The Download: Quantum computing for health, and why the world doesn’t recycle more nuclear waste

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.

A $5 million prize awaits proof that quantum computers can solve health care problems 

In a laboratory on the outskirts of Oxford, a quantum computer built from atoms and light awaits its moment. The device is small but powerful—and also very valuable. Infleqtion, the company that owns it, is hoping its abilities will win $5 million at a competition next week. 

The prize will go to the quantum computer that can solve real health care problems that conventional “classical” computers are unable to solve. But there can be only one big winner—if there is a winner at all. Read the full story. 

—Michael Brooks 

Why the world doesn’t recycle more nuclear waste 

There’s still a lot of usable uranium in spent nuclear fuel when it’s pulled out of reactors. Recycling could reduce both the waste and the need to mine new material, but the process is costly, complicated, and not fully efficient. 

Find out why it’s such an issue. —Casey Crownhart 

This story is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. 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 FBI has confirmed it’s buying Americans’ location data  
Director Kash Patel said it’s led to “valuable intelligence.” (Politico) 
+ What AI “remembers” about you is privacy’s next frontier. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
2 The first draft of a federal AI bill has been introduced 
It aims to protect “children, creators, conservatives, and communities.” (Engadget) 
+ A war is brewing over AI regulation in the US. (MIT Technology Review)   

3 Google is pitching itself to the Pentagon as the perfect defense partner 
It’s framing its AI as a safe alternative to OpenAI and Anthropic. (NYT $) 
+ Here’s where OpenAI’s tech could show up in Iran. (MIT Technology Review) 

4 A rogue AI agent at Meta leaked sensitive information to employees 
The exposure lasted for hours before it was contained. (The Information $) 
+ Don’t let AI agent hype get ahead of reality. (MIT Technology Review $) 

5 Sony just removed 135,000 ‘deepfakes’ of its music 
Fraudsters were impersonating the label’s artists on streaming services. (BBC) 
+ AI works better as a collaborator than a creator. (MIT Technology Review) 

6 The EU has backed a ban on nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes 
It has reacted to Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot “nudifying” children. (Bloomberg $) 

7 Two quantum cryptography pioneers have won the Turing Award 
Their encryption method can (theoretically) never be broken. (Quanta) 

8 Gamers are disgusted by Nvidia’s new rendering model  
They’ve labeled it an “AI slop filter.” (The Verge) 

9 The White House has registered the aliens.gov domain 
It’s sparked speculation that Trump’s long-awaited UFO disclosure is imminent. (404 Media) 
+ Meet the new biologists treating LLMs like ETs. (MIT Technology Review) 

10 Silicon Valley has embraced a new buzzword: “taste” 
As a USP amid the deluge of AI-driven recommendations. (The New Yorker $) 

Quote of the day 

“Big tech and China win. The rest of us lose.” 

—Elizabeth Warren gives her take on the Trump administration allowing Nvidia to sell advanced chips to China. 

One More Thing 

PSIQUANTUM

Useful quantum computing is inevitable—and increasingly imminent 

Last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang jolted the stock market by saying that practical quantum computing is still 15 to 30 years away. He also suggested that those computers would need Nvidia GPUs to function. But Huang’s predictions miss the mark—both on the timeline and the role his company’s technology will play.  

Quantum computing is rapidly converging on utility. And that’s good news, because the hope is that they will be able to perform calculations that no amount of AI or classical computation could ever achieve. Read the full story. 

—Peter Barrett 

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.) 

+ A self-described “mad scientist” has powered a car with vape batteries. 
+ Someone squeezed an Apple Mac Mini inside a classic LEGO computer. 
+ Watch thousands of satellites orbit Earth in real-time with this mesmerizing interactive map. 
+ This grilled wall cheese art looks good enough to eat.  

The Download: The Pentagon’s new AI plans, and next-gen nuclear reactors

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 Pentagon is planning for AI companies to train on classified data, defense official says 

The Pentagon plans to set up secure environments for generative AI companies to train military-specific versions of their models on classified data, MIT Technology Review has learned.  

AI models like Anthropic’s Claude are already used to answer questions in classified settings, including for analyzing targets in Iran. But allowing them to train on and learn from classified data is a major new development that presents unique security risks.  

It would embed sensitive intelligence—like surveillance reports or battlefield assessments—into the models themselves. It would also bring AI firms closer to classified data than ever before. Read the full story. 

—James O’Donnell 

What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste? 

The way the world currently deals with nuclear waste is as creative as it is varied: drown it in water pools, encase it in steel, bury it hundreds of meters underground. But an approaching wave of new reactors could introduce fresh challenges to nuclear waste management.   
 
The new designs and materials could require some engineering solutions. And there’s a huge range of them coming, meaning there’s an equally wide range of potential waste types to handle. Read the full story. 

—Casey Crownhart 

This story is part of our MIT Technology Review Explains series, which untangles the complex, messy world of technology to show you what’s coming next. Check out the full series here. 

MIT Technology Review Narrated: how uncrewed narco subs could transform the Colombian drug trade 

For decades, handmade narco subs have been among the cocaine trade’s most elusive and productive workhorses, ferrying tons of drugs from Colombia to the rest of the world.  

Now off-the-shelf technology—Starlink terminals, plug-and-play nautical autopilots, high-resolution video cameras—may be advancing that cat-and-mouse game into a new phase. 

