Curated from MIT Technology Review — Here’s what matters right now:
This is today’s edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Solar geoengineering startups are getting serious Solar geoengineering aims to manipulate the climate by bouncing sunlight back into space. In theory, it could ease global warming. But as interest in the idea grows, so do concerns about potential consequences. A startup called Stardust Solutions recently raised a $60 million funding round, the largest known to date for a geoengineering startup. My colleague James Temple has a new story out about the company, and how its emergence is making some researchers nervous. So far, the field has been limited to debates, proposed academic research, and—sure—a few fringe actors to keep an eye on. Now things are getting more serious. So what does it mean for geoengineering, and for the climate? Read the full story . —Casey Crownhart This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here . If you’re interested in reading more about solar geoengineering, check out: + Why the for-profit race into solar geoengineering is bad for science and public trust. Read the full story . + Why we need more research—including outdoor experiments— to make better-informed decisions about such climate interventions . + The hard lessons of Harvard’s failed geoengineering experiment, which was officially terminated last year. Read the full story . + How this London nonprofit became one of the biggest backers of geoengineering research. + The technology could alter the entire planet. These groups want every nation to have a say . The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 OpenAI is being sued for wrongful death By the estate of a woman killed by her son after he engaged in delusion-filled conversations with ChatGPT. ( WSJ $) + The chatbot appeared to validate Stein-Erik Soelberg’s conspiratorial ideas. ( WP $) + It’s the latest in a string of wrongful death legal actions filed against chatbot makers. ( ABC News ) 2 ICE is tracking pregnant immigrants through specifically-developed smartwatches They’re unable to take the devices off, even during labor. ( The Guardian ) + Pregnant and postpartum women say they’ve been detained in solitary confinement. ( Slate $) + Another effort to track ICE raids has been taken offline. ( MIT Technology Review ) 3 Meta’s new AI hires aren’t making friends with the rest of the company Tensions are rife between the AGI team and other divisions. ( NYT $) + Mark Zuckerberg is keen to make money off the company’s AI ambitions. ( Bloomberg $) + Meanwhile, what’s life like for the remaining Scale AI team? ( Insider $) 4 Google DeepMind is building its first materials science lab in the UK It’ll focus on developing new materials to build superconductors and solar cells. ( FT $) 5 The new
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Original reporting: MIT Technology Review