The Download from MIT Technology Review

What a Nobel-winning economist is watching in AI

Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu remains skeptical that AI agents will replace human workers at scale, arguing that jobs requiring multi-task orchestration are largely safe. The newsletter also covers AI companies hiring in-house economists to shape narratives, and Acemoglu's key signal to watch: whether AI apps achieve the ease-of-use of tools like PowerPoint. Additional stories include week two of the Musk v. Altman trial, Apple's $250M settlement over AI marketing claims, and a Chinese court ruling against AI-driven layoffs.

Here’s what you need to know about the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak

MIT Technology Review's daily digest covers three major stories: a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that experts say differs from COVID-19, week two of the Musk v. Altman trial revealing Musk tried to poach Sam Altman, and new research showing LLM agents could enable mass surveillance by linking anonymized data to real people. The newsletter also rounds up top tech news including Meta employee dissatisfaction with AI mandates, OpenAI being sued over ChatGPT's alleged role in a mass shooting, and the Canvas student data hack.

We’ve entered the era of AI malaise

MIT Technology Review's The Download covers the emerging 'era of AI malaise'—a period of widespread uncertainty about AI's societal and economic impact. Additional stories explore how technology and AI are transforming IVF and babymaking, and how advances in AI are enabling a new generation of adaptable robots. The issue also includes a roundup of top tech news including ICE smart glasses, a massive edtech cyberattack, and China's competitive open-source AI models.

What’s next for IVF

MIT Technology Review's Download newsletter covers how AI, robotics, and genetic editing are transforming IVF with new ethical questions, the rapid US expansion of plug-in balcony solar systems, and growing public resistance against AI's societal impacts. The issue also rounds up top tech news including Anthropic partnering with SpaceX for GPU access, ex-OpenAI leaders testifying against Sam Altman, and China's humanoid robot export boom.

Inexpensive seafloor-hopping submersibles could stoke deep-sea science—and mining

MIT Technology Review's daily digest covers low-cost submersibles by Orpheus Ocean mapping the Pacific seafloor for critical minerals, AI advice engines entering military war rooms for targeting decisions, and a roundup of major AI industry news including Anthropic's $200B Google cloud deal and DeepSeek's $45B valuation.

How the Musk v. Altman trial is unfolding

In the room at the Musk v. Altman trial

A new US phone network for Christians aims to block porn and gender-related content

MIT Technology Review's The Download covers a new Christian-marketed US phone network launching with mandatory porn blocks and optional gender-content filters, Goodfire's new mechanistic interpretability tool Silico for debugging LLMs, Trump's mass firing of 22 NSF scientists, and China's growing open-source AI strategy following DeepSeek's success.

Digging for clues about the North Pole’s past

It’s time to make a plan for nuclear waste

Elon Musk and Sam Altman are going to court over OpenAI’s future

Elon Musk and Sam Altman head to trial this week over OpenAI's future, with Musk seeking $134 billion in damages and a reversion to non-profit status ahead of OpenAI's IPO. AI companies are struggling to bridge the gap between technological hype and actual profitability, while weaponized deepfakes are escalating in harm, disproportionately affecting women and marginalized groups. Additional top stories include Google's classified Pentagon AI deal, the EU forcing Google to open Android to AI rivals, and DeepSeek pricing its new model 97% below OpenAI's GPT-5.5.

The missing step between hype and profit

Three reasons why DeepSeek’s new model matters

We’re in a new era of AI-driven scams

This MIT Technology Review newsletter covers the rise of AI-powered cybercrime, including phishing, deepfakes, and automated vulnerability scans, which are making attacks faster and cheaper. It also examines the growing use of AI in healthcare for notetaking, patient record analysis, and medical imaging, while questioning whether these tools actually improve patient outcomes. Additional news items cover DeepSeek's new V4 model, OpenAI's GPT-5.5 release, Meta's 10% layoffs, and Norway's social media age restrictions.

Want to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts

Why opinion on AI is so divided

MIT Technology Review's AI newsletter analyzes Stanford's 2026 AI Index, highlighting a massive perception gap between AI experts (73% positive on jobs) and the general public (23% positive). The report reveals AI's "jagged frontier" - models excel at technical tasks like coding but struggle with basic tasks like reading analog clocks, creating divided opinions based on user experience.

You have no choice in reading this article—maybe

MIT Technology Review's newsletter covers neuroscientist Uri Maoz's research on free will and decision-making, Moderna's strategic rebranding of cancer vaccines as therapies to avoid vaccine hesitancy, and various AI developments including attacks on Sam Altman's home and military AI arms race.

