The Download: Google’s AI Overviews nightmare, and improving search and rescue drones

December 20, 2024

Puzzle Corner

Ready for a fresh set of puzzles? Click here for the January/February Puzzle Corner, brought to you with a special Mystery Hunt twist by guest editor Dan Katz ’03. This column includes solutions to three September/October 24 problems. Find solutions to the other three problems here.

May 31, 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. Why Google’s AI Overviews gets things wrong When Google announced it was rolling out its artificial intelligence-powered search feature earlier this month, the company promised that “Google will do the googling for you.”The…

Creativity Isn’t Just Something You’re Born With — It’s a Skill You Can Develop. Here’s How.

May 31, 2024

Creativity is a vital skill for personal and business success, yet many people struggle to nurture it — or they believe they can’t. Here are some practical steps and principles to align your mindset and emotions to enhance your creative potential.

Chinese e-commerce marketplace Temu faces stricter EU rules as a ‘very large online platform’

May 31, 2024

Temu is to face Europe’s strictest rules after being designated as a “very large online platform” under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Spain bans Meta from launching election features on Facebook, Instagram over privacy fears

May 31, 2024

Meta has been banned from launching features on Facebook and Instagram that would have collected data on voters in Spain using the social networks ahead of next month’s European Elections. The local data protection authority, the AEPD, has used emergency powers to protect local users’ privacy. Meta confirmed to TechCrunch it has complied with the […]

Stripe curbs India ambitions over regulatory changes

May 31, 2024

Stripe, the global fintech giant, said on Friday that it will temporarily move to an invite-only model for new account sign-ups in India, “a tough decision” it is making as it navigates the country’s evolving regulatory landscape. In a statement posted on its website, Stripe said that businesses in India will no longer be able […]

Why are Google’s AI Overviews results so bad?

May 31, 2024

MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more here. When Google announced it was rolling out its artificial intelligence-powered search feature earlier this month, the company promised that “Google will do the googling for you.” The new feature,…

What’s next for bird flu vaccines

May 31, 2024

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. Here in the US, bird flu has now infected cows in nine states, millions of chickens, and—as of last week—a second dairy worker. There’s no indication that the…

Voice cloning of political figures is still easy as pie

May 31, 2024

The 2024 election is likely to be the first in which faked audio and video of candidates is a serious factor. As campaigns warm up, voters should be aware: voice clones of major political figures, from the President on down, get very little pushback from AI companies, as a new study demonstrates. The Center for […]

OneScreen.ai brings startup ads to billboards and NYC’s subway

May 31, 2024

When Alex Ewing was a kid growing up in Purcell, Oklahoma, he knew how close he was to home based on which billboards he could see out the car window. Now, as the CEO of OneScreen.ai, he’s helping startups like fintech Ramp and technical recruiter Karat advertise on billboards and beyond. “I think billboards are […]

SpaceX sent Starship to orbit — the next launch will try to bring it back

May 30, 2024

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket could take to the skies for the fourth time on June 5, with the primary objective of evaluating the second stage’s reusable heat shield as the vehicle tries to safely reenter the atmosphere for the first time. CEO Elon Musk“ said on his social media platform X that “There are many […]

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