Uncrewed subs could move more cocaine over longer distances, and they wouldn’t put human smugglers at risk of capture. Law enforcement agencies are only just beginning to grapple with the consequences. 

—Eduardo Echeverri López 

This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing 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

1 Nvidia has joined the OpenClaw craze with the launch of NemoClaw  
It’s adding privacy and security to the AI agent platform. (Business Insider)  
+ Chinese AI stocks surged on the news. (Bloomberg $)  
+ Nvidia has also gained Beijing’s approval to sell H200 chips. (Reuters)  
+ Tech-savvy “Tinkerers” are cashing in on China’s OpenClaw frenzy. (MIT Technology Review)  

2 Microsoft is mulling legal action over the Amazon-OpenAI cloud deal  
Citing a potential violation of its exclusive partnership. (FT $)  

3 The Pentagon wants to mass-produce the drones it used to strike Iran  
The kamikaze drone, called Lucas, is a copy of Iran’s Shahed UAV. (WSJ $)   
+ The Shaheds have proven highly effective in the conflict. (NBC News)  
+ AI is turning the war into theater. (MIT Technology Review)  

4 US officials say Anthropic can’t be trusted with warfighting systems  
They want to oust the AI company from all government agencies. (Wired $)   
+ OpenAI has taken advantage of the spat. (MIT Technology Review)  
+ Here’s how GenAI may be used in strikes. (MIT Technology Review)  

5 China is penalizing people linked to Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of Manus   
It’s seen as an attempt to stop Chinese AI leaders from relocating. (NYT)  

6 DeepSeek appears to be quietly testing a next-generation AI model  
An official launch of the new system may be imminent. (Reuters)  
+ DeepSeek ripped up the AI playbook. (MIT Technology Review)  

7 Meta is ending VR access to Horizon Worlds in June  
It was Meta’s flagship metaverse project. (Engadget)  
+ And became notorious for sexual harassment. (MIT Technology Review)  

8 “Sensorveillance” is turning consumer tech into tracking tools for police 
It’s turning our most personal devices into digital informants. (IEE Spectrum)  
+ In the surveillance capitalism era, we need to rethink privacy. (MIT Technology Review)  

9 Two landmark lawsuits could transform social media for the better  
They target the dangers that the platforms pose to children. (New Scientist)  

10 A DNA discovery suggests humanity may have seeded from space  
An asteroid may have transported the ingredients for life to Earth. (404 Media) 

Quote of the day 

“It is now the largest, most popular, the most successful open-sourced project in the history of humanity. This is definitely the next ChatGPT.” 

—Nvidia CEO tells CNBC why OpenClaw is a big step forward for AI. 

One More Thing 

How the Pentagon is adapting to China’s technological rise 

It’s been just over a year since Kathleen Hicks stepped down as US deputy secretary of defense. 

As the highest-ranking woman in Pentagon history, Hicks shaped US military posture through an era defined by renewed competition between powerful countries and a scramble to modernize defense technology. 

In this conversation with MIT Technology Review, Hicks reflects on how the Pentagon is adapting—or failing to adapt—to a new era of geopolitical competition. She discusses China’s technological rise, the future of AI in warfare, and her signature initiative: Replicator. Read the full story. 

—Caiwei Chen 

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.) 

+ Give typing a tuneful tempo by turning your keyboard into a piano with this new tool. 
+ Barry’s Border Points is a fascinating photographic journey through the lines that divide us. 
+ Feast your eyes on these five architectural contenders for “a new wonder of the world.” 
+ This Ancient Rome cosplay game lets you live your best gladiator life. 

The Download: OpenAI’s US military deal, and Grok’s CSAM lawsuit

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.

Where OpenAI’s technology could show up in Iran 

OpenAI has controversially agreed to give the Pentagon access to its AI. But where exactly could its tech show up, and which applications will its customers and employees tolerate? 

There’s pressure to integrate it quickly with existing military tools. One defense official revealed it could even assist in selecting strike targets. OpenAI’s partnership with Anduril, which makes drones and counter-drone technologies, adds another hint at what is to come. 

AI has long handled military analysis. But applying generative AI’s advice to actions in the field is being tested in earnest for the first time in Iran. Read the full story. 

—James O’Donnell  

This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday.  

The must-reads 

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

1 xAI has been sued over AI-generated child sexual abuse material 
Victims say Grok was built to create porn from photos of real people. (WP $) 
+ There’s a booming market for custom deepfake porn. (MIT Technology Review) 

2 In a world-first, China has approved a brain chip for commercial use 
The BCI has been approved for treating paralysis. (Nature) 
+ Brain implants are slowly becoming products. (MIT Technology Review) 
+ Some are getting help from generative AI. (MIT Technology Review) 

3 Anthropic is recruiting a weapons expert to prevent “catastrophic misuse” of its AI 
They want experience with “chemical weapons and/or explosives defense.” (BBC) 
+ Anthropic’s relationship with the White House is in tatters. (MIT Technology Review) 

4 Nvidia predicts “at least” $1 trillion in AI chip revenue by the end of next year 
But the bullish forecast failed to impress Wall Street. (FT $) 
+ Nvidia has teamed up with Bolt to build European robotaxis. (Engadget) 

