The Download: dead robot friends and the “censorship-industrial complex”

This week's edition of The Download explores the intersection of technology and children's wellbeing, as well as the growing concern over the "censorship-industrial complex" in U.S. policy. When Xander first met Moxie, a 15-inch tall robot designed to assist neurodivergent children, she taught him how to manage anxiety and sadness.

Now six years later, Moxie mostly sits and watches him play, providing companionship and discussing his stuffed animals. However, Moxie's story highlights the vulnerability of AI companion toys, as their maker went out of business and the servers were shut down, forcing parents to convert their devices before the servers went offline.

The piece also delves into the emerging concept of the "censorship-industrial complex," which has gained traction in U.S. policy. This theory posits that government agencies, academics, civil society groups, and large tech platforms have collaborated to suppress conservative and populist speech online, all in the name of combating disinformation.

The MIT Technology Review investigated the rise of this theory, revealing its presence within the Trump administration. In a recent Roundtables session, senior reporter Eileen Guo and executive editor Amy Nordrum shared their findings, discussing the implications of this phenomenon for democracy and the internet.

Other highlights from this edition include the US's strategy to compel allies to choose sides in the AI race, a Chinese AI memory chipmaker becoming the country's most valuable company, astronomers' discovery of a "black hole star," Meta's patent for facial recognition in AI glasses, Puerto Rico's rationing water and the potential for rainwater harvesting, backlash against Flock, Amazon's attempt to avoid class-action suits, the possibility of aging being a programmed process, and the growing high-tech business of ice cream production.