This is today’s version of The Download., A weekly newsletter that tells you every day what’s happening in the world of technology.
These AI Minecraft characters have done some strange human things on their own.
Left to their own devices, the army of AI characters didn’t just survive, they thrived. They developed in-game classes, shared memes, voted for tax reform, and even spread religion.
The experiments were conducted on Minecraft, an open-world gaming platform where up to 1000 software agents at a time interact with each other using large-scale language models. With just a few nudges through text prompts, they developed remarkable personality traits, preferences, and expert roles without any additional input from their human creators.
This work by AI startup Altera is part of a broader field that seeks to use simulated agents to model how groups of humans will react to new economic policies or other interventions. And its creators see this as an early step towards a large-scale ‘AI civilization’ that can coexist and collaborate with us in the digital space. Read the full story.
—Nile Firth
To learn more about the intersection of AI and gaming, check out:
+ How generative AI can reinvent what it means to play. Script-free, AI-based NPCs can make games and other worlds deeply immersive. Read the full story.
+ How will AI impact video game development? It could make working conditions more tolerable, or it could put people out of work. Read the full story.
+ Here’s what happened when the staff at MIT Technology Review turned our colleague Niall into an AI-based non-player character, and why he hated his digital incarnation so much.
MIT Technology Review Explained: The Big Commercial Takeover of Low Earth Orbit
Did you know that NASA plans to destroy the International Space Station around 2030? Once it’s gone, private companies will swoop in with replacements of their own. Get ready to dominate low Earth orbit commercially.
This is our latest story. MIT Technology Review Commentary Podcasts published weekly Spotify and Apple Podcasts. just explore MIT Technology Review Commentary Follow us on any platform to get all new content as it’s released.
A must read book
I scoured the Internet to find the most interesting/important/scary and fascinating stories about technology today.
1 OpenAI has discontinued access to its Sora video tool.
After a group of artists protested and leaked access. (Tech Crunch)
+ OpenAI responded that it had no obligation to use its tools. (WP$)
+ 4 ways to protect your art from AI (MIT Technology Review)
2 A researcher created a database of one million public Bluesky posts.
Although Bluesky itself does not use AI trained on user content. (404 Media)
+ A new public database lists all the ways AI can go wrong. (MIT Technology Review)
3 China launches recruitment offensive in Silicon Valley
Chinese companies are ready to triple salaries to attract engineers. (WSJ$)
4 What happens when autonomous weapons make life-or-death decisions?
The concept of an algorithm deciding who lives or dies is creepy. (Undark Magazine)
+ Inside the messy ethics at war with the machines. (MIT Technology Review)
5 How Elon Musk is working to make xAI a true OpenAI competitor
There’s quite a bit of competition. (WSJ$)
+ The company is likely to double its current valuation to $50 billion. (FT$)
+ How OpenAI stress-tests large-scale language models (MIT Technology Review)
6 These treatments could bring patients back from the brink of death
So when should it be deployed and who should secure it? (New Scientist $)
+ Inside a billion-dollar gathering of mega-rich people who want to live forever. (MIT Technology Review)
7 How did this giant laser achieve the fusion milestone?
The team behind it already has new goals, too. (nature)
+ When the race for fusion has stopped. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Two influencers are engaged in a legal battle
But can ubiquitous aesthetics really be legally protected? (The Verge)
9 Most viral posts on LinkedIn are written by AI.
That explains a lot. (wired $)
10 This lollipop device lets you ‘taste’ 9 virtual flavors. 
Willy Wonka eats my heart out. (Ars Technica)
quote of the day
“We are not free bug testers, PR dummies, training data, or verification tokens.”
—A group of artists criticized OpenAI for the way it treats creators in an open letter accompanied by a leaked version of its Sora-generated AI video tool, Variety reports.
big story
Why we can no longer ignore climate adaptation practices
August 2022
In the 1990s, anyone who argued that we should adapt to climate change while reducing greenhouse gas emissions was viewed with suspicion. Most climate change researchers felt that adaptation research would distract from the important work of preventing air pollution in the first place.
Despite this hostile environment, a small group of experts was already sowing the seeds of a new field of research called “climate change adaptation,” research and policy on how the world can prepare for and adapt to new disasters and risks arising from warming. . planet. Today their research is more important than ever. Read the full story.
– Madeline Ostrander
We can still have good things
A space for comfort, enjoyment, and concentration that will brighten your day. (Any ideas? call me or tweet me.)
+ Japanese leaf art is a truly impressive feat. (Thanks Stephen!)
+ Can you let our Los Angeles readers know if this cyberpunk exhibition at the Academy Museum is as amazing as it looks?
+ The best music books of the year make great Christmas gift inspiration.
+ If you don’t like the way Sam Altman takes notes, here’s how to take notes the right way.
