That is right this moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the earth of know-how.
What’s AI?
AI is attractive, AI is cool. AI is entrenching inequality, upending the job market, and wrecking training. The AI increase will enhance the economic system, the AI bubble is about to burst. AI will improve abundance and empower humanity to maximally flourish within the universe. AI will kill us all.
What the hell is everyone speaking about?
Synthetic intelligence is the most well liked know-how of our time. However what’s it? It appears like a silly query, but it surely’s one which’s by no means been extra pressing.
Should you’re keen to buckle up and are available for a experience, I can let you know why no person actually is aware of, why everyone appears to disagree, and why you’re proper to care about it. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
The Chinese language authorities is all in on autonomous automobiles
There’s been a lot information popping out of China’s autonomous-vehicle business currently that it’s onerous to maintain monitor.
The federal government is lastly permitting Tesla to carry its Full Self-Driving function to China. New authorities permits let firms take a look at driverless vehicles on the street and permit cities to construct sensible street infrastructure that can inform these vehicles the place to go.
Briefly, there are a whole lot of adjustments happening. They usually all level in the identical course: The Chinese language authorities is throwing its weight behind the autonomous-vehicle business and is keen to return out on prime whereas different nations take a extra cautious strategy. Learn the total story.
—Zeyi Yang
This story is from China Report, our weekly publication protecting tech and energy in China. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you right this moment’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Microsoft and Apple will not sit on OpenAI’s board
The transfer comes as regulators begin to pay shut consideration to Large Tech’s investments in AI startups. (FT $)
+ Microsoft claims its exit is right down to OpenAI’s newfound stability. (WSJ $)
+ OpenAI will replace its stakeholders with common conferences, as an alternative. (Bloomberg $)
2 The US has taken down a Russian bot farm on X
The propaganda mill used AI to scale up its operations. (WP $)
+ Google Search outcomes are filled with Russian AI spam, too. (Wired $)
+ The Kremlin is rewriting Wikipedia to go well with its personal agenda. (Economist $)
3 Amazon claims to have met a clear power purpose seven years early
Some specialists aren’t satisfied its calculation technique is as much as scratch, although. (NYT $)
+ Carbon seize wants to enhance if we’re ever to maneuver away from fossil fuels. (Knowable Journal)
+ How electrical energy might clear up transportation, metal, and even fertilizer. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
4 Rechargeable batteries come at an environmental price
They look like a rising supply of ceaselessly chemical compounds. (The Verge)
+ The race to destroy PFAS, the ceaselessly chemical compounds. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
5 What occurs to your cash when your startup financial institution folds?
Loads of clients are discovering out the onerous means. (NYT $)
6 Crypto followers are up in arms over Germany promoting confiscated bitcoin
However the state of Saxony doesn’t have a alternative. (CoinDesk)
+ Crypto scams are alive and effectively. (Wired $)
7 How one can put together your private home for a hurricane
Stronger supplies, tighter seals, and a complete lot of labor. (Wired $)
+ The hunt to construct wildfire-resistant properties. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
8 Nobody solutions the cellphone anymore
And it’s an even bigger downside than you’d suppose. (Slate $)
9 Philips Hue sensible lightbulbs appear to have a thoughts of their very own 
House owners declare the bulbs are overriding settings to full brightness. (Insider $)
10 Gen Z makes use of the iPhone Notes app to generate outfits
All these little digital stickers are coming in useful. (Vogue Enterprise $)
Quote of the day
“I confronted the problems of AI early, however it should occur for others. It will not be a contented ending.”
—Lee Saedol, the legendary Go participant who misplaced to Google DeepMind’s AI program in 2016, warns an viewers in Seoul concerning the dangers the know-how could pose, the New York Occasions reviews.
The large story
This super-realistic digital world is a driving faculty for AI
February 2022
Constructing driverless vehicles is a gradual and costly enterprise. After years of effort and billions of {dollars} of funding, the know-how remains to be caught within the pilot section.
Autonomous know-how firm Waabi thinks it may possibly do higher. In 2021 it revealed the controversial new shortcut to autonomous automobiles it’s betting on. The large concept? Ditch the vehicles.
Wasabi has constructed a super-realistic digital atmosphere known as Waabi World. As a substitute of coaching an AI driver in actual automobiles, it plans to do it fully contained in the simulation. However simulation alone is a daring technique, and the way far it may possibly go depends upon how real looking Waabi World actually is. Learn the total story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Received any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ If this video doesn’t fill you with pleasure, I don’t know what’s going to. 
+ Apo Whang-Od Oggay is the world’s oldest tattoo artist, and really cool.
+ The world’s most troublesome maze holds a really attention-grabbing secret.
+ Netflix’s Supacell options a few of the absolute best of Black British expertise.
