The Download: AI malaise and babymaking tech

下载：AI 倦怠与生育科技

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. 这是今日份的《下载》（The Download），这是我们的工作日通讯，为您提供每日科技世界的动态。

We’ve entered the era of AI malaise. AI is spreading everywhere, and it is not going away. But what will it do? What effect will it have on our society? Will it make life better, or worse? How will we know? What’s the plan? This technology may very well take our jobs—or just crash the economy instead. Our apps are all getting injections of AI, like it or not. And it is increasingly impossible to tell whether we are relying too much on AI or not using it enough. We’re all sitting uncomfortably with AI right now. Read our essay on the strange, uncertain mood of the moment. The era of AI malaise is an essay written by our editor-in-chief Mat Honan. It accompanies MIT Technology Review’s 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, our list of the big ideas, trends, and advances in the field that are driving progress today—and will shape what’s possible tomorrow. 我们已经进入了“AI 倦怠”时代。人工智能正在无处不在地蔓延，而且不会消失。但它会做什么？它会对我们的社会产生什么影响？它会让生活变得更好还是更糟？我们如何才能知道？计划是什么？这项技术很可能会取代我们的工作，或者直接导致经济崩溃。无论你喜欢与否，我们的应用程序都在被注入 AI。而且，我们越来越难以判断自己是过度依赖 AI，还是使用得不够。此刻，我们都对 AI 感到不安。请阅读我们关于当下这种奇怪、不确定情绪的文章。《AI 倦怠时代》是由我们的主编 Mat Honan 撰写的文章。它与《麻省理工科技评论》的《当前 AI 领域最重要的 10 件事》相辅相成，这份清单列出了当今推动该领域进步，并将塑造未来可能性的重大理念、趋势和进展。

Here’s how technology transformed babymaking. Technology is changing the way we make babies. Clinicians have improved hormonal treatments. Embryologists have devised ways to culture embryos in the lab for longer. IVF clinics today offer multiple genetic tests for embryos. The technology has also had a huge social impact, allowing for changes in the structure of families and providing more reproductive choices for would-be parents. Now, AI and robots are set to usher in another new era for IVF. Here’s how technology is reshaping babymaking. —Jessica Hamzelou 科技如何改变了生育。科技正在改变我们孕育后代的方式。临床医生改进了激素治疗方法。胚胎学家设计出了在实验室中更长时间培养胚胎的方法。如今，试管婴儿（IVF）诊所为胚胎提供多种基因检测。这项技术也产生了巨大的社会影响，促成了家庭结构的变化，并为准父母提供了更多的生育选择。现在，人工智能和机器人即将为试管婴儿技术开启另一个新时代。这就是科技如何重塑生育过程。——Jessica Hamzelou

How robots learn: a brief, contemporary history. For decades, researchers have been inspired by science fiction robots that can move through the world, adapt to different environments, and interact with people. But bringing these devices into the messiness of the real world has proved incredibly difficult. Now, advances in AI are changing that. Instead of relying on rigid rules, robots are learning through trial and error, simulations, and huge amounts of real-world data. The progress represents a revolution in how machines interact with their surroundings. It also means that Silicon Valley roboticists are dreaming big again. Here’s how we got here. —James O’Donnell 机器人如何学习：一段简短的当代史。几十年来，研究人员一直受到科幻小说中机器人的启发，这些机器人可以在世界中移动、适应不同环境并与人互动。但将这些设备带入混乱的现实世界已被证明极其困难。现在，人工智能的进步正在改变这一点。机器人不再依赖僵化的规则，而是通过试错、模拟和海量的现实世界数据进行学习。这一进展代表了机器与周围环境互动方式的一场革命。这也意味着硅谷的机器人专家们再次开始怀揣宏大梦想。这就是我们走到今天的原因。——James O’Donnell

