July 4, 2025

The Download: India’s AI independence, and predicting future epidemics

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 India’s scramble for AI independence Despite its status as a global tech hub, India lags far behind the likes of the US and China when it comes to homegrown AI. That gap…

The Download: meet RFK Jr’s right-hand man, and inside OpenAI

June 30, 2025
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. Meet Jim O’Neill, the longevity enthusiast who is now RFK Jr.’s right-hand man When Jim O’Neill was nominated to be the second in command at the US Department of Health and Human Services,…

Meet Jim O’Neill, the longevity enthusiast who is now RFK Jr.’s right-hand man

June 30, 2025
When Jim O’Neill was nominated to be the second in command at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Dylan Livingston was excited. As founder and CEO of the lobbying group Alliance for Longevity Initiatives (A4LI), Livingston is a member of a community that seeks to extend human lifespan. O’Neill is “kind of one…

Why AI will eat McKinsey’s lunch — but not today

June 30, 2025
Navin Chaddha, who leads the 55-year-old Silicon Valley venture firm Mayfield as its managing director, is betting big on AI’s ability to transform people-heavy industries like consulting, law, and accounting. But as he acknowledged at TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC evening in Menlo Park, Ca., recently, where Chaddha played co-host, disrupting services businesses where human relationships and trust […]

Authors call on publishers to limit their use of AI

June 28, 2025
An open letter from authors including Lauren Groff, Lev Grossman, R.F. Kuang, Dennis Lehane, and Geoffrey Maguire calls on book publishers to pledge to limit their use of AI tools, for example by committing to only hire human audiobook narrators.