The Download: new AI regulations, and an operating robot

That is right now time’s edition ofThe Download,our weekday e-newsletter that offers a day-to-day dose of what is occurring on this planet of craftsmanship

The AI Act is completed. Here’s what’s going to (and won’t) change

After three years, the AI Act, the EU’s new sweeping AI law, jumped through its final bureaucratic hoop last week when the European Parliament voted to approve it.

However the fact is that the hard work begins now. The law will enter into force in May, and companies residing in the EU will start seeing changes by the end of the year. Regulators will need to build up capacity to implement the law effectively, and companies will have up to a couple of years to adapt to the law.

Here’s what you need to know about what will (and crucially won’t) change after then—from the types of AI uses that will be banned, to a new era of AI transparency. Read the full story.

—Melissa Heikkilä

This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside scoop on all things AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday.

To learn more about the AI regulations, take a look at:+5 things you need to know about the EU’s new AI Act. Why the new rules will effectively turn the EU into the world’s AI police. Read the full story

+ How judges as one more of politicians also can attend to dictate AI principles in The US.

How AI taught Cassie the 2-legged robot to speed and soar

If you’ve watched Boston Dynamics’ slick videos of robots running, jumping and doing parkour, you can easily agree that robots have learned to be amazingly agile. In fact, these robots are still coded by hand, and would struggle to handle new boundaries they haven’t encountered before.

On the other hand, a new method of teaching robots to move can also help address new scenarios, through trial and error—just as humans learn and adapt to unpredictable events.

Researchers used an AI technique called reinforcement learning to help a two-legged robot nicknamed Cassie run 400 meters, over various terrains, and perform standing long jumps and high jumps, without being explicitly trained on every movement. Their approach taught the robot to generalize and adapt in new scenarios, rather than freezing like its predecessors might have done. Read the full story.

—Rhiannon Williams

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to find you today’s most fun/critical/provoking/inspiring stories about technology.

1 Nvidia has unveiled a slew of AI chips
They’re faster, better, and significantly more powerful. (WSJ $)
+ A quick primer on why these chips matter so much. (Bloomberg $)
+ The company plans on making itself integral to the future of self-driving automobiles, too. (Reuters)
+ It’s the hottest stock in town. (WP $)

2 Meta has offered to cut the price of its ad-free subscription service
In a move to appease privacy regulators in Europe. (Reuters)

3 We’re edging nearer to a global cybersecurity standard for smart home tech
Not all devices are equally secure. A common standard can help. (The Verge)

4 Carmaker Fisker has paused making EVs
Issues aren’t having a watch too simply for the embattled company—and cash is tight. (Wired $)
+ Why the world’s top EV maker is stepping into production. (MIT Technology Review)

5 No one knows why electroconvulsive therapy works
However new research suggests that zapping a brain with electricity may simply help restore balance between excitation and inhibition. (Quanta Magazine)
+ Here’s how personalized brain stimulation may also help treat depression. (MIT Technology Review)

6 How generative AI is warping Google’s search outcomes
Its Search Generative Experience is still working out what to prioritize. (Insider $)
+ We’re hurtling toward a glitchy, spammy, scammy, AI-powered web. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Scientists have created a synthetic blood-clotting drug
The most common model, called heparin, is traditionally made using pig intestines. (New Scientist $)
+ AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Gig workers don’t find enough time to rest between jobs
So here is what they do instead. (Rest of World)
+ What TikTok can learn from Uber. (Slate $)

9 AI-generated text is appearing in academic journals
Certain phrases are a clear giveaway of ChatGPT’s involvement. (404 Media)
+ YouTube has added an AI content labeling tool to its platform. (The Verge)

10 Sony can’t sell its latest VR headset
It has a large backlog of units, because they simply aren’t selling. (Bloomberg $)
+ VR headsets can also be hacked with an Inception-style attack. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“Must you judge of the web ecosystem as a colander with a million holes in it, I don’t know why they judge plugging such a little holes goes to repair these complications.”

— Calli Schroeder, global privacy counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, tells Bloomberg why the U.S. government’s focus on banning TikTok is misguided.

The massive narrative

One city’s fight to resolve its sewage problem with sensors

April 2021

Within the city of South Bend, Indiana, wastewater from residents’ kitchens, sinks, washing machines, and toilets flows through 35 neighborhood sewer lines. On dry days, just before each line ends, a vertical throttle pipe diverts the sewage into an interceptor tube, which carries it to a treatment plant where solid pollutants and bacteria are filtered out.

As in many American cities, these pipes are combined with storm drains, which can release rivers and lakes with toxic sludge when heavy rains or melted snow overwhelm them, endangering wildlife and drinking water supplies. However, city officials have a plan to make its aging sewers much smarter. Read the full story.

—Andrew Zaleski

We are still able to believe in good things

A build for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any suggestions? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ These kind wildlife team in Virginia and not using a doubt went above and beyond to look for after an orphaned fox package.
+ This model of Smells Admire Teen Spirit is banging.
+ Techno, techno, techno! Why Berlin’s clubbing custom has been placed under Unesco security.
+ Catch pleasure from a little bit of of John Denver this morning, for no reason a kind of than it’s a wonderful music.