July 8, 2025

The Download: hunting an asteroid, and unlocking the human mind

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. Inside the most dangerous asteroid hunt ever If you were told that the odds of something were 3.1%, it might not seem like much. But for the people charged with protecting our planet,…

Technology

China’s draft measures demand ‘individual consent’ for facial recognition use

August 8, 2023
The pervasive use of facial recognition technology across all facets of life in China has elicited both praise for its convenience and backlash around privacy concerns. The widespread adoption has also fueled the exponential growth of valuations in companies specializing in the field, such as AI giants SenseTime and Megvii. Now the industry is facing […]

Authors are losing their patience with AI, part 349235

August 7, 2023
On Monday morning, numerous writers woke up to learn that their books had been uploaded and scanned into a massive dataset without their consent. A project of cloud word processor Shaxpir, Prosecraft compiled over 27,000 books, comparing, ranking and analyzing them based on the “vividness” of their language. Many authors — including Young Adult powerhouse […]

Chinese luxury EV brand Zeekr continues global push into Kazakhstan

August 7, 2023
Zeekr, the luxury electric vehicle brand under China’s Geely Automobile Holdings, says it will launch its Zeekr 001 shooting-brake and Zeekr X SUV in Kazakhstan by the fourth quarter of 2023. Kazakhstan, a key market in Central Asia, marks Zeekr’s third geographic expansion announcement in recent months. The two-year-old Chinese automaker also said it plans […]

AI language models are rife with political biases

August 7, 2023
Should companies have social responsibilities? Or do they exist only to deliver profit to their shareholders? If you ask an AI you might get wildly different answers depending on which one you ask. While OpenAI’s older GPT-2 and GPT-3 Ada models would advance the former statement, GPT-3 Da Vinci, the company’s more capable model, would…

French startup Exotrail expands U.S. footprint with two new subsidiaries

August 7, 2023
French in-space transportation company Exotrail is launching two U.S.-based subsidiaries, one focused specifically on serving U.S. government and defense customers, the company said Monday. Tyler Browder, co-founder and former head of satellite software developer Kubos, was installed to lead the new Exotrail U.S., Inc. He joined Exotrail as a senior officer in February, just after […]

The Download: Worldcoin under investigation, and food’s complex climate future

August 7, 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. Worldcoin just officially launched. Why is it already being investigated? It’s possible you’ve heard the name Worldcoin recently. It’s been getting a ton of attention—some good, some … not so good.  It’s a…

Worldcoin just officially launched. Here’s why it’s already being investigated.

August 7, 2023
This article is from The Technocrat, MIT Technology Review’s weekly tech policy newsletter about power, politics, and Silicon Valley. To receive it in your inbox every Friday, sign up here. It’s possible you’ve heard the name Worldcoin recently. It’s been getting a ton of attention—some good, some … not so good.  It’s a project that…

One Model lands $41M to bring data science-powered insights to HR

August 7, 2023
One Model, a platform that uses AI to help employers make decisions about recruiting, hiring, promotions, layoffs and general workplace planning, today announced that it’s raised $41 million in a funding round led by Riverwood Capital. Christopher Butler, CEO of One Model, said that the capital will be used to “boost several of the company’s […]