The must-reads / 必读内容

ICE plans to develop its own smart glasses. The “ICE Glasses” would identify people in real time. 美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）计划开发自己的智能眼镜。 “ICE 眼镜”将能够实时识别人员身份。
AI is distorting key economic signals. It makes growth look better and the job market look worse. 人工智能正在扭曲关键的经济信号。 它让增长看起来更好，让就业市场看起来更糟。
A cyberattack paralyzed thousands of schools. And stole 275 million people’s data from edtech platform Canvas. 一场网络攻击瘫痪了数千所学校。 并从教育科技平台 Canvas 窃取了 2.75 亿人的数据。
The US suspects Nvidia chips were smuggled to Alibaba via Thailand. Super Micro servers containing Nvidia chips were allegedly smuggled. 美国怀疑英伟达芯片通过泰国走私给阿里巴巴。 据称，装有英伟达芯片的超微（Super Micro）服务器被走私。
China’s affordable AI models are increasingly worrying Silicon Valley. They’re often cheaper and more adaptable than US rivals. 中国经济实惠的 AI 模型正日益让硅谷感到担忧。 它们通常比美国竞争对手更便宜、更具适应性。
Scientists developed a new energy storage system inspired by sunburn. It stores solar energy by mimicking molecular changes in damaged DNA. 科学家开发出一种受晒伤启发的新型储能系统。 它通过模拟受损 DNA 中的分子变化来储存太阳能。
Russia’s internet crackdown is hobbling small businesses. App restrictions and internet outages are causing headaches. 俄罗斯的互联网管制正在阻碍小型企业的发展。 应用程序限制和互联网中断令人头疼。
Younger researchers are more likely to produce “disruptive” science. A new study found more experience led to fewer breakthroughs. 年轻研究人员更有可能产生“颠覆性”科学成果。 一项新研究发现，经验越丰富，取得的突破反而越少。
Why Richard Dawkins was mistaken to believe Claude has feelings. But his line of inquiry wasn’t altogether foolish. 为什么理查德·道金斯认为 Claude 有感情是错误的。 但他的探究方向并非完全愚蠢。
The Golden Globes have new AI rules (and they’re looser than the Oscars’). AI is permitted as an enhancement, but not as a replacement. 金球奖出台了新的 AI 规则（比奥斯卡更宽松）。 AI 被允许作为一种增强手段，但不能作为替代品。

Quote of the day / 今日金句

“When I am talking to these astonishing creatures, I totally forget that they are machines. I treat them exactly as I would treat a very intelligent friend.” —Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins reflects on his interactions with advanced AI systems in an essay published in Unherd. “当我与这些令人惊叹的生物交谈时，我完全忘记了它们是机器。我对待它们的方式，就像对待一位非常聪明的朋友一样。”——进化生物学家理查德·道金斯在《Unherd》发表的一篇文章中，反思了他与先进人工智能系统的互动。

One More Thing / 更多内容

How to stop a state from sinking. In a 10-month span in 2020 and 2021, southwest Louisiana saw five climate-related disasters, including two destructive hurricanes and flash floods. But there could be a better way to protect the area: elevation. The $6.8 billion Southwest Coastal Louisiana Project is betting that raising buildings while restoring coastal boundary lands that have long acted as natural barriers can preserve this slice of coastline. Here’s how officials hope to protect vulnerable communities by lifting homes out of the floodplain. —Xander Peters 如何阻止一个州下沉。 在 2020 年和 2021 年的 10 个月内，路易斯安那州西南部经历了五次气候相关灾害，包括两次破坏性飓风和山洪暴发。但保护该地区可能有一种更好的方法：抬高地势。耗资 68 亿美元的“路易斯安那州西南沿海项目”押注于通过抬高建筑物，同时恢复长期作为天然屏障的沿海边界土地，来保护这片海岸线。这就是官员们希望通过将房屋从洪泛区抬高来保护弱势群体的方法。——Xander Peters

We can still have nice things. A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. 我们依然可以拥有美好事物。 一个为您带来舒适、乐趣和消遣，点亮您一天的地方。