The Download: AI remedy, and how AI is improving soccer tactics

A wave of equipment dreamed up by AI is on its way

Alex Zhavoronkov has been experimenting with artificial intelligence for more than a decade. In 2016, the programmer and physicist was using AI to identify people by appearance and shape from photos of cats.

—Antonio Regalado

Google DeepMind’s new AI assistant helps elite soccer coaches get even better

The news: Soccer teams are constantly looking to gain an edge over their opponents. They might try adding a new AI assistant developed by Google DeepMind to their arsenal. It could suggest ways for soccer set-pieces that are likely even better than those created by expert club coaches.

How it works: The system, known as TacticAI, works by inspecting a dataset of seven,176 nook kicks taken by gamers for Liverpool FC, one of many ideal soccer clubs on this planet. It makes use of predictive and generative AI fashions to analyze every scenario and make ideas and predictive outcomes. Be taught the plump narrative.

—Rhiannon Williams

Chinese platforms are cracking down on influencers promoting AI lessons

Over the past year, about a Chinese influencers have made hundreds of thousands of dollars peddling short video lessons on AI, profiting off people’s fears about the as-yet-unclear impact of the new technology on their livelihoods.

But the platforms they thrived on have begun to act against them. Just a few weeks ago, WeChat and Douyin began suspending, removing, or restricting their accounts. While influencers on these platforms were turning people’s alarm into traffic and profits for a long time, the recent actions show how Chinese social platforms are trying to address the harm before it goes too far. Read the full story.

—Zeyi Yang

This story is from China Report, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things happening in China. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Tuesday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to find you today’s most interesting, important, alarming, or exciting technology stories.

1 DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman is joining Microsoft
He’ll lead the company’s consumer division, developing AI-powered products. (Bloomberg $)
+ Suleyman will leave his startup, Inflection AI, along with many of its employees. (New York Times $)
+ Inflection’s investors won’t lose out, despite the move. (The Information $)
+ Read our interview with Suleyman about why he believes generative AI is just a part of the future. (MIT Technology Review)

2 China is sending a satellite to the far side of the moon
It will play a significant role in the country’s effort to surpass the US in lunar exploration. (Reuters)
+ Some scientists question whether Mars exploration is a worthwhile investment. (Undark Magazine)

3 Anonymous profession place Glassdoor exposed its customers’ true names
Which, unsurprisingly, has upset customers who posted true reports of their worn workplaces. (Ars Technica)

4 The concrete replace has a predominant carbon subject
Now, emission-capturing formulas would possibly assemble a incompatibility. (Wired $)
+ The climate solution beneath your feet. (MIT Technology Overview)

5 Artists who use AI are extra productive
But, crucially, they’re less customary. (Unique Scientist $)
+ This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s no longer chuffed about it. (MIT Technology Overview)

6 Saudi Arabia is poised to become an AI superpower
To the tune of a $40 billion investment fund. (NOW $)
+ We’re about 5 years away from artificial general intelligence, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, at least. (TechCrunch)
+ Google DeepMind aims to define what counts as artificial general intelligence. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Brace yourself—dynamic pricing is coming
Emboldened by Uber’s surge pricing model, other companies want in. (Vox)

8 Indonesia’s ebike shops are dicing with hazard
They’re creating souped-up batteries that prioritize performance over safety. (Remainder of World)
+ Three things to love about batteries. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Did you really poke me on Facebook? ????
The social network has quietly restored one of its most unusual features. (Insider $)

10 This unknown Swedish composer has racked up more Spotify plays than ABBA
Johan Röhr is the mastermind behind more than 650 diverse artists on the platform. (The Guardian)

Quote of the day

“It feels very self-centered. Everyone seems to think, ‘I’ve got somewhere to be, out of my way.’”

—Tamara Siemering, an actor who recently moved to Los Angeles, explains her shock at the city’s driving culture as it tries to accommodate self-driving vehicles, the New York Times reports.

The giant narrative

All the draw in which by the enigmatic minds of animals

October 2022

More than ever, we feel a responsibility and want to extend empathy to our nonhuman neighbors. In the last three years, more than 30 countries have formally recognized other animals—including gorillas, lobsters, crows, and octopuses—as sentient beings.

A trio of books by Ed Yong, Jackie Higgins, and Philip Ball detail creatures’ rich inner worlds and capture what has driven these trends: a growing field of experimental research challenging the long-held view that animals are neither conscious nor cognitively complex. Read the full story.

—Matthew Ponsford

We are in a position to have good things

A space for consolation, stress-free and distraction to brighten up your day. (Purchased any ideas? Tumble me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ One for fans of The Strokes: a thread of cool references throughout their artwork.
+ An Eastern pig cafe sounds like a pretty relaxing space to lounge around. ????
+ If Dolly Parton were Welsh, here’s what Jolene would sound like.
+ A belated happy Nowruz to everyone celebrating!