The Download: how to run an LLM, and a history of “three-parent babies”

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

How to run an LLM on your laptop

In the early days of large language models, there was a high barrier to entry: it used to be impossible to run anything useful on your own computer without investing in pricey GPUs. But researchers have had so much success in shrinking down and speeding up models that anyone with a laptop, or even a smartphone, can now get in on the action.

For people who are concerned about privacy, want to break free from the control of the big LLM companies, or just enjoy tinkering, local models offer a compelling alternative to ChatGPT and its web-based peers. Here’s how to get started running a useful model from the safety and comfort of your own computer. Read the full story.

—Grace Huckins

This story is part of MIT Technology Review’s How To series, helping you get things done. You can check out the rest of the series here.

A brief history of “three-parent babies”

This week we heard that eight babies have been born in the UK following an experimental form of IVF that involves DNA from three people. The approach was used to prevent women with genetic mutations from passing mitochondrial diseases to their children.

But these eight babies aren’t the first “three-parent” children out there. Over the last decade, several teams have been using variations of this approach to help people have babies. But the procedure is not without controversy. Read the full story.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.

The must-reads

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

1 OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Agent 
It undertakes tasks on your behalf by building its own “virtual computer.” (The Verge)
+ It may take a while to actually complete them. (Wired $)
+ Are we ready to hand AI agents the keys? (MIT Technology Review)

2 The White House is going after “woke AI”
It’s preparing an executive order preventing companies with “liberal bias” in their models from landing federal contracts. (WSJ $)
+ Why it’s impossible to build an unbiased AI language model. (MIT Technology Review)

3 A new law in Russia criminalizes certain online searches
Looking up LGBT content, for example, could land Russians in big trouble. (WP $)
+ Dozens of Russian regions have been hit with cellphone internet shutdowns. (ABC News)

4 Elon Musk wants to detonate SpaceX rockets over Hawaii’s waters
Even though the proposed area is a sacred Hawaiian religious site. (The Guardian)
+ Rivals are rising to challenge the dominance of SpaceX. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Meta’s privacy violation trial is over
The shareholders suing Mark Zuckerberg and other officials have settled for a (likely very hefty) payout. (Reuters)

6 Inside ICE’s powerful facial recognition app
Mobile Fortify can check a person’s face against a database of 200 million images. (404 Media)
+ The department has unprecedented access to Medicaid data, too. (Wired $)

7 DOGE has left federal workers exhausted and anxious
Six months in, workers are struggling to cope with the fall out. (Insider $)
+ DOGE’s tech takeover threatens the safety and stability of our critical data. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Netflix has used generative AI in a show for the first time
To cut costs, apparently. (BBC)

9 Does AI really spell the end of loneliness?
Virtual companions aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. (New Yorker $)
+ The AI relationship revolution is already here. (MIT Technology Review)

10 Flip phones are back with a vengeance
At least they’re more interesting to look at than a conventional smartphone. (Vox)
+ Triple-folding phones might be a bridge too far, though. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“It is far from perfect.”

—Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s chief product officer, acknowledges that its new agent still requires a lot of work, Bloomberg reports.

One more thing

GMOs could reboot chestnut trees

Living as long as a thousand years, the American chestnut tree once dominated parts of the Eastern forest canopy, with many Native American nations relying on them for food. But by 1950, the tree had largely succumbed to a fungal blight probably introduced by Japanese chestnuts.

As recently as last year, it seemed the 35-year effort to revive the American chestnut might grind to a halt. Now, American Castanea, a new biotech startup, has created more than 2,500 transgenic chestnut seedlings— likely the first genetically modified trees to be considered for federal regulatory approval as a tool for ecological restoration. Read the full story.

 —Anya Kamenetz

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)

+ This stained glass embedded into a rusted old Porsche is strangely beautiful.
+ Uhoh: here comes the next annoying group of people to avoid, the Normans.
+ I bet Dolly Parton knows a thing or two about how to pack for a trip.
+ Aww—orcas have been known to share food with humans in the wild.