The Download: how OpenAI tests its models, and the ethics of uterus transplants

A must read

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating tech stories.

1 USDA is launching a national program to test milk for the presence of avian influenza
Exactly nine months have passed since the outbreak was first detected in dairy cows. (Statistics)
+ The risk of an avian influenza pandemic is rising. (MIT Technology Review)

2 The differences of OpenAI’s new model are as follows:
They’re moving from prediction to inference, and that could be a big thing. (atlantic $)
+ Whether capabilities are slowing or not, the impact of artificial intelligence is only growing. (Walkers)
+ It might be comforting to dismiss artificial intelligence as hype, but it misses the point. (platform game)

3 Federal appeals court upholds U.S. TikTok ban
But what will happen next is anyone’s guess. (wall street journal $)
+ Regardless of whether TikTok is banned, actions against it have had a large impact. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Top cyber sleuths are sitting back and hunting UnitedHealthcare CEO killer
In fact, some even criticized those who tried to help. (nbc)
+ Why are so many Americans indifferent at best to this particular murder? (new yorker $)

5 Schools try to stop teenagers from self-harming before they try it
However, the artificial intelligence tools they employ may do more harm than good. (Now $)

6 China is building its own Starlink system
The Thousand Sail constellation may eventually grow to nearly 14,000 satellites. (The Economist $)
+ The end of the International Space Station will usher in a more commercial future for space. (edge)

7 It’s an exciting year for superconductors
Superconductivity – the flow of electricity without resistance – has been discovered in three new materials. (Quanta $)

8 Meet the world’s least productive programmers
There seems to be a small group of disillusioned “ghost engineers” who do almost nothing. (wet powder $)

9 Why People Say No to Dating Apps
They have significant levels of fatigue and a sense of detachment from reality. (The Guardian)

10 Fake Snacks That Get Millions of Views on Instagram 🍿
There’s even a word to describe this trend: snack fishing. (wired $)

Quotation of the day

“I think Twitter and now X, though, are like addicts to him. He’s clearly been chasing a particular hot product and ended up self-radicalizing with the platform he bought.

— A former Twitter employee in London told us The Guardian How Elon Musk has changed since buying the platform.