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. Therapists are secretly using ChatGPT. Clients are triggered. Declan would never have found out his therapist was using ChatGPT had it not been for a technical mishap. The connection was patchy during one of their online sessions, so Declan suggested they turn off their video feeds. Instead, his therapist began inadvertently sharing his screen. For the rest of the session, Declan was privy to a real-time stream of ChatGPT analysis rippling across his therapist’s screen, who was taking what Declan was saying, putting it into ChatGPT, and then parroting its answers. But Declan is not alone. In fact, a growing number of people are reporting receiving AI-generated communiqués from their therapists. Clients’ trust and privacy are being abandoned in the process. Read the full story . —Laurie Clarke Apple AirPods: a gateway hearing aid —Ashley Shew When the US Food and Drug Administration approved hearing-aid software for Apple’s AirPods Pro in September 2024, with a device price point around $200, I was excited. I have hearing loss and tinnitus, and my everyday hearing aids cost just over $2,000. Ninety percent of the hearing-aid market is concentrated in the hands of a few companies, and there’s little competitive pricing. So I was thrilled that a major tech company has entered this field with the AirPods Pro 2. Here’s what I made of them . This story is from our new print edition, which is all about the future of security. Subscribe here to catch future copies when they land. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 MAHA is in chaos RFK Jr’s movement is tearing itself apart over what it wants to achieve. ( WSJ $) + Trying to pressure food companies to alter their products is unlikely to work. ( The Atlantic $) + Ultra-processed food makes up a sizable proportion of the American diet. ( Axios ) + RFK Jr’s plan to improve America’s diet is missing the point. ( MIT Technology Review ) 2 DOGE is using AI to target SEC rules to ditch Experts fear its decisions won’t be checked by qualified humans. ( The Information $) + Can AI help DOGE slash government budgets? It’s complex. ( MIT Technology Review ) 3 Salesforce has replaced around 4,000 jobs with AI agents It’s slashed its support staff team nearly in half. ( SF Chronicle $) + Workers are trying to weather the AI-induced storm. ( Vox ) + AI is coming for the job market, security, and prosperity. ( MIT Technology Review ) 4 What’s up with China’s EV industry? Its cutthroat competitive practices are starting to grate on the government. ( NYT $) + The country’s robotmakers are on the rise. ( FT $) + China’s EV giants are betting big on humanoid robots. ( MIT Technology Review ) 5 A “nearly naked” black hole has been spotted The never-before-seen black hole may have been crea
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Original reporting: MIT Technology Review