Motor neuron illnesses took their voices. AI is bringing them again.
Jules Rodriguez misplaced his voice in October of final 12 months. His speech had been deteriorating since a prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2020, however a tracheostomy to assist him breathe dealt the ultimate blow.
Rodriguez and his spouse, Maria Fernandez, who reside in Miami, thought they’d by no means hear his voice once more. Then they re-created it utilizing AI. After feeding outdated recordings of Rodriguez’s voice right into a device skilled on voices from movie, tv, radio, and podcasts, the couple have been capable of generate a voice clone—a manner for Jules to speak in his “outdated voice.”
Rodriguez is considered one of over a thousand individuals with speech difficulties who’ve cloned their voices utilizing free software program from ElevenLabs. The AI voice clones aren’t good. However they signify an unlimited enchancment on earlier communication applied sciences and are already enhancing the lives of individuals with motor neuron illnesses. Learn the complete story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
The AI relationship revolution is already right here
AI is all over the place, and it’s beginning to alter {our relationships} in new and sudden methods—relationships with our spouses, youngsters, colleagues, mates, and even ourselves. Though the know-how stays unpredictable and generally baffling, people from all the world over and from all walks of life are discovering it helpful, supportive, and comforting, too.
Persons are utilizing massive language fashions to hunt validation, mediate marital arguments, and assist navigate interactions with their group. They’re utilizing it for assist in parenting, for self-care, and even to fall in love. Within the coming many years, many extra people will be a part of them. And that is solely the start. What occurs subsequent is as much as us. Learn the complete story.
—Rhiannon Williams
This subscriber-only story is the subsequent version of our print journal, which is all about relationships. Subscribe now to get a replica when it lands on February 26!
What a significant battery fireplace means for the way forward for power storage
Just a few weeks in the past, a hearth broke out on the Moss Touchdown Energy Plant in California, the world’s largest assortment of batteries on the grid. Though the flames have been extinguished in a couple of days, the metaphorical smoke continues to be clearing. Residents have reported well being points, and pollution have been discovered within the water and floor close by. A lawsuit has been filed.
Within the wake of high-profile fires like Moss Touchdown, there are comprehensible considerations about battery security. On the identical time, as extra wind, solar energy, and different variable electrical energy sources come on-line, massive power storage installations shall be much more essential for the grid.
Learn our story to make amends for what occurred on this fireplace, what the lingering considerations are, and what comes subsequent for the power storage business.
—Casey Crownhart
This story is from The Spark, our weekly publication explaining the tech fixing the local weather disaster. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you in the present day’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Inside Elon Musk’s AI coup
Should you assume authorities run by AI sounds dystopian, you’d be proper. (New Yorker $)
+ Can AI assist DOGE slash authorities budgets? It’s complicated. (MIT Know-how Evaluation)
+ Musk says DOGE is being clear. That couldn’t be farther from the reality. (Gizmodo)
2 OpenAI is loosening restrictions on what its bots can say
It’s nudging the steadiness away from security, and in direction of ‘mental freedom’. (The Verge)
+ Musk’s attorneys say he’ll withdraw his $97.4 billion bid for OpenAI if it drops plans to turn out to be a for-profit firm. (Reuters $)
3 Relationship apps depart individuals at the hours of darkness over harmful customers
Match Group appears to do shockingly little in response to reviews of rape. (The Guardian)
4 Apple is reportedly exploring humanoid robots
Nevertheless it’s nonetheless very early days, so I wouldn’t prefer to guess on something coming to fruition simply but. (TechCrunch)
+ Right here’s what’s subsequent for robots. (MIT Know-how Evaluation)
5 Effectivity is the brand new frontier for AI
DeepSeek claims to have constructed a mannequin for $6 million. One other crew says they’ve carried out it for simply $6. (The Economist $)
+ China’s EV firms are racing so as to add DeepSeek’s AI to their vehicles. (Enterprise Insider $)
+ China’s smartphone makers are dashing to undertake it too. (South China Morning Put up $)
6 Apple simply launched an enormous well being examine
It’ll analyze how knowledge from its units can monitor, handle and predict adjustments in customers’ well being. (CNBC)
7 Contained in the radically unambitious return of Pebble smartwatches ⌚
It’s kinda telling that constructing units that may final for years is so uncommon. (Quick Firm $)
8 Syria simply hosted its first worldwide tech convention in 50 years
Hope abounds because the nation begins to rebuild after a 13-year-old civil struggle. (Remainder of World)
9 The man who threw away $775 million in Bitcoin desires to purchase the rubbish dump
He’s by no means going to surrender, is he. (Quartz $)
10 Google goes to get AI to guess how outdated you’re for age verification
I worry it’d take one have a look at my tastes and add on a couple of many years. (The Verge)
Quote of the day
“The AI summaries of questions on Ask are horrible. Can we return to answering the questions individuals really requested?”
—Google staff bemoan the usage of AI to compile their varied questions right into a single one throughout all-staff conferences, The Guardian reviews.
The large story
No matter occurred to DNA computing?
DON BARTLETTI/LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES
October 2021
For greater than 5 many years, engineers have shrunk silicon-primarily based transistors time and again, creating progressively smaller, sooner, and extra energy-efficient computer systems within the course of. However the lengthy technological profitable streak—and the miniaturization that has enabled it —can’t final without end.
What may this successor know-how be? There was no scarcity of different computing approaches proposed during the last 50 years. Listed here are 5 of the extra memorable ones. Examine 5 of probably the most memorable ones.
—Lakshmi Chandrasekaran
