The Download: an interview with Palmer Luckey, and AI-assisted math tutors

Artificial intelligence could help. A new tool could improve the one-on-one tutoring sometimes used to supplement class instruction in these schools, by letting tutors tap into more experienced teachers’ expertise during virtual sessions. Here’s how it works. 

—Rhiannon Williams 

The must-reads

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

1  Google is developing an AI agent called Jarvis
It’ll be able to do entire tasks for you, like buying things or making bookings. (The Information $)
+ What are AI agents? (MIT Technology Review)

2 Far-right sheriffs are preparing to disrupt the election 
And the means they’re planning to use are getting more and more violent. (Wired $)
+ Election officials are receiving an unprecedented number of threats. (The Atlantic $)
+ Groups are coordinating online to spread lies about the election. (NBC) 

3 Check out the first images of the sun’s flares from a new NASA telescope
These storms are what’s behind the increased visibility of shimmering lights in our night skies recently. (NYT $)

4 Elon Musk seems to have briefly worked illegally in the US
Which makes his current obsession with borders look a tad hypocritical. (WP $)
+ Why is he backing Trump so enthusiastically? (Vox)

5 An AI transcription tool used in hospitals invents things no one said
OpenAI has said its Whisper tool shouldn’t be used in ‘high-risk domains’. But that’s exactly what’s happening. (AP)

6 China is restricting access to materials needed to make chips
It has a near-monopoly, so any squeeze on supply is likely to have an outsized impact. (NYT $)
+ What’s next in chips. (MIT Technology Review)

7 A Neuralink rival says its eye implant restored vision to blind people 
It’s an exciting finding—but still very early days for testing the technology. (Wired $)

8 Nuclear power is back in fashion
But whether building new reactors is the best way to rapidly cut emissions is debatable. (Nature)
+ Why artificial intelligence and clean energy need each other. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Is Boeing fixable? 
It’s been in chaos for the best part of five years, and the problems just keep piling up. (FT $)

10 People have a lot of love for Microsoft Excel 
It’s been around for 40 years, during which time it’s gathered a surprisingly devoted fanbase. (The Guardian)