The Download: EV subsidies risks, and introducing The Debrief
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.
Some countries are ending support for EVs. Is it too soon?
Sales of new electric vehicles in Germany have plummeted, dropping nearly 37% in July 2024 from the same month one year ago.
One of the main reasons traces back to mid-December 2023, when the German government gave less than one week’s notice before ending its subsidy program giving drivers grants of around €6,000) toward the purchase of new battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
It’s not just Germany ending these subsidy programs, either. Sweden and New Zealand have also scrapped their schemes and seen a resulting slowdown or drop in sales. This all comes at a time when the world needs to dramatically ramp up efforts to move to zero-emissions vehicles and pull fossil-fuel-powered ones off the roads to address climate change.
Experts are now cautioning that ending these support systems too soon could jeopardize progress on climate change. And as EVs continue to enter the mainstream, the question facing policymakers is how to decide when the technology is ready to stand on its own.Read the full story.
—Casey Crownhart
Introducing: The Debrief with Mat Honan
Mat Honan, MIT Technology Review’s editor in chief, has launched his very own newsletter: The Debrief. It’s a weekly take on the tech news that really matters, links to stories we love—as well as the occasional recommendation.
Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Friday, and to get ahead with the real story behind the biggest news in tech.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 US regulators have approved an at-home flu vaccine
The FluMist nasal spray shot will be available from next year. (The Verge)
+ Flu season is coming—and so is the risk of an all-new bird flu. (MIT Technology Review)
2 X has started to comply with Brazilian authorities
In an effort to clear the path for the platform to operate there again. (Reuters)
+ It’s an abrupt reverse-ferret, after X had defied court orders for three weeks. (NYT $)
3 TSMC and Samsung may build mega chip factories in the UAE
A collaboration between the chip giants would change the face of the industry. (WSJ $)
+ Talking of giants, Qualcomm approached Intel about a takeover. (FT $)
+ What’s next in chips. (MIT Technology Review)
4 These scientists want to turn the Earth’s waterways into sponges
But while carbon removal projects work in rivers, it’s harder to prove they’ll have the same success in the ocean. (NYT $)
+ Why using the oceans to suck up CO2 might not be as easy as hoped. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Inside the rise of AI agents
Assistants are yesterday’s news: AI agents are where it’s at. (FT $)
+ Amazon’s Alexa, once a pioneering AI assistant, is struggling. (WSJ $)+ What are AI agents? (MIT Technology Review)
6 Why startups are going “fair source”
Tensions between proprietary and open source software keep rising. (TechCrunch)
+ We finally have a definition for open-source AI. (MIT Technology Review)
7 How AI is tearing the poker industry apart
It’s getting tougher to differentiate between online players and bots. (Bloomberg $)
+ Facebook’s poker-playing AI could wreck the online poker industry—so it was never released. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Nuclear power and chatbots are a match made in heaven
Carbon-free nuclear energy could be the only way to power the AI boom. (The Atlantic $)
9 Forget flying cars—here’s a flying shopping cart
It’s essentially a drone designed to help you transport stuff around. (IEEE Spectrum)
10 These travelers rely on crowdfunding to finance their globetrotting
If you don’t ask, you don’t get. (Wired $)
Quote of the day
“He is not just an influencer of the far right, he is an activist.”
—Camila Rocha, a researcher at the Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning, condemns Elon Musk’s flirtation with the country’s far right, the Verge reports.
The big story
People are worried that AI will take everyone’s jobs. We’ve been here before.
It was 1938, and the pain of the Great Depression was still very real. Unemployment in the US was around 20%. New machinery was transforming factories and farms, and everyone was worried about jobs.
Were the impressive technological achievements that were making life easier for many also destroying jobs and wreaking havoc on the economy? To make sense of it all, Karl T. Compton, the president of MIT from 1930 to 1948 and one of the leading scientists of the day, wrote in the December 1938 issue of this publication about the “Bogey of Technological Unemployment.”
His essay concisely framed the debate over jobs and technical progress in a way that remains relevant, especially given today’s fears over the impact of artificial intelligence. It’s a worthwhile reminder that worries over the future of jobs are not new and are best addressed by applying an understanding of economics, rather than conjuring up genies and monsters. Read the full story.
—David Rotman
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 tweet ’em at me.)
+ The world is full of beautiful places to go rock climbing: if you’re brave enough, that is.
+ This raven is a noughts and crosses master.
+ If you’re firmly in the camp which believes that your dog can understand words, you may be onto something.
+ Never cooked before? Here’s where to start.