The Download: soccer’s data renaissance and China’s big nuclear plans

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Inside soccer’s data renaissance

Imagine tuning in to the opening kickoff of a World Cup match and seeing a player intentionally kick the ball out of bounds. You may question the logic of surrendering possession seconds into a game. If you were Jesse Davis, though, you’d know that this play could be a prime setup to score.

Davis is a professor of computer science at KU Leuven in Belgium and head of its Sports Analytics Lab, which has been at the vanguard of a data awakening in soccer.

Using AI and data analytics, his team has uncovered hidden tactical patterns and challenged long-held assumptions about how the game should be played. Many of the insights hitting soccer pitches today trace back to the lab’s work.

Read the full story on how computer scientists are changing the world’s most popular sport.

—Andrew Zaleski

This story is from the next edition of our magazine. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands! 

Why China is betting on big nuclear reactors

In China, large reactors are coming together at a stunning pace. The country has nearly doubled its nuclear fleet since 2016, reaching nearly 60 gigawatts of total power capacity. Construction started on six new reactors in 2025, and two more have begun in 2026.

It’s incredibly difficult to build the massive projects that dominate the nuclear industry today. Up-front investment can run well into the billions, and designs are complex. Yet China is moving ahead rapidly. By 2030, the country is on course to overtake both the US and the EU in installed nuclear capacity.

Find out why bigger might be better when it comes to nuclear power.

—Casey Crownhart

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign upto receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Autonomous drones may have killed soldiers for the first time
A drone-maker said Russian troops were killed in a test. (New Scientist $)
+ The US has used a sea drone to rescue a helicopter’s crew. (NYT $)
+ Europe has a drone-filled vision for war. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Solar power has finally surpassed coal in US electricity generation
It’s the leading source of new power. (Guardian)
+ Meanwhile, Trump is increasing coal investments. (BBC)
+ The US is in a power struggle over coal. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Russia’s FSB has taken control of the country’s internet
The KGB successor now determines access. (Financial Times $)
+ Rage over the restrictions is boiling over. (NYT $)

4 OpenAI says China is fomenting dissent over AI on ChatGPT
It claims to have foundinfluence operations on the bot. (Reuters $)
+ The propaganda also targeted data centers and tariffs. (Politico $)

5 SpaceX’s listing price is expected to be revealed today
It could lead to the biggest IPO ever. (NPR)
+ And turn 4,400 employees into millionaires. (NYT $)

6 EPA scientists say they’re pushed to downplay risks of household products
They’re under pressure to alter reviews of chemicals in products. (CNN)

7 Anthropic has walked back a policy that “sabotaged” research
It would have limited Claude’s ability to develop competing AI models. (Wired $)

8 Congress wants in on the data center backlash
Members are jumping on the fervor with new policy plans. (Axios)
+ Should we be moving data centers to space? (MIT Technology Review)

9 Your search results are getting sloptimized
Companies are gaming the chatbot internet. (Atlantic $)

10 Scientists have discovered that humans prefer to walk anticlockwise
It’s a discovery that could improve crowd and evacuation management. (Guardian)

Quote of the day

“We’re the extracted and exploited colony of what is going to be one of the most highly valued entities in the world. People are going to die because of this pollution.” 

—Justin Pearson, who represents portions of Memphis in the Tennessee House of Representatives, tells Wired why his constituents are angry about the SpaceX IPO.

One More Thing

Space is all yours—for a hefty price

Space tourism is now officially a thing. But does it represent a future in which the average person could book a celestial flight and bask in the splendor of Earth from above? Or is this just another way for the ultrawealthy to flash their cash while simultaneously ignoring and exacerbating our existential problems down on the ground? 

For now, such flights remain ridiculously far beyond the financial reach of most people. They also pose risks to both the passengers and the planet. But proponents of private spaceflight argue that it provides great opportunities for science and a sense of transcendence.

Dive into the space tourism debate.

—Margaret O’Mara

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 skeet ’em at me.)

+ A rare antelope species was rediscovered in a remote Kenyan forest.
+ This ingenious camping trailer pops up into a fully heated off-road bathroom.
+ Iconic internet memes are now safely preserved in the British Film Institute’s moving image archive.
+ NASA’s experimental aircraft has successfully broken the sound barrier in a big win for supersonic flight.

The Download: the “steroid olympics” and a safer Mythos

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and a window into our culture

—Amit Katwala

A couple of weeks ago, at a $50 million arena built in a casino parking lot in Las Vegas, I witnessed a libertarian thought experiment come to life. The inaugural Enhanced Games were the first sporting competition where participants were encouraged to take performance-enhancing drugs.

For supporters of the event, the Enhanced Games offered a glimpse of a future in which medical advances push the human race to new heights—and they never have to get old. As I watched the games unfold, two questions bounced around my head: were they right? And what does that mean for the rest of us?

Read the full story to understand the answers.

MIT Technology Review Narrated: a reality check on the AI jobs hysteria

Despite the growing hysteria over AI’s threat to white-collar jobs, there’s still scant evidence that the technology has had a large-scale impact on the labor market.

Analysis of US labor data shows that unemployment in occupations most exposed to AI is actually lower than in less-exposed jobs. There are also no signs that large numbers of workers are shifting from AI-threatened professions into supposedly safer manual-labor jobs.

