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The Download: the future of nuclear power, and fact checking Mark Zuckerberg

Jan 14, 2025 - technologyreview.com
The article provides an overview of current trends and developments in technology, focusing on several key areas. It highlights the potential transformation in nuclear power as demand for electricity rises, with interest in building new nuclear capacity and rethinking reactor designs. The piece also discusses changes at Meta, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of fact-checking in the US and adjustments to its speech policies, emphasizing his control over these decisions. Additionally, the article touches on AI advancements, with companies focusing on creating AI agents and improving energy efficiency through small language models.

Other notable topics include the possibility of Elon Musk acquiring TikTok, Amazon drivers delivering amid LA fires, and Alexa's generative AI update. The article also addresses environmental issues like animal manure's climate impact and power lines causing California fires. It mentions spyware concerns in Barcelona, Mastodon's founder's company restructuring, and a Welsh man's failed crypto recovery quest. The piece concludes by discussing the potential for a new cold war driven by authoritarian tech, with democracies and autocracies increasingly using digital surveillance and control.

Key takeaways:

  • Elon Musk is rumored to potentially become the new owner of TikTok, though TikTok has dismissed the report as fiction.
  • There is renewed interest in nuclear power, with efforts to build new capacity and rethink reactor designs, especially with advanced reactors moving into the construction phase by 2025.
  • Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced changes to Meta's policies, including ending fact-checking in the US and altering its hateful speech policy.
  • AI developments are focusing on creating agents that can complete tasks and making AI faster and more energy efficient, with small language models gaining attention.
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