The Download: Google’s AI podcasts, and protecting your brain data [MIT Tech Review]

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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.

People are using Google study software to make AI podcasts—and they’re weird and amazing

Google’s new AI podcasting tool, called Audio Overview, has become a surprise viral hit.

The podcasting feature was launched in mid-September as part of NotebookLM, a year-old AI-powered research assistant. NotebookLM, which is powered by Google’s Gemini 1.5 model, allows people to upload content such as links, videos, PDFs, and text. They can then ask the system questions about the content, and it offers short summaries.

The tool generates a podcast called Deep Dive, which features a male and a female voice discussing whatever you uploaded. The voices are breathtakingly realistic.

Yes, it’s cool—bordering on delightful, even—but it is also not immune from the problems that plague generative AI, such as hallucinations and bias. Here are some of the main ways people are using NotebookLM so far. 

—Melissa Heikkilä

A new law in California protects consumers’ brain data. Some think it doesn’t go far enough.

On September 28, California became the second US state to officially recognize the importance of mental privacy in state law. Measuring brain activity can reveal a lot about a person—and that’s why neural data needs to be protected.Brain data is precious. It’s not the same as thought, but it can be used to work out how we’re thinking and feeling, and reveal our innermost preferences and desires. Jessica Hamzelou, our senior biotech reporter, has taken a look at how California’s law might protect mental privacy—and how far we still have to go. Read the full story.

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

The must-reads

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

1 The US is experiencing some of its hottest October temperatures ever
And we’d better get used to it. (Vox)
+ California is gripped by a brutal heatwave right now. (USA Today)
+ The heat is comparable to the heights of July or August. (WP $)

2 An mRNA vaccine for bird flu is in the works
The virus is constantly changing and appears to be getting better at transferring from human to human. (Wired $)
+ The virus has killed dozens of tigers in Vietnam zoos. (The Guardian)
+ Flu season is coming—and so is the risk of an all-new bird flu. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Google is testing a new search verification feature
It’s designed to highlight trustworthy news sources among the spam.(The Verge)
+ Why Google’s AI Overviews gets things wrong. (MIT Technology Review)

4 AI is not an all-knowing oracle
Some businesses are finding that out the hard way. (WSJ $)
+ What is AI? (MIT Technology Review)

5 The Three Mile Island nuclear plant owner is seeking a $1.6 billion loan
It’s asking the Energy Department for help to reopen the facility. (WP $)
+ Why Microsoft made a deal to help restart Three Mile Island. (MIT Technology Review)

6 PayPal’s first business transaction using a stablecoin is complete
The payment method is particularly popular in countries with volatile currencies. (Bloomberg $)

7 How NASA plans to replace the ISS
Its commercial-built space stations have run into trouble. (Ars Technica)
+ NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is set to look for life-friendly conditions around Jupiter. (MIT Technology Review)

8 What AI reveals about flies’ brains
And what it can tell us about our own thought processes. (Vice)

9 A stem cell transplant could help to repair sight loss
A successful study on a monkey suggests it could work in humans. (New Scientist $)

10 Please, no more apps!
The tedium of having to download yet another one is too much to bear. (The Atlantic $)

Quote of the day

“Just try finding something else that has improved with age in space. I dare you.”

—Kathryn Sullivan, an astronaut who flew on the Hubble Space Telescope’s 1990 launch mission, tells IEEE Spectrum why the telescope is so remarkable.

The big story

The humble oyster could hold the key to restoring coastal waters. Developers hate it.

October 2023

Carol Friend has taken on a difficult job. She is one of the 10 people in Delaware currently trying to make it as a cultivated oyster farmer.

Her Salty Witch Oyster Company holds a lease to grow the mollusks as part of the state’s new program for aquaculture, launched in 2017. It has sputtered despite its obvious promise.

Five years after the first farmed oysters went into the Inland Bays, the aquaculture industry remains in a larval stage. Oysters themselves are almost mythical in their ability to clean and filter water. But human willpower, investment, and flexibility are all required to allow the oysters to simply do their thing—particularly when developers start to object. Read the full story.

—Anna Kramer

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.)

+ Aww, dolphins smile when they play together!
+ If you’re in the mood for something spooky, here’s some of the best TV shows around.
+ Saturn is full of mysteries, and our interest in solving them is returning some fascinating results.
+ Why indie sleaze technically never actually existed.