The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Google won’t be forced to sell Chrome after all
A federal judge has instead ruled it has to share search data with its rivals. (Politico)
+ He also barred Google from making deals to make Chrome the default search engine on people’s phones. (The Register)
+ The company’s critics feel the ruling doesn’t go far enough. (The Verge)
2 OpenAI is adding emotional guardrails to ChatGPT
The new rules are designed to better protect teens and vulnerable people. (Axios)
+ Families of dead teenagers say AI companies aren’t doing enough. (FT $)
+ An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it. (MIT Technology Review)
3 China’s military has showed off its robotic wolves
Alongside underwater torpedoes and hypersonic cruise missiles. (BBC)
+ Xi Jinping has pushed to modernize the world’s largest standing army. (CNN)
+ Phase two of military AI has arrived. (MIT Technology Review)
4 ICE has resumed working with a previously banned spyware vendor
Paragon Solutions’ software was found on the devices of journalists earlier this year. (WP $)
+ The tool can manipulate a phone’s recorder to become a covert listening device. (The Guardian)
5 An identical twin has been convicted of a crime based on DNA analysis
It’s the first time the technology has been successfully used in the US, and solves a 38-year old cold case. (The Guardian)
6 People who understand AI the least are the most likely to use it
Those with a better grasp of how AI works know more about its limitations. (WSJ $)
+ What is AI? (MIT Technology Review)
7 BMW is preparing to unveil a super-smart EV
Its new iX3 sport utility vehicle will have 20 times more computing power. (FT $)
8 Sick and lonely people are turning to AI “doctors”
Physicians are too busy to spend much time with patients. Chatbots are filling the void. (Rest of World)
+ AI companies have stopped warning you that their chatbots aren’t doctors. (MIT Technology Review)