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The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Both parties are turning against AI data centers ahead of the midterms
The backlash is spilling onto the campaign trail. (NYT $)
+ Republicans have sharply turned against them. (WP $)
+ Texas’ governor says data centers “dug their own grave.” (Axios)
+ Here’s why data center opposition crosses party lines. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Chinese humanoids have smashed Usain Bolt’s 100-metre world record
One ran it in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games. (Verge)
+ Another, also built by X-Humanoid, beat a high jump record. (ESPN)
+ But intricate real-world tasks pose greater challenges. (Reuters $)
+ Gig workers are training humanoids at home. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Uber has been fined nearly $1 billion over automated suspensions
Dutch regulators say drivers were deactivated without human review. (Quartz)
+ It’s the second-largest fine issued yet under the EU’s GDPR. (Reuters $)
4 New Zealand plans to ban under-16s from social media
It’s joined a throng of countries trying to restrict access. (Bloomberg $)
+ But opposition parties could torpedo the bill. (Reuters $)
5 TikTok will pay $400 million to settle a US child privacy case
It was sued for allegedly violating children’s online privacy. (BBC)
+ The US DOJ said TikTok illegally collected kids’ information. (Reuters $)
6 China’s largest-ever car recall covers nearly 3 million Teslas
They’re being recalled over door safety concerns. (Quartz)
+ The action covers roughly 4.3 million vehicles in total. (NYT $)
7 Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine think AI is good for music
They compared fear of AI to resistance to earlier technologies. (NYT $)
+ AI let a musician with MLS sing again. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Taiwan has indicted nine people over alleged illegal AI exports to China
They include employees of Nvidia and Super Micro (Reuters $)
9 NASA’s new telescope could discover 200,000 new planets
Roman could also reveal new details about dark matter. (Wired $)
+ And detect killer asteroids. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Plastic bottles can be turned into edible, vanilla-flavour cookies
Thanks to genetically-engineered yeast. (New Scientist $)
Quote of the day
“Credit where credit is due: the tech sector has managed to unite a deeply divided country at a time of maximal partisanship.”
—Max Steele, Senior Director of Communications at Everytown, reacts on X to a new poll showing that support for data centers in the US has plummeted.
One More Thing
How next-generation nuclear reactors break out of the 20th-century blueprint
As worries about climate change and energy independence drown out concerns about meltdowns and radioactive waste, demand for nuclear power has surged. The problem is, building nuclear power plants is expensive and slow.
