Plus: SpaceX has acquired xAI
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Microbes could extract the metal needed for cleantech
In a pine forest on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the only active nickel mine in the US is nearing the end of its life. At a time when carmakers want the metal for electric-vehicle batteries, nickel concentration at Eagle Mine is falling and could soon drop too low to warrant digging.
Demand for nickel, copper, and rare earth elements is rapidly increasing amid the explosive growth of metal-intensive data centers, electric cars, and renewable energy projects. But producing these metals is becoming harder and more expensive because miners have already exploited the best resources. Here’s how biotechnology could help.
—Matt Blois
What we’ve been getting wrong about AI’s truth crisis
—James O’DonnellWhat would it take to convince you that the era of truth decay we were long warned about—where AI content dupes us, shapes our beliefs even when we catch the lie, and erodes societal trust in the process—is now here?
A story I published last week pushed me over the edge. And it also made me realize that the tools we were sold as a cure for this crisis are failing miserably. Read the full story.
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.
TR10: Hyperscale AI data centers
In sprawling stretches of farmland and industrial parks, supersized buildings packed with racks of computers are springing up to fuel the AI race.
These engineering marvels are a new species of infrastructure: supercomputers designed to train and run large language models at mind-bending scale, complete with their own specialized chips, cooling systems, and even energy supplies. But all that impressive computing power comes at a cost.
Read why we’ve named hyperscale AI data centers as of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies this year, and check out the rest of the list.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Elon Musk’s SpaceX has acquired xAI
The deal values the combined companies at a cool $1.25 trillion. (WSJ $)
+ It also paves the way for SpaceX to offer an IPO later this year. (WP $)
+ Meanwhile, OpenAI has accused xAI of destroying legal evidence. (Bloomberg $)
2 NASA has delayed the launch of Artemis II
It’s been pushed back to March due to the discovery of a hydrogen leak. (Ars Technica)
+ The rocket’s predecessor was also plagued by fuel leaks. (Scientific American)
3 Russia is hiring a guerilla youth army online
They’re committing arson and spying on targets across Europe. (New Yorker $)
4 Grok is still generating undressed images of men
Weeks after the backlash over it doing the same to women. (The Verge)
+ How Grok descended into becoming a porn generator. (WP $)
+ Inside the marketplace powering bespoke AI deepfakes of real women. (MIT Technology Review)
5 OpenAI is searching for alternatives to Nvidia’s chips
It’s reported to be unhappy about the speed at which it powers ChatGPT. (Reuters)
6 The latest attempt to study a notoriously unstable glacier has failed
Scientists lost their equipment within Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier over the weekend. (NYT $)
+ Inside a new quest to save the “doomsday glacier” (MIT Technology Review)
7 The world is trying to wean itself off American technology
Governments are growing increasingly uneasy about their reliance on the US. (Rest of World)
8 AI’s sloppy writing is driving demand for real human writers
Long may it continue. (Insider $)
9 This female-dominated fitness community hates Mark Zuckerberg
His decision to shut down three VR studios means their days of playing their favorite workout game are numbered. (The Verge)
+ Welcome to the AI gym staffed by virtual trainers. (MIT Technology Review)
10 This cemetery has an eco-friendly solution for its overcrowding problem
If you’re okay with your loved one becoming gardening soil, that is. (WSJ $)
+ Why America is embracing the right to die now. (Economist $)
+ What happens when you donate your body to science. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale…I mean, space is called ‘space’ for a reason.”
—Elon Musk explains his rationale for combining SpaceX with xAI in a blog post.
One more thing
On the ground in Ukraine’s largest Starlink repair shopStarlink is absolutely critical to Ukraine’s ability to continue in the fight against Russia. It’s how troops in battle zones stay connected with faraway HQs; it’s how many of the drones essential to Ukraine’s survival hit their targets; it’s even how soldiers stay in touch with spouses and children back home.
However, Donald Trump’s fickle foreign policy and reports suggesting Elon Musk might remove Ukraine’s access to the services have cast the technology’s future in the country into doubt.
For now Starlink access largely comes down to the unofficial community of users and engineers, including the expert “Dr. Starlink”—famous for his creative ways of customizing the systems—who have kept Ukraine in the fight, both on and off the front line. He gave MIT Technology Review exclusive access to his unofficial Starlink repair workshop in the city of Lviv. Read the full story.
—Charlie Metcalfe
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ The Norwegian countryside sure looks beautiful.
+ Quick—it’s time to visit these food destinations before the TikTok hordes descend.
+ Rest in power Catherine O’Hara, our favorite comedy queen.
+ Take some time out of your busy day to read a potted history of boats 🚣