The Download: Introducing the Power issue

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 Power issue

Energy is power. Those who can produce it, especially lots of it, get to exert authority in all sorts of ways. 

The world is increasingly powered by both tangible electricity and intangible intelligence. Plus billionaires. The latest issue of MIT Technology Review explores those intersections, in all their forms. 

Here’s just a taster of what you can expect from our latest issue:

+ Are we ready to hand AI agents the keys? We’re starting to give AI agents real autonomy, and we’re not prepared for what could happen next. Read the full story.

+ In Nebraska, a publicly owned electricity distribution system is an effective lens through which to examine the grid of the near future.

+ Cases of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses are on the rise in the area surrounding Puerto Rico’s only coal-fired power station. So why has it just been given permission to stay open for at least another seven years? Read the full story.

+ How AI is shaking up urban planning and helping make cities better.

+ Tech billionaires are making a risky bet with humanity’s future. They say they want to save humanity by creating superintelligent AI—but a new book argues that they’re steering humanity in a dangerous direction.

The Bank Secrecy Act is failing everyone. It’s time to rethink financial surveillance.

—Katie Haun is the CEO and founder of Haun Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on frontier technologies.

The US is on the brink of enacting rules for digital assets, with growing bipartisan momentum to modernize its financial system. But amid all the talk about innovation and global competitiveness, one issue has been glaringly absent: financial privacy.

As we build the digital infrastructure of the 21st century, we need to talk about not just what’s possible but what’s acceptable. That means confronting the expanding surveillance powers quietly embedded in our financial system, which today can track nearly every transaction without a warrant. Read the full story.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Copyrighted books are fair use for AI training
According to a federal court in the US. (WP $)
+ The court compared the way AI learns to how humans consume books. (WSJ $)
+ But pirating is still illegal, apparently. (404 Media)

2 Recruiters are drowning in AI-generated résumés
Fake identities, agent-led applications, and identical résumés abound. (NYT $)

3 Extreme heat in the US is a growing threat
Alaska recently issued its first-ever heat advisory. (Vox)
+ And the heatwave is only going to intensify. (The Guardian)
+ Here’s how much heat your body can take. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Big Balls no longer works for DOGE
One of the department’s most prominent hires has resigned. (Wired $)
+ What will he do next? (NYT $)
+ DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the safety and stability of our critical data. (MIT Technology Review)

5 One of America’s best hackers is a bot
It’s the first time an AI has topped a hacking leaderboard by reputation. (Bloomberg $)
+ Cyberattacks by AI agents are coming. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Way fewer people are dying of heart attacks in the US
But deaths from chronic heart conditions are on the up. (New Scientist $)

7 TikTok’s moderators have had enough
Groups are unionizing across the world to push for better treatment. (Rest of World)
+ How an undercover content moderator polices the metaverse. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Donald Trump’s social media use is even more erratic than usual
He keeps signing off “thank you for your attention to this matter!” (The Atlantic $)
+ He’s also misspelling his name as ‘Donakd.’ (Fast Company $)

9 Finally, a use for your old smartphone
It could have a second life as a teeny tiny data center. (IEEE Spectrum)

10 AI models don’t understand Gen Alpha slang
Let him cook! (404 Media)
+ That’s not stopping youngsters from using models as advisors, though. (Fast Company $)

Quote of the day

“Humans are wired to bond, and when we feel seen and soothed—even by a machine—we connect.”

—Psychiatrist Nina Vasan explains why humans may end up falling in love with AI systems to the Wall Street Journal.

One more thing

How Wi-Fi sensing became usable tech

Wi-Fi sensing is a tantalizing concept: that the same routers bringing you the internet could also detect your movements. But, as a way to monitor health, it’s mostly been eclipsed by other technologies, like ultra-wideband radar. 

Despite that, Wi-Fi sensing hasn’t gone away. Instead, it has quietly become available in millions of homes, supported by leading internet service providers, smart-home companies, and chip manufacturers. 

Soon it could be invisibly monitoring our day-to-day movements for all sorts of surprising—and sometimes alarming—purposes. Read the full story. 

—Meg Duff

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)

+  How to keep your cool in a heatwave.
+ Roblox fans can’t get enough of, err, gardening.
+ Kate Moss, you are the reigning queen of festival fashion.
+ A couple of intrepid brown bears managed to escape from a wildlife park in the UK—to consume a week’s worth of honey Read More