5 OpenAI plans to shift its focus to coding and business users 
Areas where its rival Anthropic already dominates. (WSJ $) 

6 President Trump has driven a wedge between Republicans over AI 
And that divide led to a sweeping AI bill flopping in Florida. (NYT $) 
+ Trump was duped by a fake AI video again. (Reuters) 

7 The US wants the WTO to permanently ban ecommerce tariffs 
Brazil, India, and South Africa oppose the plan. (Bloomberg) 

8 OpenAI’s wellbeing experts opposed the launch of ChatGPT’s “adult mode” 
One said it risked creating a “sexy suicide coach” for vulnerable users. (Ars Technica) 
+ AI is already transforming relationships. (MIT Technology Review) 

9 A witness caught using smartglasses in court blamed ChatGPT 
He was getting real-time legal coaching through the specs. (404 Media) 
+ AI is creating legal errors in courtrooms. (MIT Technology Review) 

10 Some people think Benjamin Netanyahu is an AI clone 
Despite his insistence to the contrary. (The Verge) 
+ Generative AI is amplifying disinformation and propaganda. (MIT Technology Review) 

Quote of the day 

“The inference inflection has arrived.” 

—Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claims we’ve reached a tipping point where AI usage is accelerating faster than its development, AP reports. 

One More Thing 

Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine’s drone defense 

EMRE ÇAYLAK

Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov is, at least unofficially, a spy. Once a month, he drives to the frontline in a VW van equipped with radio hardware, roof antennas, and devices that monitor drones. Over several days, he searches the skies for transmissions that can help Ukrainian troops. 

Drones define this brutal conflict, and most rely on the radio communications Flash has obsessed over since childhood. Though now a civilian, the former officer has taken it upon himself to inform his country’s defense on all matters related to radio. 

Unlike traditional spies, Flash shares his discoveries with over 127,000 followers—including soldiers and officials—on social media. His work has won fans in the military, but also sparked controversy among the top brass. Read the full story. 

—Charlie Metcalfe  

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.) 

+ A newly mapped spiral galaxy 65 million light-years away is an absolute knockout. 
+ Miss the days of TV guides? A new app recreates them for YouTube. 
+ Shameless plug: MIT’s Heirloom House shows homes can last for a millennium. 
+ This supergroup of musical dogs is creating truly fur-midable harmonies (sorry). 

The Download: glass chips and “AI-free” logos

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.

Future AI chips could be built on glass 

Human-made glass is thousands of years old. But it’s now poised to find its way into the AI chips used in the world’s newest and largest data centers.  

This year, a South Korean company called Absolics will start producing special glass panels that make next-generation computing hardware more powerful and efficient. Other companies, including Intel, are also pushing forward in this area.  

If all goes well, the technology could reduce the energy demands of chips in AI data centers—and even consumer laptops and mobile devices. Read the full story. 

—Jeremy Hsu

The must-reads 

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

1 The race is on to establish a globally recognized “AI-free” logo 
Organizations are rushing to develop a universal label for human-made products. (BBC) 
+ A “QuitGPT” campaign is urging people to ditch ChatGPT. (MIT Technology Review) 

2 Elizabeth Warren wants answers on xAI’s access to military data 
The Pentagon reportedly gave it access to classified networks. (NBC News) 
+ Here’s how chatbots could be used for targeting decisions. (MIT Technology Review) 
+ The DoD is struggling to upgrade software for fighter jets. (Bloomberg $) 

3 Models are applying to be the faces of AI romance scams 
The “AI face models” are duping victims out of their money. (Wired $) 
+ Survivors have revealed how the “pig butchering” scams work. (MIT Technology Review) 

4 Meta is planning layoffs that could affect over 20% of staff 
The job cuts could offset its costly bet on AI. (Reuters $) 
+ There’s a long history of fears about AI’s impact on jobs. (MIT Technology Review) 

5 ByteDance delayed launching a video AI model after copyright disputes 
It famously generated footage of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting. (The Information $) 

6 Cybersecurity investigators have exposed a huge North Korean con 
The scammers secured remote jobs in the US, then stole money and sensitive information. (NBC News) 

7 A Chinese AI startup is set for a whopping $18 billion valuation 
That’s more than quadruple its valuation just three months ago. (Bloomberg $) 
+ Chinese open models are spreading fast—here’s why that matters. (MIT Technology Review)  

8 Peter Thiel has started a lecture series about the antichrist in Rome 
His plans have drawn attention from the Catholic Church. (Reuters $) 

9 Norway is fighting back against internet enshittification 
It’s joined a global campaign against the online world’s decay. (The Guardian) 
+ We may need to move beyond the big platforms. (MIT Technology Review) 

10 How a startup plans to resurrect the dodo 
Humans wiped them out nearly 400 years ago—can gene editing bring them back now? (Guardian) 

Quote of the day 

“I would build fission weapons. I would build fusion weapons. Nuclear weapons have been one of the most stabilizing forces in history—ever.” 

—Anduril founder Palmer Luckey shares his love of nukes with Axios. 

One More Thing 

We need a moonshot for computing 

TIM HERMAN/INTEL

The US government is organizing itself for the next era of computing. Ultimately, it has one big choice to make: adopt a conservative strategy that aims to preserve its lead for the next five years—or orient itself toward genuine computing moonshots. 

