How China’s tech industry is turning to mask diplomacy

Doctors are now social media influencers. They aren't all ready for it.

Sponsored by Insight The Download Your daily dose of what’s up in emerging technology 04.27.20 Good morning! Today: how China's tech sector is turning to mask diplomacy, and the problems that can arise when doctors become social media influencers. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. How China’s tech industry is turning to mask diplomacy As the coronavirus spread from China across the world earlier this year, two friends in Sydney watched in horror. Milton Zhou and  Saul Khan met in a Facebook group for startups and had experience buying solar panels and other products from China. They expected the medical supply chain to work, at least in the early stage of the outbreak. Instead, they watched as healthcare workers ran out of respirators and other critical supplies.  “We realized, OK, something is really wrong here,” says Khan. “People aren’t able to source things quickly.” Then it occurred to them that maybe they could help. As demand for masks, respirators, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) has skyrocketed around the world, medical supplies have become a new geopolitical flashpoint. Officials have accused each other of hijacking shipments by buying them off the tarmac or by seizing them en route. When a US buyer allegedly diverted a batch of Chinese-made respirators bound for the Berlin police, for example, a German official denounced the act as “modern piracy.”  But there is a bright spot. Amid the chaos, tech industry veterans have arranged shipments of high-quality goods, using both their political clout and their access to private jets. The result is good public relations, at a moment when the tech industry desperately needs it. Read the full story. —Konstantin Kakaes Doctors are now social media influencers. They aren’t all ready for it. What’s happening: A new generation of doctors and medical professionals have built online followings on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Their medical credentials give their thoughts on the virus added weight. At their best, this wave of doctor-influencers can combat misinformation by making responsible medicine sound almost as exciting as the scores of medical conspiracy theories and snake oil promises that spread rapidly online.  Risky business: But there’s an additional risk that they become part of the problem they’re trying to fight. Take Jeffrey VanWingen, a doctor who made a video to help people keep the coronavirus from coming into their homes along with their groceries, despite knowing the risk was likely very low. The video was misleading in parts and caused widespread panic, but once it was out, he was not allowed to edit it on YouTube. There are also challenges around branding, big pharma and money, which can be riddled with ethical issues. Read the full story.  —Abby Ohlheiser We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Tune in for some live comedy, every day at 10am ET / 3pm BST, starting today.   + Enjoy this ridiculous interactive murder mystery.   + A family are entertaining themselves by turning the sidewalk in front of their home into The Ministry of Silly Walks.   + I hope your weekend was as relaxing as this puppy’s.   + Bird-watching is the perfect lockdown activity. Sponsor Message Top 10 strategic tech trends to keep in mind while you pivot While companies race to adopt solutions that support a zero-touch society, the undercurrent of emerging tech continues to swell as trends like multiexperience, distributed cloud, democratization and others gain greater relevance against the backdrop of today’s consumer and employee needs. Gartner’s Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020 digs deep to help organizations understand and identify opportunities for business IT — even in the midst of disruption. Access the report to learn more. The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Covid-19 has blown apart the myth of Silicon Valley innovation Shiny software is no substitute for rethinking healthcare, education, and food production. (TR) 2 We still don’t know how covid-19 kills people It seems to attack nearly every organ in the body. (New York Magazine)   + The coronavirus death toll could be 60% higher than official statistics suggest. (FT) 3 Australia’s contact tracing app got over one million downloads in just hours It’s voluntary, but will need over 40% of the population to use it to be effective. (BBC)   + Germany has backed Google and Apple’s approach to contact tracing. (Reuters)   + Both firms promise they will shut down their system after the pandemic. (The Verge) 4 Why people are giving themselves quarantine makeovers 💇‍♂️ We can’t control much about the world right now, but we can control the way we look. (Wired $)   + Are "virtual” haircuts here to stay? (The Atlantic)   + Sales of professional lighting kits are up as people film themselves at home during lockdown. (The Guardian)   + Instagram Live has replaced the gym. (Gizmodo) 5 Israel is using AI to flag high-risk coronavirus patients This approach, which relies on access to lots of patient data, probably won’t work as well in the US. (TR)   + AI might help with the next pandemic (but we might not like what that means). (TR) 6 Why Seattle’s outbreak has been so much less severe than New York’s Scientists took the lead, and communicated clearly and directly with the public. (New Yorker $) 7 Infrared cameras could become ubiquitous  The fact they aren’t accurate isn’t stopping companies like Amazon from adopting them. (OneZero $) 8 Demand for delivery robots is exploding 🤖📈 But is the technology good enough yet to meet it? (WSJ $)   + As workers spread out to halt the virus, robots could fill the gaps. (Wired $) 9 Facebook is launching a rival to Zoom Messenger Rooms will let 50 people join a video call. (The Verge)   + Mark Zuckerberg on how he sees video chat evolving for the pandemic. (The Verge)   + “Silent Zooms” are now a thing. (The Guardian) 10 Four teams in Taiwan are keeping baseball going ⚾ Unfortunately fans in the US need to get up before dawn if they want to watch games live. (Quartz) Take a stand “The tragedy and inconvenience we’ve seen from this pandemic pale in comparison to what’s in store from climate change.” —Peter de Menocal, director of the Center for Climate and Life, tells the New York Times he hopes the legacy of the coronavirus outbreak will be that people listen to scientists more.  How will you adapt your strategy and your workforce when unprovoked changes upend your business and your market? Join our upcoming virtual conference, EmTech Next, hosted in partnership with Harvard Business Review, for actionable advice as you chart your path forward in these uncertain times. Top image credit: MS TECH | VISUALS/UNSPLASH Please send silly walks to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Technologies driving business Virtual conference, June 8–10 *View this in a browser You received this newsletter because you  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog subscribed *Edit email preferences   |   *Unsubscribe from all emails Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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