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The Download: the dangers of AI agents, and ChatGPT’s effects on our wellbeing
Plus: 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection ahead of a likely sale
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.
Why handing over total control to AI agents would be a huge mistake
—Margaret Mitchell, Avijit Ghosh, Sasha Luccioni, Giada Pistilli all work for Hugging Face, an open source AI company.
AI agents have set the tech industry abuzz. Unlike chatbots, these groundbreaking new systems can navigate multiple applications to execute complex tasks, like scheduling meetings or shopping online, in response to simple user commands. As agents become more capable, a crucial question emerges: How much control are we willing to surrender, and at what cost?
The promise is compelling. Who doesn’t want assistance with cumbersome work or tasks there’s no time for? But this vision for AI agents brings significant risks that might be overlooked in the rush toward greater autonomy. In fact, our research suggests that agent development could be on the cusp of a very serious misstep. Read the full story.
OpenAI has released its first research into how using ChatGPT affects people’s emotional wellbeing
OpenAI says over 400 million people use ChatGPT every week. But how does interacting with it affect us? Does it make us more or less lonely?
These are some of the questions OpenAI set out to investigate, in partnership with the MIT Media Lab, in a pair of new studies. They found that while only a small subset of users engage emotionally with ChatGPT, there are some intriguing differences between how men and women respond to using the chatbot. They also found that participants who trusted and “bonded” with ChatGPT more were likelier than others to be lonely, and to rely on it more.
Chatbots powered by large language models are still a nascent technology, and difficult to study. That’s why this kind of research is an important first step toward greater insight into ChatGPT’s impact on us, which could help AI platforms enable safer and healthier interactions. Read the full story.
—Rhiannon Williams
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Genetic testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection
Following months of uncertainty over its future. (CNN)
+ Tens of millions of people’s genetic data could soon belong to a new owner. (WSJ $)
+ How to… delete your 23andMe data. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Europe wants to lessen its reliance of US cloud giants
But that’s easier said than done. (Wired $)
3 Anduril is considering opening a drone factory in the UK
Europe is poised to invest heavily in defense—and Anduril wants in. (Bloomberg $)
+ The company recently signed a major drone contract with the UK government. (Insider $)
+ We saw a demo of the new AI system powering Anduril’s vision for war. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Bird flu has been detected in a sheep in the UK
It’s the first known instance of the virus infecting a sheep. (FT $)
+ But the UK is yet to report any transmission to humans. (Reuters)
+ How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic. (MIT Technology Review)
5 A tiny town in the Alps has emerged as an ALS hotspot
Suggesting that its causes may be more environmental than genetic. (The Atlantic $)
+ Motor neuron diseases took their voices. AI is bringing them back. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander has completed its mission
And captured some pretty incredible footage along the way. (NYT $)
+ Europe is finally getting serious about commercial rockets. (MIT Technology Review)
7 How the US could save billions of dollars in wasted energy 🪟
Ultra tough, multi-pane windows could be the answer. (WSJ $)
8 We need new ways to measure pain
Researchers are searching for objective biological indicators to get rid of the guesswork. (WP $)
+ Brain waves can tell us how much pain someone is in. (MIT Technology Review)
9 What falling in love with an AI could look like
It’s unclear whether loving machines could be training grounds for future relationships, or the future of relationships themselves. (New Yorker $)
+ The AI relationship revolution is already here. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Could you walk in a straight line for hundreds of miles?
YouTube’s favorite new challenge isn’t so much arduous as it is inconvenient. (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“Blockbuster has collapsed. It’s time for Netflix to rise.”
—Kian Sadeghi pitches the company they founded, DNA testing firm Nucleus Genomics, as a replacement for 23andMe in a post on X.
The big story
This town’s mining battle reveals the contentious path to a cleaner future
In June last year, Talon, an exploratory mining company, submitted a proposal to Minnesota state regulators to begin digging up as much as 725,000 metric tons of raw ore per year, mainly to unlock the rich and lucrative reserves of high-grade nickel in the bedrock.
Talon is striving to distance itself from the mining industry’s dirty past, portraying its plan as a clean, friendly model of modern mineral extraction. It proclaims the site will help to power a greener future for the US by producing the nickel needed to manufacture batteries for electric cars and trucks, but with low emissions and light environmental impacts.
But as the company has quickly discovered, a lot of locals aren’t eager for major mining operations near their towns. Read the full story.
—James Temple
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