This is todays edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of whats going on in the world of technology.Are friends electric?Thankfully, the difference between humans and machines in the real world is easy to discern, at least for now. While machines tend to excel at things adults find difficultplaying world-champion-level chess, say, or multiplying really big numbersthey find it hard to accomplish stuff a five-year-old can do with ease, such as catching a ball or walking around a room without bumping into things.This fundamental tensionwhat is hard for humans is easy for machines, and whats hard for machines is easy for humansis at the heart of three new books delving into our complex and often fraught relationship with robots, AI, and automation. They force us to reimagine the nature of everything from friendship and love to work, health care, and home life. Read the full story.Bryan GardinerThis story is from the next edition of our print magazine, which is all about relationships. Subscribe now to read it and get a copy of the magazine when it lands on February 26!If youre interested in how technology is influencing our relationships, why not check out these stories:+ Chatbots are rapidly changing how we connect with our spouses, kids, colleagues, friends, and even ourselves. And theyre providing us with everything from argument arbitration tips and emotional support to parenting help and even romance. Read the full story.+ An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himselfbut the company doesnt want to censor it. Read the full story.+ How cuddly robots could change dementia care. Researchers are using AI and technological advancements to create companion robots. Read the full story.+ Technology that lets us speak to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready? Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve.The must-readsIve combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.1 DOGE plans to use AI to decide federal workers fateThe department will feed employees emails into an AI model which will determine whether their jobs are necessary. (NBC News)+ Its part of its cut-first-ask-questions-later approach. (WP $)+ Even Trump appointees are taken aback by how gung-ho Elon Musk is being. (Vox)+ The now-public email address has been inundated with spam. (TechCrunch)2 Ukraine is on the verge of losing its most sophisticated weaponryIf the US pulls military aid, Ukraine and its allies will struggle to cover the shortfall in equipment. (WSJ $)+ Volodmyr Zelensky is one of the few leaders standing up to Donald Trump. (The Atlantic $)+ Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraines drone defense. (MIT Technology Review)3 Anthropic has released a hybrid-reasoning AI modelSome answers dont require extensive, human-like reasoning after all. (Bloomberg $)+ Whats next for AI in 2025. (MIT Technology Review)4 Were probably not going to be hit by an asteroid in 2032But the moon may not be so lucky. (NY Mag $)+ The first asteroid mining company hopes to launch this week. (NYT $)5 Europe has launched a new AI-powered weather prediction systemIt can outperform traditional forecasting methods up to 15 days in advance. (FT $)+ Google DeepMinds new AI model is the best yet at weather forecasting. (MIT Technology Review)6 Elizabeth Holmes conviction has been upheldThe Theranos founders multi-year appeal was rejected. (The Guardian)7 Dating whistleblowers are being targeted by a Telegram networkWomen who warn others in the Facebook group Are We Dating the Same Guy? are being doxxed and harassed. (Wired $)8 Deep sea minings effects last for decadesBiodiversity suffers in previously-mined trenches in comparison to untouched areas. (New Scientist $)+ These deep-sea potatoes could be the future of mining for renewable energy. (MIT Technology Review)9 Nigerias cloud startups are boomingMove over, Amazon and Google. (Rest of World)10 An AI video of Trump sucking Musks toes is being played on US government TVsMaybe not all AI art is bad, after all. (404 Media)Quote of the dayThe vast majority are not drinking the Kool-Aid, they are not activistsbut they are conflicted.Ariella Steinhorn, who runs a whistleblower-supporting media company, explains how most workers at Big Tech firms feel about their bosses aligning themselves with Donald Trump to the Financial Times.The big storyInside NASAs bid to make spacecraft as small as possibleOctober 2023Since the 1970s, weve sent a lot of big things to Mars. But when NASA successfully sent twin Mars Cube One spacecraft, the size of cereal boxes, in November 2018, it was the first time wed ever sent something so small.Just making it this far heralded a new age in space exploration. NASA and the community of planetary science researchers caught a glimpse of a future long sought: a pathway to much more affordable space exploration using smaller, cheaper spacecraft. Read the full story.David W. BrownWe can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet em at me.)+ RIP Roberta Flack, one of the realest to ever do it.+ Very cool: its looking like Bigfoot could become Californias first official cryptid + These portraits concealed within masterpiece paintings are mind blowing.+ Happy birthday to the late, great George Harrison, who would have been 82 today.