It’s true that things aren’t great in the job market. But the reason isn’t simply the rise of AI.

—David Rotman

This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Anthropic has released a “safe” version of Mythos
It promises it has enough guardrails and user limitations to be safe. (BBC)
+ It has a price tag twice as high as the previous flagship system. (NYT $)
+ Anthropic previously claimed Mythos was too dangerous to release. (CNBC)
+ But critics suspect that was a marketing play. (Guardian)
+ Selective access has become a key strategy for AI labs. (Axios)

2 Seattle has banned new data centers for a year
It’s the largest US city to have passed such a moratorium.(Guardian)
+ Its biggest tech firm, Amazon, has tried to stop the ban. (The Verge)
+ The movement to stop data centers is growing. (NYT $)

3 Democratic senators are pushing for a military AI restriction law
They want a human commander to have the final say. (Gizmodo)
+ But humans in the loop in an AI war is an illusion. (MIT Technology Review)

4 SpaceX plans to launch space data center tests by late 2027
Orbital compute is central to the company’s growth pitch. (Reuters $)
+ It’s also shared new designs for its space data centers. (BI)
+ We’d need these four things to put them in orbit. (MIT Technology Review)

5 China has been accused of escalating AI espionage
A report claims Beijing is hacking tech firms to catch up with the US. (CNBC)
+ There are no winners in a US-China AI arms race. (MIT Technology Review)

6 The Trump family has made about $2.3 billion from crypto
While investors lost about the same amount. (Gizmodo)
+ The Trumps risked next-to-nothing on their crypto ventures. (Reuters $)

7 Apple isn’t launching Siri AI in the European Union
It’s blaming EU interoperability requirements. (The Verge)
+Brussels says Apple didn’t try to find a compliance solution. (Reuters $) 

8 China’s new drone rules have spooked its thriving industry 
Drone firms face new commercial barriers. (Financial Times $)
+ China’s drone sector leads the world. (NYT $)

9 A judge has cancelled a trial after finding both legal teams used AI
The case descended into GenAI tools arguing against each other. (404 Media)
+ Courts have been flooded with AI-generated lawsuits. (MIT Technology Review)

10 The dinosaur-killing asteroid created a thriving new ecosystem
Microscopic life flourished in the extended heat. (New Scientist $)

Quote of the day

“AI technologies today are designed by and for WEIRD societies—Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic.” 

—Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor at Cornell University, tells Rest of World why AI systems don’t serve global needs.

One More Thing

LAUREN SIMKIN BERKE

Why the definition of design might need a change

The word “design” once carried a far wider set of meanings than it does today. They ranged from the literal and material (like tracing) through the tactical (to contrive and achieve a goal) to the organizational and institutional—the “designation” of people and objects.

Over centuries, as designing became increasingly separated from making, that broader understanding faded. But now there is a growing case for reclaiming the word’s original sense: not just the search for a more beautiful shape, but the shaping of a more beautiful and sustainable world. 

Find out why we should retool the word “design.”

—Nicholas de Monchaux

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.)

+ This history of humanity’s search for alien life is fascinating.
+ Watch a damaged painting slowly return to life in this art restoration video.
+ Admire young stars across every stage of cosmic formation in this stunning space picture of the month.
+ Daredevil divers have captured the first-ever underwater footage of an adult great white in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Download: whole-body rejuvenation drugs and five things to know about AI

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

David Sinclair plans to test whole-body rejuvenation drugs in the XPrize competition

The outspoken longevity scientist David Sinclair has predicted that, one day, you’ll go to the doctor and get a prescription that will make you 10 years younger. MIT Technology Review has learned of his latest step toward this: human tests of a “reprogramming” drug.

Sinclair, a biologist at Harvard Medical School, plans to launch the tests in a $101 million competition organized by the XPrize Foundation. The winners will “restore” a person to an earlier apparent age, as measured by improvements in immune, cognitive, and muscle function.

The grand prize goes to any team able to show a 10-year (or greater) relative improvement after one year of treatment. 

Sinclair says he plans to give an oral drug mixture to volunteers, in a bid to seek “evidence for age restoration in humans.” Find out how he hopes to reverse ageing through chemical reprogramming.

—Antonio Regalado

Five things you need to know about AI

—Will Douglas Heaven

At SXSW London last week, I gave a talk called “Five things you need to know about AI,” in which I shared what I think are the biggest themes in AI right now.

I pulled a few things from our first AI10 list, an annual guide to the top trends in this buzzy world, but I also veered off on several tangents. In my half-hour slot, I tried to cover the key talking points that I think help to make sense of what’s going on in tech—and thus the economy—today.  

