The Download: AI can run your admin department now

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 small businesses can leverage AI

From accounting to design to market research and product development, there’s a staggering breadth of skills needed to run a business. Large companies can hire experts to handle these tasks, but small businesses don’t always have that luxury.

That’s where AI comes in. Today’s models can already take on a range of basic administrative work, from organizing notes and summarizing meetings to invoicing, goal-setting, and social media planning. Find out how small-business owners can put AI to work.

—Peter Hall

This article is from Making AI Work, MIT Technology Review’s limited-run newsletter examining how to apply LLMs across industries. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here.

The must-reads

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

1 Anthropic has confidentially filed for IPO ahead of OpenAI
It aims to go public as early as this fall. (CNN)
+ The company did not disclose its target valuation. (Guardian)
+ It’s expected to list shortly after a trillion-dollar IPO by SpaceX. (BBC)
+ Beating OpenAI in the IPO race could have a big impact. (WSJ $)

4 Hackers stole Instagram accounts just by asking Meta AI for them
They easily broke into a host of celebrity profiles. (404 Media)
+ The exploit shows the risk of offloading support to AI. (TechCrunch)
+ AI is making online crimes easier. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Chinese universities with military ties are seeking Nvidia chips
Two are blacklisted by the US Commerce Department. (Bloomberg $)
+ The Chinese military has sought restricted Nvidia chips for years. (NYT $)
+ US senators have slammed a loophole in chip export rules. (Reuters $)

6 Blue Origin and NASA disagree on a crucial rocket’s next flight
+ Blue Origin says the rocket will fly again this year. (Engadget)+ But NASA is less optimistic. (CNBC)+ The rocket’s failure cast doubt on NASA’s moon plans. (BBC)

7 Moderna has won funding to develop an Ebola mRNA vaccine
The CEPI has pledged over $60 million to the effort. (Ars Technica)
+ To fight an outbreak raging out of control. (MIT Technology Review)

8 China is using AI to predict future political dissent
A company called Geedge Networks is developing the tech. (NYT $)

9 Geoengineering can thicken Arctic ice, but melt results are mixed
Trials show the tech has had a limited impact. (New Scientist $)

10 Top AI labs are expanding research into machine ‘consciousness’
Meta, Anthropic, and DeepMind are increasing their investments. (FT $)
+ A new tool could show how consciousness works. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids. They have chosen profit over public safety, and we're not going to stand for it in here in Florida.” 

—Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier tells reporters why his state is suing OpenAI, the LA Times reports.

One More Thing

Why the sci-fi dream of cryonics never died

Cryonics is best known for its appearance in sci-fi films like 2001: A Space Odyssey. But its adherents have held on to a dream that advances in medicine will one day allow for resuscitation and additional years on Earth.

Around 500 people are preserved in liquid nitrogen globally, while another 4,000 are on waiting lists. Despite scant evidence that cryonics can work, believers remain optimistic that future science could eventually revive them.

Discover why the hope of human reanimation refuses to die.

—Laurie Clarke

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.)

+ Hear Dolly Parton reimagined through this spot-on Dire Straits-style cover of “Jolene”.
+ Find out which birds people search for most in this interactive visualization of bird popularity.
+ Explore thousands of Q&As between students and astronauts on the ISS at this interactive site.
+ Paris’s oldest bridge disappeared beneath a giant inflatable cave in this surreal public art installation.