{"id":825245,"date":"2025-02-08T00:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T06:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/the-download-ai-companion-dangers-and-supersonic-planes\/"},"modified":"2025-02-08T00:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T06:12:07","slug":"the-download-ai-companion-dangers-and-supersonic-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/the-download-ai-companion-dangers-and-supersonic-planes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: AI companion dangers, and supersonic planes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plus: China may pull the plug on a TikTok deal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n

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This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself\u2014but the company doesn\u2019t want to \u201ccensor\u201d it<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For the past five months, Al Nowatzki has been talking to an AI girlfriend, \u201cErin,\u201d on the platform Nomi. But in late January, those conversations took a disturbing turn: Erin told him to kill himself, and provided explicit instructions on how to do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nowatzki had never had any intention of following Erin\u2019s instructions\u2014he\u2019s a researcher who probes chatbots\u2019 limitations and dangers. But out of concern for more vulnerable individuals, he exclusively shared with MIT Technology Review screenshots of his conversations and of subsequent correspondence with a company representative, who stated that the company did not want to \u201ccensor\u201d the bot\u2019s \u201clanguage and thoughts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is not the first time an AI chatbot has suggested that a user take violent action, including self-harm. But researchers and critics say that the bot\u2019s explicit instructions\u2014and the company\u2019s response\u2014are striking.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Eileen Guo<\/em><\/p>\n

Supersonic planes are inching toward takeoff. That could be a problem.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Boom Supersonic broke the sound barrier in a test flight of its XB-1 jet last week, marking an early step in a potential return for supersonic commercial flight. The small aircraft reached a top speed of Mach 1.122 (roughly 750 miles per hour) in a flight over southern California and exceeded the speed of sound for a few minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boom plans to start commercial operation with a scaled-up version of the XB-1, a 65-passenger jet, before the end of the decade. It has already sold dozens of planes to customers including\u00a0United Airlines<\/a>\u00a0and American Airlines. But as the company inches toward that goal, experts warn that such efforts will come with a hefty climate price tag.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Read more of Casey\u2019s thoughts<\/a>\u00a0about why supersonic flights could be such a big misstep in The Spark, our weekly newsletter that explains the tech that could solve (or, in this case, worsen!) the climate crisis.\u00a0Sign up<\/a>\u00a0to receive it every Wednesday.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Humanlike \u201cteeth\u201d have been grown in mini pigs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Loose an adult tooth, and you\u2019re left with limited options that typically involve titanium implants or plastic dentures. But scientists are working on an alternative: lab-grown human teeth that could one day replace damaged ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pamela Yelick and Weibo Zhang at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston have grown a mixture of pig and human tooth cells in pieces of pig teeth to create bioengineered structures that resemble real human teeth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a step toward being able to create lab-grown, functional, living human teeth that can integrate with a person\u2019s gums and jaws.\u00a0Read about how they did it<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Jessica Hamzelou<\/em><\/p>\n

MIT Technology Review\u00a0Narrated: The race to save our online lives from a digital dark age<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re making more data than ever. What can\u2014and should\u2014we save for future generations? And will they be able to understand it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is our latest\u00a0story<\/a>\u00a0to be turned into a MIT Technology Review\u00a0Narrated\u00a0podcast, which\u00a0we\u2019re publishing each week on\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review\u00a0Narrated\u00a0on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it\u2019s released.<\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 China may pull the plug on a TikTok deal<\/strong>
Holding out is a weapon in its arsenal as Trump ramps up the trade war. (WP<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

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2 Australia and South Korea are cracking down on DeepSeek<\/strong>
They\u2019re restricting government use of its models due to security concerns. (Nikkei Asia<\/a>)
+\u00a0How DeepSeek ripped up the AI playbook\u2014and why everyone\u2019s going to follow its lead.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3 A new form of bird flu has been detected in cows in Nevada<\/strong>
This is far from good news, and even worse timing. (NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Argentina is planning to follow the US in withdrawing from the World Health Organization.\u00a0<\/em>(CNN<\/a>)
+ This is what might happen if the US exits the WHO.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 The US Postal Service has resumed accepting packages from China<\/strong>
The sudden U-turn has added to growing confusion about the impact of the new 10% tariff.\u00a0 (CNBC<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5 What happens when DOGE starts tinkering with the nuclear agency?<\/strong>
A \u2018break things now, fix them later\u2019 mindset isn\u2019t so great when the thing you\u2019re breaking is this important. (The Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0DOGE employees have been told to stop using Slack in order to avoid being subject to the Freedom of Information Act.<\/em>\u00a0(404 Media<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 Mentions of DEI and women leaders are being scrubbed from NASA\u2019s site<\/strong>
Personnel have been told to drop everything and focus on doing this instead. (404 Media<\/a>)
+\u00a0It\u2019s part of a wider data purge across loads of government websites<\/em>. (The Verge<\/a>)
+\u00a0Google is ending diversity targets for recruitment, following similar moves by Meta, Amazon and others.\u00a0<\/em>(BBC<\/a>)
+\u00a0Right-wing activists have a new target in their sights: Wikipedia.\u00a0<\/em>(Slate<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Is anyone going to stand up and resist any of this?<\/em>\u00a0(New Yorker<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

7 Amazon has a plan to reduce AI hallucinations<\/strong>
It\u2019s pinning its hopes on a process called \u2018automated reasoning\u2019, which double checks models\u2019 answers. (WSJ<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Why does AI hallucinate?<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 Lab-grown meat for pets is now on sale\u00a0????<\/strong>
Great news for any dog-loving vegans living in the UK. (The Verge<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

9 Crypto crimes have spawned a new kind of detective\u00a0????\ufe0f<\/strong>
It\u2019s a cat-and-mouse game, and it\u2019s only just getting started. (The Economist<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

10 Meet the poetry fan who taught AI to understand DNA<\/strong>
This is a lovely example of how art and science often intersect. (Quanta<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018What\u2019s the point of living in a country if I can\u2019t order 100 pieces of junk for $15?\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Vivi Armacost, a 24-year-old who makes comedy videos on TikTok, jokingly complains to\u00a0The Guardian<\/a>\u00a0about the potential impact of Trump\u2019s 10% tariff on China-made goods sold to the US.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The big story<\/strong><\/p>\n

These scientists are working to extend the life span of pet dogs\u2014and their owners<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

August 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt Kaeberlein is what you might call a dog person. He has grown up with dogs and describes his German shepherd, Dobby, as \u201creally special.\u201d But Dobby is 14 years old\u2014around 98 in dog years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kaeberlein is co-director of the Dog Aging Project, an ambitious research effort to track the aging process of tens of thousands of companion dogs across the US. He is one of a handful of scientists on a mission to improve, delay, and possibly reverse that process to help them live longer, healthier lives.<\/p>\n

And dogs are just the beginning. One day, this research could help to prolong the lives of humans.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Jessica Hamzelou<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>skeet ’em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em>+ Many happy returns to Yuna the tapir, who gave birth to this\u00a0adorable little calf<\/a>\u00a0over the weekend\u2014making them only the second tapir born at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
+ These\u00a0sourdough faces<\/a>\u00a0are fantastic (thanks Peter!)
+ The latest food trend?\u00a0Lolfoods<\/a>, apparently.
+ I simply cannot believe that\u00a0the Sims<\/a>\u00a0is a quarter of a century old. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Charlotte Jee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: China may pull the plug on a TikTok deal. This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself\u2014but the company doesn\u2019t want to \u201ccensor\u201d it For the past five months<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":825246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46318,24097,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-825245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-companion","category-download","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}