The Download: Can AI Really Kill Us All?
This is today’s edition of The Download, a weekday newsletter bringing you a daily dose of what’s happening in technology.
Can AI really kill us all? Experts answer your questions
On Wednesday, MIT Technology Review hosted a live roundtable asking a question many people are considering: Can AI really kill us all? Attendees had more questions than there was time to answer, so senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and AI reporter Grace Huckins tackled some of the most important ones.
They considered questions including: Am I going to die? Even if AI could cause catastrophic harm, why would it? Is AI genuinely dangerous, or is the threat mostly public relations hype from technology companies? And what steps can we take to control, monitor, and regulate AI effectively?
Here are their reactions:
—Will Douglas Heaven and Grace Huckins
Fear of AI-designed biological weapons is a wake-up call for biotechnology
One way AI could cause devastating harm is by helping design and produce biological weapons. In 2022, researchers discovered that this could be surprisingly easy using AI “molecular generators” designed to develop drugs. Within six hours, one model produced 40,000 molecules that could act as chemical weapons.
AI tools can now answer questions across almost every field of science, while advances in gene editing and synthetic biology have made biotechnology tools more accessible. Safety measures exist, but none are ironclad—and scientists still disagree about how serious the risks are.
See why designing killer pathogens is now easier than ever.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This story is from “The Checkup,” a weekly biotech newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Thursday.
The astronaut’s role is fluid
We go to space for geopolitical prestige, manifesting our destiny, spiritual fulfillment, scientific curiosity, and increasingly, business opportunity. After Artemis II, several new books suggest that these motivations may be part of one broader fact: humans have itchy feet and are wired to explore.
In Ultraview Effect, astroanthropologist Deanna L. Waibel argues that human space exploration is connected to the need to embark on a pilgrimage. In Heart for the Universe, commercial astronaut Aiman Jahangir recounts a voyage on Blue Origin. And in Dinner with an Astronaut, former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao argues that people simply “need to know what’s on the other side.”
Find out what these three new books have to say about why we go to space.
—Becky Ferreira
This story is published in a modern print magazine all about children. Subscribe now to receive every issue when it is released.
Must-read technology news
We scoured the internet to find the most entertaining, important, scary, and fascinating technology stories today.
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Microsoft and OpenAI officials say AI is disrupting the web
Cannibalizing clicks from websites threatens the business models that support fresh content. (404 Media)
+ Employees expressed concern that publishers would not be able to withstand AI scraping. (New York Times $)
+ The comments came to light during the New York Times’ copyright lawsuit. (Washington Post $)
+ The comments could weaken OpenAI and Microsoft’s defenses. (Reuters $)
+ AI could mean the end of internet search as we know it. (MIT Technology Review) -
Two robot boats meet for the first time
A Ukrainian vessel sank a Russian vessel in the battle. (New Scientist $)
+ US companies are developing combat-ready humanoid robots. (WSJ $) -
Security researchers use Anthropic tools to compromise OpenAI
They reached an employee’s ChatGPT account and internal code. (Financial Times $)
+ They exploited third-party forums to gain access to internal systems. (WSJ $) -
OpenAI reportedly hopes to solve another famous math problem
But can the company avoid further backlash when it makes the announcement? (The Information $)
+ The problem expected to be solved is the Hodge conjecture. (Gizmodo)
+ The OpenAI math controversy contains worrying clues about the future of the field. (MIT Technology Review) -
Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI wants to buy data from failed startups
The company is looking for new training data for Grok. (Bloomberg $)
+ It is targeting customer and operational data. (Gizmodo)
+ OpenAI pays to create new biological data. (MIT Technology Review) -
Schools protest classroom takeovers by major technology companies
Concerns about corporate influence over education and AI are accelerating. (The New Yorker $)
+ Schools need to use AI more intelligently. (MIT Technology Review) -
Hackers reveal how Flock cameras track cars and people
One camera captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles. (Wired)
+ The cameras may also detect people or misidentify objects. (404 Media) -
Eight Chinese companies double their scientific output amid US technology restrictions
They cited scientific papers and generated 72% more patents. (Nature) -
A 3-year-old child’s cancer disappears after experimental cell therapy
CAR T therapy may eventually be able to treat solid tumors. (Gizmodo) -
New York’s robot toilet kicks users out after 10 minutes
When the timer runs out, the door opens automatically. (Fast Company)
Quote of the day
“This is the greatest theft of labor in human history.”
—Microsoft Director of Applied Science Brent Hecht, expressing concerns about the training data used for AI systems in comments revealed in court filings from the New York Times v. OpenAI copyright lawsuit.
One more thing
Vera C. Rubin Observatory is poised to transform our understanding of the universe
Atop Chile’s 2,700-meter Cerro Pachón, the air is clear and dry, with few clouds obscuring the view of the stars. Here, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory uses a car-sized 3,200-megapixel digital camera—the largest ever built—to create a new map of the entire night sky every three days.
Rubin generates 20 terabytes of data each night, capturing details about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the large-scale structure of the universe. Over 10 years, it will catalog billions of new objects, providing an unprecedented perspective on what is changing in the universe.
Step inside the observatory and see how the universe is being mapped in a way you’ve never seen before.
—Adam Mann
We still have good things
A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten your day. Have an idea? Please contact me.
+ Sherry the dog becomes a mother to an orphaned kitten.
+ These seven life lessons from puzzle king Will Shortz go far beyond the crossword grid.
+ Listen to “Stairway to Heaven” in a whole new light through a fusion of ancient Japanese gagaku and magnificent rock.
+ Check out the stunning images that won the top prize in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest.
Source: www.technologyreview.com