Stability AI’s head of research David Ha and COO Ren Ito left the company in June 2023; VP of product Christian Cantrell left the company in March 2023 (Rachel Metz/Bloomberg)

Rachel Metz / Bloomberg: Stability AI’s head of research David Ha and COO Ren Ito left the company in June 2023; VP of product Christian Cantrell left the company in March 2023  —  Stability AI, the closely watched artificial intelligence startup, has lost at least two top executives in recent weeks, including its head of […]

Decentralized social media app Damus says Apple rejected an app update and asked it to either remove its tipping feature or use Apple’s in-app purchase system (Aisha Malik/TechCrunch)

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch: Decentralized social media app Damus says Apple rejected an app update and asked it to either remove its tipping feature or use Apple’s in-app purchase system  —  Damus, a decentralized social networking app backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, will be removed from the App Store due to Apple’s strict payment […]

Analysis: in May and June 2023, 141 major brands ran ads, mostly via Google Ads, across 55 low-quality sites with AI-generated articles, some posting ~1,200/day (NewsGuard)

NewsGuard: Analysis: in May and June 2023, 141 major brands ran ads, mostly via Google Ads, across 55 low-quality sites with AI-generated articles, some posting ~1,200/day  —  NewsGuard identified 141 brands that are feeding programmatic ad dollars to low-quality AI-generated news and information sites operating with little to no human oversight

Sensing the world around us

“Sensing is all around you,” said MIT.nano Associate Director Brian W. Anthony at Ambient Sensing, a half-day symposium presented in May by the MIT.nano Immersion Lab. Featuring MIT faculty and researchers from multiple disciplines, the event highlighted sensing technologies deployed everywhere from beneath the Earth’s surface to high into the exosphere. Brent Minchew, assistant professor […]

A novel combination therapy counters antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus infections

Researchers from the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) interdisciplinary research group at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) and National University Hospital, have discovered a novel therapy by combining two antibiotics, rifaximin and clarithromycin, to treat Mycobacterium abscessus, a non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) […]

A profile of Korean chip engineer Choi Jin-seok, who embarked on a quixotic mission to lead China’s industry after his career stalled and faces IP theft charges (Financial Times)

Financial Times: A profile of Korean chip engineer Choi Jin-seok, who embarked on a quixotic mission to lead China’s industry after his career stalled and faces IP theft charges  —  In 2006, a Korean engineer called Choi Jin-seok achieved a feat that earned him the nickname “master of semiconductor yield”.

Amazon plans to build a local delivery network in 23 states by tapping thousands of small US businesses, such as bodegas and florists, to deliver packages (Hope King/Axios)

Hope King / Axios: Amazon plans to build a local delivery network in 23 states by tapping thousands of small US businesses, such as bodegas and florists, to deliver packages  —  Amazon plans to tap thousands of U.S. small businesses, from bodegas to florists, to deliver its packages by the end of the year, Axios […]

IBM plans to acquire cloud IT management startup Apptio for $4.6B in cash from Vista Equity Partners, which paid $1.94B to take Apptio private in 2018 (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: IBM plans to acquire cloud IT management startup Apptio for $4.6B in cash from Vista Equity Partners, which paid $1.94B to take Apptio private in 2018  —  As cloud architecture continues to more ubiquitous among organizations, increasingly what is more apparent is that many organizations …

While there are effective laws in some states, including Virginia and California, outlawing the sharing of nonconsensual deepfake porn, a national law is needed (Nina Jankowicz/The Atlantic)

Nina Jankowicz / The Atlantic: While there are effective laws in some states, including Virginia and California, outlawing the sharing of nonconsensual deepfake porn, a national law is needed  —  Because I was in the public eye, somebody synthesized explicit videos of me.  —  Recently, a Google Alert informed me that I am the subject […]

An interview with Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz, who became Asana’s majority owner after a post-listing share buying spree, on AI’s risks as a philanthropy focus (Jordan Novet/CNBC)

Jordan Novet / CNBC: An interview with Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz, who became Asana’s majority owner after a post-listing share buying spree, on AI’s risks as a philanthropy focus  —  – Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz, who made billions from co-founding Facebook, has long been concerned about the risks of runaway artificial intelligence.

As the use of AI-generated ads in political campaigns increases, lawmakers, political consultants, and election researchers push for creating new guardrails (New York Times)

New York Times: As the use of AI-generated ads in political campaigns increases, lawmakers, political consultants, and election researchers push for creating new guardrails  —  Gaps in campaign rules allow politicians to spread images and messaging generated by increasingly powerful artificial intelligence technology.

A look at the underwhelming state of augmentative and alternative communication tech, including a handful of iPad apps, for speech and language impaired users (Julie Kim/MIT Technology Review)

Julie Kim / MIT Technology Review: A look at the underwhelming state of augmentative and alternative communication tech, including a handful of iPad apps, for speech and language impaired users  —  For people who can’t speak, there has been depressingly little innovation in technology that helps them communicate.

