That is right this moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the earth of expertise.
AI may assist individuals discover widespread floor throughout deliberations
Reaching a consensus in a democracy is troublesome as a result of individuals maintain such completely different ideological, political, and social views.
Maybe an AI instrument may assist. Researchers from Google DeepMind skilled a system of huge language fashions to function as a “caucus mediator,” producing summaries that define a bunch’s areas of settlement on complicated however vital social or political points.
The researchers say their work highlights the potential of AI to assist teams of individuals discover widespread floor when discussing contentious topics. However it’s not going to switch human mediators anytime quickly. Learn the complete story.
—Rhiannon Williams
Oropouche virus is spreading. Right here’s what we all know.
There have been loads of studies of probably regarding viruses this final 12 months. Covid continues to be inflicting hundreds of deaths, and hen flu seems set to make the bounce to human-to-human transmission. Now there are new issues over Oropouche, a virus largely unfold by bites from bugs known as midges.
There have been outbreaks of the Oropouche virus in Latin America for many years. However this one is completely different. The virus is being detected in all-new environments. It’s turning up in nations which have by no means seen it earlier than. Right here’s all the things we find out about its unfold up to now.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This story is from The Checkup, our weekly publication supplying you with the within observe on all issues biotech and well being. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Thursday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you right this moment’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Microsoft and OpenAI’s relationship is changing into strained
OpenAI desires more cash and computing energy. However Microsoft is nervous about changing into too reliant on the startup. (NYT $)
+ It’s trying like Microsoft will nonetheless personal a big stake within the agency. (WSJ $)
2 European regulators are contemplating fining X
It feels the platform is failing to curb unlawful content material and disinformation. (FT $)
+ Former EU official Thierry Breton nonetheless has beef with Elon Musk. (WSJ $)
+ In the meantime, X desires its authorized disputes to be dealt with in Texas. (The Guardian)
3 The FBI has arrested a person in reference to bitcoin boosting
He allegedly hacked a authorities company’s X account to advertise bitcoin. (WP $)
+ The tweet despatched the value of bitcoin spiking by greater than $1,000. (CNBC)
4 The price of saving nature? $700 million.
Mere pocket change for billionaires, then. (Vox)
+ Meet the economist who desires the sphere to account for nature. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
5 US congressional candidates debated an AI model of a congressman
It lacked all of the attribute back-and-forth that makes human debates compelling. (Reuters)
6 SpaceX may quickly overtake Tesla in worth
Elon Musk’s satellites are an actual cash spinner. (Economist $)
+ What’s subsequent for SpaceX’s Falcon 9. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
7 What’s your canine actually attempting to inform you?
AI is taking us nearer to understanding. (The Atlantic $)
+ How machine studying helps us probe the key names of animals. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
8 A startup as soon as valued at $22 billion is now price nothing
Edtech group Byju has had a tough few years, to say the least. (TechCrunch)
9 Don’t make enjoyable of Tesla’s robots
An Nvidia robotics exec says we should always give the corporate credit score the place credit score’s due. (Insider $)
10 Publishers are getting actually into LinkedIn 
As Fb retreats from information, the skilled community is embracing it. (The Info $)
Quote of the day
“We want extra orbs, heaps extra orbs.”
—Wealthy Heley, chief designer of Worldcoin, particulars the corporate’s plans to roll out much more eye-scanning orbs to seize individuals’s biometric information, CoinDesk studies.
The large story
How a tiny Pacific Island grew to become the worldwide capital of cybercrime
November 2023
Tokelau, a string of three remoted atolls strung out throughout the Pacific, is so distant that it was the final place on Earth to be linked to the phone—solely in 1997. Simply three years later, the islands obtained a fax with an unlikely enterprise proposal that might change all the things.
It was from an early web entrepreneur from Amsterdam, named Joost Zuurbier. He needed to handle Tokelau’s country-code top-level area, or ccTLD—the brief string of characters that’s tacked onto the tip of a URL—in trade for cash.
Within the succeeding years, tiny Tokelau grew to become an unlikely web large—however not in the best way it might have hoped. Till lately, its .tk area had extra customers than every other nation’s: a staggering 25 million—however the overwhelming majority had been spammers, phishers, and cybercriminals.
Now the territory is desperately attempting to wash up .tk. Its worldwide standing, and even its sovereignty, could rely upon it. Learn the complete story.
—Jacob Judah
We will nonetheless have good issues
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+ It’s getting darker within the mornings for these of us within the northern hemisphere. Right here’s some important tricks to make waking up a bit extra bearable.
+ Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk is a traditional, and its recording is the stuff of rock legends.
+ If trick or treating isn’t your bag, right here’s loads of different methods to have fun Halloween with youngsters.
+ Right here at The Obtain we love nothing greater than the Titanic theme, and this interpretation is a doozy.