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The Download: making AI fairer, and why everyone’s talking about AGI
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.
Two new measures show where AI models fail on fairness
What’s new: A new pair of AI benchmarks could help developers reduce bias in AI models, potentially making them fairer and less likely to cause harm. The benchmarks evaluate AI systems based on their awareness of different scenarios and contexts. They could offer a more nuanced way to measure AI’s bias and its understanding of the world.
Why it matters: The researchers were inspired to look into the problem of bias after witnessing clumsy missteps in previous approaches, demonstrating how ignoring differences between groups may in fact make AI systems less fair. But while these new benchmarks could help teams better judge fairness in AI models, actually fixing them may require some other techniques altogether. Read the full story.
—Scott J Mulligan
AGI is suddenly a dinner table topic
The concept of artificial general intelligence—an ultra-powerful AI system we don’t have yet—can be thought of as a balloon, repeatedly inflated with hype during peaks of optimism (or fear) about its potential impact and then deflated as reality fails to meet expectations.
Over the past week, lots of news went into inflating that AGI balloon, including the launch of a new, seemingly super-capable AI agent called Manus, created by a Chinese startup. Read our story to learn what’s happened, and why it matters.
—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 The US has rebranded its immigration app with a ‘self-deport’ function
It’s a bid to encourage people living illegally to leave the country voluntarily. (AP News)
+ If they fail to self-report, undocumented migrants could face harsher consequences. (BBC)
+ But immigrants should think very carefully before trusting the app. (The Guardian)
+ The app was previously used to schedule asylum appointments. (MIT Technology Review)
2 DOGE is scrabbling around for some wins
The growing backlash against its clumsy cuts puts DOGE’s top brass under pressure. (WP $)
+ Biomedical research cuts would affect both elite and less-wealthy universities. (Undark)
+ The agency is causing chaos within social security’s offices. (New Yorker $)
+ The next phase? Handing over decisions to machines. (The Atlantic $)
3 Donald Trump isn’t a fan of the CHIPS Act
Even though the law is designed to support chip manufacturing in the US. (NYT $)
+ Here’s what is at stake if he follows through on his threats to scrap it. (Bloomberg $)
4 Elon Musk claims a cyber attack on X came from ‘the Ukraine area’
But the billionaire, who is a fierce critic of Ukraine, hasn’t provided any evidence. (FT $)
+ The platform buckled temporarily under the unusually powerful attack. (Reuters)
+ Cyber experts aren’t convinced, however. (AP News)
5 AI-powered PlayStation characters are on the horizon
Sony is testing out AI avatars that can hold conversations with players. (The Verge)
+ How generative AI could reinvent what it means to play. (MIT Technology Review)
6 DeepSeek’s founder isn’t fussed about making a quick buck
Liang Wenfeng is turning down big investment offers in favor of retaining the freedom to make his own decisions. (WSJ $)
+ China’s tech optimism is at an all-time high. (Bloomberg $)
+ How DeepSeek ripped up the AI playbook—and why everyone’s going to follow its lead. (MIT Technology Review)
7 The rain is full of pollutants, including microplastics
And you thought acid rain was bad. (Vox)
8 An all-electric seaglider is being tested in Rhode Island
It can switch seamlessly between floating and flying. (New Scientist $)
+ These aircraft could change how we fly. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Tesla Cybertruck owners have formed an emotional support group
One member is pushing for Cybertruck abuse to be treated as hate crimes. (Fast Company $)
10 There’s only one good X account left
Step forward Joyce Carol Oates. (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“There is no more asylum.”
—US immigration officials tell a businessman seeking legitimate asylum that he can’t enter the country just days after Donald Trump took office, the Washington Post reports.
The big story
Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation
August 2023
PowerPoint is everywhere. It’s used in religious sermons; by schoolchildren preparing book reports; at funerals and weddings. In 2010, Microsoft announced that PowerPoint was installed on more than a billion computers worldwide.
But before PowerPoint, 35-millimeter film slides were king. They were the only medium for the kinds of high-impact presentations given by CEOs and top brass at annual meetings for stockholders, employees, and salespeople.
Known in the business as “multi-image” shows, these presentations required a small army of producers, photographers, and live production staff to pull off. Read this story to delve into the fascinating, flashy history of corporate presentations.
—Claire L. Evans
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.)+ Here’s how to prevent yourself getting a crick in the neck during your next flight.
+ I would love to go on all of these dreamy train journeys.
+ This Singaporean chocolate cake is delightfully simple to make.
+ Meet Jo Nemeth, the woman who lives entirely without money.
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