The Download: AI malaise and babymaking tech

The Download: AI malaise and babymaking tech Plus: ICE plans to develop its own smart glasses. 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. We’ve entered the era of AI malaise AI is spreading everywhere, and it is not going away. But what will it do? What effect will it have on our society? Will it make life better, or worse? How will we know? What’s the plan? This technology may very well take our jobs—or just crash the economy instead. Our apps are all getting injections of AI, like it or not. And it is increasingly impossible to tell whether we are relying too much on AI or not using it enough. We’re all sitting uncomfortably with AI right now. Read our essay on the strange, uncertain mood of the moment. The era of AI malaise is an essay written by our editor-in-chief Mat Honan. It accompanies MIT Technology Review’s 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, our list of the big ideas, trends, and advances in the field that are driving progress today—and will shape what’s possible tomorrow. Here’s how technology transformed babymaking Technology is changing the way we make babies. Clinicians have improved hormonal treatments. Embryologists have devised ways to culture embryos in the lab for longer. IVF clinics today offer multiple genetic tests for embryos. The technology has also had a huge social impact, allowing for changes in the structure of families and providing more reproductive choices for would-be parents. Now, AI and robots are set to usher in another new era for IVF. Here’s how technology is reshaping babymaking. —Jessica Hamzelou This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. How robots learn: a brief, contemporary history For decades, researchers have been inspired by science fiction robots that can move through the world, adapt to different environments, and interact with people. But bringing these devices into the messiness of the real world has proved incredibly difficult. Now, advances in AI are changing that. Instead of relying on rigid rules, robots are learning through trial and error, simulations, and huge amounts of real-world data. The progress represents a revolution in how machines interact with their surroundings. It also means that Silicon Valley roboticists are dreaming big again. Here’s how we got here. —James O'Donnell This story is from the latest issue of our print magazine, which is all about nature. Subscribe now to read it in full. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 ICE plans to develop its own smart glasses The “ICE Glasses” would identify people in real time. (404 Media) + ICE already uses an app with facial recognition to track citizens. (NYT $) + A new lawsuit wants to stop ICE using DNA to track critics. (Ars…