The Download: bad news for inner Neanderthals, and AI warfare’s human illusion
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 problem with thinking you’re part Neanderthal There’s a theory that many of us have an “inner Neanderthal.” The idea is that Homo sapiens and a cousin species once bred, leaving…
Did You Shop at Trader Joe’s in 2019? You Might Be Owed Money From a Class Action Settlement.
The grocery chain is paying $7.4 million after receipts printed too many credit card digits, creating identity theft risk.
He Was Laid Off, Posted on LinkedIn — Then Scammers Started Impersonating Real Recruiters to Target Him
Cybercriminals are impersonating recruiters to hustle job seekers, using real LinkedIn profiles and convincing details.
With US spy laws set to expire, lawmakers are split over protecting Americans from warrantless surveillance
Some lawmakers are calling for widespread reforms following years of surveillance scandals and abuses across successive U.S. administrations. But even if the spy law known as Section 702 expires in April, the government’s spy powers will not automatically lapse.
Google’s AI Mode can now help you find products in stock nearby
Although you can already track hotel prices at the city level, the new update lets you do so for a specific hotel that you’re interested in.
SaySo is a new short-form video app that aims to restore users’ trust in news
Users are fed up with misinformation and AI slop cluttering their feeds. SaySo is a new short-form video app that delivers news from vetted creators and journalists.
Loop raises $95M to build supply chain AI that predicts disruptions
The San Francisco startup closed a Series C funding round led by Antonio Gracias’ firm Valor, which is a major backer of xAI.
The case for fixing everything
The handsome new book Maintenance: Of Everything, Part One, by the tech industry legend Stewart Brand, promises to be the first in a series offering “a comprehensive overview of the civilizational importance of maintenance.” One of Brand’s several biographers described him as a mainstay of both counterculture and cyberculture, and with Maintenance, Brand wants us…
How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history
Roboticists used to dream big but build small. They’d hope to match or exceed the extraordinary complexity of the human body, and then they’d spend their career refining robotic arms for auto plants. Aim for C-3P0; end up with the Roomba. The real ambition for many of these researchers was the robot of science fiction—one…
New leaders, new fund: Sequoia has raised $7B to expand its AI bets
The fundraise is the first major capital raise under Sequoia’s new leadership, with Alfred Lin and Pat Grady now serving as co-stewards of the 54-year-old firm.