This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. OpenAI has brought a new web search tool to ChatGPT The news: ChatGPT can now search the web for up-to-date answers to a users queries. Previously it was restricted to generating answers from its training data, and had limited web search capabilities. But now, ChatGPT will automatically search the web in response to queries about recent information such as sports, stocks, or news of the day, and can deliver rich multi-media results. How to use it: The feature is available now for the chatbots paying users, but OpenAI intends to make it available for free later, even when people are logged out. It also plans to combine search with its voice features. The context: OpenAI is the latest tech company to debut an AI-powered search assistant, challenging similar tools from competitors such as Google, Microsoft, and startup Perplexity. However, none of these tools are immune from the persistent tendency of AI language models to make things up or get them wrong. Read the full story. Melissa Heikkil and Mat Honan AI search could break the web Benjamin Brooks is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard scrutinizing the regulatory and legislative response to AI. At its best, AI search can better infer a users intent, amplify quality content, and synthesize information from diverse sources. But if AI search becomes our primary portal to the web, it threatens to disrupt an already precarious digital economy. Today, the production of content online depends on a fragile set of incentives tied to virtual foot traffic: ads, subscriptions, donations, sales, or brand exposure. By shielding the web behind an all-knowing chatbot, AI search could deprive creators of the visits and eyeballs they need to survive. Heres what the industry should do to make AI search sustainable. This AI-generated Minecraft may represent the future of real-time video generation When you walk around in a version of the video game Minecraft from the AI companies Decart and Etched, it feels a little off. Sure, you can move forward, cut down a tree, and lay down a dirt block, just like in the real thing. If you turn around, though, the dirt block you just placed may have morphed into a totally new environment. That doesnt happen in Minecraft. But this new version is entirely AI-generated, so its prone to hallucinations. Not a single line of code was written. For Decart and Etched, this demo is a proof of concept. But they believe that, with innovations in chip design and further improvements, theres no reason it wont soon be possible to develop a high-fidelity version of Minecraft, or really any game, using AI. Read the full story. Scott J Mulligan Read next: AI-powered NPCs that dont need a script could make gamesand other worldsdeeply immersive. Read our feature about how generative AI could reinvent what it means to play. How exosomes could become more than just an anti-aging fad Jessica Hamzelou Over the past month or so, Ive been working on a story about exosomes. Theyre being touted as a hot new beauty treatment, a fountain of youth, and generally a cure-all therapy for a whole host of ailments. Any cell biologist, though, will tell you what exosomes really are: tiny little blobs that bud off from cells and contain a mixture of proteins and other components. Were not entirely clear what those components are or what they do, despite the promises made by medspas and cosmetic clinics charging thousands of dollars for exosome therapies. However, there is some very exciting scientific research underway to better understand exactly what exosomes do. It might take longer for these kinds of exosome applications to get to the clinic, but when they do, at least theyll be evidence based. Read all about whats going on. This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech and health. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 As the US election looms, social media platforms have given up moderating Efforts to fight falsehoods have drastically backslid since 2020. (Wired$)+Young voters are encountering Trumps grab them comment for the first time on TikTok.(WP$)+Ignore the noisethe US election system is actually stronger than ever, experts say.(CNET)2 AI policy is something Harris and Trump broadly agree onOn the surface, they look miles apart. But dig into their track records, and there are lots of similarities. (The Atlantic$)+Investors are getting tired of waiting for returns on their AI investments.(Quartz$)+What even is AI? No one seems to agreeand thats a problem. (MIT Technology Review)3 Inside Elon Musks grand plan to remake the US governmentIf he gets his promised role as efficiency tsar, he plans to go on a slashing and burning spree. (WP$)4 Outside the US, the world is increasingly using Chinese technologyDespite US sanctions, it dominates fields like drones, solar panels, and electric vehicles. (Bloomberg$)+Chinese sanctions are causing a supply chain crisis for Skydio, the USs largest drone maker.(FT$)+BYD posted higher quarterly revenues than Tesla for the first time. (FT$)+Whats next for drones.(MIT Technology Review)5 Heres how to make all the political text messages go awayWhatever you do, do not actually reply Stop (seriously). (WSJ$)6 Amazon workers are furious over its return-to-office policyThey say the company is failing to provide evidence to back it up, and misrepresenting their views. (Reuters$)7 Hundreds of Dubliners turned up for a fake AI-generated Halloween paradeWe can expect to see more and more examples like this, of AI fakery spilling over into the physical world. (Metro)8 Ghost jobs are haunting tech workersFake jobs posted by real companies are growing irritation for people seeking work. (SFGate)9 Cloud-milking is a new zero-energy way to extract water from fogIts been successfully tested in the Canary Islands, but it could help other areas recovering from natural disasters. (The Guardian)10 Your wall paints could soon do much more than look prettyInnovators are working on paints that can peel off, resist dirt, and even provide insulation. (BBC)Quote of the day "Were going to add a whole new category of content, which is AI generated or AI summarized content or kind of existing content pulled together by AI in some way. And I think that thats going to be just very exciting." Mark Zuckerberg says we can expect our timelines to be filled with more and more AI slop during a call with investors, 404 Media reports.The big story Why Generation Z falls for online misinformation GETTY June 2021 In November 2019, a TikTok video claiming that if Joe Biden is elected president of the United States, trumpies will commit mass murder of LGBT individuals and people of color rapidly went viral. It was viewed, shared, liked and commented on by hundreds of thousands of young people. Clearly, the claims were false. Why, then, did so many members of Generation Za label applied to people aged roughly 9 to 24, who are presumably more digitally savvy than their predecessorsfall for such flagrant misinformation? The answer is complex, but may partly lie in a sense of common identity with the person who shared it in the first place. Read the full story. Jennifer Neda John 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 tweet 'em at me.) + Here are some words to warm you up on this first day of November. + Becky Barnicoats comics always make me laugh. + If you were also obsessed with Tom and Greg in Succession, youll enjoy this. + Lets hear it for Missy Elliottheres why shes such a peerless entertainer. ($)