A new short story by Jeff VanderMeer

MIT Technology Review's newsletter features an exclusive sci-fi story by Jeff VanderMeer about crashed astronauts discovering alien artifacts on a frozen planet. The newsletter also covers major AI developments including OpenAI and Anthropic restricting model releases over security concerns, and a Florida investigation into ChatGPT's alleged role in a mass shooting.

Is fake grass a bad idea? The AstroTurf wars are far from over.

MIT Technology Review's newsletter covers synthetic turf environmental concerns, Mustafa Suleyman's take on continued AI development progress, and desalination technology's growing importance in water-stressed regions. Additional coverage includes Meta's new AI model Muse Spark, Anthropic's legal challenges with Pentagon blacklisting, and evidence suggesting Adam Back may be Bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

Desalination plants in the Middle East are increasingly vulnerable

MIT Technology Review's newsletter covers major tech developments including Trump's threats to Middle East desalination infrastructure, AI tools revolutionizing e-commerce sourcing, and the emerging gig economy of workers training humanoid robots at home. The newsletter also highlights Anthropic's new Claude Mythos AI discovering security vulnerabilities across major operating systems and browsers.

The one piece of data that could actually shed light on your job and AI

MIT Technology Review's newsletter covers AI's impact on jobs, space-based data centers, and various tech industry developments. The main focus is on the need for price elasticity data to understand AI's employment effects and SpaceX's plans for orbital computing infrastructure.

Our blind spot on AI and jobs

Economist Alex Imas argues that current AI job displacement predictions are flawed because they only measure task exposure, not economic impact. He calls for a "Manhattan Project" to collect price elasticity data across the economy to better understand how AI productivity gains will affect employment demand.

Fuel prices are soaring. Plastic could be next.

MIT Technology Review's newsletter covers rising fuel prices affecting plastic production due to war in Iran, SpaceX's historic IPO filing targeting $1.75 trillion valuation, and NASA's successful Artemis II Moon mission launch. Additional tech stories include Iranian cyberattacks on AWS, OpenAI's secret child safety lobbying, and Anthropic's code leak incident.

The gig workers who are training humanoid robots at home

MIT Technology Review newsletter covering major tech developments including gig workers training humanoid robots from home, OpenAI's record-breaking $122 billion funding round, and issues with current AI benchmarks. The newsletter also highlights quantum computing progress in healthcare, Iranian threats against US tech companies, and various robotics and space industry updates.

There are more AI health tools than ever—but how well do they work?

MIT Technology Review covers the proliferation of AI health tools from Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI with concerns about their lack of external evaluation. The Pentagon's dispute with Anthropic over supply chain risks has been temporarily blocked by a judge, suggesting the conflict was unnecessarily escalated.

The Pentagon’s “culture war” tactic against Anthropic has backfired

A California judge temporarily blocked the Pentagon from designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk, ruling that the government's actions were likely unlawful and unconstitutional. The dispute began when Anthropic refused direct government contracts due to disagreements over usage policies, leading to public statements from Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth that the judge found to be punishment for the company's ideology rather than legitimate security concerns.

Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones

MIT Technology Review covers a secretive startup R3 Bio that pitched creating brainless human clones as backup bodies, alongside their public work on nonsentient monkey organ sacks. Scientists successfully kept a human uterus alive outside the body for the first time using a device called Mother.

How a couple of ski bums built the internet’s best weather app

MIT Technology Review's newsletter covers how two ski enthusiasts built OpenSnow into the internet's best weather forecasting app using government data and AI models. The newsletter also explores cryonics research and includes updates on Pentagon's Anthropic ban, OpenAI's advertising pilot, and Wikipedia's AI content restrictions.

Why this battery company is pivoting to AI

MIT Technology Review's daily digest covers SES AI's pivot from lithium battery development to AI-powered materials discovery, and Axiom Math's new free AI tool aimed at uncovering hidden mathematical patterns to solve long-standing problems. The newsletter also touches on how volatile fossil-fuel prices may not straightforwardly boost EV adoption, and rounds up major tech news including Meta/YouTube fines for addictive design, SpaceX's IPO plans, and Google's quantum cryptography timeline.

This scientist rewarmed and studied pieces of his friend’s cryopreserved brain

MIT Technology Review's daily digest covers a cryobiologist's research on his deceased friend's preserved brain and its implications for organ transplantation. The newsletter also highlights OpenAI shutting down Sora, Arm entering the chip market, and Meta being ordered to pay $375M for endangering children. Additional stories touch on space exploration, AI regulation, and a NASA nuclear-powered Mars mission planned for 2028.