The Download: introducing the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right 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.

Introducing: 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now

What actually matters in AI right now? It’s getting harder to tell amid the constant launches, hype, and warnings. To cut through the noise, MIT Technology Review’s reporters and editors have distilled years of analysis into a new essential guide: the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now.

The list builds on our annual 10 Breakthrough Technologies, but takes a wider view of the ideas, topics, and research shaping AI, spotlighting the trends and breakthroughs shaping the world.

We’ll be unpacking one item from the list each day here in The Download, explaining what it means and why it matters. Read the full rundown now—and stay tuned for the days ahead.

MIT Technology Review Narrated: desalination plants in the Middle East are increasingly vulnerable

As the conflict in Iran has escalated, a crucial resource is under fire: the desalinization technology that supplies water in the region.

President Donald Trump recently threatened to destroy “possibly all desalinization plants” in Iran if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. The impact on farming, industry, and—crucially—drinking in the Middle East could be severe. Find out why.

—Casey Crownhart

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 An unauthorized group has reportedly accessed Anthropic’s Mythos
Users in a private online forum may have gained access. (Bloomberg $)
+ Anthropic said the model was too dangerous for a full release. (Axios)
+ Mozilla used it to find 271 security vulnerabilities in Firefox. (Wired $)

2 Meta will track workers’ clicks and keystrokes for AI training
Tracking software is being installed on workers’ computers.(Reuters $)
+ Employees are up in arms about the program. (Business Insider)
+ LLMs could supercharge mass surveillance in the US. (MIT Technology Review)

3 ChatGPT allegedly advised the Florida State shooter
About when and where to strike, and which ammunition to use. (Washington Post $)
+ Florida’s attorney general is probing ChatGPT’s role in the shooting. (Ars Technica)
+ Does AI cause delusions or just amplify them? (MIT Technology Review)

4 SpaceX has secured the option to buy AI startup Cursor for $60 billion
Or pay $10 billion for the work they’re doing together. (The Verge)
+ SpaceX made the deal as it prepares to go public. (NYT $)
+ Musk’s endgame for the company may be a land grab in space. (The Atlantic $)

5 The Pentagon wants $54 billion for drones
That would rank among the top 10 military budgets for entire nations. (Ars Technica)
+ Shoplifters could soon be chased down by drones. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Apple’s new chief hardware officer signals a sprint to build in-house chips
Apple silicon lead Johny Srouji has been promoted to the role. (CNBC)

7 China’s government is tightening its grip on AI firms that try to leave
It’s doing all it can to stop firms like Manus sending talent and research overseas. (Washington Post $)

8 The FBI is probing the deaths of scientists tied to sensitive research
Including a nuclear physicist and MIT professor shot outside his home. (CNN)

9 The US is accelerating research into psychedelic medical treatment
Including the mysterious ibogaine. (Nature)
+ But psychedelics are (still) falling short in clinical trials. (MIT Technology Review)

10 The first retail boutique run by an AI agent has opened—and it’s chaos
The San Francisco shop is reassuringly mismanaged. (NYT $)

Quote of the day

“I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to ‘kiss my ass’.” 

—Donald Trump pays a classy tribute to Tim Cook on Truth Social.

One More Thing

This researcher wants to replace your brain, little by little

A US agency pursuing moonshot health breakthroughs has hired a researcher advocating an extremely radical plan for defeating death. His idea? Replace your body parts. All of them. Even your brain. 

Jean Hébert, a program manager at the US Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), believes we can beat aging by adding youthful tissue to people’s brains. Read the full story on his futuristic plan to extend human life. 

—Antonio Regalado

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 Lego set was sent to the edge of space—and survived.
+ Go behind the scenes with Werner Herzog as he guides a new generation of filmmakers.
+ This video about enshittification perfectly captures the frustration of the degrading internet.
+ NASA’s latest deep-space capture offers a rare view of planetary systems in their absolute infancy.