That is right now’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on this planet of know-how.
How ubiquitous keyboard software program places lots of of hundreds of thousands of Chinese language customers in danger
For hundreds of thousands of Chinese language folks, the primary software program they obtain onto units is at all times the identical: a keyboard app. But few of them are conscious that it could make every part they sort weak to spying eyes.
QWERTY keyboards are inefficient as many Chinese language characters share the identical latinized spelling. Because of this, many swap to good, localized keyboard apps to avoid wasting time and frustration. Right now, over 800 million Chinese language folks use third-party keyboard apps on their PCs, laptops, and cell phones.
However a latest report by the Citizen Lab, a College of Toronto–affiliated analysis group, revealed that Sogou, one of the common Chinese language keyboard apps, had an enormous safety loophole. Learn the total story.
—Zeyi Yang
Why we must always all be rooting for boring AI
Earlier this month, the US Division of Protection introduced it’s organising a Generative AI Process Power, aimed toward “analyzing and integrating” AI instruments similar to massive language fashions throughout the division. It hopes they might enhance intelligence and operational planning.
However these may not be the precise use circumstances, writes our senior AI reporter Melissa Heikkila. Generative AI instruments, similar to language fashions, are glitchy and unpredictable, they usually make issues up. Additionally they have large safety vulnerabilities, privateness issues, and deeply ingrained biases.
Making use of these applied sciences in high-stakes settings might result in lethal accidents the place it’s unclear who or what needs to be held accountable, and even why the issue occurred. The DoD’s finest guess is to use generative AI to extra mundane issues like Excel, e-mail, or phrase processing. Learn the total story.
This story is from The Algorithm, Melissa’s weekly e-newsletter providing you with the within observe on all issues AI. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Monday.
The ice cores that can allow us to look 1.5 million years into the previous
To raised perceive the function atmospheric carbon dioxide performs in Earth’s local weather cycles, scientists have lengthy turned to ice cores drilled in Antarctica, the place snow layers accumulate and compact over lots of of hundreds of years, trapping samples of historic air in a lattice of bubbles that function tiny time capsules.
By analyzing these cores, scientists can join greenhouse-gas concentrations with temperatures going again 800,000 years. Now, a brand new European-led initiative hopes to finally retrieve the oldest core but, courting again 1.5 million years. However that spectacular feat continues to be solely step one. As soon as they’ve finished that, they’ll have to determine how they’re going to extract the air from the ice. Learn the total story.
—Christian Elliott
This story is from the newest version of our print journal, set to go dwell tomorrow. Subscribe right now for as little as $8/month to make sure you obtain full entry to the brand new Ethics situation and in-depth tales on experimental medicine, AI assisted warfare, microfinance, and extra.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you right now’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 How AI acquired dragged into the tradition wars
Fears about ‘woke’ AI essentially misunderstand the way it works. But they’re gaining traction. (The Guardian)
+ Why it’s unattainable to construct an unbiased AI language mannequin. (MIT Expertise Overview)
2 Researchers are racing to know a brand new coronavirus variant
It’s unlikely to be trigger for concern, but it surely exhibits this virus nonetheless has loads of methods up its sleeve. (Nature)
+ Covid hasn’t fully gone away—right here’s the place we stand. (MIT Expertise Overview)
+ Why we are able to’t afford to cease monitoring it. (Ars Technica)
3 How Hilary grew to become such a monster storm
A lot of it’s all the way down to unusually scorching sea floor temperatures. (Wired $)
+ The period of simultaneous local weather disasters is right here to remain. (Axios)
+ Individuals are donning cooling vests to allow them to work by means of the warmth. (Wired $)
4 Mind privateness is about to grow to be vital 
Scientists are getting higher at decoding our mind knowledge. It’s absolutely solely a matter of time earlier than others need a peek. (The Atlantic $)
+ How your mind knowledge could possibly be used towards you. (MIT Expertise Overview)
5 How Nvidia constructed such a giant aggressive benefit in AI chips
Right now it accounts for 70% of all AI chip gross sales—and an excellent better share for coaching generative fashions. (NYT $)
+ The chips it’s promoting to China are much less efficient attributable to US export controls. (Ars Technica)
+ These easy design guidelines might flip the chip business on its head. (MIT Expertise Overview)
6 Contained in the advanced world of dissociative id dysfunction on TikTok
Decreasing stigma is nice, however docs worry persons are self-diagnosing and even imitating the dysfunction. (The Verge)
7 What TikTok may need to surrender to maintain working within the US
This exhibits simply how hole the authorities’ purported data-collection issues actually are. (Forbes)
8 Troopers in Ukraine are taking part in World of Tanks on their telephones
It’s eerily much like the struggle they’re themselves preventing, however they are saying it helps them to dissociate from the horror. (NYT $)
9 Conspiracy theorists are sharing mad concepts on what causes wildfires
However it’s all only a convoluted solution to attempt to keep away from having to sort out local weather change. (Slate $)
10 Christie’s unintentionally leaked the situation of tons of helpful artwork 
Seemingly because of the metadata that always routinely attaches to smartphone photographs. (WP $)
Quote of the day
“Is it going to take folks dying for one thing to maneuver ahead?”
—An nameless air visitors controller warns that staffing shortages of their business, plus different elements, are beginning to threaten passenger security, the New York Occasions experiences.
The large story
Inside efficient altruism, the place the far future counts much more than the current
October 2022
Since its start within the late 2000s, efficient altruism has aimed to reply the query “How can these with means have essentially the most affect on the world in a quantifiable means?”—and equipped strategies for calculating the reply.
It’s no shock that efficient altruisms’ concepts have lengthy confronted criticism for reflecting white Western saviorism, alongside an avoidance of structural issues in favor of summary math. And as believers pour even better quantities of cash into the motion’s more and more sci-fi beliefs, such prices are solely intensifying. Learn the total story.
—Rebecca Ackermann
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre instances. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ Watch Andrew Scott’s electrifying studying of the 1965 graduation handle ‘Select One in all 5’ by Edith Sampson.
+ Right here’s how Metallica makes certain its dwell performances ROCK. ($)
+ Can’t take care of this completely ludicrous picket automobile.
+ Study a strange new instrument referred to as a harpejji.