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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.

Google is failing to enforce its own ban on ads for stalkerware

Google Search displays advertisements for stalkerware services that boast real-time monitoring of romantic partners and spouses, despite the company’s self-imposed ban on such ads.

According to research by mobile security firm Certo Software and confirmed by MIT Technology Review, Google Search queries related to tracking partners such as a wife or girlfriend commonly return ads for software and services that explicitly offer to spy on other individuals.

Stalkerware, also referred to as spyware, is software designed to secretly monitor another person, tracking their location, phone calls, private messages, web searches, and keystrokes. Although Google banned ads promoting stalkerware in August 2020, stalkerware companies are still able to buy ads containing phrases including “app to see spouse’s text messages,” “see who your girlfriend is texting,” and “it’s like having their device” against search results such as “read wife’s texts app.” Read the full story.

—Rhiannon Williams

Quote of the day

“We understand that this is not a war between Ukraine and Russia. This is a war of the pure and the light that exists on this earth, and darkness.”

—A Ukrainian soldier known as Rusin explains his reasoning behind wanting to fight Russian invaders to the New York Times.

The must-reads

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

1 Fossil fuel giants are betting that we’ll fail to tackle climate change
They’re collectively planning projects that will blow right past the crucial 1.5°C threshold. (The Guardian)
The likelihood we’ll cross the threshold is now around 50/50. (BBC)
Democrats are missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pass crucial climate legislation. (The Atlantic $)
Carbon removal is now “essential” to prevent rising temperatures. (TR)
Why using the oceans to suck up CO2 might not be as easy as hoped. (TR)

2 Russia is using computer chips meant for fridges for military equipment
After Western sanctions banned semiconductor exports to the country in February. (WP $)

3 The US could be on the cusp of a huge water disaster
California’s Delta hub is under threat. The problem is that no one can agree how to save it. (New Yorker $)
How we drained California dry. (TR)
Why our water infrastructure needs to change to ward off future disaster. (TR)

4 North Korea has reported its first official covid outbreak
But hasn’t said how many people contracted it or where they got it from. (The Guardian)
Xi Jinping is unlikely to ditch his zero-covid strategy for the sake of China’s economy. (FT $)
The world risks sleepwalking into another covid crisis, says a former UK prime minister. (BBC) 

5 Crypto prices are crashing again

Turns out Bitcoin is more like a traditional, risky tech stock than enthusiasts would like to admit. (NYT $)
Former fans of Do Kwon, stablecoins Luna and Terra’s creator, are furious. (Intelligencer $)
The crypto wealthy don’t know how to pass on their digital riches after they die. (Bloomberg $)
The future of a crypto-libertarian city project in Honduras isn’t looking bright. (Rest of World)

6 San Francisco Police are surveilling people via driverless cars
Which essentially makes them mobile evidence-gathering spying devices. (Motherboard)

7 New projects could allow doctors to fully sequence babies’ genomes
While it could reveal thousands of potential disorders, not every parent will want to know that information. (Economist $)
The scientist who co-created CRISPR isn’t ruling out engineered babies. (TR)

8 Google is opening up its AI language model—but not to everyone
Select users will be able to ask the AI to imagine scenarios to highlight errors. (The Verge)
Meta has built a massive language AI—and it’s giving it away for free. (TR)

9 Safety-conscious adults are buying tricycles
Not only are three wheels more stable than two, there’s room for groceries. (WSJ $) 

10 How to romanticize your life

Finding joy in small things is one of the pandemic’s most enduring social media trends. (NYT $)

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ This 10.5-foot long sturgeon fish is pretty mind blowing.
+ Thousands of pages of Timbuktu manuscripts have been digitized and

Read More

————

By: Rhiannon Williams
Title: The Download: Google’s stalkerware ban failure, and a bet for climate catastrophe
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/12/1052134/download-google-stalkerware-advert-search-ban-climate-catastrophe-oil-gas/
Published Date: Thu, 12 May 2022 12:08:09 +0000

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The Download: China’s retro AI photos, and experts’ AI fears

Published

7 hours ago

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June 3, 2023

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1f30a

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.

Chinese creators use Midjourney’s AI to generate retro urban “photography”

Across social media, a number of creators are generating nostalgic photographs of China with the help of AI. Even though these images get some details wrong, they are realistic enough to trick and impress many of their followers.

The pictures look sophisticated in terms of definition, sharpness, saturation, and color tone. Their realism is partly down to a recent major update of image-making artificial-intelligence program Midjourney that was released in mid-March, which is better not only at generating human hands but also at simulating various photography styles.

It’s still relatively easy, even for untrained eyes, to tell that the photos are generated by an AI. But for some creators, their experiments are more about trying to recall a specific era in time than trying to trick their audience. Read the full story.

—Zeyi Yang

Zeyi’s story is from China Report, his weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on tech in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday.

