The Download: Anduril’s new AI system, and how to use Sora
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We watched a demonstration of the new artificial intelligence system powering Anduril’s war vision
——James O’Donnell
One afternoon in late November, I visited a weapons testing site in the foothills east of San Clemente, California, run by Anduril, a maker of artificial intelligence drones and missiles that recently announced a partnership with OpenAI Partnership.
I was there to witness a new system it is expanding today that allows outside parties to leverage its software and share data to speed up decision-making on the battlefield.
If it works as planned under a new three-year contract with the Pentagon, it could embed artificial intelligence deeper into war zones than ever before. Read the full story.
How to use OpenAI’s new video generation tool Sora
OpenAI has just released its video generation model Sora to the public. Yesterday’s announcement came on the fifth day of the company’s “shipmas,” a 12-day marathon of technology launches and demonstrations. Here’s what you should know and how to use video mockups today.
——James O’Donnell
This story is the latest from MIT Technology Review how to do series to help you get the job done.
Artificial Intelligence Hype and Antitrust Issues Are Under Scrutiny
The artificial intelligence industry is plagued by a lack of competition and a lot of deception — or at least that’s one way to explain a series of recent actions by Washington.
The actions — which range from antitrust investigations to outright lying accusations — represent a crackdown on artificial intelligence by FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan in the final months of Donald Trump’s term in office. Investigate the hype in the smart industry.
But while the FTC’s leadership transition appears to be much smoother than that of most other federal agencies, at least some of Trump’s dissatisfaction with Big Tech could send antitrust efforts in an entirely new direction. Read the full story.
——James O’Donnell
This story comes from Algorithm, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on everything happening in the fascinating field of artificial intelligence. Sign up Get it in your inbox every Monday.
A must read
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating tech stories.
1 Google builds powerful new quantum computing chip
But it doesn’t have any practical applications yet. (Bloomberg $)
+ A problem that would take a conventional supercomputer a billion years to solve can be solved in just five minutes. (Now $)
+ This is a challenge that the quantum field has been trying to crack for decades. (The Guardian)
+ We reported on it as a preprint in September. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Nvidia is under investigation by China
It claims the chipmaking giant violated antitrust laws. (British Broadcasting Corporation)
+ Nvidia’s biggest customer in the country? That’s the byte bounce. (Insider $)
+ What’s next for wafers. (MIT Technology Review)
3 TikTok has asked a U.S. appeals court to stop enforcement of the buy-sale law
As it stands, the app faces a ban unless it finds a new owner before January 19th.TechCrunch)
4 Artificial intelligence still hasn’t delivered on its economic promise
Is 2025 the year we finally start to see results? (quartz)
+ The U.S. artificial intelligence industry urgently needs more sites connected to the grid. (financial times $)
+ How to fine-tune artificial intelligence to thrive. (MIT Technology Review)
5 EU competition rules are about to undergo major adjustments
New boss means new approach. (wall street journal $)
+ European regulators want to get to the bottom of the Meta and Google investigations. (financial times $)
6 Weight-loss Drugs Are Making Basic Health Truths Obsolete
Healthy eating and regular exercise are falling by the wayside. (atlantic $)
+ Weight loss injections have taken over the internet. But what does this mean for people in real life? (MIT Technology Review)
7 This bionic leg is controlled by the wearer’s brain
Prosthetic limbs are becoming more and more powerful. (new yorker $)
+ These prosthetics break the shackles of third thumbs, spikes, and superhero skin. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Artificial intelligence could make a pretty good Tokyo travel companion
Just make sure you take its advice with a grain of salt. (wired $)
+ How to use artificial intelligence to plan your next vacation. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Reddit is testing a new artificial intelligence search feature
Users of the site are unlikely to accept this. (technical art)
10 Jeff Bezos diaries about having dinner with Donald Trump
It sounds very comfortable. (Insider $)
Quotation of the day
“It’s like manna from heaven.”
——Ari Morcos, CEO of startup DatologyAI, explained to us wall street journal Why Reddit’s vast text is so attractive to artificial intelligence companies.
big story
Enter the mysterious minds of animals
October 2022
More than ever, we feel a responsibility and a desire to express compassion for our non-human neighbors. Over the past three years, more than 30 countries have officially recognized other animals, including gorillas, lobsters, crows and octopuses, as living creatures.
Three books by Ed Yong, Jackie Higgins, and Philip Ball detail the rich inner lives of creatures and capture what causes them: Flourishing The field of experimental research challenges the long-held view that animals possess neither consciousness nor complex cognition. Read the full story.
——Matthew Ponsford
we can still have good things
A comfortable, fun, distracting place to brighten up your day. (Any ideas? Leave me a message or tweet me.)
+ It seems we have two types of laughter: One is caused by itching, the other is caused by other reasons.
+ 2024 is a big year for fiction: take a look at some best new books.
+ There’s something totally fascinating here collect Old home videos.
+ Ukrainian artist Oleg Dron specializes in vast and haunting works landscape.
2024-12-10 13:10:00