{"id":863286,"date":"2025-07-18T07:11:51","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/18\/the-download-veo-3s-subtitles-problem-and-the-future-of-our-planets-resources\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T07:11:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:11:51","slug":"the-download-veo-3s-subtitles-problem-and-the-future-of-our-planets-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/18\/the-download-veo-3s-subtitles-problem-and-the-future-of-our-planets-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: Veo 3\u2019s subtitles problem, and the future of our planet\u2019s resources"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<header id=\"the-download--veo-3-s-subtitles-problem--and-the-future-of-our-planet-s-resources\">\n<div>\n<p>Plus: ChatGPT is coming for your spreadsheet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content--body\">\n<div>\n<p><em>This is today&#8217;s edition of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forms.technologyreview.com\/newsletters\/briefing-the-download\/?_ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289\">The Download<\/a><\/em>,<em>\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what&#8217;s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Google\u2019s generative video model Veo 3 has a subtitles problem<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As soon as Google launched its latest video-generating AI model at the end of May, creatives rushed to put it through its paces. Released just months after its predecessor, Veo 3 allows users to generate sounds and dialogue for the first time. It sparked a flurry of hyperrealistic eight-second clips stitched together into ads, ASMR videos, imagined film trailers, and humorous street interviews.<\/p>\n<p>But others quickly found that in some ways the tool wasn\u2019t behaving as expected. When it generates clips that include dialogue, Veo 3 often adds nonsensical, garbled subtitles, even when the prompts it\u2019s been given explicitly ask for no captions or subtitles to be added. And getting rid of them isn\u2019t straightforward\u2014or cheap.<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2025\/07\/15\/1120156\/googles-generative-video-model-veo-3-has-a-subtitles-problem\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>\u2014Rhiannon Williams<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>MIT Technology Review Narrated: This rare earth metal shows us the future of our planet\u2019s resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re in the middle of a potentially transformative moment. The materials we need to power our world are beginning to shift from fossil fuels to energy sources that don\u2019t produce the greenhouse-gas emissions changing our climate. Metals discovered barely more than a century ago now underpin the technologies we\u2019re relying on for cleaner energy, and not having enough of them could slow progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Take neodymium, for example. Its potential future reveals many of the challenges we\u2019ll likely face across the supply chain for materials in the coming century and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is our latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2024\/08\/21\/1096469\/neodymium-rare-earth-materials-supply-chain\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">story<\/a> to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which\u00a0 we\u2019re publishing each week on <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6QefEeY1IKYVn5w6nUV83Y\">Spotify<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/mit-technology-review-narrated\/id1523584878\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it\u2019s released.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>1 OpenAI is developing agents designed specifically for work<\/strong><br \/>In a direct challenge to Microsoft apps like PowerPoint and Excel. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theinformation.com\/articles\/openai-preps-chatgpt-agents-challenge-microsoft-excel-powerpoint?rc=e7vxeu\">The Information<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>The whole of OpenAI runs on Slack, apparently. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/ex-openai-engineer-received-about-10-emails-in-his-year-there-2025-7\">Insider<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>Are we ready to hand AI agents the keys? <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2025\/06\/12\/1118189\/ai-agents-manus-control-autonomy-operator-openai\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>2 Congress is poised to reject most of the White House\u2019s proposed NASA cuts<\/strong><br \/>As well as postponing its plans to cancel the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. (<a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/space\/2025\/07\/congress-moves-to-reject-bulk-of-white-houses-proposed-nasa-cuts\/\">Ars Technica<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>3 Grok\u2019s AI companions are already going haywire\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>They\u2019ve no qualms talking about topics like sex or how to bomb a school. (<a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/07\/15\/of-course-groks-ai-companions-want-to-have-sex-and-burn-down-schools\/\">TechCrunch<\/a>)<br \/>+ <em>The pair demonstrate Elon Musk\u2019s willingness to push the boundaries of taste. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/tech\/internet\/grok-companions-include-flirty-anime-waifu-anti-religion-panda-rcna218797\">NBC News<\/a>)+ <em>It\u2019s likely that Grok has been trained on the worst parts of the internet. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/07\/15\/tech\/ai-artificial-intelligence-antisemitism\">CNN<\/a>)<br \/>+ <em>Inside the Wild West of AI companionship. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2025\/03\/04\/1112768\/inside-the-wild-west-of-ai-companionship\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>4 AI could find cures to diseases using drugs we already have<br \/><\/strong>It may be time to repurpose what we know. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/open-questions\/can-ai-find-cures-for-untreatable-diseases-using-drugs-we-already-have\">New Yorker<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>An AI-driven \u201cfactory of drugs\u201d claims to have hit a big milestone. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2024\/03\/20\/1089939\/a-wave-of-drugs-dreamed-up-by-ai-is-on-its-way\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 China is pumping billions into becoming an AI power player<\/strong><br \/>Local governments are building entire neighborhoods to act as startup incubators. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/16\/technology\/china-ai.html\">NYT<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>Meanwhile, Trump is creating an AI hub in Pennsylvania. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/tech\/ai\/trump-to-tout-billions-in-investments-to-create-ai-hub-in-pennsylvania-1e9afa89?mod=tech_lead_story\">WSJ<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>6 Silicon Valley\u2019s super-babies are on the way<br \/><\/strong>One startup claims to be able to sequence an embryo\u2019s entire genome. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2025\/07\/16\/orchid-polygenic-screening-embryos-fertility\/\">WP<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>Beyond gene-edited babies: the possible paths for tinkering with human evolution. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2024\/08\/22\/1096458\/crispr-gene-editing-babies-evolution\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>7 How the Earth\u2019s magnetic crust could improve airplane navigation<br \/><\/strong>It\u2019s likely to be more reliable than GPS, for one. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/the-secret-to-better-airplane-navigation-could-be-inside-the-earths-crust-6f2c34f4?mod=tech_lead_pos4\">WSJ<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>8 We\u2019re entering the era of hyper-personalized AI slop<br \/><\/strong>Coming to a Facebook feed near you.(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.404media.co\/the-ai-slop-niche-machine-is-here\/\">404 Media<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>9 You don\u2019t need to take weight-loss drugs consistently<br \/><\/strong>Patients who take it sporadically can still lose weight. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/2488192-you-dont-need-to-take-drugs-like-ozempic-consistently-to-lose-weight\/\">New Scientist<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>10 This UK startup wants to give non-alcoholic drinks a buzz ????<\/strong><br \/>It\u2019s working on a molecule to mimic the high of a few drinks without the hangover. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/features\/2025-07-16\/alcohol-free-drinks-could-get-the-buzz-of-booze-from-a-startup?srnd=phx-businessweek&#038;sref=E9Urfma4\">Bloomberg<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cI\u2019m doing the equivalent of vibe coding, except it\u2019s vibe physics.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u2014Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber, explains how he\u2019s using xAI\u2019s Grok to come \u201cpretty damn close to some interesting breakthroughs\u201d in the field of physics, <a href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/billionaires-convince-themselves-ai-is-close-to-making-new-scientific-discoveries-2000629060\">Gizmodo<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n<p><strong>One more thing<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2023\/02\/03\/1067726\/indian-healthcare-workers-ashas-whatsapp-misinformation-pregnancy\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*|SUBCLASS|*&#038;utm_content=*|DATE:m-d-Y|*\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXd3ValE4w80LNHGTOCMIEHQmfefUki-zu0F9s37vqc3c3mu_hWTU2pAkzQCCdwNje1vdiInqKxaiIsfLtzwzYFX-FaWdRo25wPtiTvJmyEQl0Fp4gR2VEEIEZV4qEA1i9Yc9sD1Ww?key=jwubkIQmIhsZg3Khww3lYA\" alt><\/a><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p><strong>How Indian health-care workers use WhatsApp to save pregnant women<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Across India, an all-women cadre of 1 million community health-care workers are responsible for making public health care accessible to people from remote areas and marginalized communities.<\/p>\n<p>These workers counsel pregnant women and ensure they receive proper science-backed health care. Many are turning to WhatsApp as a means to combat the medical misinformation that is rampant across the country and to navigate sensitive medical situations, particularly regarding pregnancy. Their approach has surprisingly good results. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2023\/02\/03\/1067726\/indian-healthcare-workers-ashas-whatsapp-misinformation-pregnancy\/?utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>\u2014Sanket Jain<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/mailto:rh***************@**************ew.com\" data-original-string=\"jDASGUW4wckWfq3lJpoZTw==7f4YWsqbtfQRf8j8GzZLqINGyQ3zGA55hHa6y2FEmQZer6PKu++13QjSRjf9XbeVmzt\" title=\"This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.\"><em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a><em> or <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/rhiannonwilliams.bsky.social\"><em>skeet &#8217;em at me<\/em><\/a><em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>+ Britain\u2019s greatest export? Possibly its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/food\/2025\/jul\/06\/it-is-not-jus-it-is-not-a-glaze-it-is-gravy-britains-gift-to-the-world-finally-gets-the-love-it-deserves\">gravy<\/a>.<br \/>+ How a luxury condo building in Manhattan ended up sloping sideways (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2025\/02\/10\/the-leaning-tower-of-new-york\">New Yorker<\/a> $)<br \/>+ The Emmy nominations are out! But who\u2019s been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wmagazine.com\/culture\/emmy-nominations-2025-snubs-surprises\">snubbed<\/a>?<br \/>+ The <em>Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater 3 + 4 <\/em>reboots are proving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/tony-hawk-weighs-in-on-pro-skater-soundtrack-exclusions-criticism-lets-keep-it-fresh\/\">extremely controversial<\/a>\u2014after only 10 songs on their legendary soundtracks made the cut. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2025\/07\/16\/1120240\/the-download-veo-3s-subtitles-problem-and-the-future-of-our-planets-resources\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Rhiannon Williams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plus: ChatGPT is coming for your spreadsheet This is today&#8217;s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what&#8217;s going on in the world of technology. Google\u2019s generative video model Veo 3 has a subtitles problem As soon as Google launched its latest video-generating AI model at the end of May<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":863287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,84423,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-863286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-download","category-subtitles","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863286","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=863286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/863287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}