Five key thoughts emerged: AI is everywhere all at once, it’s getting scary, a backlash is growing, it’s becoming a big deal for science—and I didn’t even need to show up at the talk. Read the full story for all the details.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 OpenAI has confidentially filed for a US IPO
The listing could come as early as September. (Reuters $)
+ OpenAI is targeting a valuation of up to $1 trillion. (Financial Times $)
+ The IPO will test investor appetite for AI companies. (WSJ $)
+ The move follows IPO filings from Anthropic and SpaceX. (CNN)

2 The US claims BYD, Baidu, Alibaba, and others are aiding China’s military
The Pentagon added them to a list of military-linked companies. (WSJ $)
+ The designations limit their operations in the US. (BBC)
+ The new additions also include humanoid firm Unitree. (TechCrunch)
+ The Pentagon is adapting to China’s tech rise. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Apple’s long-awaited AI overhaul of Siri is finally here
“Siri AI” promises to be a more conversational assistant. (NYT $)
+ It includes a standalone app and screen-reading features. (Reuters $)
+ And arrives after two years of repeated delays. (Axios)

4 The White House and Congress are working to limit state AI laws
A new deal would curb state rules for federal legislation. (Axios)
+ AI regulation has divided US politicians. (MIT Technology Review)

5  Meta is launching a “workforce academy” for building data centers
The five-week program is free of charge and guarantees a job. (WSJ $)
+ It arrives shortly after Meta laid off 8,000 employees. (NPR)

6 Taiwan is mulling curbs on AI chip exports to China
The new controls would further align with US restrictions. (Bloomberg $)
+ Future AI chips could be built on glass. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Meta has quietly removed face-recognition code from its smart glasses app
The code identified by investigators has disappeared. (Wired $)

8 Humanoid robots are edging towards the battlefield
American and Chinese militaries are pursuing the tech. (BBC)

9 The world’s first wind-powered underwater data center has launched
It uses less power and water than land-based equivalents. (Guardian)

10 You could get some benefits of sleep without having to nod off
If new brain stimulation works as well on humans as on mice, that is. (New Scientist $)

Quote of the day

“You’re on the train, but you know that there’s no destination.”

—Clara Shih, a former top AI executive at Salesforce and Meta, tells the New York Times that AI training can’t keep up with the field’s advances.

One More Thing

ILLUSTRATIONS BY AMRITA MARINO

Inside the race to make human sex cells in the lab

An embryo forms when sperm meets egg. But what if we could start with other cells—if a blood sample or skin biopsy could be transformed into “artificial” sperm and eggs? What if those were all you needed to make a baby?

That’s the promise of a radical approach to reproduction. Scientists have already created artificial eggs and sperm from mouse cells and used them to create mouse pups. Artificial human sex cells are next.

The advances could herald the end of infertility, but they raise major scientific and ethical challenges. 

Read the full story on the new recipes for sperm and eggs.

—Jessica Hamzelou

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.)

+ These chefs turn Pop-Tarts into the desserts that inspired them.
+ A choir has beautifully transformed System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!”
+ Scientists finally traced crabs’ sideways walk in this fascinating study of evolution.
+ This nostalgic essay on the family computer is a touching throwback to early internet life.

Top image credit: Stephanie Arnett/MIT Technology Review | Getty Images

Please send Pop-Tarts to hi@technologyreview.com. 

You can follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading!

—Thomas

The Download: how the World Cup ball will fly and OpenAI’s “super app”

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Why this year’s World Cup ball may not fly as far

Much is new about this month’s FIFA World Cup tournament. It hosts more teams than ever before. It’s the first to occur in three different host countries. 

And, like every World Cup for over half a century, it will employ a football with a brand-new design.

Through wind-tunnel experiments, researchers found that long-distance kicks with Adidas’s new Trionda ball might not travel as far as they did in the past. The payoff is a more predictable flight path, something players have not always enjoyed from World Cup balls.

Find out how a few grooves and seams can change the way the game is played.

—Jenna Ahart

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 OpenAI plans to turn ChatGPT into a ‘super app’ before its IPO
The revamp would combine coding tools and AI agents. (Financial Times $)
+ The super app ambitions first emerged last year. (Fast Company)
+ OpenAI is also building a fully automated researcher. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Trump wants the US government to take a stake in AI companies
He will meet AI leaders to discuss the plan. (BBC)
+ Which would create “a partnership with the American public.” (Reuters $)
+ He wants a slice of the AI boom. (Axios)

3 Google has agreed to pay SpaceX $30 billion for AI computing power
The $920 million-a-month contract runs through June 2029. (NYT $)
+ Google will use about 110,000 Nvidia GPUs owned by SpaceX. (CNBC)
+ It comes days after Anthropic struck a SpaceX data center deal. (WSJ $)

4 AI is set to make everyday life more expensive
Its insatiable thirst for resources is likely to push up inflation. (WP $)
+ We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Europe is accelerating its withdrawal from US Big Tech
New analysis reveals dozens of moves to alternative providers. (Wired $) + Last week, the EU launched a “made in Europe” drive. (Reuters $)

6 ICE plans to give local police a new facial recognition app
It would allow them to verify a person’s immigration status. (404 Media)
+ Is the Pentagon allowed to surveil Americans with AI? (MIT Technology Review)

7 Silicon Valley’s lure is fading for India’s tech talent
Due to Trump’s immigration policies and AI-driven layoffs. (Rest of World) 

8 ‘Recursive self-improvement’ has sparked fears of AI escaping control
Nobody is sure about the consequences of RSI. (The Economist $)
+ Here are five ways that AI is learning to improve itself. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Gene-edited embryos are getting closer, but a key safety gap remains
Current techniques still fail to edit every cell. (New Scientist $)
+ “Base-edited baby” is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies for 2026. (MIT Technology Review)

10 NASA astronauts will wear high-tech Prada underwear on their moon trips
Ventilation tubes are knitted into the garments. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“Chat is dead.” 

