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The Download: Introducing: the new conspiracy age
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. Introducing: the new conspiracy age Everything is a conspiracy theory now. Conspiracists are all over the White House, turning fringe ideas into dangerous policy. America’s institutions are crumbling under the weight of deep…
Figma acquires AI-powered media generation company Weavy
Figma said today that it has acquired AI-powered image and video generation company Weavy.
The Prompting Company snags $6.5M to help products get mentioned in ChatGPT and other AI apps
People are increasingly asking AI, not Google, to help them discover products. A recent shopping report says Americans, this holiday season, will likely turn to large language models this season to find gifts, deals, and sales instead of traditional search. Retailers could see up to a 520% increase in traffic from chatbots and AI prompts […]
WhatsApp adds passkey protection to end-to-end encrypted backups
WhatsApp is enabling users to encrypt their backup using passkeys
Four thoughts from Bill Gates on climate tech
Bill Gates doesn’t shy away or pretend modesty when it comes to his stature in the climate world today. “Well, who’s the biggest funder of climate innovation companies?” he asked a handful of journalists at a media roundtable event last week. “If there’s someone else, I’ve never met them.” The former Microsoft CEO has spent…
It’s never been easier to be a conspiracy theorist
The timing was eerie. On November 21, 1963, Richard Hofstadter delivered the annual Herbert Spencer Lecture at Oxford University. Hofstadter was a professor of American history at Columbia University who liked to use social psychology to explain political history, the better to defend liberalism from extremism on both sides. His new lecture was titled “The…
Can “The Simpsons” really predict the future?
According to internet listicles, the animated sitcom The Simpsons has predicted the future anywhere from 17 to 55 times. “As you know, we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump,” the newly sworn-in President Lisa Simpson declared way back in 2000, 17 years before the real estate mogul was inaugurated as the 45th leader…
How conspiracy theories infiltrated the doctor’s office
As anyone who has googled their symptoms and convinced themselves that they’ve got a brain tumor will attest, the internet makes it very easy to self-(mis)diagnose your health problems. And although social media and other digital forums can be a lifeline for some people looking for a diagnosis or community, when that information is wrong,…
Why it’s so hard to bust the weather control conspiracy theory
It was October 2024, and Hurricane Helene had just devastated the US Southeast. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia found an abstract target on which to pin the blame: “Yes they can control the weather,” she posted on X. “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” There was no word…