The Download: the AI Hype Index, and “normal” AI
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.
Is AI “normal”?
Despite its ubiquity, AI is seen as anything but a normal technology. There is talk of AI systems that will soon merit the term “superintelligence,” and the former CEO of Google recently suggested we control AI models the way we control uranium and other nuclear weapons materials.
A recent essay by two AI researchers at Princeton argues that AI is a general-purpose technology whose application might be better compared to the drawn-out adoption of electricity or the internet than to nuclear weapons. Read on to learn more about the policies the authors propose.
—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 US Congress has passed the Take It Down Act
The legislation is designed to crack down on revenge porn and deepfake nudes. (WP $)
+ But critics fear it’ll be weaponized to suppress online speech and encryption. (The Verge)
+ Donald Trump has said he wants to use the bill to protect himself. (The Hill)
2 The Trump administration is embracing shady crypto firms
Including Tether, whose stablecoin is often used by criminals. (NYT $)
+ Crypto lender Nexo, which ran into regulatory trouble, is now returning to the US. (CoinDesk)
+ The UAE is planning a stablecoin regulated by the country’s central bank. (Bloomberg $)
3 Elon Musk’s DOGE conflicts of interest are worth $2.37 billion
Although experts estimate the true worth could be higher. (The Guardian)
+ DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the safety and stability of our critical data. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Researchers secretly deployed bots into a debate subreddit
In a highly unethical bid to try and change users’ minds. (404 Media)
+ AI is no replacement for human mediators. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Amazon’s first internet satellites have been launched successfully
27 down, 3,209 to go. (Reuters)
+ It’s Bezos’s answer to Musk’s Starlink. (FT $)
6 Amazon is pressuring its suppliers to slash their prices
It’s trying to protect its margins as Trump’s tariffs start to bite. (FT $)
+ Temu’s approach? Pass on the new taxes to its customers. (Bloomberg $)
+ Here’s how the tariffs are going to worsen the digital divide. (Wired $)
+ Sweeping tariffs could threaten the US manufacturing rebound. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Sam Altman and Satya Nadella are drifting apart
The pair disagree on OpenAI’s approach to AGI, among other things. (WSJ $)
8 Duolingo is replacing human workers with AI
It’s all part of the plan to make the language learning app “AI-first.” (The Verge)
9 Earthquakes may be a rich source of hydrogen
Which is good news for the scientists trying to track down the gas. (New Scientist $)
+ Why the next energy race is for underground hydrogen. (MIT Technology Review)
10 The Hubble Space Telescope is turning 35-years old 🔭
And it’s still capturing jaw dropping images. (The Atlantic $)
+ Scientists have made some interesting discoveries about Jupiter’s volcanic moon. (Quanta Magazine)
Quote of the day
“When the person championing your anti-abuse legislation is promising to use it for abuse, you might have a problem.”
—Entrepreneur Mike Masnick says Donald Trump’s endorsement of the Take It Down Bill is self-serving in a post on Techdirt.
One more thing
The terrible complexity of technological problemsThe philosopher Karl Popper once argued that there are two kinds of problems in the world: clock problems and cloud problems. As the metaphor suggests, clock problems obey a certain logic. The fix may not be easy, but it’s achievable.
Cloud problems offer no such assurances. They are inherently complex and unpredictable, and they usually have social, psychological, or political dimensions. Because of their dynamic, shape-shifting nature, trying to “fix” a cloud problem often ends up creating several new problems.
But there are ways to reckon with this kind of technological complexity—and the wicked problems it creates. Read the full story.
—Bryan Gardiner
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.)
+ The annual Corgi Derby is a sight to behold—congratulations to the winner Juno!
+ Caroline Polachek is the sound of spring.
+ Why women are overtaking men in the most extreme sporting events 🏃♀️
+ Maybe there’s something to these obscenely-priced celebrity smoothies.
