[ad_1]
That is right this moment’s version of The Download, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a every day dose of what’s occurring on the planet of expertise.
What’s loss of life?
Simply as delivery certificates be aware the time we enter the world, loss of life certificates mark the second we exit it. This observe displays conventional notions about life and loss of life as binaries. We’re right here till, abruptly, like a lightweight switched off, we’re gone.
However whereas this concept of loss of life is pervasive, proof is constructing that it’s an outdated social assemble, not likely grounded in biology. Dying is in actual fact a course of—one with no clear level demarcating the brink throughout which somebody can’t come again.
Scientists and plenty of docs have already embraced this extra nuanced understanding of loss of life. And as society catches up, the implications for the residing might be profound. Read the full story.
—Rachel Nuwer
‘What’s loss of life?’ is a part of our mini-series The Biggest Questions, which explores how expertise helps probe a number of the deepest, most mind-bending mysteries of our existence.
Learn extra:
+ Why is the universe so advanced and delightful? For some purpose the universe is filled with stars, galaxies, and life. Nevertheless it didn’t should be this manner. Read the full story.
+ How did life start? AI helps chemists unpick the mysteries across the origins of life and detect indicators of it on different worlds. Read the full story.
+ Are we alone within the universe? Scientists are coaching machine-learning fashions and designing devices to hunt for all times on different worlds. Read the full story.
+ Is it doable to actually perceive another person’s thoughts? How we predict, really feel and expertise the world is a thriller to everybody however us. However expertise could also be beginning to assist us perceive the minds of others. Read the full story.
Textual content-to-image AI fashions might be tricked into producing disturbing photographs
What’s occurred: Common text-to-image AI fashions might be prompted to disregard their security filters and generate disturbing photographs. A bunch of researchers managed to get each Stability AI’s Steady Diffusion and OpenAI’s DALL-E 2’s text-to-image fashions to ignore their insurance policies and create photographs of bare folks, dismembered our bodies, and different violent and sexual situations.
How they did it: This new jailbreaking technique, referred to as “SneakyPrompt”, makes use of reinforcement studying to create written prompts that appear to be garbled nonsense to us however that AI fashions study to acknowledge as hidden requests for disturbing photographs. It primarily works by turning the way in which text-to-image AI fashions perform towards them.
Why it issues: The analysis highlights the vulnerability of present AI security filters and will function a wake-up name for the AI neighborhood to bolster safety measures throughout the board, consultants say. It additionally demonstrates how troublesome it’s to forestall these fashions from producing such content material, because it’s included within the huge troves of information they’ve been educated on. Read the full story.
—Rhiannon Williams
The ache is actual. The painkillers are digital actuality.
Loads of kids—and adults—hate needles. However digital actuality units like Smileyscope, a tool for teenagers that lately obtained FDA clearance, might assist to make a distinction. It helps reduce the ache of a blood draw or IV insertion by sending the consumer on an underwater journey. Inside this watery deep-sea actuality, the swipe of an alcohol wipe turns into cool waves washing over the arm. The pinch of the needle turns into a delicate fish nibble.
However how Smileyscope works shouldn’t be solely clear. It’s extra advanced than simply distraction, and never all stimuli are equally efficient. However the promise of VR has led corporations to work on units to handle a a lot more durable downside: persistent ache. Read the full story.
—Cassandra Willyard
This story is from The Checkup, our weekly well being and biotech e-newsletter. Sign up to obtain it in your inbox each Thursday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you right this moment’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic put up on X
Leaving its executives racing to suppress the harm. (NYT $)
+ IBM has pulled its advertisements from X after they appeared subsequent to antisemitic posts. (WP $)
+ Musk’s feedback are resonating with the far-right, unsurprisingly. (Motherboard)
2 Osama bin Laden’s letter to America has exploded on social media
Movies of American customers endorsing elements of the 9/11 manifesto have gone viral. (WP $)
+ TikTok says it’s aggressively working to take away the clips. (NYT $)
+ The Guardian newspaper has deleted its model of the letter from its website. (404 Media)
3 SpaceX has pushed again its large rocket launch
A element in want of changing has delayed the launch till Saturday. (Ars Technica)
4 The primary CRISPR medication has been accredited within the UK
The remedy, referred to as Casgevy, edits the cells of individuals with sickle cell illness earlier than infusing them again in. (Wired $)
+ Remarkably, the remedy successfully cures the illness. (New Scientist $)+ Right here’s how CRISPR is altering lives. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Information dealer LexisNexis offered surveillance instruments to US border enforcement
Social media oversight, face recognition and geolocation knowledge, amongst others. (The Intercept)
6 OpenAI has steamrollered the AI business
And startup founders are struggling to keep away from turning into roadkill. (Insider $)
+ Google has delayed releasing its OpenAI-challenging Gemini system. (The Information $)
+ Contained in the thoughts of OpenAI’s chief scientist. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Local weather-proofing our houses is a nightmare
Excessive climate occasions are on the rise—and our houses are weak. (The Verge)
+ The hunt to construct wildfire-resistant houses. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Vietnamese immigrants depend on YouTube for his or her information
Even when it’s not all the time clear if that information is from dependable sources. (The Markup)
9 Reddit is the perfect place for product opinions now
Faux opinions and Search engine optimisation-bait lists aren’t useful. Trustworthy assessments from actual individuals are. (Vox)
10 Meet the inventor of the lickable TV 
Internet-licks and chill? (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“We fly, we break some issues, we study some issues, after which we return and fly once more.”
—William Gerstenmaier, the vice chairman of construct and flight reliability at SpaceX, explains the corporate’s method to inevitable rocket launch setbacks to Bloomberg.
The massive story
Accountable AI has a burnout downside
Margaret Mitchell had been working at Google for 2 years earlier than she realized she wanted a break. Solely after she spoke with a therapist did she perceive the issue: she was burnt out.
Mitchell, who now works as chief ethics scientist on the AI startup Hugging Face, is much from alone in her expertise. Burnout is turning into more and more frequent in accountable AI groups.
All of the practitioners MIT Know-how Assessment interviewed spoke enthusiastically about their work: it’s fueled by ardour, a way of urgency, and the satisfaction of constructing options for actual issues. However that sense of mission might be overwhelming with out the proper assist. Read the full story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre occasions. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ The lovable story of how this couple met will heat your coronary heart. 
+ Why Sex in space is a such a tough enterprise.
+ Let it go—why Frozen’s legacy refuses to die.
+ Why not deal with your self to a White Toreador tequila cocktail this weekend?
+ Uncanny Valley makeup is the stuff of nightmares, fairly frankly.
[ad_2]
