That is right this moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a each day dose of what’s happening on the earth of expertise.
It’s surprisingly straightforward to stumble right into a relationship with an AI chatbot
The information: The primary large-scale computational evaluation of the Reddit group r/MyBoyfriendIsAI, which is devoted to discussing AI relationships, discovered that many individuals shaped these relationships unintentionally whereas utilizing AI for different functions. The truth is, solely 6.5% of them mentioned they’d intentionally sought out an AI companion.
Why it issues: The examine discovered that AI companionship gives important assist for some however exacerbates underlying issues for others. This implies it’s laborious to take a one-size-fits-all method to consumer security. Learn the total story.
—Rhiannon Williams
Be a part of us at 1.30pm ET right this moment to find out about the way forward for contraception
Conversations round contraception often deal with girls, however Kevin Eisenfrats, one of many MIT Expertise Evaluate 2025 Innovators Beneath 35, is working to alter that. His firm, Contraline, is working towards testing new contraception choices for males. Be a part of us for an unique subscribers-only Roundtable interview to listen to Kevin in dialog with our government editor Amy Nordrum at 1.30 ET right this moment.
MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated: What’s subsequent for AI and math
The final 12 months has seen fast progress within the potential of huge language fashions to sort out math at highschool degree and past. Is AI closing in on human mathematicians?
This story is the most recent to be became a MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Simply navigate to MIT Expertise Evaluate Narrated on both platform, and observe us to take heed to all our new episodes as they’re launched.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you right this moment’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Secret Service brokers dismantled a large operation to cripple cell networks
They are saying it’s seemingly it was meant for use for scams. (Wired $)
2 Welcome to the brand new period of fragmented US vaccine insurance policies
The federal authorities is abdicating accountability for public well being. Who will fill the void? (New Yorker $)
+ Why US federal well being businesses are abandoning mRNA vaccines. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
3 European protection leaders are discussing constructing a ‘drone wall’
They’re scrambling to catch up as Russian incursions into their territory enhance. (ABC)
4 How will we all know if we’ve reached synthetic common intelligence?
That’s the multi-billion greenback query—however there’s no clear reply. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Specialists don’t even agree on what AI is to start with, by no means thoughts AGI. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
5 Robotic umpires are coming to baseball’s main leagues subsequent 12 months 
People will nonetheless be in command of calling balls and strikes, however tech will assist to guage appealed selections. (AP)
6 AI’s power wants are being overstated
And that would lock us into pointless, pricey fossil gas tasks. (The Verge)
+ 4 causes to be optimistic about AI’s power utilization. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
7 Excessive drought is ready to grow to be much more commonplace
Governments must do much more to arrange. (Gizmodo)
8 AI is coming for subtitle writers’ jobs
However their work is tougher to interchange than you would possibly assume. (The Guardian)
+ ‘Workslop’ is slowing every thing down. (Harvard Enterprise Evaluate)
+ And, so as to add to the issue, AI methods could by no means be safe. (The Economist $)
9 How epigenetics might assist save wildlife from extinction
It might enable scientists to detect accelerated growing older earlier than an animal inhabitants begins to visibly collapse. (Knowable)
+ Ageing clocks purpose to foretell how lengthy you’ll stay. (MIT Expertise Evaluate)
10 TikTok is getting launched to the idea of the rapture
Which is due right this moment, in keeping with some. If that’s the case, it’s been nice figuring out you. Good luck! (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“Everyone has a backup.”
—Stella Li, government vice chairman at BYD, tells CNBC the corporate has contingency plans in case Beijing orders it to cease utilizing Nvidia chips.
Yet another factor
This app helps staff reclaim hundreds of thousands in misplaced wages
Reclamo, a brand new net app, helps immigrant staff who’ve skilled wage theft. It guides them by way of assembling case particulars, and in the end produces completed authorized claims that may be filed immediately. A course of that may in any other case take a number of conferences with an lawyer can now be finished inside an hour.
A major quantity of wage theft targets immigrants, each authorized and undocumented, partially due to communication obstacles and their perceived lack of energy or authorized recourse. However the app is already making a distinction—serving to staff to reclaim $1 million in misplaced wages because it began beta testing in October 2022. Learn the total story.
—Patrick Sisson
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ It’s Fats Bear Week! Who will get your vote this 12 months?
+ Study Lord Woodbine, the forgotten sixth Beatle.
+ There are some really wild and wacky recipes on this Medieval Cookery assortment. Venison porridge, anybody?
+ Pessimism about expertise is as previous as expertise itself, as this archive reveals.
