That is at present’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on the planet of expertise.
What’s AI?
AI is horny, AI is cool. AI is entrenching inequality, upending the job market, and wrecking training. The AI increase will increase the economic system, the AI bubble is about to burst. AI will enhance abundance and empower humanity to maximally flourish within the universe. AI will kill us all.
What the hell is all people speaking about?
Synthetic intelligence is the most well liked expertise of our time. However what’s it? It feels like a silly query, but it surely’s one which’s by no means been extra pressing.
For those who’re keen to buckle up and are available for a trip, I can let you know why no person actually is aware of, why all people appears to disagree, and why you’re proper to care about it. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
The Chinese language authorities is all in on autonomous autos
There’s been a lot information popping out of China’s autonomous-vehicle business these days that it’s laborious to maintain monitor.
The federal government is lastly permitting Tesla to deliver its Full Self-Driving characteristic to China. New authorities permits let firms check driverless automobiles on the highway and permit cities to construct sensible highway infrastructure that can inform these automobiles the place to go.
In brief, there are loads of adjustments going down. They usually all level in the identical path: The Chinese language authorities is throwing its weight behind the autonomous-vehicle business and is keen to return out on prime whereas different nations take a extra cautious method. Learn the total story.
—Zeyi Yang
This story is from China Report, our weekly e-newsletter overlaying tech and energy in China. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at present’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Microsoft and Apple will now not sit on OpenAI’s board
The transfer comes as regulators begin to pay shut consideration to Large Tech’s investments in AI startups. (FT $)
+ Microsoft claims its exit is right down to OpenAI’s newfound stability. (WSJ $)
+ OpenAI will replace its stakeholders with common conferences, as a substitute. (Bloomberg $)
2 The US has taken down a Russian bot farm on X
The propaganda mill used AI to scale up its operations. (WP $)
+ Google Search outcomes are filled with Russian AI spam, too. (Wired $)
+ The Kremlin is rewriting Wikipedia to go well with its personal agenda. (Economist $)
3 Amazon claims to have met a clear power objective seven years early
Some consultants aren’t satisfied its calculation technique is as much as scratch, although. (NYT $)
+ Carbon seize wants to enhance if we’re ever to maneuver away from fossil fuels. (Knowable Journal)
+ How electrical energy might clear up transportation, metal, and even fertilizer. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
4 Rechargeable batteries come at an environmental value
They look like a rising supply of without end chemical substances. (The Verge)
+ The race to destroy PFAS, the without end chemical substances. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
5 What occurs to your cash when your startup financial institution folds?
Loads of prospects are discovering out the laborious method. (NYT $)
6 Crypto followers are up in arms over Germany promoting confiscated bitcoin
However the state of Saxony doesn’t have a selection. (CoinDesk)
+ Crypto scams are alive and nicely. (Wired $)
7 Easy methods to put together your property for a hurricane
Stronger supplies, tighter seals, and a complete lot of labor. (Wired $)
+ The search to construct wildfire-resistant properties. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
8 Nobody solutions the cellphone anymore
And it’s a much bigger drawback than you’d suppose. (Slate $)
9 Philips Hue sensible lightbulbs appear to have a thoughts of their very own 
Homeowners declare the bulbs are overriding settings to full brightness. (Insider $)
10 Gen Z makes use of the iPhone Notes app to generate outfits
All these little digital stickers are coming in useful. (Vogue Enterprise $)
Quote of the day
“I confronted the problems of AI early, however it should occur for others. It is probably not a contented ending.”
—Lee Saedol, the legendary Go participant who misplaced to Google DeepMind’s AI program in 2016, warns an viewers in Seoul concerning the dangers the expertise could pose, the New York Instances stories.
The massive story
This super-realistic digital world is a driving faculty for AI
February 2022
Constructing driverless automobiles is a gradual and costly enterprise. After years of effort and billions of {dollars} of funding, the expertise remains to be caught within the pilot section.
Autonomous expertise firm Waabi thinks it will possibly do higher. In 2021 it revealed the controversial new shortcut to autonomous autos it’s betting on. The massive concept? Ditch the automobiles.
Wasabi has constructed a super-realistic digital surroundings known as Waabi World. As an alternative of coaching an AI driver in actual autos, it plans to do it completely contained in the simulation. However simulation alone is a daring technique, and the way far it will possibly go is determined by how real looking Waabi World actually is. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ If this video doesn’t fill you with pleasure, I don’t know what’s going to. 
+ Apo Whang-Od Oggay is the world’s oldest tattoo artist, and really cool.
+ The world’s most troublesome maze holds a really fascinating secret.
+ Netflix’s Supacell options among the best of Black British expertise.
