February 22, 2025

US AI Safety Institute could face big cuts

The National Institute of Standards and Technology could fire as many as 500 staffers, according to multiple reports — cuts that further threaten a fledgling AI safety organization. Axios reported this week that the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, both part of NIST, would be “gutted” by layoffs targeting probationary employees […]

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September 2023

The Download: talking driverless cars, and updated covid vaccines

September 15, 2023
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. This driverless car company is using chatbots to make its vehicles smarter The news: Self-driving car startup Wayve can now interrogate its vehicles, asking them questions about their driving decisions—and getting answers back…

TikTok fined $379M in EU for failing to keep kids’ data safe

September 15, 2023
It’s been a long time coming but TikTok has finally been found in breach of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in relation to its handling of children’s data. Under the decision issued today by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), the video sharing platform has been reprimanded and fined €345 million (~$379M). […]

All the iPhone 15 models compared

September 15, 2023
Apple announced the iPhone 15 series with a USB-C port in place of Lightning at its ‘Wanderlust’ event on September 12. Last year, the Dynamic Island was exclusive to the Pro models. This year, all iPhone models get it. iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus Differential specs Display: iPhone 15: 6.1 inch OLED display; 2556 […]

Koo, India’s Twitter alternative, seeks strategic partner amid funding crunch

September 15, 2023
Koo, India’s alternative to Twitter, is looking to find a partner with a “distribution strength” as it enters its “next phase,” its co-founder said, amid a funding crunch at the startup, which is backed by Accel and Tiger Global. Koo co-founder Mayank Bidawatka wrote in a LinkedIn post that the startup — which has raised […]

AI can help screen for cancer—but there’s a catch

September 15, 2023
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. I just had a birthday, and you know what that means—I’m newly eligible for a screening colonoscopy. (#milestones!). I’ve been thinking about cancer screening a lot recently, because…

X launches account verification based on government ID

September 15, 2023
X, formerly Twitter, has launched government ID-based account verification for paid users to prevent impersonation and give them benefits such as “prioritized support.” The social network has partnered with Israel-based Au10tix for identity verification solutions. The pop-up for ID verification indicates that the Au10tix could store this data for up to 30 days. X’s support […]

Meta says not planning ads on WhatsApp

September 15, 2023
Meta on Friday disputed a media report that said the social giant was exploring bringing ads on the popular messaging app WhatsApp. Financial Times reported that some teams at Meta had evaluated whether to show ads in lists of conversations with contacts on the WhatsApp home screen. In a statement, WhatsApp said it was neither […]

Autoworkers strike begins at Ford, GM, Stellantis plants

September 15, 2023
The United Autoworkers Union (UAW) will go through with threats to strike against the Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — after both sides failed to reach a deal. This is the first time in history that all three automakers have been hit by strikes at once. The automakers and the UAW […]