There is no shortage of candidates, including quantum computing, neuromorphic computing and reversible computing. And there are plenty of novel materials and devices. These possibilities could even be combined to form hybrid computing systems. 

The National Semiconductor Technology Center can drive these ideas forward. To be successful, it would do well to follow DARPA’s lead by focusing on moonshot programs. Read the full story. 
 
—Brady Helwig & PJ Maykish 

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.) 
 
+ A UPS delivery driver heroically escaped from two murderous turkeys. 
+ Art’s love affair with cats is charmingly depicted in a new book. 
+ The humble pea and six other forgotten superfoods promise accessible nutritional power. 
+ MF DOOM: Long Island to Leeds is the Transatlantic tale of your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. 

The Download: how AI is used for military targeting, and the Pentagon’s war on Claude

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.

Defense official reveals how AI chatbots could be used for targeting decisions 

The US military might use generative AI systems to rank targets and recommend which to strike first, according to a Defense Department official. 

A list of possible targets could first be fed into a generative AI system that the Pentagon is fielding for classified settings. Humans might then ask the system to analyze the information and prioritize the targets. They would then be responsible for checking and evaluating the results and recommendations. 

OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok could soon be at the center of exactly these sorts of high-stakes military decisions. Read the full story. 

—James O’Donnell 

The must-reads 

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

1 The Pentagon’s CTO claims Claude would “pollute” the defense supply chain 
He blamed a “policy preference” that’s baked into the model. (CNBC) 
+ Anthropic is reeling from OpenAI’s “compromise” with the DoD. (MIT Technology Review) 

2 An ex-DOGE staffer has been accused of stealing social security data 
Then taking the information to his new job in the IT division of a government contractor. (Wired) 
+ He allegedly used a thumb drive to steal the data. (Washington Post) 

3 Ukraine is offering its battlefield data for AI training 
Allies can access the data to train drones and other UAVs. (Reuters)  
+ Europe has a drone-filled vision for the future of war. (MIT Technology Review)  

4 Meta has postponed its latest AI launch over performance issues 
It fell short of rival models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. (NYT $) 
+ The company’s former AI chief is betting against LLMs. (MIT Technology Review). 

5 X could be breaching sanctions on Iran 
An account for Iran’s new supreme leader may break US rules. (Engadget) 
+ Hacker group Handala has become the face of Iranian cyberwarfare. (Wired) 
+ AI is turning the conflict into theater. (MIT Technology Review)  

6 A landmark social media addiction trial is wrapping up 
It’ll decide whether the platforms are liable for harms caused to children. (The Guardian)  
+ AI companions are the next stage of digital addiction. (MIT Technology Review) 

7 Western AI models have “failed spectacularly” on agriculture in the Global South 
The biggest problem? They’re not trained on local data. (Rest of World) 

8 Internet outages in Moscow are sparking surging sales of pagers 
The disruptions have been blamed on new tests of web controls. (Bloomberg $) 

9 Why is China obsessed with OpenClaw? 
Lobster-mania is spreading to the general public. (SCMP) 
+ Tech-savvy “tinkerers” are cashing in on the craze. (MIT Technology Review) 

10 Hollywood has soured on Silicon Valley 
Movies and TV shows have swapped eccentric founders for megalomaniac moguls. (NYT $) 

Quote of the day 

“We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter.” 

—OpenAI CEO Sam Altman makes a new pitch to investors at a BlackRock event, Gizmodo reports. 

One More Thing 

How the Ukraine-Russia war is reshaping the tech sector in Eastern Europe 

GATIS INDRēVICS/ LATVIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

When Latvian startup Global Wolf Motors first pitched the idea of a military scooter, it was met with skepticism—and a wall of bureaucracy. Then Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and everything changed.  

Suddenly, Ukrainian combat units wanted any equipment they could get their hands on, and they were willing to try out ideas that might not have made the cut in peacetime. 

Within weeks, the scooters were on the front line—and even behind it, being used on daring reconnaissance missions. It signaled that a new product category for companies along Ukraine’s borders had opened: civilian technologies repurposed for military needs. Read the full story. 

—Peter Guest 

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.) 

+ A new mini magnet could slash the costs of MRIs and nuclear fusion.  
+ This interactive map of Earth offers new routes to facts about our planet. 
+ Escape the news cycle with this deep dive into the power of fantasy and nature. (Big thanks to reader and MIT alum Vicki for the find!) 
+ Reports of reading’s death are greatly exaggerated. 

The Download: Early adopters cash in on China’s OpenClaw craze, and US batteries slump

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.

Hustlers are cashing in on China’s OpenClaw AI craze 

In January, Beijing-based software engineer Feng Qingyang started tinkering with OpenClaw, a new AI tool that can take over a device and autonomously complete tasks. Within weeks, he was advertising “OpenClaw installation support” on a second-hand shopping site. Today, his side gig is a fully-fledged business with over 100 employees and 7,000 completed orders. 

Feng is among a small cohort of savvy early adopters making serious cash from China’s OpenClaw craze. As users with little technical background want in, a cottage industry of installation services and preconfigured hardware has sprung up. The rise of these tinkerers shows just how eager the general public in China is to adopt cutting-edge AI—despite huge security risks. Read the full story. 

