The Download: a longevity influencer’s new religion, and humanoid robots’ shortcomings
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Bryan Johnson wants to start a new religion in which “the body is God”
Bryan Johnson is on a mission to not die. The 47-year-old multimillionaire has already applied his slogan “Don’t Die” to events, merchandise, and a Netflix documentary. Now he’s founding a Don’t Die religion.
Johnson, who famously spends millions of dollars on scans, tests, supplements, and a lifestyle routine designed to slow or reverse the aging process, has enjoyed extensive media coverage, and a huge social media following. For many people, he has become the face of the longevity field.
I sat down with Johnson at an event for people interested in longevity in Berkeley, California, in late April to hear more about the key concern underpinning his Don’t Die mission: ensuring AI is aligned with preserving human existence. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
Why the humanoid workforce is running late
Last week I watched Daniela Rus, one of the world’s top experts on AI-powered robots, address a packed room at a Boston robotics expo. Rus spent a portion of her talk busting the notion that giant fleets of humanoids are already making themselves useful in manufacturing and warehouses around the world.
That might come as a surprise. For years AI has made it faster to train robots, and investors have responded feverishly. Figure AI, a startup that aims to build general-purpose humanoid robots for both homes and industry, is looking at a $1.5 billion funding round, and there are commercial experiments with humanoids at Amazon and auto manufacturers. Bank of America predicts wider adoption of these robots around the corner, with a billion humanoids at work by 2050.
But Rus and many others I spoke with at the expo suggest that this hype just doesn’t add up. Read the full story.
—James O’Donnell
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 OpenAI is abandoning its plans to become a for-profit company
Following a legal battle with Elon Musk and meetings with lawmakers. (WP $)
+ But major stakeholder Microsoft is still negotiating the details. (Bloomberg $)
+ Musk is proceeding with the lawsuit, too. (Reuters)
2 Donald Trump’s green energy crackdown may hurt America’s AI ambitions
Reliable energy is getting harder for the country’s data center industry to come by. (FT $)+ Meanwhile, China is still accessing banned Nvidia chips. (Economist $)
+ Should we be moving data centers to space? (MIT Technology Review)
3 US border protection wants to photograph everyone entering in a vehicle
And it’s asking tech companies to pitch facial recognition tools to do just that. (Wired $)
+ The US wants to use facial recognition to identify migrant children as they age. (MIT Technology Review)
4 ChatGPT is fueling vulnerable users’ spiritual delusions
Leaving family and friends unsure of how best to help them. (Rolling Stone $)
+ Chatbots’ hallucinations appear to be worsening. (NYT $)
+ An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it. (MIT Technology Review)
5 US companies might find it harder to raise money from overseas investors
Trump’s tariffs are biting, even for Big Tech. (The Information $)
+ The dollar is in freefall. (Economist $)
+ Sweeping tariffs could threaten the US manufacturing rebound. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Waymo is ramping up its robotaxi production
Its new factory in Arizona will build more than 2,000 new vehicles. (TechCrunch)
+ Tesla plans to roll out its robotaxi service in Austin next month. (Insider $)
7 Elon Musk’s neighbors aren’t happy
Residents of the Texan cul-de-sac are fed up with his entourage’s frequent comings and goings. (NYT $)
+ People living next to crypto mining facilities are also suffering. (The Guardian)
8 Food-scanning apps are changing how consumers shop
But critics say their nutrition and additives results are often wrong. (WSJ $)
9 We’re living in the Community Notes era of the internet
For better or worse. (The Atlantic $)
+ How to fix the internet. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Social media is fixated on “recession indicators” 📉
Even though we’re not actually in one. At least, not yet. (CNN)
Quote of the day
“This changes nothing. The founding mission remains betrayed.”
—Marc Toberoff, Elon Musk’s lead counsel in his legal case against OpenAI, is not convinced by the changes the startup is making to its structure, the Wall Street Journal reports.
One more thing
How did life begin?
How life begins is one of the biggest and hardest questions in science. All we know is that something happened on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago, and it may well have occurred on many other worlds in the universe as well.
We know how complex the environment was on primordial Earth, with chemicals, metals, minerals, gases and waters all blasted around by winds and volcanic eruptions. But we don’t know exactly what did the trick.
Now, a few researchers are harnessing artificial intelligence to zero in on the winning conditions. The hope is that machine learning tools will help devise a universal theory of the origins of life—one that applies not just on Earth but on any other world. Read the full story.
—Michael Marshall
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ If you’re the kind of person who always gets stuck on video game puzzles, these hints and tips might help.
+ This artichoke is so good, fraudsters grow counterfeit versions.
+ Meet the men bringing TikTok’s favorite romantasy novels to life.
+ Did you know that the ancient Egyptians were astute astronomers? 🌌
