This is today’s editiondownload,Our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s happening in the world of technology.
AI chatbots can influence voters better than political ads
news: New research shows that chatting with politically biased AI models is more effective than political ads in motivating both Democrats and Republicans to support the opposing party’s presidential candidates.
Hunt:Chatbots changed opinions by citing facts and evidence, but they weren’t always accurate — in fact, the researchers found, the most persuasive models said the most false things. These findings are the latest in an emerging body of research demonstrating the motivational power of LLMs. They raise deeper questions about how generic AI could reshape elections. Read the full story.
-Michelle Kim
The era of AI persuasion is about to begin in elections
-Tal Feldman is a JD candidate at Yale Law School focusing on technology and national security. Anish Pappu is a PhD student and Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University who focuses on agentic AI and technology policy.
Fears that AI-generated realistic fake media could influence elections have gone mainstream – and with good reason.
But that’s only half the story. The deeper danger is not that AI might just imitate people – but that it might actively motivate people. And new research published this week shows just how powerful persuasion can be. AI chatbots can change voters’ opinions to a greater extent than traditional political ads.
In the coming years, we will see the rise of AI that can personalize arguments, test what works, and quietly reshape political views at large. That shift – from imitation to active persuasion – should concern us deeply. Read the full story.
Advertisements that promote genetic discrimination
-Antonio Regalado, senior editor of Biomedicine
One day this fall, I noticed an electronic sign outside the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in Manhattan that was seamlessly switching between an ad for makeup and an ad promoting the website PickYourBaby.com, which promises potential parents a way to use genetic tests to influence their baby’s traits, including eye color, hair color, and IQ.
Inside the station, every surface was plastered with more of its advertisements – children on the turnstiles, on the stairs, on the banners overhead. “Think about it. Makeup and then genetic optimization,” cheers Kian Sadeghi, the 26-year-old founder of Nucleus Genomics, the startup that runs the ad.
The day after the campaign launched, Sadeghi and I chatted briefly online. He was showing a phone app on the X where parents can click on features like eye color and hair color. I said it all sounds like Uber Eats – another valueless, frictionless future invented by entrepreneurs, but this time you’ll click for a child.
That night, I agreed to meet Sadeghi at the station under a banner that read, “IQ is 50% genetic.” Read on to see how Antonio’s conversation with Sadeghi went.
This story first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To get it in your inbox every Thursday, and to be the first to read articles like this, Sign up here,
Must read
I’ve scoured the internet to find you today’s funniest/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The future of the metaverse is looking murkier than ever
OG believer Mark Zuckerberg is planning drastic cuts to the division’s budget. ,bloomberg,
,However some of that money will be spent towards smart glasses and wearables.,NYT,
,Meta managed to poach one of Apple’s top design chiefs,bloomberg,
2 Children are effectively AI’s guinea pigs
And regulators are slowly starting to pay attention to the risks. ,economist,
,You need to talk to your child about AI. Here are 6 things you should say.(MIT Technology Review)
3 How a group of women changed the UK law on non-consensual deepfakes
This is a huge victory, and they managed to achieve it with surprising speed. ,Guardian,
,But banning deepfakes only takes us so far—what more do we need(MIT Technology Review)
,An AI image generator startup has just leaked a massive trove of nude images.,wired,
4 OpenAI is acquiring an AI model training startup
Its researchers have been impressed by the monitoring and de-bugging tools built by Neptune. ,nbc,
,It’s not just you: The pace of AI deal-making is really accelerating.,NYT,
5 Russia has blocked Apple’s FaceTime video calling feature
The Kremlin appears to view any platform under its control as dangerous. ,reuters,
,How did Russia destroy its tech industry?(MIT Technology Review)
6 Problem with AI browser
This reviewer tested five of them and found that they were more work than they were worth. ,The Verge,
,AI means the end of internet search as we know it.(MIT Technology Review)
7 An anti-AI activist has disappeared
Sam Kirchner is left in shock after failing to appear at a scheduled court hearing, and friends are worried. ,atlantic,
8 Taiwanese chip workers are building a community in the Arizona desert
TSMC’s project to build chip factories is rapidly changing this corner of America. ,NYT,
9 This hearing aid has become a status symbol
Rich people with hearing problems swear by a product made by startup Fortel. ,wired,
,Apple AirPods can be a gateway hearing aid.(MIT Technology Review)
10 A plane crashes after its 3D-printed part melts
just because youcan dodo something, it doesn’t meanNeeded,BBC,
today’s thought
“Some people claim that we can enhance current technology and reach general intelligence…I think that’s nonsense, if you’ll pardon my French.”
-AI researcher Yann LeCun explains why he’s leaving Meta to found a world-modeling startup, filtered out Report.
one more thing
What to Expect When You’re Expecting an Extra
Sex chromosome variations, in which people have an excess or lack of an X or a Y, occur in one in 400 births. Yet most people affected don’t even know they have it, because these conditions can fly under the radar.
As more expectant parents opt for non-invasive prenatal testing in the hopes of avoiding serious conditions, many of them are surprised to learn that their fetus has a much less serious — but much less well-known — condition.
And because many sex chromosome variations have historically gone undiagnosed, many midwives are not familiar with these conditions, leaving families to deal with the unexpected news on their own. Read the full story.
-Bonnie Rochman
we can still have good things
A place of relaxation, fun and distractions to brighten your day. (Any ideas? drop me a line Or make them sneak up on me,
+ It’s never too early to start your practice Buche de NoelSkills for the Holidays.
+ Brandi Carlile, you will always be famous,
+ What do bartenders do after they finish their Thanksgiving shift? It’s time to find out,
+ Pitchfork’s Controversial List Best Albums of the Year Here it is!
