Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology
By Rhiannon Williams • 11.22.23
Hello! Sam Altman's back at the helm of OpenAI. To find out what that means for the AI sector, sign up for our LinkedIn event at 11.30am EST this morning, where we'll be explaining what's behind the last few chaotic days at the company. Plus: how AI is revolutionizing the power grid, and why apps in China are rarely what they appear to be.
What's behind the chaos at OpenAI?
Sam Altman has been reinstated as the CEO of OpenAI, rounding off a wild few days for the industry's hottest AI firm.
If you're as intrigued by all the drama as we are, join MIT Technology Review's AI experts Will Douglas Heaven and Melissa Heikkilä, along with executive editor Niall Firth, for a LinkedIn event today at 11.30am EST.
They'll be analyzing the chaos at OpenAI, who will benefit, who will suffer, and how all of this will impact the future development of this very powerful technology. Register now to join us!
Four ways AI is making the power grid faster and more resilient
The power grid is growing increasingly complex as more renewable energy sources come online. Increasingly unpredictable weather adds to the challenge of balancing demand with supply. To manage the chaos, grid operators are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence.
AI's ability to learn from large amounts of data and respond to complex scenarios makes it particularly well suited to the task of keeping the grid stable, and a growing number of software companies are bringing AI products to the notoriously slow-moving energy industry.
MIT Technology Review's editorial fellow June Kim has dug into four of the ways that AI is already changing how grid operators do their work. Read the full story.
This Chinese map app wants to be a super app for everything outdoors
When Zeyi Yang, our China reporter, was in Hong Kong a few weeks ago, he went to a park with dozens of strangers to play the "cat-and-mouse game," which combines old-fashioned hide-and-seek with modern technology.
Instead of trying to guess where everyone was, the group shared live locations and monitored each other's paths as the "cats" and "mice" tried to capture or avoid each other. A grassroots invention of the Chinese internet, the game went viral sometime earlier this year and now draws thousands of people every week.
The map app they used, Amap, is one of the most widely used navigation apps in China today. It's also a perfect example of how in the Chinese app ecosystem, every app is trying to be something it isn't. Read the full story.
This story first appeared in China Report, MIT Technology Review's newsletter about technology in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday.
Tech leaders in major digital economies, notably the U.S. and China, view their nations as pioneers in data privacy and sovereignty. But perceptions of national data sovereignty and privacy frameworks vary, underscoring the lack of harmonized global standards.
I've combed the internet to find you today's most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Sam Altman is CEO of OpenAI again And he's got a new board, to boot. (WP $) + Altman's relationship with the board has been fraught for months. (NYT $) + Microsoft's Satya Nadella is fine with the changes, apparently. (FT $)
2 Binance's CEO has plead guilty to money laundering charges The exchange is accused of helping Hamas and ISIS receive funds. (CNBC) + Changpeng Zhao is facing jail time in addition to a $50 million fine. (NYT $)
3 Huawei's chipmaker is China's secret sanction-busting weapon Local investors are thrilled. The US is suspicious. (Bloomberg $) + Huawei's 5G chip breakthrough needs a reality check. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Palantir has signed a huge contract with England's health service It's agreed to build a controversial new platform for storing patient data. (FT $) + Palantir's reputation is worrying civil rights activists. (The Guardian)
5 Twitter's former head of safety is ready to talk After years of trying to make the least bad decision possible. (Wired $) + Over at X, things are going from bad to worse. (New Yorker $)
6 Tesla knew that its cars had a defective Autopilot system But kept selling them anyway, according to a Florida judge. (Reuters)
7 How to build a more resilient power grid Look to your roofs and basements. (New Yorker $) + Stitching together the grid will save lives as extreme weather worsens. (MIT Technology Review)
8 For some startups, grief is a commodity But communicating with simulations of the dead isn't for everyone. (Vox) + Technology that lets us "speak" to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready? (MIT Technology Review)
9 Online shopping's convenience isn't always a good thing Don't fall into the trap of buying stuff you don't even want. (The Atlantic $) + Fast fashion is going all out this Black Friday. (Wired $)
10 'Hallucinate' is the Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year It demonstrates just how deeply AI has permeated pretty much all parts of our lives. (Insider $)
Quote of the day
"Using new technology to break the law does not make you a disruptor. It makes you a criminal."
—US Attorney General Merrick B Garland criticizes crypto exchange Binance for turning a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit.
The big story
Why we can no longer afford to ignore the case for climate adaptation
August 2022
Back in the 1990s, anyone suggesting that we'd need to adapt to climate change while also cutting emissions was met with suspicion. Most climate change researchers felt adaptation studies would distract from the vital work of keeping pollution out of the atmosphere to begin with.
Despite this hostile environment, a handful of experts were already sowing the seeds for a new field of research called "climate change adaptation": study and policy on how the world could prepare for and adapt to the new disasters and dangers brought forth on a warming planet. Today, their research is more important than ever. Read the full story.
—Madeline Ostrander
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 tweet 'em at me.)
+ Take a moment out of your day to appreciate these truly remarkable rivers. + The bizarre tale of Dogs in Elk was a seriously early viral internet sensation. + If you're a fan of muscle car chase scenes from classic movies (and who isn't?), Car Chase Wonderland 2 is the YouTube channel for you. + Sausage casserole? Don't mind if I do. + To become a better tourist, you should embrace the joys of slow travel.
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