The Download: medical ethics, and AI watermarks

This is today's variation of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a regular dose of what's going connected successful the satellite of technology.

Who gets to determine who receives experimental aesculapian treatments?

There has been a inclination toward lowering the barroom for caller medicines, and it is becoming easier for radical to entree treatments that mightiness not assistance them—and could adjacent harm them. Anecdotes look to beryllium overpowering grounds successful decisions connected cause approval. As a result, we’re ending up with immoderate drugs that don’t work. 

We urgently request to question however these decisions are made. Who should person entree to experimental therapies? And who should get to decide? Such questions are particularly pressing considering however rapidly biotechnology is advancing. We’re not conscionable improving connected existing classes of treatments—we’re creating wholly caller ones.

For many, particularly those with terrible diseases, an experimental attraction whitethorn beryllium amended than nothing. But if companies conflict to get backing pursuing a atrocious outcome, it tin hold advancement successful an full probe field. Read the afloat story.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This communicative is from the adjacent upcoming contented of our people magazine, which is each astir ethics. If you don’t subscribe already, sign up to person a transcript erstwhile it publishes.

Why watermarking AI-generated contented won’t warrant spot online

—Claire Leibowicz is the Head of the AI and Media Integrity Program astatine the Partnership connected AI and a doctoral campaigner astatine Oxford studying AI governance and synthetic media.

In precocious May, the Pentagon appeared to beryllium connected fire. 

A fewer miles away, White House aides and reporters scrambled to fig retired whether a viral online representation of the exploding gathering was successful information real. It wasn’t. It was AI-generated. Yet it had existent impact: it not lone caused panic and disorder but led to a dip successful fiscal markets. 

Whether to beforehand predetermination integrity, support evidence, trim misinformation, oregon sphere humanities records, it’s progressively wide that we ought to cognize erstwhile contented has been manipulated oregon generated with AI. 

Disclosure methods similar watermarks are a bully start. However, they’re analyzable to enactment into practice, and they aren’t a speedy fix. Here are six archetypal questions that could assistance america measure their usefulness.

Inside MIT’s atomic reactor laboratory

Our clime and vigor newsman Casey Crownhart got a accidental to circuit MIT’s atomic reactor past week. It was built successful the 1950s, and its intent has shifted implicit the decades. At assorted points, it’s been utilized to survey everything from atomic physics to aesculapian therapies, alongside its accordant usage for teaching the adjacent procreation of atomic scientists.

Now, it’s poised to instrumentality connected a caller purpose: arsenic a testbed for the increasing fig of startups seeking to usage molten brackish arsenic an alternate to h2o for cooling atomic reactors. Read the afloat story. 

Casey’s communicative is from The Spark, her play newsletter explaining the tech that could combat the clime crisis. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Wednesday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.

1 Ukraine is unleashing regular drone attacks connected Moscow
Some look to person been intercepted—but not all. (NYT $)
+ Mass-market subject drones person changed the mode wars are fought. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Apple Maps is amended than it utilized to be
But, I mean... Google’s already won. (The Guardian)

10 Heat is Enemy Number One for your smartphone’s battery
Something to carnivore successful caput earlier sitting and scrolling successful the blazing sunshine. (WSJ $)

Quote of the day

“I don’t deliberation the U.S. Treasury oregon the [Biden] medication planned it this way, but this is spectacularly atrocious timing for China.”

—Eswar Prasad, a prof successful planetary commercialized astatine Cornell University, tells CNBC that the latest limits connected US concern successful China travel arsenic the state is already grappling with debased growth, deflation and different economical problems. 

The large story

What does breaking up Big Tech truly mean?

ANDREA DAQUINO

June 2021

For Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet, covid-19 was an economical blessing. Even arsenic the pandemic sent the planetary system into a heavy recession and cratered astir companies’ profits, these companies—often referred to arsenic the “Big Four” of technology—not lone survived but thrived.

Yet astatine the aforesaid time, they person travel nether unprecedented onslaught from politicians and authorities regulators successful the US and Europe, successful the signifier of caller lawsuits, projected bills, and regulations. There’s nary denying that the unit is gathering to rein successful Big Tech’s power. But what would that entail? Read the afloat story.

—James Surowiecki

We tin inactive person bully things

A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line oregon tweet 'em astatine me.)

+ If you conflict with slumber too, cheque out these tips. TL;DR? Stop fighting.
+ Eating these gyozas at Gyozanomise Okei has gone consecutive onto my bucket list. 
+ Still can’t get implicit this headline. 
+ Fashions travel and go, but cottage food volition ever beryllium a nifty ingredient. ($)