That is at the moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the earth of know-how.
How ubiquitous keyboard software program places a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of Chinese language customers in danger
For thousands and thousands of Chinese language individuals, the primary software program they obtain onto gadgets is all the time the identical: a keyboard app. But few of them are conscious that it might make all the things they sort susceptible to spying eyes.
QWERTY keyboards are inefficient as many Chinese language characters share the identical latinized spelling. Because of this, many swap to sensible, localized keyboard apps to save lots of time and frustration. Immediately, over 800 million Chinese language individuals use third-party keyboard apps on their PCs, laptops, and cellphones.
However a latest report by the Citizen Lab, a College of Toronto–affiliated analysis group, revealed that Sogou, probably the most in style Chinese language keyboard apps, had a large safety loophole. Learn the total story.
—Zeyi Yang
Why we should always all be rooting for boring AI
Earlier this month, the US Division of Protection introduced it’s establishing a Generative AI Job Power, geared toward “analyzing and integrating” AI instruments akin to giant language fashions throughout the division. It hopes they may enhance intelligence and operational planning.
However these may not be the appropriate use circumstances, writes our senior AI reporter Melissa Heikkila. Generative AI instruments, akin to language fashions, are glitchy and unpredictable, they usually make issues up. In addition they have huge safety vulnerabilities, privateness issues, and deeply ingrained biases.
Making use of these applied sciences in high-stakes settings may result in lethal accidents the place it’s unclear who or what needs to be held accountable, and even why the issue occurred. The DoD’s finest wager is to use generative AI to extra mundane issues like Excel, e-mail, or phrase processing. Learn the total story.
This story is from The Algorithm, Melissa’s weekly publication supplying you with the within observe on all issues AI. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Monday.
The ice cores that can allow us to look 1.5 million years into the previous
To raised perceive the function atmospheric carbon dioxide performs in Earth’s local weather cycles, scientists have lengthy turned to ice cores drilled in Antarctica, the place snow layers accumulate and compact over a whole bunch of 1000’s of years, trapping samples of historic air in a lattice of bubbles that function tiny time capsules.
By analyzing these cores, scientists can join greenhouse-gas concentrations with temperatures going again 800,000 years. Now, a brand new European-led initiative hopes to finally retrieve the oldest core but, relationship again 1.5 million years. However that spectacular feat remains to be solely step one. As soon as they’ve performed that, they’ll have to determine how they’re going to extract the air from the ice. Learn the total story.
—Christian Elliott
This story is from the newest version of our print journal, set to go reside tomorrow. Subscribe at the moment for as little as $8/month to make sure you obtain full entry to the brand new Ethics concern and in-depth tales on experimental medication, AI assisted warfare, microfinance, and extra.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at the moment’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 How AI acquired dragged into the tradition wars
Fears about ‘woke’ AI basically misunderstand the way it works. But they’re gaining traction. (The Guardian)
+ Why it’s unimaginable to construct an unbiased AI language mannequin. (MIT Know-how Evaluate)
2 Researchers are racing to grasp a brand new coronavirus variant
It’s unlikely to be trigger for concern, but it surely exhibits this virus nonetheless has loads of methods up its sleeve. (Nature)
+ Covid hasn’t fully gone away—right here’s the place we stand. (MIT Know-how Evaluate)
+ Why we will’t afford to cease monitoring it. (Ars Technica)
3 How Hilary turned such a monster storm
A lot of it’s right down to unusually scorching sea floor temperatures. (Wired $)
+ The period of simultaneous local weather disasters is right here to remain. (Axios)
+ Individuals are donning cooling vests to allow them to work by the warmth. (Wired $)
4 Mind privateness is about to turn out to be necessary 
Scientists are getting higher at decoding our mind information. It’s absolutely solely a matter of time earlier than others desire a peek. (The Atlantic $)
+ How your mind information might be used in opposition to you. (MIT Know-how Evaluate)
5 How Nvidia constructed such a giant aggressive benefit in AI chips
Immediately it accounts for 70% of all AI chip gross sales—and an excellent higher share for coaching generative fashions. (NYT $)
+ The chips it’s promoting to China are much less efficient because of US export controls. (Ars Technica)
+ These easy design guidelines may flip the chip trade on its head. (MIT Know-how Evaluate)
6 Contained in the advanced world of dissociative id dysfunction on TikTok
Lowering stigma is nice, however docs concern individuals are self-diagnosing and even imitating the dysfunction. (The Verge)
7 What TikTok might need to surrender to maintain working within the US
This exhibits simply how hole the authorities’ purported data-collection considerations actually are. (Forbes)
8 Troopers in Ukraine are taking part in World of Tanks on their telephones
It’s eerily much like the battle they’re themselves combating, however they are saying it helps them to dissociate from the horror. (NYT $)
9 Conspiracy theorists are sharing mad concepts on what causes wildfires
Nevertheless it’s all only a convoluted strategy to attempt to keep away from having to sort out local weather change. (Slate $)
10 Christie’s unintentionally leaked the situation of tons of worthwhile artwork 
Seemingly because of the metadata that usually mechanically attaches to smartphone photographs. (WP $)
Quote of the day
“Is it going to take individuals dying for one thing to maneuver ahead?”
—An nameless air site visitors controller warns that staffing shortages of their trade, plus different components, are beginning to threaten passenger security, the New York Instances studies.
The massive story
Inside efficient altruism, the place the far future counts much more than the current
October 2022
Since its start within the late 2000s, efficient altruism has aimed to reply the query “How can these with means have essentially the most impression on the world in a quantifiable method?”—and equipped strategies for calculating the reply.
It’s no shock that efficient altruisms’ concepts have lengthy confronted criticism for reflecting white Western saviorism, alongside an avoidance of structural issues in favor of summary math. And as believers pour even higher quantities of cash into the motion’s more and more sci-fi beliefs, such expenses are solely intensifying. Learn the total story.
—Rebecca Ackermann
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre occasions. (Received any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ Watch Andrew Scott’s electrifying studying of the 1965 graduation deal with ‘Select Considered one of 5’ by Edith Sampson.
+ Right here’s how Metallica makes positive its reside performances ROCK. ($)
+ Can’t take care of this totally ludicrous picket car.
+ Find out about a bizarre new instrument known as a harpejji.
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