The Download: Google’s AI energy expenditure, and handing over DNA data to the police
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.
In a first, Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses
Google has just released a report detailing how much energy its Gemini apps use for each query. In total, the median prompt—one that falls in the middle of the range of energy demand—consumes 0.24 watt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of running a standard microwave for about one second. The company also provided average estimates for the water consumption (five drops per query) and carbon emissions associated with a text prompt to Gemini.
It’s the most transparent estimate yet from a Big Tech company with a popular AI product, and the report includes detailed information about how the company calculated its final estimate.
Earlier this year, MIT Technology Review published a comprehensive series on AI and energy, at which time none of the major AI companies would reveal their per-prompt energy usage. Google’s new publication, at last, allows for a peek behind the curtain that researchers and analysts have long hoped for. Read the full story.
—Casey Crownhart
I gave the police access to my DNA—and maybe some of yours
Last year, I added my DNA profile to a private genealogical database, FamilyTreeDNA, and clicked “Yes” to allow the police to search my genes.
In 2018, police in California announced they’d caught the Golden State Killer, a man who had eluded capture for decades. Once the police had “matches” to a few relatives of the killer, they built a large family tree from which they plucked the likely suspect.
This process, called forensic investigative genetic genealogy, or FIGG, has since helped solve hundreds of murders and sexual assaults.
But I wasn’t really driven by some urge to capture distantly related serial killers. Rather, my spit had a less gallant and more quarrelsome motive: to troll privacy advocates whose fears around DNA I think are overblown and unhelpful. By giving up my saliva for inspection, I was going against the view that a person’s DNA is the individualized, sacred text that privacy advocates sometimes claim. Read the full story.
—Antonio Regalado
This article appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.
Meet the researcher hosting a scientific conference by and for AI
In October, a new academic conference will debut that’s unlike any other. All of the work shared at Agents4Science will have been researched, written, and reviewed primarily by AI, and will be presented using text-to-speech technology.
That idea is not without its detractors. Among other issues, many feel AI is not capable of the creative thought needed in research, makes too many mistakes and hallucinations, and may limit opportunities for young researchers.
Nevertheless, a number of scientists and policymakers are very keen on the promise of AI scientists—and some even think they could unlock scientific discoveries that humans could never find alone. Read the full story.
—Peter Hall
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Elon Musk tried to persuade Mark Zuckerberg to buy OpenAI
But the bid was rejected earlier this year. (Insider $)
+ OpenAI is asking Meta for evidence of any coordinated plans. (TechCrunch)
+ I’m guessing the cage fight is still off then. (FT $)
2 AI giants are seeking real-world data that can’t be scraped from the internet
It’s a bid to make their models more accurate and to find new use cases. (Rest of World)
3 Russia’s state-backed messenger app will be preinstalled on all phones
Critics say the MAX app is essentially a government spy tool. (Reuters)
+ Around 18 million people have registered to use it so far. (CNN)
+ How Russia killed its tech industry. (MIT Technology Review)
4 The Trump administration is refusing to fully fund a major HIV program
It’s ignoring a directive from Congress to withhold around $3 billion. (NYT $)
+ HIV could infect 1,400 infants every day because of US aid disruptions. (MIT Technology Review)
5 How Trump decides which chip companies may have to give up equity
Increasing your investments in the US? You’re off the hook. (WSJ $)
+ America-first chipmaking remains a fantasy, though. (Economist $)
+ Experts think Trump’s unconventional Intel deal may backfire. (Wired $)
+ DeepSeek’s new AI model is compatible with Chinese-made chips. (FT $)
6 The EU is speeding up its plans for a digital euro 💶
It’s considering running it on a public blockchain, to experts’ concern. (FT $)
+ Is the digital dollar dead? (MIT Technology Review)
7 We don’t have to open new mines to obtain minerals for clean energy
Although we have to get better at using the material we do mine. (New Scientist $)
+ How one mine could unlock billions in EV subsidies. (MIT Technology Review)
8 This newly-discovered gene could usher in new chronic pain treatments
One day, cutting out certain foods could lessen discomfort. (Economist $)
+ The pain is real. The painkillers are virtual reality. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Why Africa is buying so many solar panels
It’s not just its more affluent nations snapping them up, either. (Wired $)
+ The race to get next-generation solar technology on the market. (MIT Technology Review)
10 How families are using AI to run their households
No more quibbling over meal planning. (WP $)
Quote of the day
“If AGI doesn’t come to pass sometime soon, I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole thing pops.”
—Bhavya Kashyap, an angel investor, tells Insider why investors are fuelling a risky bubble by rushing to buy stocks in the hottest AI companies.
One more thing
How AI is changing gymnastics judging
The 2023 World Championships last October marked the first time an AI judging system was used on every apparatus in a gymnastics competition. There are obvious upsides to using this kind of technology: AI could help take the guesswork out of the judging technicalities. It could even help to eliminate biases, making the sport both more fair and more transparent.
At the same time, others fear AI judging will take away something that makes gymnastics special. Gymnastics is a subjective sport, like diving or dressage, and technology could eliminate the judges’ role in crafting a narrative.
For better or worse, AI has officially infiltrated the world of gymnastics. The question now is whether it really makes it fairer. Read the full story.
—Jessica Taylor Price
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.)
+ Finally, some good news—a sweet little Australian marsupial called an ampurta is no longer endangered (thanks Glen!)
+ What would a GTA set in London look like?
+ Why glass houses aren’t all they’re cracked up to be (geddit?)
+ Over in Denmark, there’s a national competition encouraging cities to get rid of their gray concrete tiles and replace them with peaceful green spaces (thanks Alice!)
