The Download: China’s EV to humanoid robot pivot, and voice clone censorship

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.

China’s electric vehicle giants are betting big on humanoid robots

As the electric-vehicle war in China calms down, leaving a few established players to dominate the field, Chinese EV giants are expanding into humanoid robotics. 

The shift is driven by financial necessity, but also by the advantages these companies command in the new sector: strong existing supply chains and years of experience building cutting-edge tech. The Chinese government is starting to promote and subsidize the transition, too. 

It’s becoming clear that China is now committed to becoming a global leader in robotics and automation, just as it did with EVs. Read the full story.

—Caiwei Chen

A woman made her AI voice clone say “arse.” Then she got banned.

—Jessica Hamzelou 

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been speaking to people whose voices have been recreated with AI. Both Joyce Esser, who lives in the UK, and Jules Rodriguez, who lives in Miami, Florida, have forms of motor neuron disease—a class of progressive disorders that result in the gradual loss of the ability to move and control muscles, and eventually even speak. 

Now, thanks to an AI tool built by ElevenLabs, they can “speak” in their old voices by typing sentences into devices, selecting letters by hand or eye gaze. It’s been an amazing experience for both of them. But speaking through a device has limitations. It’s slow, and it doesn’t sound completely natural. And, strangely, users might be limited in what they’re allowed to say. Read the full story.

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter all about health and biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

MIT Technology Review Narrated: Why AI could eat quantum computing’s lunch

Rapid advances in applying artificial intelligence to physics and chemistry have some people questioning whether we will even need quantum computers at all. Could we, in fact, use AI to solve a substantial chunk of the most interesting problems in science before large-scale quantum computers become a reality?

This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing 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 The US Senate confirmed Robert F Kennedy JR as health secretary 
What happens now? (The Atlantic $)
+ Here’s how scientists are reacting. (Scientific American $)
+ All the evidence suggests that bird flu is spreading undetected in the US. (Ars Technica)

2 We’re trying to get AI to run before it can walk
AI agents aren’t really ready yet. But the logic of competition means they’re being unleashed anyway. (Vox $)
+ A lot of people will try using AI agents for the first time this year. (IEEE Spectrum) 
+ Anthropic’s chief scientist on 4 ways agents will be even better in 2025. (MIT Technology Review)

3 TikTok is back on Apple and Google app stores in the US
After a nearly month-long standoff since a law banning the app took effect. (NPR)

4 Anthropic is getting ready to release a new AI model
It’s using a different approach to others, combining the ability to reason and execute simpler tasks in one go. (The Information $)
+ Why OpenAI’s reasoning model is such a big deal. (MIT Technology Review)

5 The DOGE website has been defaced 
Because, rather than using government servers, it pulls from an insecure database that anyone can edit. (The Verge)
+ The DOGE team is heading to NASA next. (Business Insider $)
+ DOGE staffers might need a crash course in COBOL. (Fast Company)

6 It’s only a matter of time until there’s a Starlink catastrophe 
Scientists warn we’re not doing enough to mitigate collisions or environmental issues. (CNET)
+ Bolivians are illegally smuggling in Starlink. (Rest of World)
+ How Antarctica’s history of isolation is ending—thanks to Starlink. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Apple is mysteriously teasing a new product 
We’ll find out what it is next Wednesday. (Engadget)

8 You can no longer review the Gulf of America on Google Maps
Apparently Google can’t handle even a tiny bit of criticism. (BBC)

9 How a computer that ‘drunk dials’ videos is exposing YouTube’s secrets
It’s 20 years old, and used by over a third of the world, but we know remarkably little about it. (BBC Future)

10 Generate some AI music for your lover this Valentine’s Day 
No skills needed. (The Conversation $)

Quote of the day

“I want you to shush your mouth.”

—One of many bonkers things Elon Musk’s 4-year-old child named X Æ A-Xii seems to have said to President Trump during their appearance in the Oval Office this week, Gizmodo reports. 

The big story

Welcome to Chula Vista, where police drones respond to 911 calls

February 2023

In the skies above Chula Vista, California, where the police department runs a drone program, it’s not uncommon to see an unmanned aerial vehicle darting across the sky.

Chula Vista is one of a dozen departments in the US that operate what are called drone-as-first-responder programs, where drones are dispatched by pilots, who are listening to live 911 calls, and often arrive first at the scenes of accidents, emergencies, and crimes, cameras in tow.

But many argue that police forces’ adoption of drones is happening too quickly, without a well-informed public debate around privacy regulations, tactics, and limits. There’s also little evidence that drone policing reduces crime. Read the full story.

—Patrick Sisson

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 or skeet ’em at me.)

+ Listen up, lovebirds: the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach. 
+ All You Need is Love… and, if you’re also a big Beatles fan, you also need to watch this fascinating lecture. 
+ The White Lotus’s third season drops on Sunday! Read this interview with its creator. 
+ This beautiful free video game brings an ancient Armenian folk tale to life.