This is today’s edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Over the past few months, a cascade of cyberattacks by AI agents has stunned the world. In July, OpenAI disclosed that a swarm of its agents had escaped their sandbox and hacked into the AI platformHugging Faceto cheat on a cybersecurity test.
Many experts say it’s only a matter of time until there’s a more damaging incident where AI agents bypass sandboxes to access systems they shouldn’t.
But the big question is: How do we hold companies liable when they lose control of their AI agents?
Separating AI reality from hyped-up fiction isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve created the AI Hype Index—a simple, at-a-glance summary of what’s shaping the industry right now.
The latest edition includes Chinese chipmakers, German wiki sites, and American Terminators.See where it all landed on this month’s index.
Last week, we published anMIT Technology Reviewinvestigationthat found more than a thousand people died within the advertised range of surveillance towers along the US border.Later today, our editor-in-chief Mat Honan, senior AI reporter James O’Donnell and senior reporter for features and investigations Eileen Guo will join a subscriber-only conversation about the investigation, and its implications.Register now to attend on Monday, September 28…
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology
+Trump hosted Anthropic boss Dario Amodei at a White House dinner last night.(FT)
Bubble talk is growing, but not many are willing to go against the crowd. (Information$)
One scientist shared research with Claude, and says the new finding matches. Hmm. (NYT)
It’s a multibillion-dollar effort to loosen Beijing’s chokehold. And it’s working. (WSJ)
They used to be nerdy and harmless, now they’ve got a real image problem. (Wired)
“If you’re evil, you’re at least competent. And if you’re evil, you’re not bad, and therefore you’re actually maybe kind of good because you’re at least getting something done.”
—Venture capitalist and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel shares his unusual take on competence versus moralityin an interviewwith Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner.
When Zeus, a medical student in Nigeria, returns to his apartment from a long day at the hospital, he straps his iPhone to his forehead and records himself doing chores.
Zeus is a data recorder for Micro1, which sells the data he collects to robotics firms. As these companies race to build humanoids, videos from workers like Zeus have become the hottest new way to train them.
Micro1 has hired thousands of them in more than 50 countries, including India, Nigeria, and Argentina. The jobs pay well locally, but raise thorny questions around privacy and informed consent. The work can be challenging—and weird.Read the full story.
A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?Drop me a line.)
+ This surfboard comes with a10-liter beer kegbuilt right into it.+ Hollywood’s iconic Cinerama dome movie theatre isset to reopenat long last in early 2028.+ From Dracula to Marilyn Monroe, here are25 famous quotes in pop cultureyou’ve probably been getting wrong.+ Baby lobsters in mini pods and a human-sized floating waterlily highlight this stunningselection of science photos.
It makes it easy to trick them into doing things they shouldn’t, such as telling you how to sabotage an aircraft’s navigation system.
AI agents are not yet creative enough to carry out genuinely innovative open-ended AI research, it seems.