The Download: smart glasses, and tiny AI models [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.

The coolest thing about smart glasses is not the AR. It’s the AI.

In case you missed the memo, we are barreling toward the next big consumer device category: smart glasses. At its developer conference last week, Meta introduced a positively mind-blowing new set of augmented reality (AR) glasses dubbed Orion. Snap also unveiled its new Snap Spectacles last week. Back in June at Google IO, that company teased a pair, and Apple is rumored to be working on its own model as well.

After years of promise, AR specs are at last A Thing. But what’s really interesting about all this isn’t AR at all. It’s AI. Smart glasses enable you to seamlessly interact with AI as you go about your day. I think that’s going to be a lot more useful than viewing digital objects in physical spaces. Put more simply: it’s not about the visual effects, it’s about the brains.Read the full story.

—Mat Honan

This story is from the very first edition of The Debrief, MIT Technology Review’s new newsletter. It provides a weekly take on the tech news that really matters, and links to stories we love—as well as the occasional recommendation.

Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Friday, and to get ahead with the real story behind the biggest news in tech.

Why bigger is not always better in AI 

In AI research, everyone seems to think that bigger is better. The idea is that more data, more computing power, and more parameters will lead to models that are more powerful.

But with scale come a slew of problems, such as invasive data-gathering practices and child sexual abuse material in data sets. To top it off, bigger models also have a far bigger carbon footprint, because they require more energy to run. 

It doesn’t have to be like this. Researchers at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence have built an open-source family of models which achieve impressive performance with a fraction of the resources used to build state-of-the-art models. Read more about why it’s a big achievement.

—Melissa Heikkilä

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

The must-reads

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

1 Robotaxi Cruise has been slapped with a $1.5 million fine
It failed to properly report one of its cars hitting and seriously injuring a pedestrian. (NYT $)
+ The company was also required to hand over data from other incidents (WP $)
+ What’s next for robotaxis. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Epic Games is suing Google and Samsung
The game maker claims the companies secretly colluded to squash competition. (WP $)
+ Epic has a checkered history in the courtroom. (WSJ $)

3 A chemical fire at a lab near Atlanta has unleashed chemicals into the air
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s wreckage, too. (Vox)
+ The hurricane’s devastation has forced an essential chip mine to close. (Insider $)

4 Meta isn’t saying if it plans to train AI on smart glasses photos 
It already trains its models on public US Instagram and Facebook posts. (TechCrunch)
+ Here’s what I made of Snap’s new augmented-reality Spectacles. (MIT Technology Review)

5 US public record systems are riddled with vulnerabilities
Attackers could infiltrate, meddle with or delete official documents. (Ars Technica)

6 Google wants to build AI data centers in Asia
After years of being overlooked, Southeast Asia is experiencing a data center boom. (Bloomberg $)
+ Malaysia is plotting new AI regulations, too. (Reuters)
+ Energy-hungry data centers are quietly moving into cities. (MIT Technology Review)

7 eBay is scrapping fees for UK sellers
In a bid to compete more directly with Vinted and Depop. (The Guardian)

8 The current state of AI art
While a fraction is decent, the majority of it is garbage. (The Guardian)
+ Why artists are becoming less scared of AI. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Researchers are uncovering more about our shared history with animals
How did we get from one-celled microbes to multi-celled creatures? (Knowable Magazine)
+ Some fish can regrow injured tails. That could be good news for humans. (New Scientist $)

10  Robert Downey Jr’s new play is all about AI
Should novelists be allowed to receive help from AI? Answers on a postcard. (The Atlantic $)
+ The play has been described as a ‘thought experiment.’ Hmm. (NYT $)

Quote of the day

“Without this, I would be speaking only to myself or into the air.”

—Zhang Xin, a software developer living in Wuhan, tells Rest of World why he has found solace in setting up virtual tombs for his late relatives.

The big story

Inside the messy ethics of making war with machines

August 2023

In recent years, intelligent autonomous weapons have become a matter of serious concern. Giving an AI system the power to decide matters of life and death would radically change warfare forever.

And these systems have become sophisticated enough to raise novel questions—ones that are surprisingly tricky to answer. What does it mean when a decision is only part human and part machine? And when, if ever, is it ethical for that decision to be a decision to kill? Read the full story.

—Arthur Holland Michel

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.)

+ Good news: the northern bald ibis is back from the brink of extinction!
+ New York City’s Sushi-Con sounded absolutely bonkers—complete with the star of the show, a 400lb tuna. ($)
+ The new Nosferatu trailer looks suitably intense.
+ Kick back and relax—here’s how to host the perfect LAN party.