The Download: dead startups fueling AI and interspecies communication

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.

AI labs are buying data from dead startups to train their models

When Keelan Miskell began winding down his crypto startup, he didn’t think its data was worth much. But he’s since turned the company’s digital archives into tens of thousands of dollars, selling its codebase and workspace data.

He’s part of a growing market in which companies that help shut down startups sell their data to AI labs. Demand has grown as training labs hit the limits of public and synthetic datasets, with buyers seeking real-world records to help train AI agents. But the sales raise legal and ethical questions.

Read the full story on the AI labs buying up the remains of failed startups.

—Matthew King

Are we there yet? Interspecies communication

Humans are far from the only species with a gift for gab, and our furry, feathered, and finned friends could have a lot to tell us.

Decoding how animals communicate with one another could reveal the inner lives of other species—and give humans a window onto how they see the world. A growing arsenal of devices and advances in AI have made it easier to study their howls, squeaks, and clicks, but making sense of it all remains complex.

Find out how close we are to interspecies communication.

—Cassandra Willyard

This story is part of “Are we there yet?”, our series that takes stock of six technologies that have long promised to change the world—and scores them on a progress meter. We’re exploring each one in The Download, so stay tuned, and in our new Impossible issue.

MIT Technology Review Narrated: what it would take to build a city on the moon

The US and China are racing to build bases on the moon, with NASA hoping to establish a small lunar city by the end of the century. But the moon is a tremendously hostile place to set up camp.

A sprawling lunar base must be safe for its inhabitants, protected from falling asteroids, endless cosmic radiation, razor-sharp lunar dust, and torturous temperature swings. It also must be somewhat self-sustaining.

That will require autonomous robots, nuclear power, and a way to use the moon’s resources to keep the base operating. But the chief obstacle may be one of political will.

This is our latest story to become an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Hackers have disrupted the US Federal Election Commission’s website
The FEC filing system went offline a week before the midterms. (Reuters $)
+ The attack is hiding spending data during the costliest midterms ever. (Gizmodo)
+ Social media platforms are struggling to contain AI election lies. (Guardian)
+ Software flaws in US voting machines threaten election security. (Axios)
+ A blueprint for using AI to strengthen democracy. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Starlink restrictions have driven US allies to rethink their dependence
Restrictions in Ukraine have spooked officials across Europe. (Bloomberg $)
+ And given European firms a new pitch for their rival services. (Axios)
+ An Israeli spy firm allegedly targeted Starlink users. (Reuters $)
+ Stratospheric internet could take off this year. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Greenhouse gas levels keep reaching new records worldwide
Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are all on the up. (New Scientist $)
+ Trump is making it easier for fossil fuel companies to leak methane. (Verge)
+ The IPCC is fighting for survival. (Nature)
+ How to study a swiftly melting climate disaster. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Monkeys’ brains have revealed new clues about consciousness
Their neural activity encodes images that escape their awareness. (Nature)
+ Bees’ feelings are also changing views of consciousness. (New Scientist $)
+ Debates over AI consciousness are a trap. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Chinese scientists have developed a catalyst to make Mars rocket fuel
It converts Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide into liquid methanol. (SCMP)

6 Tech billionaires have teamed up against California’s wealth tax
Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, and others have funded a major campaign. (NYT $)

7 Delaware plans to let AI agents run entire businesses
The proposal could let owners evade responsibility for harm. (Ars Technica)
+ A better web for AI agents could hurt humans. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Palmer Luckey has unveiled plans for American-made military laptops
Anduril will build rugged PCs in Ohio using Qualcomm chips. (WSJ $)

9 Gen Z is turning away from the social media it grew up with
Young people are fueling a boom in digital detox tools. (Guardian)

10 Trump now wants to ban the term “artificial intelligence”
He’s demanding we all start using “Super Intelligence.” (Gizmodo)

Quote of the day

“For the next two years, we’re going to be living in a state where, on average, every week there is a critical, internet-wide vulnerability.”

—Matthew Prince, Cloudflare’s chief executive, tells the New York Times that AI is currently finding software vulnerabilities quicker than they can be patched.

One more thing

Inside the controversial tree farms powering Apple’s carbon-neutral goal

In 2020, Apple set a goal to become net zero by the end of the decade. To hit that target, the company is offsetting its emissions by planting millions of eucalyptus trees in Brazil.

Apple is betting that the strategy will lead to a greener future. But critics warn that the industrial tree farms will do more harm than good.

Here’s why the plans have sparked a backlash.

—Gregory Barber

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

+ Ugly shoes have become beautifully mainstream.
+ Scientists have built a stunning new simulation of the early universe.
+ Guitarist Kent Nishimura has stripped Thriller back to a mesmerising acoustic performance.
+ A photographer who snapped punks and mods in 1980 has tracked them down for an emotional reunion 46 years later.