That is at the moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a day by day dose of what’s occurring on the earth 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 enhance the economic system, the AI bubble is about to burst. AI will enhance 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.
For those who’re prepared to buckle up and are available for a trip, 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 complete 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 recently that it’s laborious to maintain monitor.
The federal government is lastly permitting Tesla to carry its Full Self-Driving characteristic to China. New authorities permits let corporations check driverless vehicles on the highway and permit cities to construct good highway infrastructure that can inform these vehicles the place to go.
Briefly, there are a number of adjustments going down. They usually all level in the identical route: 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 complete story.
—Zeyi Yang
This story is from China Report, our weekly publication masking tech and energy in China. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at the moment’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Microsoft and Apple will now 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 all the way 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 stuffed with Russian AI spam, too. (Wired $)
+ The Kremlin is rewriting Wikipedia to swimsuit its personal agenda. (Economist $)
3 Amazon claims to have met a clear power aim 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 Expertise Evaluation)
4 Rechargeable batteries come at an environmental value
They look like a rising supply of perpetually chemical compounds. (The Verge)
+ The race to destroy PFAS, the perpetually chemical compounds. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
5 What occurs to your cash when your startup financial institution folds?
Loads of clients are discovering out the laborious 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 properly. (Wired $)
7 Methods to put together your own home for a hurricane
Stronger supplies, tighter seals, and a complete lot of labor. (Wired $)
+ The hunt to construct wildfire-resistant properties. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
8 Nobody solutions the cellphone anymore
And it’s a much bigger drawback than you’d assume. (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 would occur for others. It is probably not a cheerful ending.”
—Lee Saedol, the legendary Go participant who misplaced to Google DeepMind’s AI program in 2016, warns an viewers in Seoul in regards to the dangers the know-how might pose, the New York Instances studies.
The large story
This super-realistic digital world is a driving college for AI
February 2022
Constructing driverless vehicles is a gradual and costly enterprise. After years of effort and billions of {dollars} of funding, the know-how remains to be caught within the pilot section.
Autonomous know-how firm Waabi thinks it might probably do higher. In 2021 it revealed the controversial new shortcut to autonomous automobiles it’s betting on. The large concept? Ditch the vehicles.
Wasabi has constructed a super-realistic digital atmosphere referred to as Waabi World. As a substitute of coaching an AI driver in actual automobiles, it plans to do it totally contained in the simulation. However simulation alone is a daring technique, and the way far it might probably go will depend on how lifelike Waabi World actually is. Learn the complete story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Received 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’s 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 fascinating secret.
+ Netflix’s Supacell options among the easiest of Black British expertise.
