The Download: diversifying AI voices, and a science-fiction glimpse into the future

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.

How this grassroots effort could make AI voices more diverse

We are on the cusp of a voice AI boom, as tech companies roll out the next generation of artificial-intelligence-powered assistants. But the default voices for these assistants are often white American—British, if you’re lucky—and most definitely speak English. And if you’re one of the billions of people who don’t speak English, bad luck: These tools don’t sound nearly as good in other languages.

This is because the data that has gone into training these models is limited. In AI research, most data used to train models is extracted from the English-language internet, which reflects Anglo-American culture. But there is a massive grassroots effort underway to change this status quo and bring more transparency and diversity to what AI sounds like. Read the full story.

—Melissa Heikkilä

Azalea: a science-fiction story

Fancy something fiction to read this weekend? If you enjoy Sci-Fi, check out this story written by Paolo Bacigalupi, featured in the latest edition of our print magazine. It imagines a future shaped by climate change—read it for yourself here.

The must-reads

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

1 Cruise has admitted to falsifying a crash report
The report failed to mention that its robotaxi dragged a pedestrian after striking her. (San Francisco Chronicle)
+ The firm has been fined $500,000 to resolve the criminal charges. (WP $)

2 The US plans to investigate Microsoft’s cloud business 
As the Biden administration prepares to hand over power to Donald Trump’s team. (FT $)

3 Silicon Valley hates regulation. So does Trump.
AI and energy ventures could be the first to prosper under lighter-touch governance. (WP $)
+ Peter Thiel claims the tech industry is fed up with ‘wokeness.’ (Insider $)

4 Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team will be working 80+ hours a week
And you’ll need to subscribe to X to apply. (WSJ $)
+ As if that wasn’t appealing enough, the positions are also unpaid. (NBC News)
+ The ‘lucky’ workers can expect a whole lot of meetings. (Bloomberg $)

5 The trolls are in charge now
And it’s increasingly unclear what’s a joke and what’s an actual threat. (The Atlantic $)
+ It’s possible, but not guaranteed, that Trump’s more controversial cabinet picks will be defeated in the Senate. (New Yorker $)

6 How to keep abortion plans private in the age of Trump
Reproductive rights are under threat. Here’s how to protect them. (The Markup)

7 The first mechanical Qubit is here
And mechanical quantum computers could be the first to benefit. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Quantum computing is taking on its biggest challenge: noise. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Can Bluesky recapture the old Twitter’s magic?
No algorithms, no interfering billionaires. (Vox)
+ More than one million new users joined the platform earlier this week. (TechCrunch)

9 Weight-loss drugs could help to treat chronic pain
And could present a safer alternative to opioids. (New Scientist $)
+ Weight-loss injections have taken over the internet. But what does this mean for people IRL? (MIT Technology Review)

10 These are the most expensive photographs ever taken
The first human-taken pictures from space are truly awe-inspiring. (The Guardian)

Quote of the day

“It feels like it’s a platform for and by real people.”

—US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells the Washington Post about the appeal of Bluesky as users join the social network after abandoning X.

The big story

How environmental DNA is giving scientists a new way to understand our world

February 2024

Environmental DNA is a relatively inexpensive, widespread, potentially automated way to observe the diversity and distribution of life.

Unlike previous techniques, which could identify DNA from, say, a single organism, the method also collects the swirling cloud of other genetic material that surrounds it. It can serve as a surveillance tool, offering researchers a means of detecting the seemingly undetectable.

By sampling eDNA, or mixtures of genetic material in water, soil, ice cores, cotton swabs, or practically any environment imaginable, even thin air, it is now possible to search for a specific organism or assemble a snapshot of all the organisms in a given place.

It offers a thrilling — and potentially chilling — way to collect information about organisms, including humans, as they go about their everyday business. Read the full story.

—Peter Andrey Smith

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.)

+ Smells like punk spirit.
+ If you’ve been feeling creaky lately (and who hasn’t), give these mobility exercises a go.
+ Talk about a glow up—these beautiful locations really do emanate light.
+ It’s the truly chilling collab we never knew we needed: Bon Jovi has joined forces with Mr Worldwide himself, Pitbull.