The Download: how we’re using AI, and Trump’s campaign hack [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.

Here’s how people are actually using AI

When the generative AI boom started with ChatGPT in late 2022, we were sold a vision of superintelligent AI tools that know everything, can replace the boring bits of work, and supercharge productivity and economic gains.

Two years on, those productivity gains mostly haven’t materialized. Instead, we’ve seen something peculiar and slightly unexpected happen: People have started forming relationships with AI systems. We talk to them, say please and thank you, and have started to invite AIs into our lives as friends, lovers, mentors, therapists, and teachers. It’s a fascinating development, and shows how hard it is to predict how cutting-edge technology will be adopted.  Read the full story.

—Melissa Heikkilä

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

If you’re interested in how people are forming connections with AI, why not take a look at:

• Deepfakes of your dead loved ones are a booming Chinese business. Read the full story.

• Technology that lets us “speak” to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready? Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve. Read the full story.

  + My colleagues turned me into an AI-powered NPC. I hate him. Take a look behind the controls of a new way to create video-game characters that engage with players in unique, ever-changing ways.

  + An AI startup made a hyperrealistic deepfake of me that’s so good it’s scary. Synthesia’s new technology is impressive but raises big questions about a world where we increasingly can’t tell what’s real. Read the full story.

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p class=”has-medium-font-size”>The must-reads

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

1 Hackers infiltrated Donald Trump’s electoral campaign 
His team is blaming Iran and accusing Tehran of political interference. (FT $)
+ Microsoft appears to have confirmed the country’s involvement. (The Guardian)
+ The news outlet Politico received emails containing stolen documents. (Politico)

2 The meat industry’s sustainability claims don’t add up
Environmental groups are reluctant to challenge the sector, which is a major problem. (Vox)
+ How I learned to stop worrying and love fake meat. (MIT Technology Review)

3 How a crypto data leak led the FBI to a notorious sex trafficker
Michael Pratt is facing a possible life sentence as a result. (Insider $)

4 Brands are begging influencers to swerve politics
And they’re even using AI to predict whether influencers they’re thinking of partnering with are likely to express political opinions. (NYT $)
+ Elon Musk, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly political. (WP $)

5 How a fake cricket match exposed an illegal gambling ring
Online gamblers had no idea they were betting on fixed tournaments. (Bloomberg $)
+ How mobile money supercharged Kenya’s sports betting addiction. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Where did it all go wrong for Cameo?
The celebrity video app has fallen on hard times. (The Guardian) 

7 Coral reefs may have an unlikely new savior
Release the sea urchins! (The Atlantic $)
+ The race is on to save coral reefs—by freezing them. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Calorie counting has had a 2024 makeover
And AI is involved, naturally. (WSJ $)

9 What a kinder online community can teach us
Vermont’s Front Porch Forum has succeeded where other platforms have failed. (WP $)
+ How to fix the internet. (MIT Technology Review)

10 How tech workers-turned athletes fared in this year’s Olympics
They juggled their day jobs and training for the prestigious tournament. (The Information $)

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p class=”has-medium-font-size”>Quote of the day

“I’m looking for an EV. I just don’t want a Tesla.”

—Esther Chun, manager of a Polestar car dealership in San Jose, says customers frequently cite Elon Musk as a reason not to buy his electric cars to the Washington Post.

The big story

Meet the divers trying to figure out how deep humans can go

February 2024

Two hundred thirty meters into one of the deepest underwater caves on Earth, Richard “Harry” Harris knew that not far ahead of him was a 15-meter drop leading to a place no human being had seen before.

Getting there had taken two helicopters, three weeks of test dives, two tons of equipment, and hard work to overcome an unexpected number of technical problems. But in the moment, Harris was hypnotized by what was before him: the vast, black, gaping unknown.

Staring into it, he felt the familiar pull—maybe he could go just a little farther. Instead, he and his diving partner, Craig Challen, decided to turn back. That’s because they weren’t there to set records. Instead, they were there to test what they saw as a possible key to unlocking depths beyond even 310 meters: breathing hydrogen. Read the full story. 

—Samantha Schuyler

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.)

• A portrait of Simone Biles using thousands of dice, because why not?
  + This simple practice could help you to feel more positive on a daily basis. Why not try it?
  + Treat yourself to a juicy tomato sandwich this week.
  + Scary stuff: New York is getting a colossal pigeon sculpture named Dinosaur.