The Download: US immigration agencies’ AI videos, and inside the Vitalism movement
Plus: French company Capgemini has confirmed it’s no longer working with ICE
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.
DHS is using Google and Adobe AI to make videos
The news: The US Department of Homeland Security is using AI video generators from Google and Adobe to make and edit content shared with the public, a new document reveals. The document, released on Wednesday, provides an inventory of which commercial AI tools DHS uses for tasks ranging from generating drafts of documents to managing cybersecurity.
Why it matters: It comes as immigration agencies have flooded social media with content to support President Trump’s mass deportation agenda—some of which appears to be made with AI—and as workers in tech have put pressure on their employers to denounce the agencies’ activities. Read the full story.
—James O’Donnell
How the sometimes-weird world of lifespan extension is gaining influence
—Jessica HamzelouFor the last couple of years, I’ve been following the progress of a group of individuals who believe death is humanity’s “core problem.” Put simply, they say death is wrong—for everyone. They’ve even said it’s morally wrong.
They established what they consider a new philosophy, and they called it Vitalism.
Vitalism is more than a philosophy, though—it’s a movement for hardcore longevity enthusiasts who want to make real progress in finding treatments that slow or reverse aging. Not just through scientific advances, but by persuading influential people to support their movement, and by changing laws and policies to open up access to experimental drugs. And they’re starting to make progress.
This article first 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.
The AI Hype Index: Grok makes porn, and Claude Code nails your job
Separating AI reality from hyped-up fiction isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve created the AI Hype Index—a simple, at-a-glance summary of everything you need to know about the state of the industry. Take a look at this month’s edition of the index here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Capgemini is no longer tracking immigrants for ICE
After the French company was queried by the country’s government over the contract. (WP $)
+ Here’s how the agency typically keeps tabs on its targets. (NYT $)
+ US senators are pushing for answers about its recent surveillance shopping spree. (404 Media)
+ ICE’s tactics would get real soldiers killed, apparently. (Wired $)
2 The Pentagon is at loggerheads with Anthropic
The AI firm is reportedly worried its tools could be used to spy on Americans. (Reuters)
+ Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military. (MIT Technology Review)
3 It’s relatively rare for AI chatbots to lead users down harmful paths
But when it does, it can have incredibly dangerous consequences. (Ars Technica)
+ The AI doomers feel undeterred. (MIT Technology Review)
4
GPT-4o’s days are numbered
OpenAI says just 0.1% of users are using the model every day. (CNBC)
+ It’s the second time that it’s tried to turn the sycophantic model off in under a year. (Insider $)
+ Why GPT-4o’s sudden shutdown left people grieving. (MIT Technology Review)
5 An AI toy company left its chats with kids exposed
Anyone with a Gmail account was able to simply access the conversations—no hacking required. (Wired $)
+ AI toys are all the rage in China—and now they’re appearing on shelves in the US too. (MIT Technology Review)
6 SpaceX could merge with xAI later this year
Ahead of a planned blockbuster IPO of Elon Musk’s companies. (Reuters)
+ The move would be welcome news for Musk fans. (The Information $)
+ A SpaceX-Tesla merger could also be on the cards. (Bloomberg $)
7 We’re still waiting for a reliable male contraceptive
Take a look at the most promising methods so far. (Bloomberg $)
8 AI is bringing traditional Chinese medicine to the masses
And it’s got the full backing of the country’s government. (Rest of World)
9 The race back to the Moon is heating up
Competition between the US and China is more intense than ever. (Economist $)
10 What did the past really smell like?
AI could help scientists to recreate history’s aromas—including mummies and battlefields. (Knowable Magazine)
Quote of the day
“I think the tidal wave is coming and we’re all standing on the beach.”
—Bill Zysblat, a music business manager, tells the Financial Times about the existential threat AI poses to the industry.
One more thing
Therapists are secretly using ChatGPT. Clients are triggered.
Declan would never have found out his therapist was using ChatGPT had it not been for a technical mishap. The connection was patchy during one of their online sessions, so Declan suggested they turn off their video feeds. Instead, his therapist began inadvertently sharing his screen.
For the rest of the session, Declan was privy to a real-time stream of ChatGPT analysis rippling across his therapist’s screen, who was taking what Declan was saying, putting it into ChatGPT, and then parroting its answers.
But Declan is not alone. In fact, a growing number of people are reporting receiving AI-generated communiqués from their therapists. Clients’ trust and privacy are being abandoned in the process. Read the full story.
—Laurie Clarke
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.)
+ Sinkholes are seriously mysterious. Is there a way to stay one step ahead of them?
+ This beautiful pixel art is super impressive.
+ Amid the upheaval in their city, residents of Minneapolis recently demonstrated both their resistance and community spirit in the annual Art Sled Rally (thanks Paul!)
+ How on Earth is Tomb Raider 30 years old?!
