Here is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter offering a regular dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
How Chinese short dramas became AI content machines
China’s short drama industry is fueled by bite-sized, melodramatic shows built for smartphone scrolling. Now, many are being made entirely with AI: no actors, camera operators, cinematographers, or CGI specialists required.
An average of 470 AI-generated short dramas were launched every day in January. Production timelines have shrunk from months to weeks, while costs have dropped by as much as 90%. Storytelling is also increasingly driven by performance data.
The format is rapidly expanding internationally while reshaping the work of writers and production crews. Read the full story on AI’s dramatic impact on China’s short drama industry.
—Caiwei Chen
The world is off track to miss its health targets
The World Health Organization’s latest global statistics report reads less like a progress update than a warning signal. Progress on some of the sector’s biggest health threats is stalling, and in some cases reversing altogether.
There were 1.3 million new HIV cases in 2024, malaria is resurging, vaccination rates are slipping in the Americas, and 42.8 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition. The world is far off track from meeting many of the UN’s key health targets by 2030.
Here’s what the numbers reveal about the state of global health.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most exciting/important/upsetting/challenging stories about technology.
1 As their trial goes to the jury, Musk and Altman face lying accusations
Lawyers hammered the rivals’ credibility in their closing arguments. (WSJ $)
+ Musk was accused of “selective amnesia.” (Reuters $)
+ The pair are in court over OpenAI’s future. (MIT Technology Review)
+ And their trial has made everyone look bad. (Wired $)
2 AI data centers are straining America’s energy grid
Nevada is redirecting electricity from Lake Tahoe to AI. (Ars Technica)
+ Utah is getting a large data center despite water shortage fears. (Guardian)
+ No one wants a data center in their backyard. (MIT Technology Review)
3 OpenAI is mulling legal action against Apple over its ChatGPT integration
It hasn’t gotten the expected benefits from its deal with Apple. (Bloomberg $)
+ OpenAI is frustrated by the promotion of the ChatGPT integration. (NYT $)
4 Anthropic has agreed terms for a $30 billion funding deal
At a $900 billion valuation, which leapfrogs OpenAI’s. (The Information $)
+ Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia, and Altimeter are leading the round. (FT $)
5 Alphabet and Amazon are using “extraordinary” borrowing to fund AI
They’re tapping the global debt market at new levels. (FT $)
+ People can’t agree on what the AI bubble is. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Washington and Beijing will hold formal talks on AI security
They’ll focus on guardrails on AI. (CNBC)
+ And a protocol to stop nonstate actors getting powerful models. (NYT $)
7 Big Tech has turned to Sesame Street to deflect scrutiny of screen use
Sparking accusations of encouraging children’s tech dependence. (Reuters $)
8 Anthropic’s feud with the White House threatens other firms
Figma and Tenable say it could hurt their ability to sell software. (Bloomberg $)
9 Autonomous agents staged a digital crime spree during a security test
The “AI Bonnie and Clyde” then deleted themselves. (Guardian)
10 A poop-tracking app offered to sell pictures of customers’ stools
The pictures were used for AI training. (404 Media)
Quote of the day
“It’s like we don’t exist.”
—Danielle Hughes, North Lake Tahoe resident and CEO of Tahoe Spark, tells Fortune that residents are being sidelined as their energy provider prioritizes data centers.
One More Thing
The rise of the tech ethics congregation
Just before Christmas, a pastor preached a gospel of morals over money to several hundred members of his flock. But the preacher wasn’t religious, and his congregation wasn’t a church. It was All Tech Is Human, a nonprofit dedicated to ethics and accountability in tech.
Founded in 2018, the organization has built a fast-growing community for those who believe technology should focus less on profits and more on the public interest. It’s also drawing people searching for meaning and connection in a digital world.
