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.
Trump’s AI protectionism has come for robotics
—James O’Donnell
Humanoid robots usually elicit more cringe than awe: They stumble, kick children, and despite advances are still worse at using their hands than my toddler. It’s a nascent industry, and such robots are more commonly seen in viral videos than real workplaces or homes.
It was a surprise, then, when last week the Federal Trade Commission issued a sweeping ban on foreign imports of advanced robots, including humanoids, quadrupeds, and wheeled robots.
The decision should be understood not as another chapter in the old China trade playbook, but as evidence that the Trump administration is expanding its protection of the AI industry beyond today’s leading labs. It is now willing to step in on behalf of an emerging robotics sector that is still barely finding its footing. Read our analysis to understand the ban’s potential impact.
This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter all about the latest goings-on in the world of AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 ICE collected nearly one million people’s DNA last year Most of them have never been convicted of any crime. (Wired $)
2 China is poised to win the technologies of the futureIt’s already a high-tech hardware powerhouse, but it increasingly has its sights set on software too. (New Yorker $)+ US tech and political leaders are freaking out, but few seem to agree how to respond. (Vox $) + What’s next for Chinese open-source AI. (MIT Technology Review)3 AI “tokenomics” is a burgeoning new field Businesses are pouring a lot of money into AI. Now they want to see what they’re getting in return. (NYT $)+ Why it’s proving so hard to make AI pay. (BBC)+ The US economy is becoming more and more reliant on the AI boom. (WSJ $)4 Eli Lilly is letting people apply to try an unapproved obesity drugRetatrutide is still in clinical trials, but certain patients can gain early access. (STAT $) + Montana’s plan to become an experimental medical hub just pushed forward. (MIT Technology Review)5 Inside the one US town that wants a data center Jay in Maine is a reminder that politics is all about the local. (The Atlantic $)+ How data centers broke US politics. (Wired $)6 Flock license plate readers can have a shockingly high error rateIn one California town, Flock misread license plates in 71% of the alerts it sent to police. (BI $)+ A leaked guide shows how Flock teaches cops to promote its tech. (404 Media $)7 A drone explosion on a beach in Russia killed seven people It seems to have been caused by Russian forces shooting down a Ukrainian drone. (CNN)+ A US company won a $100 million deal to give Ukrainian drones an AI upgrade. (Ars Technica)+ Europe’s drone-filled vision for the future of war. (MIT Technology Review)
8 How car headlights became so brightLots of modern cars still blind other drivers on the road. That could change soon though, thanks to new tech. (Ars Technica)
9 A $2 million crime novel deal collapsed over AI use concernsAnd the agent and the writer involved have, erm…rather differing accounts of what happened. (Guardian)
10 AI matchmaking services are on the rise Online daters hope it might prove better at finding them love than fruitless swiping. (WSJ $)
Quote of the day
“Just a little too pleasant to be human.”
—North Carolina resident Kristen Charpentier tells Wired how she could tell she was talking to AI when ordering at a Dairy Queen drive-thru.
One More Thing
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How to have a child in the digital age
Before journalist and culture critic Amanda Hess even got pregnant with her first child, in 2020, the internet knew she was trying. She saw pregnancy ads way before a doctor.
Hess’s experience is pretty typical these days, but still raises some big questions. How do we retain control over our bodies when corporations have access to our most personal information? What happens when people stop relying on friends and family for advice on having a kid and instead go online?
Read our interview with Hess to learn what she has to say.
—Alison Arieff
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ Brighten your day with this eight-minute video of the world’s cutest baby animals.+ Intertapes has assembled a remarkable treasure trove of cassette tapes found around the world.+ Armchair basketball GMs can finally put their talents to the test in this game that lets you draft an elite NBA team.+ Here’s a hilarious look at the lost recordings of Robin Williams voicing the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin.”