The Download: the first brain implant power user and South Korea’s AI obsession

The Download: The first brain implant power user and South Korea’s AI obsession

《下载》：首位脑机接口“超级用户”与韩国的 AI 狂热

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》，我们平日更新的简报，为您提供每日科技世界的动态。

This man with ALS is the first “power user” of a brain implant that lets him speak

这位渐冻症患者成为首位使用脑植入设备“说话”的“超级用户”

Casey Harrell has had a set of electrodes embedded in his brain for almost three years. Harrell, who has ALS and is paralyzed, first used his brain-computer interface (BCI) to “speak” in 2023. Since then, he’s clocked thousands of hours of use. Harrell can now use the device largely independently. His team has added new features to it, and he also uses it to surf the web and perform his job. “Living with a disease like ALS, you are supposed to have diminished dreams. I do not,” Harrell told MIT Technology Review. The team behind the device call Harrell “the first power user of a speech BCI.” They now plan to add further enhancements to the device. Dive into the groundbreaking impact of Casey Harrell’s BCI. —Jessica Hamzelou 凯西·哈雷尔（Casey Harrell）在大脑中植入电极阵列已有近三年时间。患有渐冻症（ALS）并处于瘫痪状态的哈雷尔在 2023 年首次使用他的脑机接口（BCI）“说话”。自那时起，他已经累计使用了数千小时。现在，哈雷尔可以基本独立地使用该设备。他的团队为其增加了新功能，他甚至能用它上网和处理工作。“患上像 ALS 这样的疾病，人们通常认为你的梦想会随之缩减。但我并没有，”哈雷尔告诉《麻省理工科技评论》。该设备的研发团队称哈雷尔为“首位语音脑机接口超级用户”。他们目前计划对设备进行进一步升级。深入了解凯西·哈雷尔的脑机接口所带来的开创性影响。——Jessica Hamzelou

Why do South Koreans love AI so much?

为什么韩国人如此痴迷于 AI？

While a public backlash against AI brews across the US, South Koreans are optimistic. Only 16% say they are more concerned than excited about AI—the lowest of the 25 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center—while 50% of Americans were more worried than excited. South Koreans share a deep conviction that embracing technology is integral to modernizing the country and cementing its place in the global order. Their fascination with AI is just the latest incarnation of that ethos—and it’s making them anxious to stay ahead. Read the full story on South Korea’s AI fervour. —Michelle Kim 尽管美国国内对 AI 的抵触情绪正在酝酿，但韩国人却持乐观态度。皮尤研究中心对 25 个国家进行的调查显示，只有 16% 的韩国人对 AI 感到担忧多于兴奋（比例为受访国中最低），而有 50% 的美国人表示担忧多于兴奋。韩国人深信，拥抱技术是国家现代化并巩固其全球地位的关键。他们对 AI 的痴迷正是这种精神的最新体现，这也让他们渴望保持领先。阅读关于韩国 AI 狂热的完整报道。——Michelle Kim

The must-reads

必读精选

The US says it restricted Anthropic AI over foreign intelligence risks Commerce chief Lutnick said he acted over national security fears. 美国称因外国情报风险限制 Anthropic AI 商务部长卢特尼克（Lutnick）表示，此举是出于国家安全担忧。
DeepSeek just became China’s most valuable startup It raised $7 billion, the largest-ever first-round funding for an AI startup. DeepSeek 成为中国估值最高的初创公司 该公司筹集了 70 亿美元，这是 AI 初创公司有史以来最大规模的首轮融资。
Alibaba has unveiled AI models for robots amid a shift from chatbots It’s joined a global race to move AI into the physical world. 阿里巴巴发布机器人 AI 模型，从聊天机器人转向物理世界 该公司加入了将 AI 引入物理世界的全球竞赛。
Fox is buying streaming giant Roku for $22 billion The deal creates the third-largest player in US TV by viewing share. 福克斯以 220 亿美元收购流媒体巨头 Roku 该交易使其成为按收视份额计算的美国第三大电视运营商。
EA has launched a new way to advertise “directly into gameplay” EA Advertising allows brands to become part of the game itself. EA 推出“直接植入游戏内”的广告新方式 EA Advertising 允许品牌成为游戏本身的一部分。
It’s trivially easy to use Reddit to manipulate AI search A tiny snippet of text can trick ChatGPT and Google’s AI search. 利用 Reddit 操纵 AI 搜索极其简单 一小段文字就能欺骗 ChatGPT 和谷歌的 AI 搜索。
Sperm have been made magnetic to allow IVF inside the body The technique enables remote guidance towards an egg. 精子被磁化以实现体内 IVF（试管婴儿） 该技术能够实现对精子向卵子移动的远程引导。
The world’s leading deepfake expert no longer trusts his own eyes He’s struggling to prove what’s real before the internet decides. 全球顶尖深度伪造专家不再相信自己的眼睛 他在互联网下定论之前，正努力证明什么是真实的。
Meta’s CTO admits its AI reorganisation was “atrocious” He’s promised staff better communication—and snacks. Meta 首席技术官承认其 AI 重组“糟糕透顶” 他承诺为员工提供更好的沟通——以及零食。
Silicon Valley billionaires are pretending to kill each other for fun In a new game show from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. 硅谷亿万富翁们为了娱乐假装互相残杀 这是彼得·蒂尔（Peter Thiel）旗下创始人基金推出的一档新游戏节目。

Quote of the day

今日金句

“There was a speeding ticket, and they gave Fable the death penalty.” —Alex Stamos, the former chief security officer of Facebook, tells the Washington Post that banning foreign access to Anthropic’s leading model is a disproportionate punishment. “这就像是超速罚单，他们却判了 Fable 死刑。” ——Facebook 前首席安全官亚历克斯·斯塔莫斯（Alex Stamos）告诉《华盛顿邮报》，禁止外国用户访问 Anthropic 的领先模型是一种不成比例的惩罚。