We’re in desperate need of ways to differentiate between human- and AI-written text in order to counter potential misuses of the technology, and researchers are developing tools to do exactly that. But the rapid speed of AI development means we’re constantly playing catch up. Read the full story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Twitter users have voted to remove Elon Musk in a poll
Whether Musk actually abides by its results remains to be seen. (FT $)
+ Twitter has banned links to rival social media sites. (The Verge)
+ Journalists’ accounts were banned and reinstated over a chaotic weekend. (NYT $)
+ What Musk wants from the writers he’s entrusted the Twitter Files to. (Slate $)
+ We’re witnessing the brain death of Twitter. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Sam Bankman-Fried should appear in a Bahamian court today
The FTX founder is expected to agree to extradition to the US to face fraud charges. (WP $)
+ Crypto evangelists in Puerto Rico are doubling down. (The Guardian)
+ However, investors in the US are throwing in the towel. (WSJ $)
3 Russian drones are targeting Kyiv’s power grid
It’s Moscow’s third attack on the city in less than a week. (Reuters)
+ Ukrainian developers are using sophisticated software to predict enemy troops’ movements. (The Guardian)
4 Digital mental health services are failing vulnerable users
Some LGBTQ+ users say they were assigned unsympathetic therapists. (WSJ $)
5 A teenage YouTuber is at the center of a child labor lawsuit
It’s highlighting just how loosely regulated social media is. (LA Times $)
6 Climate change-induced drought is sparking a food catastrophe
Millions of people living in the Horn of Africa are among the first to suffer. (Undark Magazine)
7 Silicon Valley is pulling the plug on its elaborate Christmas parties
Many companies feel it’s a bad look, given the sector’s recent lay-offs. (The Information $)
+ Big Tech’s legendary perks are disappearing too. (Insider $)
8 Portugal’s digital nomad dream is dying
Building a remote working village doesn’t necessarily mean said workers will turn up. (Wired $)
+ Our water infrastructure needs to change. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Instagram Notes is a harkback to the golden age of instant messaging
For millennials brought up on AIM, the nostalgia is overwhelming. (WSJ $)
10 How embroidery inspired the first computer program
Ada Lovelace was an algorithm pioneer. (Inverse)