—Caiwei Chen 

Brutal times for the US battery industry 

Another battery business has fallen: 24M Technologies, once worth over $1 billion, is reportedly shutting down. 

Just a few years ago, the industry was hot, hot, hot. Countless companies were popping up, with shiny new chemistries and huge funding rounds. But now, the tide has turned. Businesses are failing, investors are pulling back, and batteries, especially for EVs, aren’t looking so hot anymore.  

There are bright spots. China’s battery industry is thriving, and US stationary storage remains resilient. But it feels as if everyone is short on money these days, and as purse strings tighten, there’s less interest in novel ideas. 

This story is from The Spark, our weekly climate newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. 

—Casey Crownhart 

The must-reads 

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

1 Iran has put US tech giants on a list of potential targets 
The companies include Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle. (Al Jazeera)  
+ Pro-Iran hackers have launched their first major strike on a US firm during the war. (CNN) 
+ AI is warping perceptions of the conflict. (MIT Technology Review)  
 
2 Grammarly is being sued for turning real people into AI-generated experts 
A journalist has filed a lawsuit over her inclusion as a writing analyst. (Wired $) 
+ Grammarly has now disabled the ‘Expert Review’ feature. (Engadget)  
+ Here’s what’s next for AI copyright lawsuits. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
3 Professors are losing the fight to protect critical thinking from AI 
They describe the tech as an “existential threat.”(The Guardian) 
+ Silicon Valley’s dream of an AI classroom faces a skeptical reality. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
4 Big tech is backing Anthropic in its fight against the Trump administration  
Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft are publicly supporting its legal action. (BBC) 
+ Is this an Oppenheimer moment for Anthropic? (The Atlantic $) 

5 A Cybertruck owner has sued Tesla over a self-driving crash  
He called the company “negligent” for retaining Elon Musk as CEO. (Electrek)  
+ Tech has sparked a new wave of theft in the luxury car industry. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
6 Is “AI-washing” providing cover for massive corporate layoffs? 
The tech isn’t ready to replace workers, but the layoffs are happening anyway. (The Atlantic)  
+ Software giant Atlassian is slashing 10% of its workforce ahead of an AI push. (The Guardian) 
+ At least lawyers’ jobs look safer than first feared. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
7 Software giants claim they’re not worried that AI will destroy them 
Oracle and Salesforce CEOs have dismissed fears of an “SaaS-pocalypse.” (Reuters) 
 
8 Lab-grown brains have started solving engineering problems 
Scientists trained the organoid to decode an engineering task. (Popular Mechanics) 
+ Other organoids are being impregnated with human embryos. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
9 English-language music is losing its grip on Spotify 
The variety of languages in its top 50 songs has doubled since 2020. (BBC) 
 
10 AI is redrawing the boundaries of physics 
It’s blurring the boundaries between a machine and a researcher. (The Economist $)  

Quote of the day 

“Elon Musk is an aggressive and irresponsible salesman, who has a long history of making dangerous design choices and over-promising the features of his products.”

—A lawsuit over Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode takes aim at the company’s CEO, Gizmodo reports.

One More Thing

This town’s mining battle reveals the contentious path to a cleaner future 

ACKERMAN + GRUBER

In a tiny Minnesota town, an exploratory mining company called Talon plans to dig up as much as 725,000 metric tons of raw ore per year. 

It says the site will help power a greener future for the US by producing the nickel needed for EV batteries. But many local citizens aren’t eager for major mining operations near their towns.  

The tensions have created a test case for conflicts between local environmental concerns and global climate goals. Read the full story. 

—James Temple 

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.)

+ Mario is finally getting a LEGO minifigure.  
+ This new social platform boldly aims to burst filter bubbles. 
+ NASA is backing DSLR cameras by taking a trusty old Nikon D5 to the moon. 
+ This nuclear escalation simulator helped me learn to stop worrying and love the bomb. 

The Download: Pokémon Go to train world models, and the US-China race to find aliens

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 Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world 

Pokémon Go was the world’s first augmented-reality megahit. Released in 2016 by Niantic, the AR twist on the juggernaut Pokémon franchise fast became a global phenomenon. “500 million people installed that app in 60 days,” says Brian McClendon, CTO at Niantic Spatial, an AI company that Niantic spun out last year.  

Now Niantic Spatial is using that vast trove of crowdsourced data to build a kind of world model—a buzzy new technology that grounds the smarts of LLMs in real environments. The firm wants to use it to help robots navigate more precisely. Read the full story. 

—Will Douglas Heaven 

MIT Technology Review Narrated: America was winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in. 

In July 2024, after more than three years on Mars, the Perseverance rover came across a peculiar rocky outcrop. Instead of the usual crystals or sedimentary layers, this one had spots. Those specks were the best hint yet of alien life.  

NASA began a new mission to bring the rocks back to Earth to study. But now, just over a year and a half later, the project is on life support. As a result, those oh-so-promising rocks may be stuck out there forever. 

This also means that, in the race to find evidence of alien life, America has effectively ceded its pole position to its greatest geopolitical rival: China. The superpower is moving full steam ahead with its own version of NASA’s mission.  

