This is the latest edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that delivers your daily insight into the happenings in the tech world.
Inside Chicago’s surveillance system
Chicago is home to tens of thousands of surveillance cameras—estimates suggest up to 45,000.
This rate is among the highest in the US. The city features one of the most extensive license plate reader systems nationwide and can access audio and video surveillance from various organizations, including the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, and public transport systems, alongside numerous residential and commercial security setups like Ring doorbell cameras.
Proponents within law enforcement and security highlight that this extensive monitoring system bolsters public safety and functions effectively.
Conversely, activists and many locals contend that it represents a surveillance panopticon, fostering a chilling effect on individual behavior and infringing on privacy and free speech rights. Read the complete article.
—Rod McCullom
Future job titles: Breast biomechanic
Two decades ago, Joanna Wakefield-Scurr was suffering from ongoing breast pain. After failing to identify the issue, her doctor suggested that a well-fitting supportive bra might provide relief. As a biomechanics professor, Wakefield-Scurr figured she could conduct some research to discover a scientifically supported solution. Twenty years later, she is still on that quest.
Wakefield-Scurr currently heads an 18-member team at the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. With increasing numbers of women participating in high-impact sports, the demand for understanding the characteristics of a quality bra is rising, and she states that her lab is struggling to meet this growing demand. Read the complete article.
—Sara Harrison
These stories are both featured in the forthcoming print edition of MIT Technology Review magazine, which will focus on crime. If you haven’t yet, subscribe now to receive future issues as they are released.
The must-reads
I’ve searched the internet to curate today’s most entertaining/important/alarming/captivating stories related to technology.
1 Inside ICE’s plans for large detention centers throughout the US
The identities of the officials who sanctioned it have been revealed through metadata. (Wired $)
+ A UK tourist with a valid visa was held by ICE for six weeks. (The Guardian)
2 The UAE claims to have faced a surge of AI-driven cyberattacks
Officials indicated the attacks represent a significant change in tactics, though details were sparse. (Bloomberg $)
+ New cybersecurity regulations are impacting smaller defense contractors. (Reuters)+ AI is already facilitating online crimes. Things could escalate. (MIT Technology Review)
3 What do the public really think about AI?
Tech executives are anxious they may not align with their objectives. (NYT $)
+ How social media fosters excessive AI boosterism. (MIT Technology Review)
4 It appears X is indeed shifting its users further to the right
As well as attracting more conservative thinkers initially. (NY Mag $)
+ The platform is currently contesting a significant European fine. (Politico $)
5 Meet the farmers resisting data center developers
They are rejecting offers worth millions for the land they have cultivated for years. (The Guardian)
+ A data center initiative launched at the White House is failing to meet its commitments. (The Information $)
+ Data centers are remarkable. Yet they are universally disliked. (MIT Technology Review)
6 America has a strategy to counter China’s AI
It plans to send Tech Corps volunteers globally to advocate for its national initiatives. (Rest of World)
+ China’s approach to attract new AI clients? Bubble tea. (FT $)
+ The State of AI: Is China poised to win the competition? (MIT Technology Review)
7 Clouds pose a significant climate challenge ☁️
They complicate scientists’ ability to accurately model the weather. (Quanta Magazine)
+ The emerging legal framework for global climate justice. (MIT Technology Review)
8 AI still struggles with interpreting PDFs
However, companies continue to implement it in work processes regardless. (The Verge)
9 A “Fitbit for farts” could assist in assessing your gut health
If you’re okay with wearing a sensor inside your underwear, that is. (WSJ $)
10 Gen Z is enamored with corporate culture 💼
TikTok’s “WorkTok” content is highly effective at glamorizing the daily grind. (FT $)
Quote of the day
“Training a human requires immense energy. It consumes about 20 years of life and all the nourishment consumed during that period before intelligence is developed.”
—Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, draws a comparison between the environmental costs of training the extensive models of AI and the efforts needed to train a human during a gathering in India, as reported by TechCrunch.
One additional note
How a single mine could unlock billions in EV incentives
Located on a pine plantation north of the small town of Tamarack, Minnesota, Talon Metals has discovered one of the densest nickel deposits in America—and now they aim to start extraction.
Should regulators approve the mine, it could pave the way for what the company asserts would be the nation’s first fully domestic nickel supply chain, stretching from the mineral-rich bedrock in Minnesota to the batteries used in electric vehicles nationwide.
MIT Technology Review aimed to clarify the law’s real-world effects by focusing on one specific project to investigate how these substantial subsidies could be accessed at every stage along the supply chain. See what we discovered.
—James Temple
We can still enjoy nice things
A space for comfort, enjoyment, and escapism to elevate your day. (Have any suggestions? Reach out or send them my way.)
+ Alysa Liu’s gold medal-winning performance at the Winter Olympics is truly incredible.
+ Delicious ancient Roman pizza.
+ It’s not every day you stumble upon 2,000-year-old footprints while walking your dog 👣
+ Nature is full of wonders, and this year’s winners of the Sony World Photography Awards certainly showcase that.
