This is today's episode Loading, Our weekday newsletter, breaking down what's happening in tech, every day.
What we still don't know about weight loss drugs
Weight loss drugs are back in the news this week. First, we heard that Eli Lilly, the company behind Mounjaro and Zepbound, became the first healthcare company in the world to reach a trillion-dollar valuation.
But we also learned that, unfortunately, GLP-1 drugs don't seem to help people with Alzheimer's disease. And that people who stop taking medications during pregnancy may experience potentially dangerous weight gain. On top of that, some researchers are concerned that people are using postpartum medications to lose weight during pregnancy without realizing the potential risks.
All of this news should serve as a reminder that there is still a lot we don't know about these drugs. So let's look at the perennial questions surrounding GLP-1 agonist drugs..
— Jessica Hamzelu
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review's weekly biotechnology newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday and be the first to read articles like this, register here.
If you are interested in weight loss drugs and how they affect us, take a look at:
+ GLP-1 agonists such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro may benefit heart and brain health, but research suggests they may also cause pregnancy complications and harm some users. Read the whole story.
+ We have never understood how hunger works. Perhaps the situation will change soon. Read the whole story.
+ Injections for weight loss have flooded the Internet. But what does this mean for people in real life??
+ This vibrating diet pill seems to work—on pigs. Read the whole story.
What we know about how AI affects the economy
There's a lot at stake when it comes to understanding how AI is changing the economy right now. Should we be pessimists? Optimistic? Or is the situation too delicate for that?
Hopefully we can point you to some answers. Matt Honan, our editor-in-chief, will host a special subscriber-only roundtable discussion with our editor-in-chief David Rothman and Richard Waters. Financial Times a columnist who studies what is happening in different markets. Register here join us at 1:00 pm ET on Tuesday, December 9th.
The event is part Financial Times And MIT Technology Review State of AI Partnership exploring the global impact of artificial intelligence. Over the past month, we have had discussions among our journalists…register here to get future episodes every Monday.
A must read
I've scoured the internet to find you the funniest/important/scary/fascinating technology stories of today.
1. Tech billionaires are preparing to fight AI regulation
Raising multimillion-dollar military funds ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections. (WSJ $)
+ Donald Trump's “Manhattan Project” in the field of artificial intelligence is certainly ambitious. (Information $)
2 EU wants to hold social networks accountable for financial fraud
New rules will force tech companies to pay banks compensation if they fail to correct fraud reports. (Politician)
3. China is concerned about the humanoid robot bubble
Because there are more than 150 companies producing very similar machines. (Bloomberg $)
+ It could learn some lessons from the current AI bubble. (CNN)+ Why the humanoid workforce is late. (MIT Technology Review)
4. Fraud complex blown up in Myanmar
And its residents will simply find new bases for their activities. (NOW $)
+ Experts suspect that the destruction could have been a demonstration. (Wired $)
+ Inside the romance scam complex – and how people are tricked into ending up there. (MIT Technology Review)
Five navies around the world are investing in underwater drones
They cost a fraction of what it would cost to operate a traditional manned submarine. (Guardian)
+ How underwater drones could affect a potential Taiwan-China conflict. (MIT Technology Review)
6 What to Expect from China's Seemingly Unstoppable Innovation Rush
Extremely liberal regulators play a big role. (Economist $)
+ Is China going to win the AI race? (MIT Technology Review)
7 The UK is at war with VPNs
Good luck trying to convince people to stop using them. (Edge)
8. We'll learn more about Jeff Bezos' mysterious watch project
He has supported the Long Now Clock for many years, and construction is picking up pace. (FT $)
+ How the aging clock can help us understand why we age and whether we can reverse it. (MIT Technology Review)
9. Have we finally seen the first hints of dark matter?
These researchers seem to think so. (New scientist $)
10. Helpful robot helps archaeologists reconstruct Pompeii
Assembling ancient frescoes is painstaking and time-consuming, but less so if you are a deft machine. (Reuters)
Quote of the day
“We fail… often.”
— Defense company Anduril explains its “move fast and break” philosophy Wall Street Journal in response to reports that its systems were marred by problems in Ukraine.
One more thing
How to Create the Best AI Test
It's not easy being one of Silicon Valley's favorite icons.
SWE-Bench (pronounced swee-bench) was launched in November 2024 as a way to evaluate the coding skills of an AI model. Since then, it has quickly become one of the most popular tests in the field of AI. SWE-Bench evaluation has become the basis of major model releases from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, and beyond basic models, fine-tuners at AI firms are constantly competing to see who can outperform the rest.
Despite all the enthusiasm, this is not a completely truthful assessment of which model is “better.” Participants have begun to game the system, leading many others to wonder whether there is a better way to measure AI achievements. Read the whole story.
—Russell Brandom
We can still have good things
A place for comfort, fun and entertainment that will brighten your day. (Any ideas? Write to me or shoot skeet at me.)
+ Aww, these sharks appears to be playing with pool toys.
+ Strange things happen Easter Island (even weirder than you can imagine) 
+ Very cool – archaeologists discovered Roman tomb it has been sealed for 1700 years.
+ This Japanese media collage My eyes are swimming, in a good way.