—Robin George Andrews 

This is our latest story to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing 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 Viral AI fakes of the Iran war are flooding X 
And Grok is failing to flag them. (Wired $) 
+ The conflict could wreak havoc on data centers and electricity costs. (The Verge)  
+ Pro-Iran bots are weaponizing posts about Epstein. (Gizmodo)  
+ AI is turning the Iran conflict into a show. (MIT Technology Review) 

2 Anthropic fears the loss of billions due to the Pentagon’s blacklisting  
That’s what the company has told a judge as it seeks to block its designation as a supply-chain risk. (Bloomberg $) 
+ Microsoft has backed the company in its legal fight with the Pentagon. (FT $) 
+ OpenAI’s “compromise” with the DoD dealt a big blow to Anthropic. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
3 Meta has bought a social network that’s exclusively for bots 
Moltbook is a Reddit-like site where AI agents interact with each other. (NYT $) 
+ The platform is  AI theater. (MIT Technology Review)  
 
4 Ukraine is eagerly offering the US its expertise and tech to counter Iranian drones 
Kyiv has sent drones and UAV specialists to military bases in Jordan. (WSJ $) 
+ A radio-obsessed civilian is shaping Ukraine’s drone defense. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
5 OnlyFans “chatters” are earning $2 per hour to impersonate models 
A worker in the Philippines described the job as “heartbreaking” and “icky.” (BBC) 
 
6 The DHS has removed officials who objected to “illegal” orders about surveillance tech 
The officers had refused to mislabel records about the technologies in order to block their release. (Wired) 

7 This startup is building data centers run on brain cells  
The “biological data centers” are coming to Melbourne and Singapore. (New Scientist $) 

8 Anduril is expanding into space defense 
The company is buying ExoAnalytic, which specializes in missile defense tracking. (Reuters) 
+ We saw a demo of an AI system powering Anduril’s vision for war. (MIT Technology Review) 
 
9 Big tech has a new big idea: AI compute as compensation 
Silicon Valley is pitching it as a job perk. (Business Insider) 
 
10 Wordle’s creator is back with a new game 
It’s inspired by cryptic crosswords. (The New Yorker $)  

Quote of the day 

“You come for the Epstein content, and you stay for the propaganda.” 

—Bret Schafer, an expert on information manipulation, tells the Washington Post how pro-Iran networks are gaining traction with posts about Epstein. 

One More Thing 

MEREDITH MIOTKE | PHOTO: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS

The quest to figure out farming on Mars  

If ever a blade of grass grew on Mars, those days are over. But could they begin again? What would it take to grow plants to feed future astronauts on Mars?  

To grow food there, we can’t just drop seeds in the ground and add water. We will need to create a layer of soil that can support life. And to do that, we first have to get rid of the red planet’s toxic salts.  

Researchers recently discovered a potential solution—and the early signs are promising. Read the full story.

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) 

+ Finally, a rebellion arises against mint’s tyranny over our teeth: Peanut Butter Cup toothpaste. 
+ DIY decorators rejoice! The humble paint tray has received an ingeniously simple renovation. 
+ Saudi surgeons have successfully separated two conjoined twins. 
+ If you’re looking for real innovation, check out British Pie Week’s beef rendang, jerk chicken, and double-size pasties. 

The Download: AI’s role in the Iran war, and an escalating legal fight

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 AI is turning the Iran conflict into theater 

Much of the spotlight on AI in the Iran conflict has focused on models like Claude helping the US military decide where to strike. But a wave of “vibe-coded” intelligence dashboards—and the ecosystem surrounding them—reflect a new role that AI is playing in wartime: mediating information, often for the worse. 

These sorts of intelligence tools have much promise. Yet there are real reasons to be suspicious of their data feeds. Read the full story. 

—James O’Donnell 

This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday. 

The must-reads 

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

1 Anthropic has sued the US government  
The AI firm wants to stop the Pentagon from blacklisting it. (Reuters) 
+ The White House is preparing a new executive order to weed out the company’s technology. (Axios) 
+ Defense experts are alarmed. (CNBC) 
+.Google and OpenAI staff have filed a legal brief backing Anthropic against Trump. (Wired $) 
+ The company’s stance won many supporters. (MIT Technology Review) 

2 GPS jamming has become a crucial battleground in the Middle East  
The interference is endangering—and protecting—ships and planes. (BBC) 
+ Signal jamming has made navigating the Strait of Hormuz even more difficult. (Bloomberg) 
+ Quantum navigation offers a potential solution. (MIT Technology Review)  

3 A tech journalist found his AI clone editing for Grammarly 
It’s providing AI-generated feedback “inspired by” real writers without their consent. (Platformer) 
+ Could ChatGPT do the jobs of journalists and copywriters? (MIT Technology Review) 

4 Nvidia plans to launch an open-source platform for AI agents  
It’s already pitching the “NemoClaw” product to enterprise software firms. (Wired $) 
+ But don’t let the AI agents hype get ahead of reality (MIT Technology Review) 
 
5 A startup wants to launch a space mirror that reflects sunlight onto Earth 
Reflect Orbital reckons it could power solar panels at night. Scientists are appalled. (NYT) 

6 Yann LeCun’s AI startup has raised over $1bn in Europe’s largest seed round  
Meta’s former chief AI scientist plans to build systems that “understand the world.” (Bloomberg) 