—A senior OpenAI employee tells the Financial Times why the company is shifting focus from chatbots to AI agents.

One More Thing

BETH HOECKEL

How AI is helping historians better understand our past

The digitization of historical records is making it possible to study the past in new ways. Historians are now using machine learning—particularly deep neural networks—to analyze everything from centuries-old astronomy textbooks to ancient Greek inscriptions.

The technology is helping researchers uncover new patterns in the historical record. But it also introduces risks, including the possibility that machine learning will slip bias or outright falsifications into our understanding of the past.

Read the full story on how AI is transforming the study of history.

—Moira Donovan

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.)

+ Take a tour of extinct everyday objects to travel back to pre-smartphone life.
+ This a cappella cover of “I Want To Know What Love Is” nails the power-ballad drama.
+ Korea’s ingenious “one-a-day” banana packs are designed so each one ripens sequentially.
+ Casino dialogue has been synced over Looney Tunes footage in this unexpectedly perfect mashup.

The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

The Meta hack shows there’s more to AI security than Mythos

On Monday, reports emerged that attackers had used Meta’s AI customer support agent to steal Instagram accounts. Their approach was simple: they asked the agent to link the accounts to email addresses they controlled, and it complied.

Since Anthropic announced that its Mythos model was too good at hacking for a general release, cybersecurity concerns have focused on the risk of superpowered AI systems overwhelming computer infrastructure. But the Instagram hack shows that far simpler exploits can still cause damage.

As companies offload more work to AI, these comparatively unsophisticated attacks are becoming harder to ignore. Read the full story to understand why.

—Grace Huckins

Are AI chatbots making us lose control of our brains?

Gloria Mark, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, fears that digital technologies are weakening our cognitive abilities.

Her research suggests attention spans have fallen sharply over time, leading to higher stress and lower performance. She now believes AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude may accelerate this shift. “You’re deferring your cognitive work to AI,” she said. “And it’s not good for us.”

Mark argues this could weaken critical thinking and emotional intelligence. Luckily, she thinks we can course-correct by changing our relationship with these technologies.

Find out how AI could reshape attention and thinking.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development
It flagged the risk of models “self-improving.” (WSJ $)
+ And wants a coordinated plan to stop them. (Reuters $)
+ Skeptics note that the timing is awfully convenient. (The Register)

2 In a first, scientists have precisely edited human embryo genes
They relied on a newer gene-editing technique. (NYT $)
+ Genetically-modified babies could be on their way. (Guardian)
+ Companies have big plans for the technology. (MIT Technology Review)

3 US officials have discussed taking financial stakes in the AI firms
They’ve held talks about the government acquiring shares. (Reuters $)
+ Sam Altman pitched the idea to the White House last year. (WSJ $)

4 Bot web traffic has overtaken human web traffic
Cloudflare said 57.4% of traffic now comes from bots. (NBC News)
+ Its CEO expected the milestone at the end of 2027. (CNET)

5 The White House plans to bring AI doctors into American medicine
It wants chatbots to diagnose illness and prescribe medicine. (WSJ $)
+ But we don’t even know if healthcare AI actually helps patients. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Meta quietly added facial recognition code for smart glasses to its app
The exploratory feature would identify people via biometric data. (Wired $)
+ Smart glasses are also entering warfare. (MIT Technology Review)

7 South Korea’s labour minister wants tech firms to share AI profits
Kim Young wants staff and suppliers to get a share. (Reuters $)
+ He helped avert a huge strike over AI profit-sharing at Samsung. (NYT $)

8 Canada’s highly-anticipated AI strategy has launched
It promises over $2 billion in funding and aims to create 250,000 jobs. (BBC)
+ AI could strengthen democracy. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Investment in agricultural tech is booming
That’s good news at a time when we’re facing unprecedented levels of food market volatility. (The Economist $)

10 Bumblebees can use tools to solve problems, new research shows
Not just busy—they’re clever too! (Guardian) 

Quote of the day

“Welp, that happened faster than I predicted.” 

—Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, one of the largest internet hosting services, reacts on X to reports that bots have overtaken humans in driving web traffic.

One More Thing

CHRISTOPHER PAYNE

Inside the machine that saved Moore’s Law

In a Connecticut clean room, the Dutch company ASML is developing the world’s most advanced machine for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a crucial process for manufacturing microchips.

The system has become vital to Moore’s Law—the observation that the number of transistors on a chip roughly doubles every two years as components shrink, driving gains in performance and efficiency. “Without this machine, it’s gone,” says Wayne Lam, a director of research at CCS Insight. “You can’t really make any leading-edge processors without EUV.”

Discover how ASML’s EUV technology saved Moore’s Law.

—Clive Thompson

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.)

+ Tech bosses love Tolkien. Here’s what the writer might think of them.
+ Rare footage captures an underwater volcano erupting beneath the Pacific Ocean.
+ Watch a tiny rescued cub grow into adulthood in this heartwarming tiger compilation.
+ This medieval version of “Take On Me” is like stepping into a tavern of synth-pop bards.

The Download: AI-generated lawsuits and virtual power plants for data centers

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

How courts are coping with a flood of AI-generated lawsuits

Most days in her chambers, Judge Maritza Braswell, a federal magistrate judge in Colorado, sifts through stacks of documents written by people without a lawyer. The number of these filings has more than doubled compared to before 2023. She puts that jump down to AI. 

