The Download: China’s AI drama factory and the WHO’s missing health targets
The Download: China’s AI drama factory and the WHO’s missing health targets Plus: as their trial goes to the jury, Musk and Altman face lying accusations. 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. How Chinese short dramas became AI content machines China’s short drama industry is fueled by bite-sized, melodramatic, and smutty shows built for smartphone scrolling. Now, many are being made entirely with AI: no actors, camera operators, cinematographers, or CGI specialists required. An average of 470 AI-generated short dramas were released every day in January. Production timelines have shrunk from months to weeks, while costs have dropped by up to 90%. Storytelling is also increasingly driven by performance data. The format is rapidly expanding overseas while reshaping the work of writers and production crews. Read the full story on AI’s dramatic impact on China’s short drama industry. —Caiwei Chen The world is on track to miss its health targets The World Health Organization’s latest global statistics report reads less like a progress update than a warning sign. Progress on some of the world’s biggest health threats is stalling, and in some cases reversing altogether. There were 1.3 million new HIV cases in 2024, malaria is resurging, vaccination rates are slipping in the Americas, and 42.8 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition. The world is now far off track from meeting many of the UN’s major health goals by 2030. Here’s what the numbers reveal about the state of global health. —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. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 As their trial goes to the jury, Musk and Altman face lying accusations Lawyers hammered the rivals’ credibility in their closing arguments. (WSJ $) + Musk was accused of “selective amnesia.” (Reuters $) + The pair are in court over OpenAI’s future. (MIT Technology Review) + And their trial has made everyone look bad. (Wired $) 2 AI data centers are straining America’s power grid Nevada is redirecting electricity from Lake Tahoe to AI. (Ars Technica) + Utah is getting a giant data center despite water shortage fears. (Guardian) + No one wants a data center in their backyard. (MIT Technology Review) 3 OpenAI is mulling legal action against Apple over its ChatGPT integration It hasn’t got the expected benefits from its deal with Apple. (Bloomberg $) + OpenAI is frustrated by the promotion of the ChatGPT integration. (NYT $) 4 Anthropic has agreed terms for a $30 billion funding deal At a $900 billion valuation, which leapfrogs OpenAI’s. (The Information $) + Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia, and Altimeter are leading the round. (FT $) 6 Washington and Beijing will hold formal talks on AI safety They’ll discuss guardrails on AI. (CNBC) + And a…