7 Hinge’s CEO insists the app doesn’t rate users’ attractiveness 
Jackie Jantos’ strategy has helped Hinge defy the decline in dating apps. (FT $) 
+ AI companions are stealing hearts—and it’s getting weird. (New Yorker $) 
+ It’s surprisingly easy to fall into a relationship with a chatbot. (MIT Technology Review) 

8 “AI psychosis” could be afflicting your loved ones  
If so, here’s how you can help them. (404 Media) 
+ One solution: AI should be able to “hang up” on you. (MIT Technology Review) 

9 Nintendo is suing Trump over illegal tariffs 
The gaming giant has joined a lawsuit seeking over $200 billion in refunds. (Ars Technica) 

10 Bio-tech is turning ancient poop into a map of lost civilizations  
Molecular sensors are finding human traces where physical ruins have vanished. (Nature)    

Quote of the day 

“I don’t think any of us, whether it’s me or Dario [Amodei], Sam Altman, or Elon Musk, has any legitimacy to decide for society what is a good or bad use of AI.”

—Yann LeCun gives Wired his take on the Anthropic’s spat the Pentagon. 

One More Thing 

This giant microwave may change the future of war 

YOSHI SODEOKA

armed forces are hunting for a weapon that disables drones en masse—and they want it fast.  

One solution focuses on microwaves: high-powered electronic devices that push out kilowatts of power to zap the circuits of a drone as if it were the tinfoil you forgot to take off your leftovers when you heated them up. 

Defense tech startup Epirus may have the winning formula. The company has developed a cutting-edge, cost-efficient drone zapper that’s sparking the interest of the US military. And drones are just one of its targets. Read the full story. 

—Sam Dean 

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.) 

+ Werner Herzog’s magnificent movie about Africa’s ghost elephants has arrived on Disney+ and Hulu. 
+ A “city killer” asteroid won’t hit Earth after all. Phew.  
+ The Met is publishing high-definition 3D scans of over 100 iconic works. 
+ Marty and Doc from Back to the Future are still BFFs in real life. 

Top image credit: MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW (ILLUSTRATION) | PHOTO OF MISSILE (US NAVY), AI-GENERATED IMAGE OF RUBBLE VIA X, SCREENSHOTS VIA WORLDMONITOR, GLOBALTHREATMAP 

Send asteroids to hi@technologyreview.com.  

You can follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading! 
 
 

—Thomas  

The Download: murky AI surveillance laws, and the White House cracks down on defiant labs

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.

Is the Pentagon allowed to surveil Americans with AI?

The ongoing public feud between the Department of Defense and the AI company Anthropic has raised a deep and still unanswered question: Does the law actually allow the US government to conduct mass surveillance on Americans?

Surprisingly, the answer is not straightforward. More than a decade after Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s collection of bulk metadata from the phones of Americans, the US is still navigating a gap between what ordinary people think and what the law allows. 

Today, the legal complexity has a new edge: AI is supercharging surveillance—and our laws haven’t caught up. Read the full story.

—Michelle Kim

The must-reads

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

1 The White House has tightened its AI rules amid the Anthropic spat
New guidelines require companies to allow “any lawful” use of their ‌models. (FT $)
+ London’s mayor has slammed Trump’s treatment of Anthropic and invited the firm to expand in the city. (BBC)

2 A satellite firm has stopped sharing imagery after exposing Iranian strikes
Planet Lab said it wants to stop “adversarial actors” from using the data. (Ars Technica)
+ AI is turbocharging the conflict in Iran. (WSJ $)
+ War is adding a brutal new element to the country’s internet issues. (Wired $)

3 The OpenAI-Anthropic feud is getting messy
The Pentagon contract controversy has intensified a deeply personal animosity between the founders. (NYT $)
+ Sam Altman and Dario Amodei’s rivalry could reshape the future of AI. (WSJ $) 
+ OpenAI’s robotics lead has quit over concerns about surveillance and “lethal autonomy.” (TechCrunch)
+ The company’s DoD “compromise” has brought Anthropic’s fears to life. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Staff at Block are outraged over the company’s “AI layoffs” 
They’re pushing back against Jack Dorsey’s bullishness on AI. (The Guardian)
+ They’ve also cast doubt on the payroll savings. (Gizmodo)
+ It’s not the first case of fears over AI taking everyone’s jobs. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Data center “man camps” are springing up in Texas
Aimed at luring workers to help build the centers, they will offer free steaks and golf simulators. (Bloomberg $)

6 The OpenClaw craze is sparking a rally in Chinese tech stocks
Shares surged after government agencies and tech leaders promoted the AI agent. (Bloomberg $)
+ Why is China falling so hard for it? (SCMP)

7 AI-generated videos are altering our relationship to nature
And could lead to “distorted expectations” of animal behavior. (NYT $)
+ AI slop could form a new kind of pop culture. (MIT Technology Review)

8 A rogue AI agent freed itself to mine crypto in secret
The model escaped its sandbox to start a side hustle in digital currency. (Axios)
+ AI agents are also starting to harass people. (MIT Technology Review)

9 In a first, a spacecraft has changed an asteroid’s orbit around the sun
The feat was a test of Earth’s future defenses. (Engadget)

10 How the Furby brought creepy-cute robotics into playtime   
A new show traces the legacy of the surprisingly high-tech toy. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“I wanted to approach the whole situation with love.”

—Block cofounder and CEO Jack Dorsey tells Wired why he wore a hat with the word ‘Love’ on it during a meeting where he laid off 40% of his workforce. 

