What Atlanta can teach tech about cultivating black talent

PLUS: The US-China tech divide, deepfake porn, and the feds vs. Huawei. View this email in your browser  01.19.20 They call it the pipeline problem: It's the popular way to rationalize the paltry number of black engineers and developers working in the technology industry, especially in artificial intelligence. The theory goes that since not enough young African Americans are coming through higher education programs, companies have trouble addressing the racial disparities in their workforces. But as Latoya Peterson and Stephanie Dinkins write this week on Backchannel, the problem is more complicated than that—and its solution may be emerging in the tech scene in Atlanta. Mark Robinson | Features Editor, WIRED   What Atlanta Can Teach Tech About Cultivating Black Talent BY LATOYA PETERSON The city is rich in opportunity for African Americans, who are largely underrepresented in the industry. It's also poised to become a hotbed for AI innovation.   CHINA Inside the Feds' Battle Against Huawei BY GARRETT M. GRAFF How Washington went to war against the Chinese smartphone giant, and how the runaway conflict could spell the end of a single, global internet.    IDEAS Dirty Money and Bad Science at MIT's Media Lab BY NOAM COHEN The school's investigation shows that two separate scandals—over Jeffrey Epstein and OpenAg—were closely linked.    COVER STORY Chris Evans Goes to Washington BY ARIELLE PARDES The actor's new project, A Starting Point, aims to give all Americans the TL;DR on WTF is going on in politics. It's harder than punching Nazis on the big screen.   WIRED Q&A UN Secretary-General: US-China Tech Split Worse Than Cold War BY NICHOLAS THOMPSON In an interview with WIRED editor in chief Nicholas Thompson, António Guterres says the world's next major conflict will start in cyberspace.   IDEAS Deepfake Porn Harms Adult Performers, Too BY LUX ALPTRAUM Their bodies are being weaponized for online harassment—and the experience, actors say, is eviscerating. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED access for less than $1 a month.   Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else.   Subscribe now     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions