That is at present’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the planet of know-how.
What’s AI?
AI is attractive, AI is cool. AI is entrenching inequality, upending the job market, and wrecking training. The AI increase will increase the economic system, the AI bubble is about to burst. AI will improve abundance and empower humanity to maximally flourish within the universe. AI will kill us all.
What the hell is all people speaking about?
Synthetic intelligence is the most well liked know-how of our time. However what’s it? It appears like a silly query, but it surely’s one which’s by no means been extra pressing.
If you happen to’re prepared to buckle up and are available for a journey, I can let you know why no person actually is aware of, why all people appears to disagree, and why you’re proper to care about it. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
The Chinese language authorities is all in on autonomous automobiles
There’s been a lot information popping out of China’s autonomous-vehicle business these days that it’s exhausting to maintain monitor.
The federal government is lastly permitting Tesla to convey its Full Self-Driving function to China. New authorities permits let firms take a look at driverless automobiles on the street and permit cities to construct good street infrastructure that may inform these automobiles the place to go.
Briefly, there are plenty of adjustments happening. They usually all level in the identical path: The Chinese language authorities is throwing its weight behind the autonomous-vehicle business and is keen to come back out on prime whereas different nations take a extra cautious strategy. Learn the total story.
—Zeyi Yang
This story is from China Report, our weekly e-newsletter overlaying tech and energy in China. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you at present’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Microsoft and Apple will not sit on OpenAI’s board
The transfer comes as regulators begin to pay shut consideration to Massive Tech’s investments in AI startups. (FT $)
+ Microsoft claims its exit is right down to OpenAI’s newfound stability. (WSJ $)
+ OpenAI will replace its stakeholders with common conferences, as an alternative. (Bloomberg $)
2 The US has taken down a Russian bot farm on X
The propaganda mill used AI to scale up its operations. (WP $)
+ Google Search outcomes are filled with Russian AI spam, too. (Wired $)
+ The Kremlin is rewriting Wikipedia to go well with its personal agenda. (Economist $)
3 Amazon claims to have met a clear vitality objective seven years early
Some consultants aren’t satisfied its calculation methodology is as much as scratch, although. (NYT $)
+ Carbon seize wants to enhance if we’re ever to maneuver away from fossil fuels. (Knowable Journal)
+ How electrical energy might clear up transportation, metal, and even fertilizer. (MIT Know-how Assessment)
4 Rechargeable batteries come at an environmental price
They look like a rising supply of endlessly chemical compounds. (The Verge)
+ The race to destroy PFAS, the endlessly chemical compounds. (MIT Know-how Assessment)
5 What occurs to your cash when your startup financial institution folds?
Loads of clients are discovering out the exhausting manner. (NYT $)
6 Crypto followers are up in arms over Germany promoting confiscated bitcoin
However the state of Saxony doesn’t have a selection. (CoinDesk)
+ Crypto scams are alive and nicely. (Wired $)
7 How you can put together your property for a hurricane
Stronger supplies, tighter seals, and a complete lot of labor. (Wired $)
+ The search to construct wildfire-resistant houses. (MIT Know-how Assessment)
8 Nobody solutions the cellphone anymore
And it’s a much bigger drawback than you’d suppose. (Slate $)
9 Philips Hue good lightbulbs appear to have a thoughts of their very own 
Homeowners declare the bulbs are overriding settings to full brightness. (Insider $)
10 Gen Z makes use of the iPhone Notes app to generate outfits
All these little digital stickers are coming in helpful. (Vogue Enterprise $)
Quote of the day
“I confronted the problems of AI early, however it can occur for others. It might not be a contented ending.”
—Lee Saedol, the legendary Go participant who misplaced to Google DeepMind’s AI program in 2016, warns an viewers in Seoul concerning the dangers the know-how might pose, the New York Occasions reviews.
The large story
This super-realistic digital world is a driving faculty for AI
February 2022
Constructing driverless automobiles is a sluggish and costly enterprise. After years of effort and billions of {dollars} of funding, the know-how continues to be caught within the pilot section.
Autonomous know-how firm Waabi thinks it may do higher. In 2021 it revealed the controversial new shortcut to autonomous automobiles it’s betting on. The large thought? Ditch the automobiles.
Wasabi has constructed a super-realistic digital atmosphere known as Waabi World. As a substitute of coaching an AI driver in actual automobiles, it plans to do it solely contained in the simulation. However simulation alone is a daring technique, and the way far it may go will depend on how reasonable Waabi World actually is. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ If this video doesn’t fill you with pleasure, I don’t know what is going to. 
+ Apo Whang-Od Oggay is the world’s oldest tattoo artist, and really cool.
+ The world’s most troublesome maze holds a really attention-grabbing secret.
+ Netflix’s Supacell options a few of the highest of Black British expertise.