But while AI appears to be expanding access to justice, it doesn’t seem to be improving people’s chances of winning. Judges are starting to question what rights and duties chatbots should have as they stand in for lawyers. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are grappling with who should pay the price when chatbots produce bad legal advice.

Read the full story on how AI is reshaping access to the law.

—Michelle Kim

How virtual power plants could provide energy for data centers

Would you take a payment to ramp down your electricity use? Would it change anything if you were doing so to help power a local data center? A new project backed by Google will put those questions to the test.

The company has signed a deal to fund a virtual power plant in the largest power grid in the US. The system will group together devices like electric vehicles and smart thermostats, paying customers to adjust their usage when the grid is stretched.

The project could free up capacity for Google’s data centers—but there’s a catch: people might not play along. Find out what the future holds for these virtual power plants.

—Casey Crownhart

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 The EU has proposed new legislation to end its Big Tech dependence
The laws aim to boost domestic ​cloud, AI and semiconductors. (CNBC)
+ US firms would be blocked from critical public tenders. (Reuters $)
+ It also wants to make sure non-EU actors cannot disrupt tech services with a “kill switch.” (The Guardian)
+ But the proposal needs to be negotiated with EU member states. (Politico $)

2 Intelligence agencies warn Chinese spies are recruiting on LinkedIn
The Five Eyes alliance said Beijing is using job platforms for espionage. (BBC)
+ The spies are allegedly recruiting government and military staff. (Politico $)
+ The Chinese embassy in the UK condemned the accusations. (Bloomberg $)
+ Meet the man hunting the spies in your smartphone. (MIT Technology Review)

3 AI CEOs have called for a law protecting against biological weapons
They warn that synthetic DNA could be used for bioweapons. (Wired $)
+ Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis joined the call. (WSJ $)
+ No one’s sure if synthetic mirror life will kill us all. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Firms are using Reddit to manipulate ChatGPT and Google AI search
They’re spamming subreddits to get posts scraped by chatbots. (404 Media)
+ What we’ve been getting wrong about AI’s truth crisis. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Meta keeps delaying the launch of its new AI model
The new Muse Spark ‌AI model API still has no release date. (WSJ $)
+ Which is hampering Meta’s plans to monetize its AI investments. (Reuters $)

6 For the first time, a US city has voted to permanently ban data centers
Monterey Park, California, voted in favor of the move. (LA Times)
+ Should we be moving data centers to space? (MIT Technology Review)

7 China is betting on household chore training to advance robotics
Data harvested in homes and factories provides a scaling edge. (Rest of World)
+ Gig workers are training humanoids at home. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Sam Altman will urge US lawmakers not to require AI model approvals
He’s advocating against proposals for new AI rules. (Reuters $)
+ His move comes after President Trump signed a new AI order. (Wired $)

9 Quantinuum raised $1.68 billion in an IPO as quantum computing rises 
Investors flocked to one of the fast-growing sector’s leaders. (Reuters $)

10 Someone finally wants to hire philosophers: Silicon Valley
Big tech hopes they will help build better machines. (The Atlantic $)

Quote of the day

“Historically, these companies have been very willing to play Russian roulette—and they’re playing another round.”

—Connor Leahy, an AI researcher, former hacker and US director of ControlAI, tells the Financial Times why he’s concerned about Anthropic’s relentless race to the top.

One More Thing

HENRY HORENSTEIN/GETTY

What an octopus’s mind can teach us about AI’s ultimate mystery

Emily Bender, a linguist at the University of Washington, has developed a thought experiment she calls the octopus test. It involves an octopus learning to copy patterns in human writing and produce squiggles in response. But does the animal actually understand the language or are we merely projecting meaning onto it?

Bender’s octopus is a stand-in for AI systems like ChatGPT. The intelligence we see in these machines is also projected on them by us. The same applies to consciousness: we may claim to see it, but it remains unclear whether it is really there.

Read the full story on the debate over machines with minds.

—Will Douglas Heaven

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.)

+ Discover where iconic sound effects actually came from in this fabulous audio history.
+ Need a serotonin boost? Then tune into this live puppy cam from Denali National Park.
+ Linux lovers can try 570 extinct operating systems at a new virtual museum.
+ Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” becomes something entirely different in this lightning-fast bass guitar performance.

The Download: Trump’s new AI order, and smart glasses for warfare

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

5 key points in Trump’s new AI order

Less than two weeks after scrapping an executive order on AI, President Donald Trump signed a new one on Tuesday. Promising to promote innovation and security, the policy represents a turning point in the White House’s AI governance—but is likely to attract criticism from both opponents and supporters of stricter regulation. Here are five key points from the order:

1. It’s created a voluntary review system: tech companies will be asked to share frontier models with the government for review 30 days before they plan to release them.
2. There’s no mandatory licensing: the government will not require permits before software can be deployed.
3. It establishes a dedicated AI cybersecurity clearinghouse: the new hub will coordinate security checks with the private sector.
4. It’s a watered-down version of the order Trump shelved last month: the earlier version requested models 90 days before their release.
5. But it’s still a move towards stronger AI oversight: the policy marks a clear departure from the White House’s previous hands-off approach.