Read more of our reporting on AI-generated images:

+ These new tools let you see for yourself how biased AI image models are. Bias and stereotyping are still huge problems for systems like DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion, despite companies’ attempts to fix it. Read the full story.

+ AI models spit out photos of real people and copyrighted images. The finding could strengthen artists’ claims that AI companies are infringing their rights. Read the full story.

+ This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s not happy about it. Greg Rutkowski is a more popular prompt than Picasso. 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 AI experts want to pause the development of powerful systems
They worry about the “profound” risks that could accompany models like GPT-4. (The Verge)
How OpenAI tested GPT-4’s responses to dangerous queries. (Insider $)
It’s a bad time for Big Tech to cull its AI ethics teams. (FT $)
There’s still a lot of unanswered questions about how AI is trained. (New Yorker $)
AI prompt engineer is looking to be a very lucrative career path. (Bloomberg $)
Generative AI is changing everything. But what’s left when the hype is gone? (MIT Technology Review)

2 US police have run almost one million Clearview AI searches 
The controversial facial recognition firm has been fined extensively for privacy breaches. (BBC)
The walls are closing in on Clearview AI. (MIT Technology Review)

3 How North Korea is laundering stolen crypto
The process conceals the pilfered coins while unearthing new, untainted ones. (Wired $)
Crypto venture capitalists are going back to basics. (The Information $)
Sam Bankman-Fried allegedly tried to bribe Chinese officials. (CNN)

4 How urban planning became embroiled in a conspiracy theory quagmire
Scientist Carlos Moreno has received death threats for climate-friendly city proposals. (NYT $)
How to talk to conspiracy theorists. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Twitter is getting closer to finding out who leaked its code
A court has granted it permission to subpoena GitHub to share its leaker data. (Bloomberg $)+ Bafflingly, Twitter has stopped showing who users are replying to. (The Verge)
The company has reversed its recent For You page changes, though. (Insider $)
Certain celebrity accounts receive special treatment. (Platformer $)

6 Amazon is warning customers about frequently returned items
In theory, it should help to counter fake reviews that boost dodgy products. (The Information $)

7 Makeshift delivery bikes are polluting Latin America
Their powerful engines benefit delivery riders, but are a pain for everyone else. (Rest of World)

8 It’s incredibly tough to render water in video games
🌊
 
But modern graphics processing units are rising to the challenge. (WP $)

9 We’re strangely obsessed with merch belonging to collapsed tech firms
There’s a burgeoning market on eBay to prove it. (The Guardian)

10 The next wave of TikTok stars are behind the camera
🎥
Not everyone can be an influencer, but editors and producers are in high demand. (WSJ $)
TikTok’s CEO is becoming a star in his own right. (NYT $)

Quote of the day

“What the heck happened? The supposedly bright

Read More

————

By: Rhiannon Williams
Title: The Download: China’s retro AI photos, and experts’ AI fears
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/29/1070523/download-china-retro-ai-photos-experts-ai-fears/
Published Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:10:00 +0000

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Evolutionary organizations reimagine the future

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9 hours ago

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June 3, 2023

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Thoughtworks cover 16 9

As the emergence of radically disruptive technologies over the last decades has created, destroyed, or fundamentally changed many business models, most organizations have undergone some kind of digital transformation in response. Many have been reluctant, however, to acknowledge the degree to which they need to disrupt their standard way of working to succeed in this continuously changing business environment.

Thoughtworks cover 16 9 1

These change initiatives are commonly called “digital transformation,” though, as this report outlines, successful transformation is not a one-time change or single new technology adoption. Rather, it requires the organization to acquire the ability to continuously adapt to change. Although many organizations have the digital fundamentals in place, an updated tech stack and agile IT frameworks are just the beginning. Instead, change should be an evolutionary process that’s built into the organization’s mission and every aspect of its operations and strategy.

The global technology consultancy Thoughtworks describes organizations that can respond to marketplace changes with continuous adaptation as “evolutionary organizations.” It argues that, instead of focusing only on technology change, organizations should focus on building capabilities that support ongoing reinvention. While many organizations recognize the benefit of adopting agile approaches in their technology capabilities and architectures, they have not extended these structures and ways of thinking throughout the operating model, which would allow their impact to extend beyond that of a single transformation project.

TW web ready 16 9 Graphic

Global spending on digital transformation is growing at a brisk pace: 16.4% per year according to IDC. The firm’s 2021 “Worldwide Digital Transformation Spending Guide” forecasts that annual transformation expenditures will reach $2.8 trillion in 2025, more than double the spending in 2020.1 At the same time, research from Boston Consulting Group shows that 7 out of 10 digital transformation initiatives fall short of their objectives. Organizations that succeed, however, achieve almost double the earnings growth of those that fail and more than double the growth in the total value of their enterprises.2 Understanding how to make these transitions successful, then, should be of key interest to all business leaders.

