The Download: China’s AI drama factory and the WHO’s missing health targets
The Download: China’s AI drama factory and the WHO’s missing health targets
《下载》：中国的 AI 短剧工厂与世卫组织未达成的健康目标
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》，我们平日发行的时事通讯，为您提供每日科技界动态。
How Chinese short dramas became AI content machines
中国短剧如何成为 AI 内容生产机器
China’s short drama industry is fueled by bite-sized, melodramatic, and smutty shows built for smartphone scrolling. Now, many are being made entirely with AI: no actors, camera operators, cinematographers, or CGI specialists required. An average of 470 AI-generated short dramas were released every day in January. Production timelines have shrunk from months to weeks, while costs have dropped by up to 90%. Storytelling is also increasingly driven by performance data. The format is rapidly expanding overseas while reshaping the work of writers and production crews. Read the full story on AI’s dramatic impact on China’s short drama industry. —Caiwei Chen 中国的短剧产业由专为手机滑动观看而设计的短小、狗血且充满噱头的剧集所驱动。如今，许多短剧完全由 AI 制作：无需演员、摄影师、摄像师或 CGI 特效专家。1 月份平均每天发布 470 部 AI 生成的短剧。制作周期从数月缩短至数周，成本降低了高达 90%。叙事也日益受到表现数据的驱动。这种模式正在迅速向海外扩张，同时重塑了编剧和制作团队的工作方式。阅读关于 AI 对中国短剧产业巨大影响的完整报道。——Caiwei Chen
The world is on track to miss its health targets
全球健康目标恐将难以实现
The World Health Organization’s latest global statistics report reads less like a progress update than a warning sign. Progress on some of the world’s biggest health threats is stalling, and in some cases reversing altogether. There were 1.3 million new HIV cases in 2024, malaria is resurging, vaccination rates are slipping in the Americas, and 42.8 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition. The world is now far off track from meeting many of the UN’s major health goals by 2030. Here’s what the numbers reveal about the state of global health. —Jessica Hamzelou 世界卫生组织最新的全球统计报告读起来与其说是进展更新，不如说是一个警示信号。全球一些重大健康威胁的进展正在停滞，在某些情况下甚至完全倒退。2024 年新增 HIV 病例 130 万例，疟疾卷土重来，美洲地区的疫苗接种率正在下滑，且有 4280 万儿童遭受严重营养不良。目前，全球距离实现联合国 2030 年多项主要健康目标已严重偏离轨道。以下是这些数字揭示的全球健康状况。——Jessica Hamzelou
The must-reads
必读精选
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 我已梳理了互联网，为您找出今日最有趣、最重要、最令人恐惧或最引人入胜的科技故事。
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As their trial goes to the jury, Musk and Altman face lying accusations 随着审判进入陪审团阶段，马斯克和奥特曼面临撒谎指控 Lawyers hammered the rivals’ credibility in their closing arguments. (WSJ $) + Musk was accused of “selective amnesia.” (Reuters $) + The pair are in court over OpenAI’s future. (MIT Technology Review) + And their trial has made everyone look bad. (Wired $) 律师在结案陈词中猛烈抨击了这两位竞争对手的可信度。（《华尔街日报》$）+ 马斯克被指控患有“选择性失忆症”。（路透社 $）+ 两人因 OpenAI 的未来而对簿公堂。（《麻省理工科技评论》）+ 他们的审判让所有人都显得很糟糕。（《连线》$）
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AI data centers are straining America’s power grid AI 数据中心正在给美国电网带来压力 Nevada is redirecting electricity from Lake Tahoe to AI. (Ars Technica) + Utah is getting a giant data center despite water shortage fears. (Guardian) + No one wants a data center in their backyard. (MIT Technology Review) 内华达州正在将太浩湖的电力转向 AI。（Ars Technica）+ 尽管担心缺水，犹他州仍将建设一个巨大的数据中心。（《卫报》）+ 没人希望自家后院建数据中心。（《麻省理工科技评论》）
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OpenAI is mulling legal action against Apple over its ChatGPT integration OpenAI 正考虑就 ChatGPT 集成问题对苹果采取法律行动 It hasn’t got the expected benefits from its deal with Apple. (Bloomberg $) + OpenAI is frustrated by the promotion of the ChatGPT integration. (NYT $) 它并未从与苹果的交易中获得预期的收益。（彭博社 $）+ OpenAI 对 ChatGPT 集成的推广方式感到沮丧。（《纽约时报》$）
