This is today’s edition of The Download., A weekly newsletter that tells you what’s happening in tech every day..
How can a “certificate of identity” help you prove you are human online?
As AI models become more capable of mimicking human behavior, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between real Internet users and sophisticated systems that imitate them.
This becomes a real problem when these systems are used for illicit purposes, such as spreading misinformation or committing fraud, making it much harder to trust the information you find online.
A group of researchers has developed a potential solution: a verification concept called ‘personality credentials’ that proves that the owner is a real person, but does not reveal any additional information about their identity. Read the full story to learn how it works.
—Rhiannon Williams
The race to replace the potent greenhouse gases that power our power grid
The power grid is powered by a single gas that is used to insulate various high-voltage equipment. The problem is that it is also a very potent greenhouse gas. A climate change nightmare.
Sulfur hexafluoride (or SF6) is far from the most common gas warming the planet, contributing only about 1% of the warming so far. Carbon dioxide and methane are much better known and more abundant, but their emissions are steadily increasing each year.
Now companies are eliminating equipment that relies on gas and looking for replacements that match its performance. Read the full article.
—Casey Crownhart
Innovator of the Year 2024 Revealed
Each year, MIT Technology Review honors 35 innovators under the age of 35. These young entrepreneurs, researchers, and humanitarians are inventing materials and building systems that help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems in biotechnology, computing, and climate science.
On Monday, September 9, LinkedIn will be live announcing the 2024 Innovators of the Year. Join us at 12:30 p.m. ET to find out who they are, and learn about their work and the impact they’re making in this special broadcast before the list is announced. Register here to be the first to know!
Must-read books
I’ve scoured the internet to find the most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology today.
1 X is much quieter without Brazilian users.
The hyper-online nation has been home to many of X’s most popular fan accounts. (NYT $)
+ Brazil’s Supreme Court has been criticized by some for banning access to the platform. (pound $)+ Investors who helped Elon Musk buy X are losing big. (WP $)
2 China’s Online Surveillance Net Expands
Influencer followers are increasingly being targeted by police for questioning (Guardian)
+ 2023 was the year online anonymity disappeared in China. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Intel has a plan to rebuild the company.
The once-powerful chipmaker plans to shed as many redundant assets as possible. (Reuters)
+ Sales are declining and rival Nvidia is thriving. (Bloomberg $)
4. We need a lot more grid storage.
With EVs yet to fully take off, battery makers are instead keeping an eye on the grid. (Economist $)
+ A new iron battery may help. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Dating Apps Are Developing AI Assistants to Help You Flirt
New bots from Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Grindr suggest slick chat lines. (FT$)
6 US Sanctions Force China and Russia to Build New Payment Systems
To help evade the US dollar-dominated global financial order. (Insider $)
+ Is the digital dollar gone? (MIT Technology Review)
7 These scientists want to store biological samples on the moon.
Seeds, plants, animals and microbe samples could be safer than the Earth. (Wired $)
+ Strange noises coming from Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. (Ars Technica)
+ Future space food could be made from astronauts’ breath. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Video calling from prison is really expensive.
But U.S. regulators are finally setting a cap on how much private companies can charge. (WSJ $)
9 Hobby Apps Are Exploding in Popularity
Social media fatigue is real, and Strava and Letterboxd are reaping the benefits. (Bloomberg $)
+ Want to see what your friends are up to? Check out Venmo. (Atlantic $)
+ How to fix the internet. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Why AI is such a compelling movie villain
From 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Terminator and The Matrix. (WP$)
Quote of the day
“Please turn off the recording.”
—Google employees told others to turn off chat history when discussing sensitive topics, and the U.S. federal government claims the employees knew this so they wouldn’t leave a legal paper trail, 404 Media reported.
Big story
Competition in the production of rare earth materials
January 2024
Ditching fossil fuels and adopting low-carbon technologies is the best option to combat the accelerating threat of climate change. And access to rare earth elements, key components of these technologies, will partly determine which countries achieve their emissions reduction targets.
Some countries, including the United States, are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of their supply of these elements. As a result, both scientists and companies are exploring secondary or non-traditional sources to increase access and improve sustainability. Read the full article.
—Mureji Patunde
We can still have good things
A place for comfort, fun, and entertainment to brighten your day. (Any ideas? Send me a line or Send me a tweet.)
+ Now that fall is officially here, it’s time to update your fall reading list ($)
+ I love the photo of the neuroscientist and her baby in the MRI machine.
+ My favorite Olympic sport? Snail racing! You can read more about how snails power tiny cars here (thanks, Claire!)
+ Marginal gains actually work.
