That is immediately’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on this planet of know-how.
Underground thermal vitality networks have gotten essential to the US’s vitality future
The information: 13 US states at the moment are implementing underground thermal vitality networks to cut back buildings’ carbon emissions as a part of a nationwide push to undertake cleaner vitality sources.
The way it works: Thermal vitality networks use pipe loops that join a number of buildings and supply heating and cooling by water-source warmth pumps. Geothermal warmth is usually utilized in these networks, and so they can present environment friendly, fossil fuel-free heating and cooling to industrial and residential buildings.
Trying to the longer term: Whereas the initiatives are nonetheless on the planning and regulatory stage in many of the 13 states, building is already underway in some, with some working in the direction of the goal of being operational by 2025. Learn the complete story.
—June Kim
How generative AI is boosting the unfold of disinformation and propaganda
What’s taking place: Synthetic intelligence has turbocharged state efforts to crack down on web freedoms over the previous 12 months. Governments around the globe, in each democracies and autocracies, are utilizing AI to generate texts, pictures, and video to govern public opinion and censor important on-line content material, a brand new report by Freedom Home has discovered.
The way it works: Generative AI is reducing the barrier of entry for disinformation campaigns, and automatic methods are enabling governments to conduct extra exact and extra refined types of on-line censorship.
The massive image: As AI-generated content material on the web turns into normalized, it’s going to permit political actors to solid doubt about dependable data too. Learn the complete story.
—Tate Ryan-Mosley
E-sports are extra fashionable than conventional sports activities in Asia
For the primary time in historical past, e-sports is an official, medal-earning occasion on the Asian Video games, the continent’s regional model of the Olympics, which opened final week. Over 20 nations competed in seven e-sports video games in entrance of 1000’s of individuals inside the sector, whereas thousands and thousands watched on-line or on TV.
These occasions are attracting extra curiosity than the Asian Video games’ conventional sports activities. Of all of the competitions going down, e-sports is the one one wherein enviornment tickets had been offered on a lottery foundation due to skyrocketing demand.
Of all of the nations competing, China is by far the chief. It’s the biggest e-sports market on this planet, regardless of the Chinese language authorities’s deep ambivalence towards e-sports—it praises them as a supply of nationwide pleasure even because it despises them as a consider web habit. Learn the complete story.
—Zeyi Yang
This story is from China Report, our weekly publication supplying you with the within observe on all issues tech in China. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
ClimateTech begins immediately
MIT Know-how Overview’s second ClimateTech convention kicks off immediately! It’s not too late to register for on-line entry to listen to extra about how among the sector’s sharpest minds are working in the direction of a greener, extra sustainable future.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you immediately’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Amazon used a secret algorithm to lift its costs
Which induced its rivals to lift their costs in response. (WSJ $)
2 The opening arguments in Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial shall be learn immediately
Yesterday’s jury choice sounded chaotic, to say the least. (The Guardian)
+ SBF himself appeared fairly upbeat in the course of the first day of proceedings. (Slate $)
+ Anthony Scaramucci could possibly be referred to as as a witness. (Reuters)
+ The jury is prone to be requested whether or not SBF intentionally got down to deceive. (Wired $)
three Anthropic is in talks to lift much more cash
Scorching on the heels of Amazon’s main funding, Google is stepping as much as the plate. (The Info $)
+ Generative AI dangers concentrating Massive Tech’s energy. Right here’s the best way to cease it. (MIT Know-how Overview)
four A pedestrian was hit by a robotaxi in San Francisco
The incident boosts metropolis officers’ argument that the autos aren’t protected sufficient to function independently. (NBC)
+ Robotaxis are right here. It’s time to determine what to do about them. (MIT Know-how Overview)
5 The daddy of bitcoin appears to again
Satoshi Nakamoto seems to have damaged their 5 12 months silence. (Motherboard)
6 Regulating area is significantly tough
A number of US authorities factions are in control of it, however there’s no umbrella oversight. (Bloomberg $)
7 Spotify is lastly embracing audiobooks
However there’s a restrict to what number of you’ll be able to take heed to with out having to pay additional. (FT $)
eight Celebrities are already fed up of deepfake AI advertisements
The nascent trade makes use of well-known folks’s likenesses with out their permission. (WP $)
+ Individuals are hiring out their faces to grow to be deepfake-style advertising clones. (MIT Know-how Overview)
9 Porn is rife on YouTube
You simply have to know the place to look. (404 Media)
10 You may ignore these emergency check conspiracy theories 
At present’s mobile phone alert within the US is nothing to do with covid, or zombies. (NY Magazine $)
Quote of the day
“I invested in crypto. I did lose rather a lot.”
—A possible juror within the Sam Bankman-Fried fraud trial explains why he can be an unsuitable jury candidate, Insider experiences.
The massive story
Inside China’s surprising quest to guard information privateness
August 2020
Within the West, it’s extensively believed that neither the Chinese language authorities nor Chinese language folks care about privateness. In actuality, this isn’t true.
Over the previous few years the Chinese language authorities has begun to implement privateness protections that in lots of respects resemble these in America and Europe immediately.
On the identical time, nonetheless, it has ramped up state surveillance. This paradox has grow to be a defining characteristic of China’s rising information privateness regime, and raises a critical query: Can a system endure with robust protections for shopper privateness, however virtually none towards authorities snooping? Learn the complete story.
—Karen Hao
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.)
+ Do you want pure wine? Strolling boots? Tooth gems? You would possibly simply be a nu-hipster.
+ College of Rock is 20 years outdated, and simply nearly as good now because it was then.
+ Meet the divers getting up shut and private with migrating salmon in Canada.
+ Up to date writers are ditching speech marks. Will we miss them?
+ In the meantime, within the UK…