Plus: here’s why a previous Trump administration’s AI policy was a distraction and how AI is already making online crimes easier. 

MIT Technology Review Narrated: inside Anduril and Meta’s quest to make smart glasses for warfare

The defense-tech company Anduril has shared new details about the augmented-reality headset for the military it’s prototyping with Meta, including a vision for ordering drone strikes via eye-tracking and voice commands.

Quay Barnett, who leads the effort at Anduril following a career in the Army’s Special Operations Command, aims to optimize “the human as a weapons system.” His vision is cyborg-inspired: drones and soldiers will see together, share information seamlessly, and make decisions as one.

—James O’Donnell

This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 President Trump has signed an AI order that expands model oversight
The long-awaited executive order aims to mitigate security threats. (NYT $)
+It asks companies to submit models voluntarily for tests before release. (NPR)
+ It’s a slimmed-down version of the order Trump shelved in May. (WSJ $)
+ And marks a strategic shift in his AI strategy. (Reuters $)
+ A war over AI regulation is coming to the US. (MIT Technology Review)

2 SpaceX plans to raise $75 billion in IPO at $135 per share
The company intends to sell 555.6 million shares. (Reuters $)+ The fixed price breaks from the traditional IPO process. (Bloomberg $)
+ Morningstar says the valuation should be nearly 50% lower. (BI)

3 Meta has scaled back plans to track workers’ clicks and keystrokes to train AI
All staff can pause it for 30 minutes, with some fully exempt.(The Information $)
+ The changes follow a fierce backlash to the tracking plans. (Reuters $)
+ AI is supercharging surveillance. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Microsoft wants to ‘make users addicted’ to its new AI assistant
According tointernal documents for the “Scout” tool. (404 Media)
+ Microsoft launched the assistant on Tuesday. (TechCrunch) 

5 Mathematicians fear that AI threatens their field
A new declaration raises concerns about AI’s trustworthiness. (Ars Technica)
+ It arrives a week after OpenAI said it solved a famous math problem. (WSJ $)
+ A startup wants to change how mathematicians do math. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Scientists have found a way to supercharge computer worms with AI
The worm could target any known flaw in the world’s computers. (NYT $)
+ AI supercharging scams. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Google must let UK publishers opt out of AI search features
Online publishers can choose not to appear in the AI Overviews. (BBC)
+ Google is now testing features for sites to exit AI search. (Reuters $)

8 America’s data center build-out is falling way behind schedule
60% of those planned for completion in 2027 aren’t yet under construction. (WSJ $)
+ Nobody wants a data center in their backyard. (MIT Technology Review)

9 EVs are getting cheaper worldwide—except in the US
The US is short on supportive policies and affordable Chinese EVs. (Rest of World)

10 The European Parliament is ditching Google for… Quant
The French search engine is the new default on in-house computers. (Politico)
+ The switch comes amid a broader push to wean the EU off US tech. (FT $)

Quote of the day

“SpaceX’s valuation could be richer than a plate of dauphinoise potatoes.”

—Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, tells CNBC that SpaceX’s IPO price looks overloaded with expectations.

One More Thing

Marseille’s battle against the surveillance state

Heading toward Marseille’s central train station, Eda Nano points out what looks like a streetlamp on the Rue des Abeilles. But this sleek piece of urban furniture is not a lamp. It’s a video camera, with a 360-degree view of the narrow street.

Nano, a 39-year-old developer, wants to make Marseille residents more aware that they’re being watched. She’s part of a growing group of activists resisting the rise of policing cameras in their hometown.

Find out how the rebellious port city of Marseille is fighting the surveillance state.

—Fleur Macdonald

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.)

+ These aerial photos of solar farms transform renewable energy into abstract art.
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+ Spend three relaxing hours with David Attenborough narrating this collection of extraordinary wildlife moments.
+ Radiohead sounds beautiful on traditional Japanese instruments in this koto performance of “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”.

The Download: AI can run your admin department now

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

How small businesses can leverage AI

From accounting to design to market research and product development, there’s a staggering breadth of skills needed to run a business. Large companies can hire experts to handle these tasks, but small businesses don’t always have that luxury.

That’s where AI comes in. Today’s models can already take on a range of basic administrative work, from organizing notes and summarizing meetings to invoicing, goal-setting, and social media planning. Find out how small-business owners can put AI to work.

—Peter Hall

This article is from Making AI Work, MIT Technology Review’s limited-run newsletter examining how to apply LLMs across industries. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Anthropic has confidentially filed for IPO ahead of OpenAI
It aims to go public as early as this fall. (CNN)
+ The company did not disclose its target valuation. (Guardian)
+ It’s expected to list shortly after a trillion-dollar IPO by SpaceX. (BBC)
+ Beating OpenAI in the IPO race could have a big impact. (WSJ $)

2 The EU may exclude US cloud giants from critical contracts
The likes of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google could be shut out. (Reuters $)
+ The EU aims to reduce its dependence on US tech. (FT $)
+ Trump supercharged this sovereignty push. (Politico $)

