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The Download: AI objectification, and SBF charged

2 Limitless clean energy could be on the horizon
The US Department of Energy is poised to confirm that a fusion reaction has created a net energy gain for the first time today. (WP $)
+ Scientists have been trying to make the breakthrough happen for almost 100 years. (The Atlantic $)

3 Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council
At a time when it arguably needs it more than ever. (TechCrunch)
+ Twitter is playing around with blue, gold and gray check marks, for some reason. (Vox)
+ The company is auctioning off fancy chairs from its gutted HQ. (Motherboard)
+ Twitter’s potential collapse could wipe out vast records of recent human history. (MIT Technology Review)

4 CRISPR gene editing has slowed Alizheimer’s progression in mice
If applied to humans, the technique may prove even more effective. (New Scientist $)

5 AI is hunting for EV metals 
In theory, it could make mining more efficient and less destructive. (Wired $)
+ Machine learning could vastly speed up the search for new metals. (MIT Technology Review)

6 China is readying a rescue package for its chip sector
To the tune of $143 billion. (Reuters)
+ Beijing has filed a complaint against US semiconductor restrictions. (WSJ $)
+ Europe’s chip industry is still playing catch up. (FT $)
+ Corruption is sending shock waves through China’s chipmaking industry. (MIT Technology Review)

7 India’s gig workers are facing a bleak future
Many people took the jobs as a last resort. Now they’re stuck with them. (Rest of World)

8 What it’s like to pretend to be an AI chatbot 
In other words, a person pretending to be a computer pretending to be a person. (The Guardian)

9 The Pizza Rat video is still making its creator money 🍕🐀
Seven years after it originally went viral. (Insider $)

10 The thumb drive has a surprisingly dramatic origin story
Including patent disputes, account falsification, and a jail sentence. (IEEE Spectrum)

Quote of the day

“FTX operated behind a veneer of legitimacy Mr. Bankman-Fried created…that veneer wasn’t just thin, it was fraudulent.”

—Gurbir Grewal, director of the US enforcement division, lays out the charges against Sam Bankman-Fried, reports ABC News.

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