One more thing

LINDA NYLIND / EYEVINE VIA REDUX

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

Geoffrey Hinton is a pioneer of deep learning who helped develop some of the most important techniques at the heart of modern artificial intelligence, but after a decade at Google, he’s stepped down to focus on concerns he now has about AI.

Hinton wants to spend his time on what he describes as “more philosophical work.” And that will focus on the small but—to him—very real danger that AI will turn out to be a disaster. Read the full story.

—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.)

+ De La Soul’s Tiny Desk concert is a masterclass in joy and grief, proving their “Daisy Age” philosophy is timeless.
+ These original Disney concepts of beloved characters are a portal into an alternate childhood.
+ This square phone traverses two decades of nostalgia by rotating into a Game Boy AND a BlackBerry.
+ A newly discovered Rembrandt shows the Old Masters still have new tricks to reveal.

The Download: 10 things that matter in AI, plus Anthropic’s plan to sue the Pentagon

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.

Coming soon: our 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now

For years, MIT Technology Review’s newsroom has been ahead of the curve, tracking the developments in AI that matter and explaining what they mean. Now, our world-leading AI team is creating something definitive: the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now.

Publishing in April to be launched at our flagship AI event, EmTech AI, this special report will reveal what our expert journalists are tracking most closely, what breakthroughs have excited them, and what transformations they see on the horizon. It’s our authoritative snapshot of where AI is heading in the year ahead—a curated expert list of 10 technologies, emerging trends, bold ideas, and powerful movements reshaping our world.

Attendees at EmTech AI will get much more than an exclusive heads-up of what made our 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now list. We’re at a pivotal moment as AI moves from pilot testing into core business infrastructure, and to reflect that we’ve curated a program that will help you navigate what’s going on, and get ahead of what’s coming next. 

We’ll hear from top leaders at OpenAI, Walmart, General Motors, Poolside, MIT, the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) and SAG-AFTRA. Topics will include everything from how organizations are preparing for AI agents to how AI will change the future of human expression. As well as networking with speakers, you’ll have the chance to mingle with MIT Technology Review’s editors too. Download readers get 10% off tickets, so what are you waiting for? See you there!

The must-reads

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

1 Anthropic says it plans to sue the Pentagon
It believes the DoD’s ban on its software is unlawful. (BBC) 
+ CEO Dario Amodei has nonetheless apologized for a leaked memo criticizing Trump. (Axios)
+ Trump, meanwhile, says he fired Anthropic “like dogs.” (The Guardian)
+ In happier news for Anthropic, its models can remain in Microsoft products.(CNBC)

2 The Pentagon has been secretly testing OpenAI models for years
Which shows exactly how effective OpenAI’s ban on military use of its models has been. (Wired $)

3 A new lawsuit says Trump’s TikTok deal helped firms that ‘personally enriched’ him
The suit aims to reverse the sale of the app’s US operations. (CBS News)
+ It could shed light on the majority American-owned joint venture for TikTok. (Reuters)

4 AI could give smart homes a reboot 
Google and Amazon are betting on smarter assistants—but not everyone’s convinced (NYT)

5 Iran has struck Amazon data centers, rattling the Gulf’s AI ambitions
The first military hit on a US hyperscaler has shaken the region’s tech sector. (FT $)
+ The conflict has thrown a spotlight on AI’s current use in warfare—and what’s next. (Nature)

6 Trump and tech CEOs have promised to protect consumers from AI’s energy costs
Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI have all signed the pledge. (Axios)
+ But what is AI’s true energy footprint? We did the math. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Meta’s getting sued over surveillance through smart glasses  
The suit claims Meta misled users over the devices’ privacy features. (TechCrunch)

8 There’s a new field of study: researching ‘AI societies’
Scientists are examining human behavior without even involving humans. (Nature)
+ Hundreds of AI agents built their own society in Minecraft. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Oh great, teenage boys are using ChatGPT to chat up girls
Of all the things to outsource to AI, flirting surely ain’t it. (Vox)

10 The mythical Nintendo PlayStation has a new home 
The US National Video Museum has bought the fabled console’s development kit. (Engadget)

Quote of the day

“It’s sort of bitterly ironic.” 

—Dean Ball, a former Trump administration AI adviser, tells Politico that the Anthropic spat contradicts the president’s pledge to cut bureaucratic red tape for tech.

One more thing

KATHERINE LAM

These scientists are working to extend the life span of pet dogs—and their owners

Gavesh’s journey began with a Facebook job advert promising a better life. Instead, he was trafficked into “pig butchering”—a form of fraud where scammers build close relationships with online targets to extract money.

We spoke to Gavesh and five other workers from inside the scam industry, as well as anti-trafficking experts and technology specialists. Their testimony reveals how global tech platforms have industrialized this criminal trade—and why those same companies now hold the key to dismantling it. Read the full story.

—Peter Guest and Emily Fishbein

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.) 

+ The Blood Moon of March 3 was sublime.
+ Orysia Zabeida’s imperfect animations, drawn frame-by-frame from memory, are hypnotizing.
+ This stunning snap of a white whale calf scooped the top prize at the World Nature Photography Awards.
+ Two “Lazarus” marsupial species just came back from the dead in a big win for biodiversity.