuroscience theater. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Bluesky is a haven for Twitter’s marginalized users
The early adopters hope to shape the platform’s community. (NBC News)
+ We’re witnessing the brain death of Twitter. (MIT Technology Review)
6 What it’ll take to tap into geothermal energy in Texas
Drilling pipes into hot rocks, controversial fracking and a whole lot of money. (Wired $)
+ An ambitious startup wants to pull carbon dioxide straight out of the ocean. (The Verge)
7 Therapy apps aren’t looking after their users’ data
Sensitive information is vulnerable to interception thanks to deceptive privacy policies. (The Verge)
8 Why e-fuels for EVs aren’t taking off
The industry is paying all its attention to planes, rather than Earth-bound vehicles. (The Guardian)
+ Hydrogen-powered planes take off with startup’s test flight. (MIT Technology Review)
