The Download: our thawing permafrost, and a drone-filled future
Plus: America’s first AI law is here
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.
Scientists can see Earth’s permafrost thawing from space
Something is rotten in the city of Nunapitchuk. In recent years, sewage has leached into the earth. The ground can feel squishy, sodden.
This small town in northern Alaska is experiencing a sometimes overlooked consequence of climate change: thawing permafrost. And Nunapitchuk is far from the only Arctic town to find itself in such a predicament.
Now scientists think they may be able to use satellite data to delve deep beneath the ground’s surface and get a better understanding of how the permafrost thaws, and which areas might be most severely affected. Read the full story.
—Sarah Scoles
The US may be heading toward a drone-filled future
—James O’Donnell
Last week, I published a story about the police-tech giant Flock Safety selling its drones to the private sector to track shoplifters. Keith Kauffman, a former police chief who now leads Flock’s drone efforts, described the ideal scenario: A security team at a Home Depot, say, launches a drone from the roof that follows shoplifting suspects to their car. The drone tracks their car through the streets, transmitting its live video feed directly to the police.
It’s a vision that, unsurprisingly, alarms civil liberties advocates. But the fate of drones in the US pretty much comes down to one rule. It’s a Federal Aviation Administration regulation that stipulates where and how drones can be flown—and it is about to change. Read the full story.
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.
Trump’s impact on the next generation of innovators
Every year, MIT Technology Review recognizes dozens of young researchers on our Innovators Under 35 list. This year Amy Nordrum, our executive editor, and our senior investigative reporter Eileen Guo checked back in with recent honorees to see how they’re faring amid sweeping changes to science and technology policy within the US.
Join us tomorrow at 1.30pm ET for an exclusive Roundtables conversation with Amy and Eileen to learn about the complex realities of what life has been like for those aiming to build their labs and companies in today’s political climate. Register here!
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 California’s governor has signed America’s first AI law
It’ll require AI developers to publicly disclose their safety and security protocols. (Politico)
+ The landmark bill has received a mixed reception from the AI industry. (TechCrunch)
2 The Trump administration is pressuring Taiwan
It’s pushing officials to move 50% of chip production to the US—or else. (Ars Technica)
+ The US argues it’s the best way to counter invasion threats from China. (Bloomberg $)
+ Taiwan’s “silicon shield” could be weakening. (MIT Technology Review)
3 US ChatGPT users can now buy stuff without leaving the chatbot
It’s laying the groundwork for AI agent-based shopping. (WSJ $)
+ Etsy is among the first retailers to sign up for the service. (CNBC)
+ It’s a direct challenge to Google’s business model. (Fortune $)
+ Your most important customer may be AI. (MIT Technology Review)
4 YouTube has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump
It’s handing over $24.5 million after his account was suspended in the wake of the US Capitol riot in 2021. (WSJ $)
+ It’s the third giant tech platform to bend to the President’s will. (The Verge)
5 Meta is expanding use of its facial recognition tools
In a bid to combat account impersonation in Europe, the UK, and South Korea. (Engadget)
6 The US Energy Department has banned the term “climate change”
See also: “green” and “decarbonization.” (Politico)
+ Even “emissions” isn’t safe. (TechCrunch)
+ How to make clean energy progress under Trump in the States. (MIT Technology Review)
7 AI data centers are sending the cost of electricity skyrocketing
And it’s regular citizens who are left paying the price. (Bloomberg $)
+ Sam Altman wants a staggering amount of energy. (The Information $)
+ The data center boom in the desert. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Elon Musk’s senior staff are leaving in their droves
They’re burnt out and tired of their leader’s erratic strategies. (FT $)
9 Do black holes actually exist?
The evidence says yes, but proving it is a different matter. (New Scientist $)
10 California police tried to ticket a driverless car
But who’s to blame for its illegal U-turn if there’s no driver? (The Guardian)
+ It turns out officers don’t currently have any way to issue tickets to robots. (Insider $)
Quote of the day
“There are certainly people in [the] tech world who would like to see no regulation of anything in any respect whatsoever, but that’s not tenable.”
—US Senator Scott Wiener, who proposed the original AI Safety Bill last year, explains why he believes the revised version that’s been passed into law is a reasonable approach to the New York Times.
One more thing
How mobile money supercharged Kenya’s sports betting addictionMobile money has mostly been hugely beneficial for Kenyans. But it has also turbo-charged the country’s sports betting sector.
Since the middle of the last decade, experts and public figures across the African continent have been sounding the alarm over the rising popularity of sports betting. The practice has produced tales of riches, but it has also broken families, consumed college tuitions, and even driven some to suicide.
Nowhere, though, is the craze as acute as it is in Kenya, the country often dubbed Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” for its status as a regional tech powerhouse. But while Kenya’s mobile money revolution has played a well-documented role in encouraging savings and democratizing access to finance, today, it’s easier than ever for those in fragile economic circumstances to squander everything. Read the full story.
—Jonathan W. Rosen
