The Download: generative AI therapy, and the future of 23andMe’s genetic data
Mar 31, 2025 - technologyreview.com
The article provides a roundup of recent developments in technology and related fields. It highlights a clinical trial where a generative AI therapy bot was found to be as effective as human therapy for mental health issues, though it cautions against the unregulated use of such technologies. It also discusses the potential genetic privacy issues arising from 23andMe's bankruptcy, the role of online activists in warning migrants about ICE raids, and the suppression of a measles forecast by US health experts. Additionally, it covers topics like the US-China race to develop humanoid robots, the environmental impact of China's air pollution cleanup, and brands' cautious advertising strategies on Elon Musk's platform X.
The article also touches on various other stories, such as H&M's plans to use AI for creating digital replicas of models, the use of solar power by data centers, and the controversy over a mental health monitoring system. It concludes with a quote from an infectious disease expert warning about the spread of measles and a feature on Marseille's resistance to surveillance cameras. The piece ends with lighter notes, including a charming online pocket computer museum and the emergence of a new cat color.
Key takeaways:
The first clinical trial of a generative AI therapy bot suggests it was as effective as human therapy for people with depression, anxiety, or risk for developing eating disorders.
The fate of 15 million people’s genetic data rests in the hands of a bankruptcy judge now that 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy.
US health experts were ordered to bury a measles forecast that warned the risk of catching the virus was high in areas with lower vaccination rates.
The US and China are locked in a race to produce the first useful humanoid robot, which will dominate the future of many labor-intensive industries.
