Google strikes again… In ArcticFox 2020.3.1 patch 2 (Gradle 8.0), it looks like they changed Gradle’s syntax yet again in a way guaranteed to break every project that ever came before it.
Old version (printed in book):
apply plugin 'com.android application'
apply plugin 'kotlin-android'
apply plugin 'kotlin-kapt'
Revised version (based on syntax in ArcticFox build.gradle):
plugins {
id 'com.android.application'
id 'kotlin-android'
id 'kotlin-kapt'
}