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The must-reads

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

1 The US says it restricted Anthropic AI over foreign intelligence risks
Commerce chief Lutnick said he acted over national security fears. (Reuters $)
+ Following the ban, Anthropic disabled access to its new models. (BBC)
+ Both sides are increasingly desperate for a resolution. (WSJ $)

2 DeepSeek just became China’s most valuable startup
It raised $7 billion, the largest-ever first-round funding for an AI startup. (The Information $)
+ The deal values DeepSeek at over $50 billion. (WSJ $)
+ Its unusual structure preserves founder control. (Reuters $)
+ DeepSeek’s new flagship model has caused a stir. (MIT Technology Review)
 
3 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. (SCMP)
+ AI is learning to understand its surroundings. (MIT Technology Review)
 
4 Fox is buying streaming giant Roku for $22 billion
The deal creates the third-largest player in US TV by viewing share. (BBC)
+ Fox is making a big bet on free streaming. (Washington Post $)

5 EA has launched a new way to advertise “directly into gameplay”
EA Advertising allows brands to become part of the game itself. (CNBC)
+ Xbox’s new chief strategy officer is also eyeing in-game ads. (PC Gamer)
+ GenAI could reinvent what it means to play. (MIT Technology Review)

6 It’s trivially easy to use Reddit to manipulate AI search
A tiny snippet of text can trick ChatGPT and Google’s AI search. (404 Media)
+ AI search is being manipulated to generate dangerous biases. (BBC)
 
7 Sperm have been made magnetic to allow IVF inside the body
The technique enables remote guidance towards an egg. (New Scientist $)
+ Automation and AI are transforming IVF. (MIT Technology Review)
 
8 The world’s leading deepfake expert no longer trusts his own eyes
He’s struggling to prove what’s real before the internet decides. (NYT $)
 
9 Meta’s CTO admits its AI reorganisation was “atrocious”
He’s promised staff better communication—and snacks. (Wired $)
 
10 Silicon Valley billionaires are pretending to kill each other for fun
In a new game show from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. (WSJ $)

Quote of the day

“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.

One More Thing

VICTOR KERLOW

Inside effective altruism, where the far future counts a lot more than the present

Since its birth in the late 2000s, effective altruism has aimed to answer a deceptively simple question: “How can those with means have the greatest impact?”