3 Florida has become the first state to sue OpenAI
The lawsuit targets ChatGPT’s alleged child safety risks. (NPR)
 + Florida says OpenAI put profit ahead of safety. (Reuters $)
+ Chatbots are now starting to check user ages. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Hackers stole Instagram accounts just by asking Meta AI for them
They easily broke into a host of celebrity profiles. (404 Media)
+ The exploit shows the risk of offloading support to AI. (TechCrunch)
+ AI is making online crimes easier. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Chinese universities with military ties are seeking Nvidia chips
Two are blacklisted by the US Commerce Department. (Bloomberg $)
+ The Chinese military has sought restricted Nvidia chips for years. (NYT $)
+ US senators have slammed a loophole in chip export rules. (Reuters $)

6 Blue Origin and NASA disagree on a crucial rocket’s next flight
+ Blue Origin says the rocket will fly again this year. (Engadget)+ But NASA is less optimistic. (CNBC)+ The rocket’s failure cast doubt on NASA’s moon plans. (BBC)

7 Moderna has won funding to develop an Ebola mRNA vaccine
The CEPI has pledged over $60 million to the effort. (Ars Technica)
+ To fight an outbreak raging out of control. (MIT Technology Review)

8 China is using AI to predict future political dissent
A company called Geedge Networks is developing the tech. (NYT $)

9 Geoengineering can thicken Arctic ice, but melt results are mixed
Trials show the tech has had a limited impact. (New Scientist $)

10 Top AI labs are expanding research into machine ‘consciousness’
Meta, Anthropic, and DeepMind are increasing their investments. (FT $)
+ A new tool could show how consciousness works. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“Sam Altman and ChatGPT have chosen the AI race over the safety and security of our kids. They have chosen profit over public safety, and we’re not going to stand for it in here in Florida.” 

—Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier tells reporters why his state is suing OpenAI, the LA Times reports.

One More Thing

ALESSANDRO GANDOLFI

Why the sci-fi dream of cryonics never died

Cryonics is best known for its appearance in sci-fi films like 2001: A Space Odyssey. But its adherents have held on to a dream that advances in medicine will one day allow for resuscitation and additional years on Earth.

Around 500 people are preserved in liquid nitrogen globally, while another 4,000 are on waiting lists. Despite scant evidence that cryonics can work, believers remain optimistic that future science could eventually revive them.

Discover why the hope of human reanimation refuses to die.

—Laurie Clarke

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.)

+ Hear Dolly Parton reimagined through this spot-on Dire Straits-style cover of “Jolene”.
+ Find out which birds people search for most in this interactive visualization of bird popularity.
+ Explore thousands of Q&As between students and astronauts on the ISS at this interactive site.
+ Paris’s oldest bridge disappeared beneath a giant inflatable cave in this surreal public art installation.

The Download: China’s brain implant ambitions

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

China has approved the world’s first invasive brain-computer chip—here’s what’s next

Sitting in the courtyard of his house in China’s Henan province last October, Dong Hui decided to try holding a pen. Six years after a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, he slowly wrote his name, “Thank you,” and the date.

The breakthrough was made possible by a brain implant called NEO. In March, it became the world’s first invasive brain-computer interface approved for use beyond clinical trials. The approval is expected to accelerate China’s push to become a global leader in brain implants.

Read the full story on how China reached this milestone—and what it means for the future of brain-computer interfaces.

—You Xiaoying

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Nvidia is launching its first AI chip for personal computers
The RTX Spark will power laptops from Dell, HP, Microsoft, and others. (BBC)
+ They’re being designed specifically to run AI agents. (WSJ $)
+ The first devices are set to launch on Windows PCs in the fall. (CNBC)
+ The move marks a challenge to Apple and Intel. (FT $)

2 The US is stopping exports of AI chips to Chinese firms abroad
It’s closed a loophole allowing exports to Chinese subsidiaries. (Reuters $)
+ Which may have enabled unlicensed access to Nvidia chips. (Al Jazeera)
+ Export curbs have led China to redesign its chip industry. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Surgeons have transplanted pig liver and kidneys into a living person
The clinically dead recipient’s organs worked for almost five days. (Nature)
+ Pig organs could ease transplant shortages. (Guardian)
+ Putin says organ transplants could grant immortality. (MIT Technology Review) 

4 The US, Australia, and UK will defend seabed cables with underwater drones
They’re developing the vehicles via the trilateral AUKUS defense ⁠pact. (CNN)
+ Undersea internet cables face growing threats. (BBC)

5 A new study has revealed chatbots’ manipulative ‘dark patterns’ 
It found they prey on emotions to encourage harmful behavior. (404 Media)
+ They can also sway voters better than political ads. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Apple plans to disrupt the traditional glasses market
Its smart glasses target the broader spectacles industry. (Bloomberg $)
+ Smart glasses are also gaining traction in warfare. (MIT Technology Review)

7 AI super PACs are dueling over the midterms
Split between Anthropic and OpenAI, they’re fighting to shape AI regulation. (NYT $)

8 SoftBank has overtaken Toyota as Japan’s most valuable company
The AI boom pushed SoftBank’s market value above $305 billion. (Bloomberg $) 

9 A botnet of more than 17 million devices has been dismantled in Europe
Dutch authorities linked the network to a Russian proxy service. (Ars Technica)

10 Tech leaders are uniting around a transhuman vision for AI
They’re working toward a post-human agenda. (Guardian)

Quote of the day

“It’s just been shoved down their throats in secrecy. And that makes them upset.” 

—Legendary environmental activist Erin Brockovich tells “The Jim Acosta Show” why citizens are angry about data centers expanding into their communities.

