That is as we speak’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a each day dose of what’s occurring on the planet of know-how.
What’s demise?
Simply as beginning certificates word the time we enter the world, demise certificates mark the second we exit it. This follow displays conventional notions about life and demise as binaries. We’re right here till, all of the sudden, like a light-weight switched off, we’re gone.
However whereas this concept of demise is pervasive, proof is constructing that it’s an outdated social assemble, probably not grounded in biology. Dying is actually a course of—one with no clear level demarcating the brink throughout which somebody can not come again.
Scientists and plenty of docs have already embraced this extra nuanced understanding of demise. And as society catches up, the implications for the residing might be profound. Learn the total story.
—Rachel Nuwer
‘What’s demise?’ is a part of our mini-series The Largest Questions, which explores how know-how helps probe a number of the deepest, most mind-bending mysteries of our existence.
Learn extra:
+ Why is the universe so advanced and exquisite? For some motive the universe is filled with stars, galaxies, and life. But it surely didn’t need to be this fashion. Learn the total story.
+ How did life start? AI helps chemists unpick the mysteries across the origins of life and detect indicators of it on different worlds. Learn the total story.
+ Are we alone within the universe? Scientists are coaching machine-learning fashions and designing devices to hunt for all times on different worlds. Learn the total story.
+ Is it attainable to actually perceive another person’s thoughts? How we expect, really feel and expertise the world is a thriller to everybody however us. However know-how could also be beginning to assist us perceive the minds of others. Learn the total story.
Textual content-to-image AI fashions will be tricked into producing disturbing photos
What’s occurred: Widespread text-to-image AI fashions will be prompted to disregard their security filters and generate disturbing photos. A gaggle of researchers managed to get each Stability AI’s Secure Diffusion and OpenAI’s DALL-E 2’s text-to-image fashions to ignore their insurance policies and create photos of bare folks, dismembered our bodies, and different violent and sexual situations.
How they did it: This new jailbreaking methodology, referred to as “SneakyPrompt”, makes use of reinforcement studying to create written prompts that seem like garbled nonsense to us however that AI fashions be taught to acknowledge as hidden requests for disturbing photos. It primarily works by turning the best way text-to-image AI fashions perform towards them.
Why it issues: The analysis highlights the vulnerability of current AI security filters and may function a wake-up name for the AI group to bolster safety measures throughout the board, specialists say. It additionally demonstrates how troublesome it’s to forestall these fashions from producing such content material, because it’s included within the huge troves of information they’ve been educated on. Learn the total story.
—Rhiannon Williams
The ache is actual. The painkillers are digital actuality.
Loads of kids—and adults—hate needles. However digital actuality units like Smileyscope, a tool for youths that lately obtained FDA clearance, might assist to make a distinction. It helps reduce the ache of a blood draw or IV insertion by sending the person on an underwater journey. Inside this watery deep-sea actuality, the swipe of an alcohol wipe turns into cool waves washing over the arm. The pinch of the needle turns into a delicate fish nibble.
However how Smileyscope works isn’t totally clear. It’s extra advanced than simply distraction, and never all stimuli are equally efficient. However the promise of VR has led firms to work on units to handle a a lot more durable downside: power ache. Learn the total story.
—Cassandra Willyard
This story is from The Checkup, our weekly well being and biotech e-newsletter. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Thursday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you as we speak’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic put up on X
Leaving its executives racing to suppress the injury. (NYT $)
+ IBM has pulled its advertisements from X after they appeared subsequent to antisemitic posts. (WP $)
+ Musk’s feedback are resonating with the far-right, unsurprisingly. (Motherboard)
2 Osama bin Laden’s letter to America has exploded on social media
Movies of American customers endorsing components of the 9/11 manifesto have gone viral. (WP $)
+ TikTok says it’s aggressively working to take away the clips. (NYT $)
+ The Guardian newspaper has deleted its model of the letter from its web site. (404 Media)
three SpaceX has pushed again its large rocket launch
A part in want of changing has delayed the launch till Saturday. (Ars Technica)
four The primary CRISPR medication has been accepted within the UK
The remedy, referred to as Casgevy, edits the cells of individuals with sickle cell illness earlier than infusing them again in. (Wired $)
+ Remarkably, the remedy successfully cures the illness. (New Scientist $)+ Right here’s how CRISPR is altering lives. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
5 Knowledge dealer LexisNexis offered surveillance instruments to US border enforcement
Social media oversight, face recognition and geolocation knowledge, amongst others. (The Intercept)
6 OpenAI has steamrollered the AI trade
And startup founders are struggling to keep away from turning into roadkill. (Insider $)
+ Google has delayed releasing its OpenAI-challenging Gemini system. (The Info $)
+ Contained in the thoughts of OpenAI’s chief scientist. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
7 Local weather-proofing our houses is a nightmare
Excessive climate occasions are on the rise—and our houses are susceptible. (The Verge)
+ The hunt to construct wildfire-resistant houses. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
eight Vietnamese immigrants depend on YouTube for his or her information
Even when it’s not all the time clear if that information is from dependable sources. (The Markup)
9 Reddit is the very best place for product critiques now
Pretend critiques and Search engine optimization-bait lists aren’t useful. Sincere assessments from actual persons are. (Vox)
10 Meet the inventor of the lickable TV 
Internet-licks and chill? (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“We fly, we break some issues, we be taught some issues, after which we return and fly once more.”
—William Gerstenmaier, the vp of construct and flight reliability at SpaceX, explains the corporate’s strategy to inevitable rocket launch setbacks to Bloomberg.
The massive story
Accountable AI has a burnout downside
October 2022
Margaret Mitchell had been working at Google for 2 years earlier than she realized she wanted a break. Solely after she spoke with a therapist did she perceive the issue: she was burnt out.
Mitchell, who now works as chief ethics scientist on the AI startup Hugging Face, is way from alone in her expertise. Burnout is turning into more and more frequent in accountable AI groups.
All of the practitioners MIT Expertise Evaluation interviewed spoke enthusiastically about their work: it’s fueled by ardour, a way of urgency, and the satisfaction of constructing options for actual issues. However that sense of mission will be overwhelming with out the precise assist. Learn the total story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre instances. (Obtained any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ The lovely story of how this couple met will heat your coronary heart. 
+ Why Intercourse in area is a such a tough enterprise.
+ Let it go—why Frozen’s legacy refuses to die.
+ Why not deal with your self to a White Toreador tequila cocktail this weekend?
+ Uncanny Valley make-up is the stuff of nightmares, fairly frankly.