This MIT Technology Review Insights report is based on a survey of 275 corporate leaders, supplemented by interviews with seven experts in digital transformation. Its key findings include the following:

• Digital transformation is not solely a technology issue. Adopting new technology for its own sake does not set the organization up to continue to adapt to changing circumstances. Among survey respondents, however, transformation is still synonymous with tech, with 70% planning to adopt a new technology in the next year, but only 41% pursuing changes to their business model.

TW web ready 16 9 Quote

• The business environment is changing faster than many organizations think. Most survey respondents (81%) believe their organization is more adaptable than average and nearly all (89%) say that they’re keeping up with or ahead of their competitors—suggesting a wide gap between the rapidly evolving reality and executives’ perceptions of their

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————

By: MIT Technology Review Insights
Title: Evolutionary organizations reimagine the future
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/29/1070438/evolutionary-organizations-reimagine-the-future/
Published Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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https://mansbrand.com/the-download-sleeping-in-vr-and-promising-clean-energy-projects/

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The Download: sleeping in VR, and promising clean energy projects

Published

1 day ago

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June 2, 2023

By

1f40e

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.

Inside the cozy but creepy world of VR sleep rooms

People are gathering in virtual spaces to relax, and even sleep, with their headsets on. VR sleep rooms are becoming popular among people who suffer from insomnia or loneliness, offering cozy enclaves where strangers can safely find relaxation and company—most of the time.

Each VR sleep room is created to induce calm. Some imitate beaches and campsites with bonfires, while others re-create hotel rooms or cabins. Soundtracks vary from relaxing beats to nature sounds to absolute silence, while lighting can range from neon disco balls to pitch-black darkness.

The opportunity to sleep in groups can be particularly appealing to isolated or lonely people who want to feel less alone, and safe enough to fall asleep. The trouble is, what if the experience doesn’t make you feel that way? Read the full story.

—Tanya Basu

Inside the conference where researchers are solving the clean-energy puzzle

There are plenty of tried-and-true solutions that can begin to address climate change right now: wind and solar power are being deployed at massive scales, electric vehicles are coming to the mainstream, and new technologies are helping companies make even fossil-fuel production less polluting.

But as we knock out the easy climate wins, we’ll also need to get creative to tackle harder-to-solve sectors and reach net-zero emissions.

Our climate reporter Casey Crownhart spent last week in Washington, DC, at the annual Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy summit where high-risk, high-reward projects are showcased. Read about some of the most intriguing projects that caught Casey’s eye.

This story is from The Spark, Casey’s weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate and energy. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

The must-reads

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

1 Convincing AI-generated images are mainstream now 
And Midjourney, the company behind many of them, has few rules and little oversight. (WP $)
What these kinds of images mean for the future of misinformation. (Vox)
AI image generator Midjourney blocks porn by banning words about the human reproductive system. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Restaurant chain Panera wants customers to pay with their palms
Privacy advocates worry the data is at high risk of being hacked. (The Guardian)
Tencent wants you to pay with your palm. What could go wrong? (MIT Technology Review)

3 South Korea has passed its own Chips Act
Like the US equivalent, it’s designed to boost native chip development. (Bloomberg $)
These simple design rules could turn the chip industry on its head. (MIT Technology Review)

4 ByteDance is thinking beyond TikTok
The next US-China war could be over its new app Lemon8, instead. (NYT $)+ TikTok could fall foul of the proposed US RESTRICT Act. (Rest of World)

5 Microsoft is experimenting with adverts in Bing Chat
There’s no way of blocking them with current tools. (TechCrunch)
Chatbots are being touted as solutions to problems that don’t necessarily exist. (Slate $)
ChatGPT runs rings around Bard in a personal assistant capacity. (NYT $)

6 The metaverse has been dealt another blow
Disney and Microsoft recently disbanded teams focused on building digital realms. (WSJ $)
Meta is desperately trying to make the metaverse happen. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Algorithms are savvy at predicting horse racing winners
🐎
But there’s still plenty of room for human intuition. (FT $)

8 We don’t know what’s trapped inside glaciers
New research suggests their contents could be more volatile than previously thought. (Wired $)

9 The search for a new Earth
🌍
There are six contenders in play. (The Atlantic $)
What’s next in space. (MIT Technology Review)

10 We still can’t get enough of Wordle
It attracts more visitors than the New York Times’ infamous crossword puzzle. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“We’re going to stick with it.”

—Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, insists the company is still committed to building the metaverse, Bloomberg reports.

The big story

How we drained California dry

Read More

————

By: Rhiannon Williams
Title: The Download: sleeping in VR, and promising clean energy projects
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/30/1070610/download-sleeping-in-vr-promising-clean-energy-projects/
Published Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:10:00 +0000

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