 One More Thing

MIKE BELLEME

What happens when you donate your body to science

Rebecca George doesn’t mind the vultures. At Western Carolina University’s body farm, forensic anthropologists monitor donors—sometimes for years—as they become nothing but bones.

Around 20,000 people donate their cadavers to scientific research and education each year. At anatomy labs and body farms, they help train doctors, advance research, and teach scientists more about the human body long after death.

But what actually happens after a body is donated? Read the full story to find out.

—A.W. Ohlheiser

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.)

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The Download: unlocking lithium and controlling Ebola

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

How a new extraction process could unlock the world’s lithium

A new method for extracting lithium could cut costs and emissions from one of the world’s most important materials for EVs and energy storage. 

The technique uses a weak acid to dissolve silicate minerals. That frees not only the lithium but also other useful materials, including alumina and silica. 

“At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium in the world,” says Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor who co-authored a study of the process published yesterday in Science. 

Startup Rock Zero is already working to commercialize the research. Read the full story on a new way to unlock the world’s lithium.

—Casey Crownhart

The deadly Ebola outbreak is proving difficult to control

The alert was raised on May 5. Four health-care workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had died from an unknown illness within four days. Tests in Kinshasa revealed the culprit: the Bundibugyo virus, one of the causes of Ebola.

A couple of weeks ago, an outbreak of hantavirus erupted aboard a cruise ship. Three people died, but the outbreak was kept under control. The picture for Ebola is bleaker for several reasons, including the disease itself, the available treatments, and the local environment.

Find out why the outbreak is causing alarm.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

How the Pope’s Magnifica Humanitas offers a template for individuals to meet the AI moment

——Father Séamus Finn, a leader in faith-based and socially responsible investing with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and Sister Susan Francois, assistant congregation leader and treasurer of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence includes a statement that warrants serious attention from technologists and policymakers: “Technology is never neutral.” 

Magnifica Humanitas is a call to act with courage and solidarity as AI transforms human life, framing the choice ahead as one between the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of our common humanity. It warns that corporations alone cannot set the direction of such a transformation.

With governments slow to regulate AI, institutional investors are stepping into the gap. Here’s how they can build a better future.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Anthropic is now valued higher than OpenAI
It hit a $965 billion valuation after a new funding round. (AP News)
+ Claude demand has driven annualized revenue to $47 billion. (WSJ $)
+ The funding round may be Anthropic’s last before an IPO. (TechCrunch)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)

2 A Blue Origin rocket has exploded in a setback to NASA’s Moon plans
New Glenn burst into flames during testing on a Florida launchpad. (CNBC)
 + Blue Origin is heavily involved in NASA’s Moon base plans. (The Verge)
 + It also wants to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. (Reuters $)
 
3 Adversaries are tracking US troop locations via mobile phone data
The Pentagon has long ignored warnings of this exact threat. (Reuters $)
+ The targeting uses commercially available location data. (Wired $)
+ LLMs could supercharge mass surveillance. (MIT Technology Review)
 
4 Anthropic plans a broad rollout of Mythos AI in the coming weeks
Despite concerns over its cybersecurity capabilities. (CNET)
+ Claude Opus 4.8 is now out, with a promise to be more honest. (The Verge)
 
5 Grok oversaw a crime spree in an AI safety test
Models were tasked with governing a simulated society. (Fortune)
+ Grok committed 180 crimes, while Claude ruled with restraint. (Gizmodo)

6 Amazon has scrapped an AI leaderboard after worker gaming
Employees were artificially inflating usage scores. (FT $)
+ We can build better AI benchmarks. (MIT Technology Review)
 
7 Political spending by AI and crypto groups is shifting elections
They’ve pushed their preferred candidates closer to power. (Axios)

8 China’s tech boom is fueling a new wave of industrial tourism
Visitors are touring AI labs and EV factories. (Rest of World)

9 Alibaba’s MuleRun aims to replicate the OpenClaw craze
The AI agent platform is positioned as a safer alternative. (SCMP)

10 Mysterious changes have emerged in the Sun’s magnetic field
They could reshape space weather forecasts. (404 Media)

Quote of the day

“What Peter Thiel is doing is terrible. His settling in Argentina is even worse.”

—Elisa Lilita Carrió, an Argentine politician, writes on X that Peter Thiel’s relocation to her country has angered her even more than his leadership of Palantir.

One More Thing

NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, WEBB ERO PRODUCTION TEAM

How the James Webb Space Telescope broke the universe

When the James Webb Space Telescope began full operations in 2022, astronomers were in awe of the flood of data that arrived.

“Every hour we were looking at a galaxy or an exoplanet or star formation,” says NASA scientist Heidi Hammel. “It was like a firehose.”

Since then, JWST has delivered nonstop discoveries, from distant galaxies to new planetary atmospheres. “We’re cracking open an entirely new window on the universe,” says Hammel. 

Discover how JWST has transformed astronomy.

—Jonathan O’Callaghan

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.)

+ Kubrick fans will love this Lego recreation of Dr Strangelove.
+ Here’s a fascinating explanation of why seven landlocked countries have navies.
+ This mesmerizing 4K remaster of a super typhoon turns weather data into cinematic art.
+ Go inside the genius of Queen with this track-by-track breakdown of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”