That is immediately’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a each day dose of what’s occurring on the earth of expertise.
It’s surprisingly simple to stumble right into a relationship with an AI chatbot
The information: The primary large-scale computational evaluation of the Reddit group r/MyBoyfriendIsAI, which is devoted to discussing AI relationships, discovered that many individuals fashioned these relationships unintentionally whereas utilizing AI for different functions. In reality, solely 6.5% of them mentioned they’d intentionally sought out an AI companion.
Why it issues: The examine discovered that AI companionship gives very important help for some however exacerbates underlying issues for others. This implies it’s arduous to take a one-size-fits-all strategy to consumer security. Learn the complete story.
—Rhiannon Williams
Be part of us at 1.30pm ET immediately to find out about the way forward for contraception
Conversations round contraception normally give attention to girls, however Kevin Eisenfrats, one of many MIT Expertise Evaluate 2025 Innovators Below 35, is working to vary that. His firm, Contraline, is working towards testing new contraception choices for males. Be part of us for an unique subscribers-only Roundtable interview to listen to Kevin in dialog with our govt editor Amy Nordrum at 1.30 ET immediately.
MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated: What’s subsequent for AI and math
The final 12 months has seen fast progress within the potential of huge language fashions to sort out math at highschool degree and past. Is AI closing in on human mathematicians?
This story is the most recent to be become a MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Simply navigate to MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated on both platform, and comply with us to hearken to all our new episodes as they’re launched.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you immediately’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Secret Service brokers dismantled a large operation to cripple cell networks
They are saying it’s probably it was supposed for use for scams. (Wired $)
2 Welcome to the brand new period of fragmented US vaccine insurance policies
The federal authorities is abdicating duty for public well being. Who will fill the void? (New Yorker $)
+ Why US federal well being companies are abandoning mRNA vaccines. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
3 European protection leaders are discussing constructing a ‘drone wall’
They’re scrambling to catch up as Russian incursions into their territory enhance. (ABC)
4 How will we all know if we’ve reached synthetic basic intelligence?
That’s the multi-billion greenback query—however there’s no clear reply. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Specialists don’t even agree on what AI is to start with, by no means thoughts AGI. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
5 Robotic umpires are coming to baseball’s main leagues subsequent 12 months 
People will nonetheless be answerable for calling balls and strikes, however tech will assist to evaluate appealed selections. (AP)
6 AI’s vitality wants are being overstated
And that would lock us into pointless, expensive fossil gas tasks. (The Verge)
+ 4 causes to be optimistic about AI’s vitality utilization. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
7 Excessive drought is about to turn out to be much more commonplace
Governments must do much more to arrange. (Gizmodo)
8 AI is coming for subtitle writers’ jobs
However their work is more durable to interchange than you would possibly suppose. (The Guardian)
+ ‘Workslop’ is slowing the whole lot down. (Harvard Enterprise Evaluate)
+ And, so as to add to the issue, AI techniques might by no means be safe. (The Economist $)
9 How epigenetics might assist save wildlife from extinction
It might permit scientists to detect accelerated growing older earlier than an animal inhabitants begins to visibly collapse. (Knowable)
+ Getting old clocks purpose to foretell how lengthy you’ll stay. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
10 TikTok is getting launched to the idea of the rapture
Which is due immediately, in keeping with some. If that’s the case, it’s been nice realizing you. Good luck! (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“Everyone has a backup.”
—Stella Li, govt vice chairman at BYD, tells CNBC the corporate has contingency plans in case Beijing orders it to cease utilizing Nvidia chips.
Yet another factor
This app helps employees reclaim thousands and thousands in misplaced wages
Reclamo, a brand new internet app, helps immigrant employees who’ve skilled wage theft. It guides them by assembling case particulars, and finally produces completed authorized claims that may be filed immediately. A course of that will in any other case take a number of conferences with an legal professional can now be executed inside an hour.
A big quantity of wage theft targets immigrants, each authorized and undocumented, partially due to communication limitations and their perceived lack of energy or authorized recourse. However the app is already making a distinction—serving to employees to reclaim $1 million in misplaced wages because it began beta testing in October 2022. Learn the complete story.
—Patrick Sisson
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ It’s Fats Bear Week! Who will get your vote this 12 months?
+ Find out about Lord Woodbine, the forgotten sixth Beatle.
+ There are some really wild and wacky recipes on this Medieval Cookery assortment. Venison porridge, anybody?
+ Pessimism about expertise is as previous as expertise itself, as this archive exhibits.
