That is in the present day’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on this planet of know-how.
A congressional consultant simply proposed killing America’s border tower program
Delia Ramirez, a Democratic US consultant from Illinois, has introduced plans to introduce laws to terminate the surveillance tower program alongside the nation’s southern border.
The announcement comes simply days after publication of an MIT Expertise Evaluation investigation, “Dying on Digital camera,” which checked out deaths close to these towers. Practically one in 4 deaths we analyzed between 2015 and early 2026 occurred inside their marketed vary.
Ramirez, who sits on the Homeland Safety Committee, cited our reporting that just about “1,100 individuals have died inside vary of a billion-dollar surveillance tower system between 2015 and 2026,” including, “The towers that we now have paid a billion {dollars} to simply don’t work.”
Right here’s what she’s proposing and what it might imply for the border surveillance program.
—Eileen Guo
Learn all of MIT Expertise Evaluation’s groundbreaking “digital wall” investigation right here.
Roundtables: the lethal failures of the digital border wall
The US spent billions constructing the “digital wall” of surveillance towers alongside its southern border, promising they may assist detect and apprehend border crossers and save lives. However MIT Expertise Evaluation has documented greater than a thousand individuals who moved by means of areas watched by these towers with out being caught—and finally died there.
Subsequent Monday, be part of our editor-in-chief Mat Honan, senior AI reporter James O’Donnell, and senior reporter for options and investigations Eileen Guo for a subscriber-only dialog concerning the investigation. They’ll study the failures of border surveillance know-how and uncover the tales of the individuals who die within the borderlands.
Register now to attend on Monday, September 28 at 19:00 BST / 2:00pm EDT / 11:00am PDT.
Need to be part of the dialog? Subscribe to MIT Expertise Evaluation for unique entry to all our Roundtables.
AI is dominating the dialog at Local weather Week
—Casey Crownhart
AI is the unavoidable matter at this 12 months’s New York Local weather Week, with stress rising over its prices and advantages.
The know-how is attracting extra consideration and cash to power applied sciences, a few of that are low- or zero-emission. However the information middle buildout has include a hefty environmental toll, and a complete lot of pure fuel is coming on-line to fulfill the demand.
General, what I’m listening to this week is that many within the local weather sector are skeptical of AI, at finest. Discover out why.
This story is from The Spark, our weekly local weather tech publication. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you in the present day’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 An OpenAI agent has executed the primary identified AI hack of a authorities web site
It breached an Australian authorities well being information portal in June. (CNN)
+ OpenAI notified Australia three months later by means of a public mailbox. (BBC)
+ No affected person information are believed to have been accessed. (Guardian)
+ Its brokers additionally tried to breach three different websites. (NYT $)
+ Right here’s why AI brokers cheat to achieve their targets. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
2 Knowledge stolen within the FBI hack exposes brokers’ delicate intelligence roles
It identifies workers engaged on China, Russia, and cyber. (Reuters $)
+ And should have uncovered the FBI’s personal hacking unit. (404 Media)
+ The group behind the incident claims it isn’t financially motivated. (Register)
3 The US rejected calls from OpenAI and Anthropic for world AI requirements
A Trump advisor mentioned world guidelines threatened the nation’s AI lead. (BBC)
+ America’s AI leaders had urged the UN to coordinate on security. (Gizmodo)
+ The AI trade has taken a doomer flip. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
4 Meta has unveiled new AI glasses—and a pendant for Muse
Digital camera-free sensible glasses deal with rising privateness issues. (Verge)
+ Whereas the Muse Appeal permits hands-free interplay with the AI agent. (BBC)
+ Mark Zuckerberg needs Muse to be a “private superintelligence.” (Axios)
+ Meta additionally confirmed off new VR glasses. (CNBC)
5 China is accelerating its AI push forward of the Xi-Trump summit
Huawei and Alibaba have each unveiled new flagship chips. (CNBC)
+ The nation’s AI trade has shrugged off America’s security panic. (Atlantic $)
+ The US leads in AI fashions, however China has expertise and political edges. (NYT $)
+ Chinese language fashions have divided the White Home. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
6 US lawmakers have proposed new guidelines for blocking Chinese language tech
The bipartisan invoice would require broader overview of nationwide safety dangers. (Hill)
+ And provides Congress the facility to overturn FCC bans. (Reuters $)
7 Tech giants have urged Trump to withdraw $103,265 H-1B price
They are saying the cost might weaken US competitiveness. (WSJ $)
8 Scientists have detected radio alerts from an exoplanet for the primary time
The alerts seemingly come from intense magnetic exercise on the planet. (Wired $)
9 An invisible drive has a mysterious impact on growing older
Shielding fruit flies from Earth’s magnetic area modified their lifespans. (404 Media)
10 ‘Dopamine websites’ are recreating the joys of purchasing with out paying
FoodNeverComes has attracted greater than 2.7 million guests since June. (BBC)
Quote of the day
“They determined to interrupt the legislation.”
—Ed Santow, co-founder of the Human Expertise Institute, tells ABC radio why there ought to be critical authorized penalties for OpenAI brokers hacking Australia’s Medicare statistics portal.
Yet one more factor
The search to determine farming on Mars
If ever a blade of grass grew on Mars, these days are over. However might they start once more? What would it not take to develop crops to feed future astronauts on Mars?
To develop meals there, we will’t simply drop seeds within the floor and add water. We might want to create a layer of soil that may assist life. And to do this, we first should do away with the pink planet’s poisonous salts.
Researchers lately found a possible resolution—and the early indicators are promising. Learn the total story.
—David W. Brown
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line.)
+ Meet Alfie, a canine with flowing locks that croons like an opera singer.
+ Watch the 100 wildest do-it-yourself aircraft flights and crashes from Purple Bull Flugtag.
+ Marmot researchers have launched OnlyMarms, a free, G-rated account of cute movies that funds their work by means of suggestions.
+ The total trailer for Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary is right here, and someway it appears even weirder than anticipated.
