February 10, 2025

The Download: DOGE’s influences, and rescuing federal data from deletion

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. These documents are influencing the DOGE-sphere’s agenda  Reports from the US Government Accountability Office on improper federal payments in recent years are circulating on X and elsewhere online, and they seem to be…

Technology

Google DeepMind’s new AI assistant helps elite soccer coaches get even better

March 19, 2024
Soccer teams are always looking to get an edge over their rivals. Whether it’s studying players’ susceptibility to injury, or opponents’ tactics—top clubs look at reams of data to give them the best shot of winning.  They might want to add a new AI assistant developed by Google DeepMind to their arsenal. It can suggest…

How to Keep Yourself Relevant in the Age of AI

March 19, 2024
As AI reaches further into our lives, what can you bring to the table that technology cannot replicate? The new book “The Wolf Is At The Door” offers a whole new way to look at the AI revolution.

The Download: new AI regulations, and a running robot

March 19, 2024
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 The AI Act is done. Here’s what will (and won’t) change After three years, the AI Act, the EU’s new sweeping AI law, jumped through its final bureaucratic hoop last week when the…

The AI Act is done. Here’s what will (and won’t) change

March 19, 2024
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. It’s official. After three years, the AI Act, the EU’s new sweeping AI law, jumped through its final bureaucratic hoop last week when the European Parliament voted to approve it. (You…

Decoding the TikTok ownership controversy

March 19, 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital technology, a new controversy has emerged that has the potential to reshape the dynamics of social media ownership and usage. The center of this…

How AI taught Cassie the two-legged robot to run and jump

March 18, 2024
If you’ve watched Boston Dynamics’ slick videos of robots running, jumping and doing parkour, you might have the impression robots have learned to be amazingly agile. In fact, these robots are still coded by hand, and would struggle to deal with new obstacles they haven’t encountered before. However, a new method of teaching robots to…

The Download: legitimizing longevity science, and Harvard’s geoengineering U-turn

March 18, 2024
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 The quest to legitimize longevity medicine On a bright chilly day last December, a crowd of doctors and scientists gathered at a research institute atop a hill in Novato, California. Their goal is…

Harvard has halted its long-planned atmospheric geoengineering experiment

March 18, 2024
Harvard researchers have ceased a long-running effort to conduct a small geoengineering experiment in the stratosphere, following repeated delays and public criticism. In a university statement released on March 18, Frank Keutsch, the principal investigator on the project, said he is “no longer pursuing the experiment.” The basic concept behind solar geoengineering is that the…