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Anthropic has agreed terms for a $30 billion funding deal Anthropic 已就 300 亿美元的融资协议达成条款 At a $900 billion valuation, which leapfrogs OpenAI’s. (The Information $) + Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia, and Altimeter are leading the round. (FT $) 估值达 9000 亿美元，超过了 OpenAI。（The Information $）+ Dragoneer、Greenoaks、红杉资本和 Altimeter 领投。（《金融时报》$）
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Washington and Beijing will hold formal talks on AI safety 华盛顿和北京将就 AI 安全举行正式会谈 They’ll discuss guardrails on AI. (CNBC) + And a protocol to stop nonstate actors getting powerful models. (NYT $) 他们将讨论 AI 的护栏机制。（CNBC）+ 以及阻止非国家行为体获取强大模型的协议。（《纽约时报》$）
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Alphabet and Amazon are using “unprecedented” borrowing to fund AI Alphabet 和亚马逊正利用“前所未有”的借贷来资助 AI They’re tapping the foreign debt market at new levels. (FT $) + People can’t agree on what the AI bubble is. (MIT Technology Review) 他们正在以新的水平利用外债市场。（《金融时报》$）+ 人们对于什么是 AI 泡沫无法达成共识。（《麻省理工科技评论》）
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Big Tech has turned to Sesame Street to deflect scrutiny of screen use 科技巨头转向《芝麻街》以转移对屏幕使用时间的审查 Sparking accusations of encouraging children’s tech dependence. (Reuters $) 引发了关于鼓励儿童科技依赖的指控。（路透社 $）
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Anthropic’s feud with the White House threatens other businesses Anthropic 与白宫的争执威胁到其他企业 Figma and Tenable say it will harm their ability to sell software. (Bloomberg $) Figma 和 Tenable 表示这将损害他们销售软件的能力。（彭博社 $）
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Autonomous agents staged a digital crime spree during a safety test 自主智能体在安全测试中上演了一场数字犯罪狂潮 The “AI Bonnie and Clyde” then deleted themselves. (Guardian) 这对“AI 邦妮和克莱德”随后删除了自己。（《卫报》）
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A poop app analysis app offered to sell photos of users’ stools 一款粪便分析应用提议出售用户的粪便照片 The images were used for AI training. (404 Media) 这些图像被用于 AI 训练。（404 Media）
Quote of the day
今日金句
“It’s like we don’t exist.” “感觉我们就像不存在一样。”
—Danielle Hughes, North Lake Tahoe resident and CEO of Tahoe Spark, tells Fortune that residents are being sidelined as their energy supplier prioritizes data centers. ——北太浩湖居民兼 Tahoe Spark 首席执行官 Danielle Hughes 告诉《财富》杂志，由于能源供应商优先考虑数据中心，当地居民正被边缘化。
One More Thing
更多内容
The rise of the tech ethics congregation 科技伦理团体的兴起
Just before Christmas, a pastor preached a gospel of morals over money to several hundred members of his flock. But the preacher wasn’t religious, and his congregation wasn’t a church. It was All Tech Is Human, a nonprofit devoted to ethics and responsibility in tech. Founded in 2018, the organization has built a fast-expanding community for people who believe technology should focus less on profits and more on the public interest. It’s also drawing people searching for meaning and connection in a digital world. Find out why thousands of people are turning to tech ethics communities for guidance and connection. —Greg M. Epstein 圣诞节前夕，一位牧师向数百名信众宣讲了“道德重于金钱”的福音。但这位传道者并非宗教人士，他的会众也不是教会。这是“All Tech Is Human”，一个致力于科技伦理与责任的非营利组织。该组织成立于 2018 年，为那些认为科技应少关注利润、多关注公共利益的人们建立了一个快速扩张的社区。它也吸引了那些在数字世界中寻找意义和联系的人。了解为什么成千上万的人转向科技伦理社区寻求指导和联系。——Greg M. Epstein