How AI is reinventing what computers are

The good news about waning immunity

The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Rethinking machines 10.22.21 Good morning! Today we share a piece from our upcoming print issue about how AI is changing computers. In fact, the whole issue will be about computing. Subscribe to get a copy when it drops next week, if you don't already! And don't forget to get your friends and colleagues to sign up here to get The Download every day. I hope you have a lovely weekend. How AI is reinventing what computers are   Every year, right on cue, Apple, Samsung, Google, and others drop their latest releases. These fixtures in the consumer tech calendar no longer inspire the surprise and wonder of those heady early days. But behind all the marketing glitz, there’s something remarkable going on. Google’s latest offering, the Pixel 6, is the first phone to have a separate chip dedicated to AI that sits alongside its standard processor. And the chip that runs the iPhone has for the last couple of years contained what Apple calls a “neural engine,” also dedicated to AI. Both chips are better suited to the types of computations involved in training and running machine-learning models on our devices, such as the AI that powers your camera. Almost without our noticing, AI has become part of our day-to-day lives. And it’s changing how we think about computing. What does that mean? Well, computers haven’t changed much in 40 or 50 years. They’re smaller and faster, but they’re still boxes with processors that run instructions from humans. AI changes that on at least three fronts: how computers are made, how they’re programmed, and how they’re used.  Ultimately, it will change what they are for. Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven   This story comes from an upcoming issue of MIT Technology Review, set to go live next week on Wednesday October 27. It's all about computing, how it's changed as a field—and what's coming next. We'll be previewing all the best stories from the magazine in The Download, so stay tuned! Even better, get a head start and subscribe to get access to the full magazine when it lands. 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.)   + A Twitter thread of Nicholas Cage as various philosophers.   + One for the Succession fans: what if it was all about M&Ms instead?   + An amazing bit of cinematography from the 1962 movie "Soy Cuba."   + These award-winning panoramic photos are quite something.    + The 50 best BBQ joints in Texas.   + New evidence suggests Vikings settled in North America exactly 1,000 years ago.   + The Queen declined an "Oldie of the Year" award with impeccable politeness.   + To prepare for the spring, take a walk around your garden now. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The good news about waning immunity Antibodies are supposed to peter out—and the ones that remain still do a great job of protecting you. (The Atlantic $)   + Latvia has gone into a month-long lockdown amid a surge in covid infections. (The Guardian)   + How New York over-engineered its vaccine passport. (Recode)   + The UK's strategy of "learning to live with the virus" faces its stiffest test yet. (NYT $)   + The CDC's advisory panel unanimously recommended boosters. (Ars Technica)  2 Paranoia is growing inside Big Tech companies Executives are starting to suspect whistleblowers and leakers everywhere. (NPR)   + New York Amazon workers are pushing to unionize. (The Guardian)  3 These countries may become the villains of COP26 If there's ever been a time for people to transcend relatively petty national squabbles, it's now. (Wired UK)   + Climate change poses a growing threat to US national security. (NYT $)  4 Hackers have already defaced Trump's new social network Hilariously, his social network bans the excessive use of capital letters.  (WP $)   + The website may violate the terms of the software it's based on. (TPM)   + Trump is creating a company which could give him access to nearly $300 million. (NYT $)    + And it has already become a meme stonk. (CNBC)  5 Companies are turning to deepfakes for adverts It's much cheaper than hiring actors and equipment, but it raises a whole host of ethical issues. (Rest of World)   6 The metaverse is bad 👎 It's an escape hatch for Zuckerberg, yet also a demonstration of his hunger for even more power. (The Atlantic $)   + Facebook is withholding information on how it moderates VIPs from its own oversight board. (CNBC)   + A group that spreads false covid claims on Facebook doubled its average number of interactions this year. (The Guardian)   + How many users does Facebook have? It doesn't really know. (WSJ $)  7 Tinder believes love is borderless, even in the West Bank ❤️ Tech companies like to think they're above messy political realities. Experience increasingly suggests otherwise. (Wired $)   8 A ransomware gang has been masquerading as a real company to hire people If Bastion Secure slides into your DMs with a job offer, you can't say you weren't warned. (WSJ $)   9 Teens are tired of having to navigate social media algorithms Boys get cars. Girls get to feel inadequate. (WP $)   + Twitter's own research shows it's a megaphone for the right. (Protocol)   10 It's official: memes really are helping to get us through the pandemic Laughter truly can be the best medicine. (NPR) Deepen your understanding of technology. MIT Technology Review brings you thought provoking perspectives and insightful analysis on technology to help deepen your understanding of the world. Subscribe now and start becoming a better-informed technology citizen today. Quote of the day “Whether or not anyone is buying into lobster or Fort Detrick being the source of Covid, it’s at least having the effect of muddying the truth and confusing people.” —Bret Schafer, the head of the information manipulation team at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, tells NBC about China's latest attempt to blame the US for covid. Top image credit: ANDREA DAQUINO Please send Logan's M&Ms 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 today Build your strategic defense again cybercriminals Join us virtually | November 16-17, 2021 Register now Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally    Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142