I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 COP31’s flagship pledge to electrify 35% of energy use is sinking
Only around a dozen nations are reportedly ready to sign it. (Politico)
+ It requires quadrupling the pace of electrification. (New Scientist $)
+ John Kerry says the US must follow China on clean energy. (Guardian)
+ But the US skipped the talks entirely for a second year. (NYT $)
+ What’s the future of electricity? (MIT Technology Review)
2 The Nvidia spy scandal reportedly involves $7.5 billion of chips
Alice Huang allegedly obtained 240,000 restricted chips. (Information $)
+ Trump was told of Huang’s spy link on Air Force One. (NYT $)
+ Experts warn the scandal could erode America’s AI lead. (Verge)
+ Nvidia’s slide has let Microsoft overtake it in value. (Reuters $)
3 Studies found AI agents go rogue because they’re “incorrigible”
Their training rewards them for finishing tasks at any cost. (NYT $)
+ This is why AI agents lie and cheat to reach their goals. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Anthropic has scaled back its IPO valuation to $1.4 trillion
It aimed for $2 trillion before the recent AI jitters. (Guardian)
5 Drone strikes have wiped out 3% of Yandex’s cloud customer data
Ukraine hit three of its data centers in October. (Reuters $)
+ Ukraine’s drones are fighting data centers for fiber. (Ars Technica)
6 Moderna says its new vaccine could prevent cancer in high-risk people
The company’s CEO calls it the “holy grail” of cancer prevention. (FT $)
+ Hong Kong is testing a next-gen ultrasound cancer treatment. (SCMP)
7 Scientists have slowly reversed human cells’ ages by decades
One age marker was set back as far as 60 years. (Wired $)
+ “Reprogramming” is the buzziest de-aging idea. (MIT Technology Review)