A study of several EU countries finds the 2010s deep learning boom created job opportunities but says “these results may not be extrapolated into the future” (Will Knight/Wired)

Will Knight / Wired: A study of several EU countries finds the 2010s deep learning boom created job opportunities but says “these results may not be extrapolated into the future”  —  ChatGPT is stoking fears of mass layoffs, but a study of several EU countries found the deep-learning boom of the 2010s actually created job […]

FTC v. Microsoft: Phil Spencer says Xbox isn’t a “robust business”, failing to meet internal targets, and the Activision deal is a way to expand into mobile (Tom Warren/The Verge)

Tom Warren / The Verge: FTC v. Microsoft: Phil Spencer says Xbox isn’t a “robust business”, failing to meet internal targets, and the Activision deal is a way to expand into mobile  —  FTC v. Microsoft day two was all about console wars and whether Xbox is really in a distant third place.

A survey of ~305 experts on their expectations for digital advances by 2035, like AI systems and smart eyewear and earbuds, and concerns over the darker sides (Pew Research Center)

Pew Research Center: A survey of ~305 experts on their expectations for digital advances by 2035, like AI systems and smart eyewear and earbuds, and concerns over the darker sides  —  They have deep concerns about people’s and society’s overall well-being.  But they also expect great benefits in health care, scientific advances and education

The EFJ and media experts condemn the latest European Media Freedom Act draft that would let national security agencies place spyware on journalists’ phones (Lisa O’Carroll/The Guardian)

Lisa O’Carroll / The Guardian: The EFJ and media experts condemn the latest European Media Freedom Act draft that would let national security agencies place spyware on journalists’ phones  —  Move to allow spyware to be placed on reporters’ phones would have a ‘chilling effect’, say media experts

The Twitter-to-Mastodon migration that started in November 2022 failed because of Mastodon’s exclusionary culture, decentralization making the UX worse, more (Bloonface/Café Lob-On)

Bloonface / Café Lob-On: The Twitter-to-Mastodon migration that started in November 2022 failed because of Mastodon’s exclusionary culture, decentralization making the UX worse, more  —  I’ve been using fediverse stuff (Mastodon and, most recently, Calckey – I’m just going to use “Mastodon” as shorthand here …

Research: 81% of tech companies with under 5K employees allow remote work or have only remote options, while just 26% with 25K+ employees are fully flexible (Rani Molla/Vox)

Rani Molla / Vox: Research: 81% of tech companies with under 5K employees allow remote work or have only remote options, while just 26% with 25K+ employees are fully flexible  —  How small tech companies are using remote work to compete with the big guys.  —  It used to be that Big Tech companies like […]

How military-grade AI, developed by US defense contractors for intelligence, has been repurposed to combat labor organizing, find internal leakers, and more (Wired)

Wired: How military-grade AI, developed by US defense contractors for intelligence, has been repurposed to combat labor organizing, find internal leakers, and more  —  Spycraft developed by defense contractors are now being sold to employers to identify labor organizing.  Regulators must step up to protect workers’ privacy.

NetBlocks: at least five Russian telcos block Google News and several other ISPs are reducing access, as Russia’s feud with a mercenary leader intensifies (Nico Grant/New York Times)

Nico Grant / New York Times: NetBlocks: at least five Russian telcos block Google News and several other ISPs are reducing access, as Russia’s feud with a mercenary leader intensifies  —  At least five telecommunications companies have blocked the service, which aggregates news from various sources, according to an analysis from NetBlocks, an internet observatory.

Social media startup IRL is shutting down after an investigation by its board concluded that 95% of its claimed 20M MAUs were “automated or from bots” (Mark Matousek/The Information)

Mark Matousek / The Information: Social media startup IRL is shutting down after an investigation by its board concluded that 95% of its claimed 20M MAUs were “automated or from bots”  —  Last year, the CEO of messaging app IRL repeatedly said it had 20 million monthly active users, who chatted about shared interests and […]

A US federal court sentences UK citizen Joseph James O’Connor to five years in prison for his role in the July 2020 Twitter hack affecting high-profile accounts (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)

Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch: A US federal court sentences UK citizen Joseph James O’Connor to five years in prison for his role in the July 2020 Twitter hack affecting high-profile accounts  —  Prosecutors called for the British hacker to serve at least seven years  —  Three years after one of the most visible hacks …

Google adds a Perspectives tab to search results, with information that people have posted on YouTube, Reddit, and more, after announcing the feature in May (Jay Peters/The Verge)

Jay Peters / The Verge: Google adds a Perspectives tab to search results, with information that people have posted on YouTube, Reddit, and more, after announcing the feature in May  —  Google’s new search feature that shows you different perspectives (ideally, human ones) in search results will be available on Friday, the company said on […]

Panel addresses technologies needed for a net-zero future

Five speakers at a recent public panel discussion hosted by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and introduced by Deputy Director for Science and Technology Robert Stoner tackled one of the thorniest, yet most critical, questions facing the world today: How can we achieve the ambitious goals set by governments around the globe, including the United […]